Page 84 - DPOL202_COMPARATIVE_POLITICS_AND_GOVERNMENT_ENGLISH

Unit 4: Political Culture

Policy expectations also involve specific policy demands. Some policy goals, such as material Notes
welfare, are valued by nearly everyone. Concern about other policy goals may vary widely across
nations because of the nation’s circumstances and because of cultural traditions. People in
developing countries are more likely to focus on the government’s provision of basic services to
ensure public well-being. Advanced industrial societies provide for basic needs, and in these
nations people may be more concerned with quality of life goals, such as preservation of nature
and even government support for the arts. One of the basic measures of government performance
is its ability to meet the policy expectations of its citizens.

80% Israel
Nigeria
Sweden/Tanzania
India
70% Turkey/Argentina
Egypt
Finland
Latvia
60% Estonia
Mexico
Germany (East)
50% Peru
Italy/RussiaD
China
Poland/Lithuania
40% Canada/Czech Republic
Netherlands
United States/Japan
30% Britain
France/Germany (West)

Figure 4.2: The Government Should Ensure Everyone
is Provided For (percent agreeing)

Another set of expectations involves the functioning of government. Some cultures put more
weight on the policy outputs of government, such as providing welfare and security. Other cultures
also emphasize how the process functions, which involves values such as the rule of law and
procedural justice. Among Germans, for example, the rule of law is given great importance; in
many developing nations political relations are personally based, and there is less willingness to
rely on legalistic frameworks.
Cultural Congruence
At the heart of our discussion of political culture is the belief that political structures and political
cultures are mutually reinforcing in stable political systems. It is difficult to sustain democracy in
a nation lacking participatory democrats, just as it is difficult to sustain an authoritarian state if
the citizens are politically sophisticated and want to participate. Indeed, one of the major political
issues in the world today is whether the democratic transitions in Eastern Europe, Latin America,
and East Asia that began in the 1990s can be sustained. The political culture in these nations will
provide a significant part of the answer.

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