Week 5: THE POLITICS OF EVERYDAY LIFE: POLITICAL ECONOMY

this chapter discussed how culture influences political beliefs and politics. A key value that helps explain our attitude about government centers around individualism or autonomy. Individual hard work and achievement is valued, and material rewards are needed to motivate people. Such a belief is generally associated with a laissez-faire or hands-off approach to government involvement in economic affairs. Yet in complex societies, government always plays a role in our lives. Even if there aren’t many regulations on the economy, some people benefit but others lose out. Current research shows the middle class has been losing out for decades. A collectivist rather than an individualist orientation likely favors more government and community involvement on behalf of its citizens, but this too requires that the state act in a democratic fashion. Whether government involvement in our lives will intensify and if so who is most likely to benefit is certainly an important societal issue.