Political Culture in American States: Elazar's Formulation Examined

In: American journal of political science: AJPS, Band 20, Heft 3, S. 491-509

Abstract

Using the theory of state political cultures discussed by D. Elazar (Cities of the Prairies, New York: Basic Books, 1970) the utility of political culture in explaining state political systems' characteristics is explored. Indices of moralistic, individualistic, & traditionalistic political cultures are constructed using religious census data for each state. Using discriminant analysis, there is some success in replicating the classification of states by the dominant political culture set forth by Elazar. Expected relationships between political culture & 8 dependent variables are specified & listed. Significant correlations in the predicted direction were found for 6 dependent variables: government activities, local emphasis & administration of programs, innovative government activity, encouragement of popular participation in elections, popular participation in elections, & party participation. Hypothesized relationships were not supported for two dependent variables: centralized governmental decision making & the importance of political parties. 5 Tables. Modified HA.