argument that can satisfy everyone, but there seems to be a widespread
acceptance that obedience of a state’s laws is preferable to anarchy; it is only
where laws restrict very personal liberties, such as racial integration in South
Africa during theapartheidregime, orabortionin Ireland, that the citizen’s
obligation to obey the state might be regarded as having been nullified in
international circles.
Political Participation
Political participation is usually defined as the extent to which citizens avail
themselves of those ordinary democratic rights of political activity to which
they are constitutionally entitled, and the measure is held by political sociol-
ogists to indicate the nature of the country’spolitical culture. Participation
rates vary enormously according to the measure chosen. If electoral turn-out is
used, most Western democracies seem to be highly participatory, although the
USA, with turn-outs as low as 50% even in presidential elections, is an
exception. In the United Kingdom 70% or more of the electorate vote
regularly, although, and in common with most of Europe, turn-out in British
elections is tending to decline. Far fewer are regarded as being politically active
in the sense of belonging to a political party (about 2%) or attending political
rallies, demonstrations and so on (perhaps another 2%). There is no reason to
apply the concept only toliberal democracies. Participation can be usefully
measured in other contexts, and can reveal much about the political nature of
that society. Thus varying rates of attendance at party meetings or rallies in
various states where asingle-party systemoperates, when this activity is
genuinely voluntary, might give an indication of thelegitimacyand popu-
larity of the state. Participation is clearly partly dependant on the overall
strength of the civil society, of which it also, in a circular manner, a measure.
Non-participation is rather more difficult to analyse; it may be an indicator
either that citizens are satisfied with their lives, or that they are apathetic and
believe that participation will achieve nothing.
Political Science
Political science is one of a number of titles for the academic study of politics
and political behaviour. As an academic discipline the subject is very old. In the
4th centuryBCAristotlereferred to it as the ‘Queen’ of sciences, but for many
centuries thereafter it lost a separate identity. Until perhaps the 19th century
such intellectual work as was carried out on politics was by political philoso-
phers, theologians or journalists, but seldom by full-time professional political
analysts. (Although the first professorship in the subject was, in fact, set up in
Sweden in the 17th century.) Gradually, by a process of intellectual separation
Political Participation