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Political Culture in Canada

Political Culture in Canada. Douglas Brown Pols 220 / St Francis Xavier Fall term, 2008. Political Culture in Canada: Contents. What is political culture? Recent developments in Canadian political culture Nevitte and Kanji’s study of “new cleavages”. Readings.

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Political Culture in Canada

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  1. Political Culture in Canada Douglas Brown Pols 220 / St Francis Xavier Fall term, 2008

  2. Political Culture in Canada: Contents • What is political culture? • Recent developments in Canadian political culture • Nevitte and Kanji’s study of “new cleavages”

  3. Readings • Brooks, Canadian Democracy, chap 2. • Nevitte and Kanjii “New Cleavages…” (chapter 4) in Bickerton and Gagnon eds., Canadian Politics

  4. What is Political Culture? • “Values, beliefs, behaviour of a society’s members in regards to politics” • What we value in political life (liberty, equality, participation, etc.) • Our attitudes towards government and politics – e.g. Deference, Trust, Efficacy, Alienation • How we act on our beliefs and values (voting, demonstrations, party volunteer, etc. ) • Are there are differences of political culture within Canada ?

  5. Elements of Political Culture • Overall regime support • Broad value sets • Socialization to politics • Community identification • Efficacy as citizens • Trust in/ deference towards political leadership and institutions • Participation/ acting on beliefs and values

  6. Developments in Canadian Political Culture…1 • Declining levels of trust in government and politicians • Declining levels in citizen efficacy –i.e. feeling that one can change the course of politics or the system • Declining deference to authority figures

  7. Developments…2 • Material values …in decline ? • Value of economic growth, development • Importance of redistribution, income inequality • Less important now? • Post-material values …on the rise ? • Gender and sexual orientation identification and rights • Multiculturalism and the politics of recognition • Environment, quality of life concerns

  8. Participation trends • Declining social capital: the “bowling alone” thesis • Decline in voting • Rise in direct action • Formation of new parties and movements • Cyber-politics: technologically-driven methods of citizen participation and feedback

  9. Comparing Canada and US • Significant convergences: • Views on deference, social order, and social equality are very close or the same • Still significant differences: • More tolerance of free speech in the US • More value placed on individual initiative in the US • More value placed on collective or State provision in Canada • Is the Post 9/11 (“war on terror”) security climate having an effect on our values?

  10. Nevitte and Kanji:“New Cleavages, Value Diversity and Democratic Governance” • Measuring Political Culture • The Nature of “Cleavages” • Understanding changes in Canada’s political culture (sociology)

  11. Old Cleavages in Canada • French – English • Catholic – Protestant • Regional – east, west, Quebec, Ontario • Class – labour, farmers, middle/upper classes

  12. Three Newer Cleavages • New Basis of Immigration • Generational Shift to “Post-material” values • Gender

  13. Subjective religiosity Church leadership Moral permissiveness Civil permissiveness Market economics Science and technology Women and work Kids and independence Workplace conditions Post-materialism factors Testing Values by surveying views on the following:

  14. Results …. • Value gaps widening… • Between native-born Canadians and newer immigrants • Between those born before 1960 and those born after • Between men and women • Immigrants, younger Canadians and women all more likely to adopt the newer value set

  15. Significance: • Greater value diversity in the populations makes governance more difficult • But, older cleavages less important • Value diversity within a region makes for less satisfaction …e.g. Alberta, Quebec • Yet, the more post-material the society, the more likely to protest

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