1. Defining Political Culture

2. Political Culture – the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on. Ex.) American Individualism Ex.) American Freedom & Liberty

3. Determining Political Culture Political Culture can be measured through Social Capital – the amount of reciprocity & trust that exists among citizens and between citizens and the state. Ex.) Health Care Debate

4. 6 Ways to ‘Measure’ Social Capital 1)Attitudes & Beliefs of Citizens Do citizens trust their government? Do they believe that the government cares about what they think? Political Efficacy – a citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events. 2)Political Socialization How do citizens learn about politics in their country? Who produces it? 3)Types of Political Participation Democracies = citizens vote, attend meetings, contribute money, join parties Authoritarian = Subjective Activities – pay taxes, obey laws, follow military orders

5. 6 Ways to ‘Measure’ Social Capital 4)Voting Behavior Do citizens vote? Are the elections truly fair & competitive? 5)Level of Transparency Government operates openly by keeping citizens informed & responds to citizens’ questions and advice. 6)Social Cleavages Social Cleavages - potential divisions based on social class, ethnicity, religion, and/or regional factors.

6. 2 Types of Political Culture 1.Consensual Political Culture – citizens accept both the legitimacy of the government and its’ solutions to major problems. 2.Conflictual Political Culture – citizens are sharply divided, often on both government legitimacy and government solutions to major problems. Cross-Cutting Cleavages Cross-Cutting Cleavages – divides society into groups that conflict on one issue by cooperate on another Coinciding Cleavages Coinciding Cleavages - every dispute aligns the same groups against each other.