Thesis (Selection of subject)

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The Impact of Political Culture on the Development of Countries: In Search of a Theory

Thesis title in Czech:	Vliv politické kultury na rozvoj zemí: hledání teorie
Thesis title in English:	The Impact of Political Culture on the Development of Countries: In Search of a Theory
Key words:	Political Culture, Development of Countries, John Rawls
English key words:	Political Culture, Development of Countries, John Rawls
Academic year of topic announcement:	2023/2024
Thesis type:	diploma thesis
Thesis language:	angličtina
Department:	Department of Political Science (23-KP)
Supervisor:	Janusz Salamon, Ph.D.
Author:

Guidelines

The thesis examines the impact of political culture on the development of a country. The concept of political culture, encompasses the attitudes, feelings, and perceptions that inform and govern political behaviour within a society. This inquiry is inspired by John Rawls' perspective on the role of political culture in shaping a society's prosperity and governance. In the "Laws of Peoples", John Rawls argues in the that the wealth and structure of a society lie in its political culture and the traditions that support its institutions, suggesting that even countries with limited resources can achieve order and prosperity with an effective political and social culture. Despite its significance, Rawls' assertion about the centrality of political culture in societal development is under-theorized and not subjected to scrutiny. This thesis aims to fill this gap by constructing a theoretical framework to evaluate Rawls' hypothesis. In order to examine Rawls' claim, it will be necessary to analyse and redefine the concept of political culture, taking into account the theoretical contributions of earlier authors such as G. Almond and S. Verba. This redefinition is intended to address the interaction between individual attitudes and collective political systems. Following this, the thesis will define 'development' within the context of Development Studies, thereby establishing a framework for examining the interplay between political culture and development. This endeavour will draw upon the foundational work of scholars such as Lucian Pye, Sidney Verba, Marc Hooghe, Stephen Chilton, Howard Wiarda, etc. These scholars have significantly contributed to understanding political culture, and its relationship with development. Their insights will contribute to a coherent theory that aligns with current empirical findings and theoretical perspectives. This approach aligns with Rawls' insights into the importance of political culture in determining a society's economic and social order. The thesis concludes with providing support for the above-mentioned thesis of J. Rawls, about the impact of political culture on the development of countries. By exploring this impact, the thesis aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how societies can achieve well-ordered states, regardless of their resource levels. This exploration is not only a response to the under-researched area of Rawls' theory but also an endeavour to provide new insights into a critical question in the fields of political science and development studies.
In exploring the intricate relationship between political culture and the development of a country, this thesis will address three pivotal research questions. First, it will investigate how specific components of political culture correlate with and influence key aspects of a country's development. This investigation aims to establish a theoretical linkage between the defining elements of political culture and the corresponding components of a country's development, analysing how each aspect of political culture contributes to various developmental outcomes. Second, the research will delve into the extent to which domestic and international factors interplay in shaping a country's development, particularly focusing on their interaction with the political, economic, and cultural processes within the country. This part of the study seeks to distinguish between the influences of external and internal factors and understand their complex interrelationships. Lastly, the thesis will examine the ways in which local political culture mediates the impact of external or international factors, such as the adoption of economic and political models, on a country's development. This inquiry will address how the effectiveness of externally derived models, like free-market economics or liberal-democratic politics, in a specific country is significantly determined by its unique political culture, investigating how local political culture can either facilitate or hinder the successful implementation and adaptation of these international models within the domestic context.
Working Hypotheses:

1. The impact of political culture on a development of a country can be theorized by identifying how each of the defining components of political culture can be shown to be related to the relevant defining components of development of a country.

2. Analysing a country's development requires understanding the complex interplay between domestic elements and international influences that shape its political, economic, and cultural processes.

3. Even when development of a country can be shown to depend on external/international factors (e.g. free market economic model or liberal-democratic political model), the local political culture explains the degree to which the external factors shape the domestic development.

Methodology:
In this thesis in political theory, the methodology is tailored to align with the nature of the subject matter. While the thesis will periodically utilize examples and comparative cases to substantiate the hypotheses, it does not intend to undertake a comprehensive comparative analysis throughout the study. The approach is focused more on illustrating key points and theories rather than conducting extensive comparative work, ensuring that the methodology remains congruent with the political focus of the thesis. This thesis employs a mixed-methods research design, with a primary focus on qualitative methodology, to redefine political culture and its impact on national development. It integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between political culture and development. The study's core is a qualitative analysis, comprising an extensive review and critical assessment of the political culture literature. This includes a historical exploration of how political culture has been defined, alongside an evaluation of various theoretical approaches. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with political science and development experts will provide contemporary perspectives on political culture's role in national development. The complementary quantitative component involves analysing data from sources like the surveys, examining links between political culture aspects (e.g., political efficacy, trust, participation) and development indicators (e.g., institutional stability, democratic performance, socioeconomic progress) using statistical methods like regression and factor analysis in order to support the theoretical claims put forward in this thesis.

References

1. Introduction
1.1 Subject Matter & The Nature of the Thesis
1.2 Navigating through Methodology and the Literature Review

2. The Anatomy of Political Culture
2.1 Analysing Political Culture: Components and Influence
2.2 The Interaction of Domestic and International Influences

3. Development Studies: Theories and Applications
3.1 Integrating Political Culture into Development Studies

4. Conclusion

5. Appendices/Supplementary Materials

Preliminary scope of work

Preliminary scope of work in English

• Almond, G. A., & Verba, S. (1963). The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Princeton University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183pnr2
• Berezin, M., Sandusky, E., & Davidson, T. (2020). Culture in Politics and Politics in Culture: Institutions, Practices, and Boundaries. In T. Janoski, C. De Leon, J. Misra, & I. William Martin (Eds.), The New Handbook of Political Sociology (1st ed., pp. 102–131). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108147828.005
• Bornschier, V. (2005). Culture and Politics in Economic Development (0 ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203001240
• Chilton, S. (1988). Defining Political Culture. The Western Political Quarterly, 41(3), 419–445. https://doi.org/10.2307/448596
• Hooghe, M. (2011). 21st Century Political Science: A Reference Handbook. In 21st Century Political Science: A Reference Handbook (pp. 201–208). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412979351
• Lichterman, P., & Cefaï, D. (2009). The Idea of Political Culture. In R. Goodin & C. Tilly (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Contextual Political Analysis (1st ed., pp. 392–414). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199270439.003.0021
• Magioglou, T. (Ed.). (2014). Culture and political psychology: A societal perspective. Information Age Publishing, INC.
• Pye, L. W., Levine, D. N., Ward, R. E., Lapalombara, J., Rose, R., Scott, R. E., Verba, S., Binder, L., Rustow, D. A., Barghoorn, F. C., & Weiner, M. (1965). Political Culture and Political Development. Princeton University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183pzcq
• Rawls, J. (1993). The Law of Peoples. Critical Inquiry, 20(1), 36–68. JSTOR.
• Wiarda, H. J. (1989). POLITICAL CULTURE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 13(2), 193–203. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.