Society
Civil Society
Organized life outside of the state
Voluntary groups
Help people define and advance their own interests
Usually strong in liberal democracies; citizens are free to join a wide variety of groups
Freedom of assembly
A fundamental civil liberty
Citizens who belong to civil society groups are more likely to participate politically
Closely monitored in authoritarian regimes
Not necessarily political
Serves as an agent of democratization
Effects of a Civil Society
Be agents of democratization
Monitor and lobby governments
Expose governmental malfeasance
Represent the interests of members
Provie organized aid
Political Culture
Collective attitudes, values and beliefs of the citizenry and the norms of behaviour in the political system
The political beliefs, values, practices, institutions that government is based on
Is influenced by factors
Geography
Religious traditions
Shared history
Political Socialization
Political culture is transmitted through the process of political socialization
Lifelong process of acquiring one's beliefs, values and orientations towards the political system
Agents of socialization
Family
School
Religious intitutions
Peers