citizens, society, & the state. presentation outline 1)civil society 2)interest groups...

CITIZENS, SOCIETY, & THE STATE

Presentation Outline

1) Civil Society2) Interest Groups3) Political Socialization4) Cleavages

1) Civil Society

• Civil society is defined as citizens who organize themselves outside of the control of the government

• For civil society to exist citizens must be able to voluntarily organize themselves

“The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within." Mohandas K. Gandhi

Examples of civil society

Parent-Teacher School Association in India

Greenpeace Japan protesting nuclear energy

Students protesting tuition fee increases in Britain

Protests in Egypt (2011) which toppled the Mubarak regime

Emerging civil society in the newly established state of South Sudan

2010 Freedom House Scores

What correlations do you see here between civil society and regime types?

2) Interest groups

An interest group is defined as a group of citizens with a common interest (labor, business, the environment, etc.)

These groups are generally organized and influence the government’s policymaking process

Examples of Interest Groups

Interest: The Environment Interest: British business interests in Japan

Interest: Chicago public school teachers

Interest: Ontario Dairy Farmers

Interest: right to own guns Interest: Catholic Issues

• Interest groups articulate their interests to the government (interest articulation) by lobbying, protesting, writing petitions, and funding political candidates and parties

• All interest groups hope that their platform (ideas, positions) will be put into actual government policy or law (interest aggregation)

Types of interest group systems

• Pluralist: interest groups compete to influence government policy- this is the most democratic type of system

• Corporatist: a limited number of interest groups (usually two or three) work with the government to make policy

• State controlled: interest groups do NOT operate freely and are largely organs of the Party in power-common in authoritarian regimes

Pluralism

The UK GovernmentAggregates pluralist interests into policy

Articulates interest and influences policy

Articulates interest and influences policy

Aggregates interests into government policy

Corporatism in Mexico under PRI rule, 1934-2000

How does corporatism limit the representative and democratic process?

Business/Industry Labor

Government

Bottom Right:Communist Youth League

Right: All-China Federation of Trade Unions

Left: All-China Women’s Federation

State-controlled interest groups

3) Political socialization

• Political socialization is defined as the way citizens obtain their views and beliefs about government

Political socialization asks: how did you come to believe what you believe (ideology). After all no one is born with an ideology!

• How does this definition contrast with political culture?

Examples of agents of political socialization

Social Media Mainstream media The Family

Church or other religious institutions

School Political party

• In democratic regimes the family and the media tend to be the major agents of political socialization

• In authoritarian and totalitarian regimes the state is actively involved as an agent of political socialization through schools and organizations

Political Socialization in North Korea

4) Cleavages

• A cleavage is defined as a division in society (class, gender, race, religion, etc.)

• There are two types of cleavages1) Coinciding cleavages divide citizens in a state

on several issues and create instability2) Cross-cutting cleavages create unity amongst

citizens who are divided on other issues but united on one and create stability

Coinciding cleavage

Groups in Society

Cleavage (class)

Cleavage (religion)

Cleavage (ethnicity/race)

Cleavage(region)

Anglo-Dutch Middle class, upper class

Christianbut mostly secular

White, ruling elite Live in urban areas, well developed

Blacks poor Mix of Christian and traditional beliefs

Black, few civil rights

Live mostly in rural townships, poor, underdeveloped

Asians (Indians, Chinese..)

Working class, middle class

Various religious beliefs but mostly secular

Asian, has some civil rights but not in elite

Live in urban areas, well developed

Coinciding Cleavages in Apartheid South Africa (Before 1991)

• Coinciding cleavages often lead to unrest, violence, and separatism

Kurdish separatists in Turkey

Cross-cutting cleavage

Groups in Society

Cleavage(language)

Cleavage (ethnicity)

Cleavage (religion)

Cleavage(region)

Persians Speak official language Farsi

Persian, majority group

Shi’a Islam Live in both rural and urban areas

Azeris Speak Farsi and Azeri languages

Azeri minority

Shi’a Islam Live in both rural and urban areas

Arabs Speak mostly Arabic

Arab minority

Shi’a Islam Live mostly in poor rural areas in the Southwest

Cross-cutting cleavage in Iran: Shi’a Islam