1. Political science AY 2010-2011 - Lecture7 “PoliticalParticipation” Prof. Paolo R. Graziano

2. Citizens and participation • Citizens differ greatly with respect to their will to participate • Milbrath and Goel classification (1977) • gladiators (ex. activist campaigners) • spectators (ex. voters) • apathetics (ex. nonvoters) • Modes of conventional participation (Verbaet al., 1978): • voting • campaigning • communal activity • contacting

3. What is political participation? • POLITICAL PARTICIPATION • “ways in which people can seek to influence the composition or policies of • their government” • Political participation may be: • electoral • nonelectoral

4. Nonelectoral political participation • Citizensmay decide nottovote… • …butstillparticipate in a givenpolitical system. • Howcan theyparticipate? • - interest groups • - social movements

5. Forms of nonelectoral participation • interest group: • - formallyorganizedassociation • - aimedat influencingdecision-making • - withlimited and conventionalformsofparticipation • - and primarelyperformsaninterest articulationfunctionsinceitdoesnot compete in elections. • social movement: • - informalorganization • primarilyaimed at sharing common values and (also) at • influencingdecision-making • - withmultiple and conflictualformsofpoliticalparticipation

6. Forms of nonconventional participation • blogging • boycotts • buycotts • peacefulmarches • massive (and continuos) demonstration • Unconventional vs. violentformsofpoliticalparticipation, • which include: • deliberate (and premeditated) violence • suicide missions • genocide

7. Participation in nondemocratic states • limitedautonomyofcivil society (e.g. groupswhich sit above the personal realmof the family butbeneath the state) • constrained (or regimented) participation • clientelisticparticipation (e.g. characterizedbyclientelistictieswherea patronprovidesprotection and eventuallyother material goodsto a numberoflower-statusclientswho, in exchange, offertheirsupport)