I have chosen to discuss the political culture of Costa Rica. Briefly defined, a political culture is the grouping of beliefs and values internalised within the general population that underscores their political activity as well as their attitude toward the government. Hereby it is mentionable that two things which immensely impact on the political culture of a country are its political histories and the cultural development of the country. These two conjoined factors largely formulate the political culture of a county. In this essay I will be discussing the political culture of Costa Rica.
Before analysing Costa Rica´s political culture, there needs to made clear distinction as to what culture is and how culture and politics interact. Culture is commonly understood as a shared belief system, shared value system and code of conduct of a people. The operative word being ´shared´ and can serve as a means of identity of a people or nation as well.
Culture influences politics in the way that strategies which are aimed at attaining national goals often reflect or are even dictated by the culture of the people. E.g. Costa Rican political culture as a model of classical liberalism reflected an avid entrepreneurial spirit among the Coffee Barons of Costa Rica´s classical period: Where wealth, status and class were the most valued features in society. There is empirical evidence showing that people´s viewpoints, whether realist, functionalist, conservative, liberal, mercantilist etc. will influence their actions. Culture is intrinsic to the conduct of political activity.
Costa Rica´s contemporary political culture is defined by an unprecedented belief in democracy, as it is Latin America´s oldest democracy. Despite this, it is...
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All throughout the 20th century we can observe the marked presence of totalitarian regimes and governments in Latin America. Countries like Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic all suffered under the merciless rule of dictators and military leaders. Yet the latter country, the Dominican Republic, experienced a unique variation of these popular dictatorships, one that in the eyes of the world of those times was great, but in the eyes of the Dominicans, was nothing short of deadly.
The United States of America and Costa Rica’s constitutions have several similarities and differences. The United States and Costa Rica have two of the most successful constitutional republics in the history of the world. They are alike in several ways, however, there are some major differences that allows them to thrive in their own environments. There are many components that describe the two countries: physical structure, traditions and how the constitutions were established, how the constitutions work, languages, military, religion, education, voting rights, presidential elections, and structure of the legislative branch, presidential terms, vice presidents, and Supreme Court justices.
In his essay “Guatemalan Politics: The Popular Struggle for Democracy,” Garry H.
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Elazar’s political culture typology divides state political culture into three dominant categories: moralist, individualist, and traditionalist. Moralists measure government by its commitment to the public good and concern for public welfare.
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A Political Culture is a set of beliefs and practices held by how a person shapes their political behavior, and a person’s attitude about how the government should function. This includes moral judgment, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes a good society.
...les of democracy completely. The structure of the Dominican Republic has not always conformed to the west and democratic tradition. Instead it uses a lot of elaborate for with questionable substance. The country’s constitution has taken after the Constitution of the United States but the underlying political realities are very different. Politics are key to the success of the Dominican Republic’s future and democratic system. The noticeable difference with today’s politics and policy makers is that political leaders must now deal with a large amount of problems and public issues that require them to make all of these decisions by ruling not just for themselves but also for jobs, water, education, housing and social development. The Dominican politics have evolved into a quest for power and privilege that together will keep the country prospering and growing.
I learned more than I ever imagined on my summer study abroad trip to Costa Rica. I learned that Costa Rica is a country like no other. The country is much different than what the United States of America is like. The lifestyles, customs, and practices of Costa Rica are very different than those that I am accustomed to. As an outsider looking into the country, I saw a country that is very poor financially but very rich in spirit. They do not appreciate wealth as United States citizens do, but instead appreciate love and gratitude. I noticed that Costa Ricans have very strong family values and cultural roots.
The idea of political culture is found within the state’s history. The history of the state is impacted by the people settled in the region, religious backgrounds, and geography. The history of the state influences the attitudes and beliefs that people hold regarding their political system. Daniel Elazar theorized a connection between the states’ history and attitude towards government by explaining differences in government between states. Every state is different with some common ground. Elazar’s theory divides states into three types: moralistic, traditionalistic and individualistic. The state’s constitution defines the powers of government with political culture bias. Because of the state constitution, the political culture influences the power and limitations of governors, legislative, and judiciaries.
Political culture can be defined as certain convictions, values and attitudes which is shared by a society or larger community with regards to political activity, actions and the political system and which forms the foundation on which most political systems are based (Manheim, 1982:49). Furthermore, political culture also contains the role of an individual within a political system (Diamond, 1999: 163). Societies are largely heterogeneous in many aspects and thus it can be problematic to achieve consensus within a society about values and beliefs to form a single cultural approach (Almond & Verba, 1963: 25).
The political culture of a country is the basic values, attitudes, beliefs, and ideas of the people t...