Join us on Apr 15 (Thu), 2021 18:00-19:00 (GMT+9) for the presentation “Classic vs. Anticipatory Systems in Political Culture Research: A Comparative Perspective”
Author: Camelia Florela Voinea (University of Bucharest)
Abstract: This presentation addresses political culture research from a modelling perspective. Modelling is often concerned with the explanatory power of political culture with regard to the quality of democracy in terms of the citizens support for democratic institutions and values. The presentation covers both theoretical and methodological issues concerning political culture theory and political culture research methodology. From a comparative perspective, the presentation emphasizes similarities and differences between several political culture research theories: (a) classic political culture theory based on attitudes measurement and analysis (Almond and Verba, (1963); (b) political culture theory based on value and human empowerment theories (Russell and Welzel, 2014; Welzel, 2013; Welzel and Inglehart, 2005, 2009; Klingemann, Fuchs and Zielonka, 2006; Welzel, Inglehart and Klingemann, 2003; Inglehart, 1988, 1990); (c) culture-based paradigm (Thomson et al., 2006). It identifies the essential research questions which are answered by these theories as well as the questions which remain open. Finally, the presentation suggests the anticipatory system theory as the background for a new modelling paradigm aimed at explaining the role political culture plays in the dynamics of political regimes in terms of the relationship between the citizens and the state. A comparative perspective over these modelling paradigms reveals the ways in which such approaches revisit the basic concepts and assumptions of the classic political culture theory. Luhmann’s system theory (Luhmann, 2012), mathematical modelling of anticipatory systems (Leydersdorff and Dubois, 2004; Dubois, 1998; Rosen, 1985) as well as the advanced research methodologies based on complexity and complex systems (Voinea, 2020; Voinea and Neumann, 2020; Voinea, 2021a, 2021b, 2021c) suggest that political culture plays a fundamental role in modelling the state operation and dynamics on principles which differ from the reactivity and feed-back control as defined in the classic system theory (Easton , 1965; Klingemann and Fuchs, 1995; Fuchs, 2007; Pickel, 2007).
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