POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

OLEH: FITRIYAH

What is it?

• Political participation is simply any activity which is designed to influence public opinion or decision

• Can be direct or indirect, individual or group-oriented

“ [political participation] is an activity that has the intent of effect of influencing government action – either directly by affecting the making or implementation of public policy or indirectly by influencing the selection of people who make those policies.”(In the research, “Voice and equality: Civic Volunteerism in American Politics,” Verba, S., Schlozman, K.L, & Brady H.E.(1995) )

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION• Two Types of Political Participation:– Conventional Participation• Voting• Letter writing• Contact with Representatives• Working on Campaigns• Campaign Contributions• Joining Groups (social capital)• Running for Office

– Unconventional Participation• Boycotts, Sit-ins, Marches, Demonstrations, Violence

CONVENTIONAL & UNCONVENTIONAL

Conventional • …. follow the the

political system• voting,

campaigning, lobbying officials

Unconventional• …. do not follow the

routinised institutional forms of politics

• protest, demonstration, violence, revolution

VOTING IN ELECTIONS

COMMUNITY ACTIVIY

CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY

PROTESTING

RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE

FEATURES OF PARTICIPATION• Participation is hierarchical in the sense that

it is a cost vs. benefit situation – greater investment of political resources ends up in fewer people being involved

• Political activity is also cumulative in that those who participate in higher-cost activities add them on to what already exists

Holding office

Candidate for office

Active party membership

Contributing time in a campaign

Attending in political rally

Donating money to a party

Contacting an official

Wearing a button

Triying to talk someone into voting certain way

Political discussion

Voting

Figure: Poltical participation can be conseptualized in a hierarchical manner. Political involvement is understood in term of different level (adapted from Milbrath, 1965: 18)

Spectator activities

Transitional activities

Gladiator activities