Political Participation in Political Participation in the Age of Globalization: the Age of Globalization:

The role of the culturally situated self on the analysis of political The role of the culturally situated self on the analysis of political protestprotest

Erik H Cohen Jose ValenciaErik H Cohen Jose Valencia

University of Bar IlanUniversity of Bar IlanUniversity of the Basque CountryUniversity of the Basque Country

Political Participation in Political Participation in the Age of Globalization: the Age of Globalization:

The role of the culturally situated self on the analysis of political The role of the culturally situated self on the analysis of political protestprotest

Erik H Cohen Jose ValenciaErik H Cohen Jose Valencia

University of Bar IlanUniversity of Bar IlanUniversity of the Basque CountryUniversity of the Basque Country

DefinitionPower distance refers to the extent to

which members of a given society expect and accept that power is distributed unequally in society. In high power distance societies, an emotional distance separates subordinates from authorities. In low power distance societies there is an expectation of relative equitable distribution of power.

The problem

What is the relationship between non-institutional political participation or political protest and the cultural syndrome of power distance ?

Data from large-scale international surveys

Third wave of the World Values Survey (1996)

Human Development Index (UNDP 1998) Freedom House (1998)

Five specified types of political protest

Sign a petitionJoin a boycott

Attend a lawful demonstrationJoin an unofficial strike

Occupy a building

Where 1 = never, 2 = might do; 3 = I have done.

Factor analysisFactor Loadings

Signed a petition.818Joined a boycott.830

Attended a lawful demonstration.724

Joined an unofficial strike.736

Occupied a building or factory.618

Correlations matrix 1 2 3 4 5 Signed a petition 100 90 71 59 55 Joined a boycott 90 100 67 72 48 Attended a lawful demonstration 71 67 100 63 51 Joined an unofficial strike 59 72 63 100 63 Occupied a building or factory 55 48 51 63 100

Smallest space analysis (SSA)Uni-dimensional / coefficient of alienation = .24

Smallest space analysis (SSA)

Two-dimensional / coefficient of alienation = .00

Profiles of political protestA sample

Profile of political protestCountries fitting profile

petitionboycottdemonstrationstrikeoccupy building

65533(1) Sweden

54543(1) Basque

64533(2) Norway, West Germany

54434(1) South Korea

64433(4) Australia, East Germany,

Switzerland, USA

Partial Order (POSAC)98% of the profile pairs were correctly represented

Partial Order (POSAC)With categories of power distance as external variables

Conclusion / 1

1/The Factor Analysis verifies the strong link between the types of political protest.

2/The Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) shows a clear progression from the least involved and least demanding form of activity to the most

involved and most demanding.

Conclusion / 23/The Multidimensional partial order analysis

classifies the various countries along a diagonal from those with low levels of political participation to those with higher levels.

4/ Lawful demonstrations are found to play a pivotal role in the typology of political protest, between the less involved anonymous types of protest and the more demanding and personally engaging types.

Conclusion / 3

5/A correlation (partial mediation analysis) was recognized between power distance and political protest. This seems to indicate that participationin these types of political protest is linked to the culturally mediated self organized around the distribution of power in society.

Thanks for your Thanks for your attentionattention

Thanks for your Thanks for your attentionattention