Introduction
I am really concerned about the
political process in El Salvador, my home country. Thus, this paper proposes the study of the political
participation of Salvadorian population base in three school thought: Social
psychological, structural, and political alienation. These explanations allow
us analyzed how social groups such as women, youth, low income families, and
disable people are disenfranchisement in the political process
The
end of the armed conflict in El Salvador left a legacy of uncertain population about the credibility of
the electoral process in the new democratic State. examine
the level of political participation of Salvadorian population after the peace
accord in 1992 its necessary to identified the major reasons why some population
groups do not participate actively in electoral process. The political
alienation explanations focus in alienated individuals who do care, but feel
estranged or disaffected from the electoral process is a good predictor to analyze
the electoral process after the conflict armed.
Abstract
After the peace accords were signed
in 1992 in Chapultepec the political process in El Salvador became democratic.
Forth national elections have been runner so that the level of political
participation of Salvadorian population have changed after the armed conflict. Thus,
this paper explain some scholars though that analyzes political empowerment and
participation of individuals in a democratic context. Particularly,
explanations about why some social groups such as women and low income family
have more disadvantage to participate in political process. The first
explanation it is a matter of class and socialization, called Social
psychological explanation. The second one, is the Structural explanation which
argue that does exist structural and mechanical obstacles in the democratic
process that reduce participation. Finally, the third one argue that through
the Political alienation of individuals political participation decrease thus
people do care about the political process but do not participate because it
does not address their interest.
The definition of political
participation according to Eva Anduiza and Augustine Bosch (2004) is "any
citizen action aimed to influence the political process and its outcomes through
electoral participation and not electoral participation." However, this
paper analyze it focus in electoral political participation that distinguish
the contribution in reference to the electoral process like voting, making campaign
and proselytism versus other actions which are inserted in formal institutions
which are out of the electoral frame. (Anduiza& Bosch, 2004)
Literature Review
El Salvador lived an armed conflict
in the 80's that ended up with the signed of the Chapultepec Peace
accords. After twenty-two years the
political participation process has been improving, but still pose more
disadvantage to minorities. Scholars though have offered some theories to account
what affect political empowerment and participation particularly in specific disadvantage
groups such as women and low income groups. There are three basic explanations that have a
significant analyze why some groups do not participate in politic process. First,
Social psychological explanation which argue that political participation is
the result of a culture of class and socialization. For example people learn
political behavior in their occupational context and organizational
involvement. Second, The Structural explanation state that structural and
mechanical obstacles reduce participation, for example some voter registration
laws, registration problems, so on. Third,
the Political alienation people who do
care about the political process but do not vote because it does not address
their interest or needs and so participation has not meaning for them (Glasberg
& Shannon 2011, 97 ) Thus, these three explanations can explain whether the
political participation has recovered or not since the 1992 peace accords as
well as how disadvantage groups such as rural area families, low income
population and women have involved in conventional political participation.
The conflict armed in El Salvador left a legacy of violence and
poverty that affected political participation of minorities. The Social
Psychological Explanation argue that socialization is a pattern of
participation. This argument explains political participation as the result of
culture of class and of socialization. In fact family, church, school, work are
some of the socialization's institution that encourage interest of political
participation or does not. For example, jobs, higher income occupations,
organizational involvement and access to education provide people skills and
values of political activity. Thus, those who live in this social context are
more likely to evaluate the costs and benefits of participating in politic. (Glasberg
& Shannon 2011, 99)
Therefore, people of low income, bad jobs and lack of education are more likely
to do not have an active politic participation.
The extent to which citizens
participate in politics and the ways in which they do so are influenced
significantly by their social circumstances, these include how individuals
live, the kinds of neighborhoods they live in, how much and what kind of
education they have, the kinds of work they do and how much they earn, and the
opportunities they have improving their lives. Social circumstances affect the
level of resources available for political participation and serve to foster or
inhibit development of the attitudes and beliefs that underline various types
of political participation. Within the indicators of social circumstances
include such characteristics as age, race, education, sex, region and or place
of residence, marital status, and social class. Also life experiences can be
determined by social circumstances, also influence citizens patterns of
political behavior. For example individuals who have suffered economic
deprivation are likely to value economic security more than those who have
never known economic deprivation. Life experiences and the resultant
evaluations of the past and expectations about the future, vary according to
such factors as social class, race, gender, ethnicity, education, even
profession. (Conway 1985, 15)
In
fact the structural explanations argues the necessity of enforcing democracy implementing structural conventional, and political
participation such as voter registration laws, legitimate participation
activities. After the brutal conflict armed the focused upon in political
populism of participation implementing populist strategist to increase
political participation. instead of focus in the rehabilitation of the
Salvadorian society. Those kinds of structural actions and participation
process become obstacles for some population. Indeed, women, low income families,
youth and disable are the population groups more affected. For instance, people
from rural areas who gains the minimum salary of $3.50 per day; those work just
to put a roof over their families head, and food on the table salary thus they are
not as concern about politic participation as people with higher economic
incomes. Is more problematic to pay and to get registration ID for lower income population, because they struggle
with money, resources or time in order
to be involved in political process.
Therefore, the legal structure plays
an important role in the political participation. The ways in which the rules
are determinate for the suitability to vote and the laws and measures governing
the behavior of elections affect electoral participation and also the effects
of factors as: practices, governmental structure, and regulatory procedures.
(Conway 1985, 88) The forms and patterns of political participation can be
meaningfully influenced by the organization of the government and by the laws and
regulations ratified by this one, which are related with: the struggle for the
right to vote, including in this part the women’s suffrage, minority suffrage,
the registration and election process, and the opportunities that can be
affected by laws for other forms of participation (it can affect to people who
vote and people who is direct involved or runs for office).
Finally the third school of thought
that analyze political alienation explore the role of individuals who do care
about the political participation but are apathetic about the process, voter
does not address their interest and so it has no meaning for them. Those who
are political alienated consider political leaders as part of the elite who
does care about it narrow interest as class. (Glasberg & Shannon 2011, 102.)
A
good party system requires some basic values; otherwise conflict can occurs
primarily over the distribution of values in the society and not over the
values themselves. Nevertheless, if a society has a party system does not adequately
reflect all points of view, people who do not perceive their interests to be
represented may decide that they have no effective means of participating and
simply not engage in any political activities. (Conway 1985, 87)
Ex-combatants,
educate people, and mid-class are some of the more representative alienated
population groups who do care about politic but are not agree with the
political process in El Salvador. These population have a legacy of struggle
politic but their do not have confidence to the currently political process
thus they do not participate in it.
The model
According to the literature review I
identified possible key factors that allow understand the obstacles settled to
guaranty political participation for minority groups in El Salvador after the
conflict armed ended up in 1992 Three explanations: Social psychological,
structural, and political alienation explanation allow us analyzed how social
groups such as women, youth, low income families, and disable people are
disenfranchisement for their social and economic condition. I firmly believe
that the political alienation explanations focus is a good predictor to analyze
currently political participation in El Salvador in order to understand the
electoral process after the peace accords. Understanding alienated individuals
as those who do care but feel estranged or disaffected from the electoral
process, because their confidence in the meaningfulness of participation in the
electoral process is week.
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Hypothesis
Hi: The higher the
amount of people who feel no meaningful to participate in electoral process the
higher will be the proportion of political alienated individuals.
Ho: The lower the
amount of people who feel meaningful to participate in electoral process the
lower will be the proportion of political alienated individuals.
The
best way to collect data would be through a survey in order to ask if people do
care about electoral process to know their level of political alienation.
References
Conway, M. Margaret. (1985.) “Political
Participation in the United States”. A division of congressional Quarterly
Inc. Washington D.C.
Roman Azahalea (2007) "Movimiento Social y Estado." Alternativas para El Desarrollo
FUNDE. San
Salvador.
Glasberg
& Shanon (2011) "Political
Sociology: Oppression, resistance and the State.". University of
Connecticut. United State.
Tilly, C. (2004). Social
Movements: 1768–2004. Boulder, Colorado, USA: Paradigm Publishers.
Almeida
D. Paul. (2008) Waves of Protest: Popular
Struggle in El Salvador: 1925-2005. University of Minnesota. Minneapolis
United State.
Banglione
A Lisa. (2012) "Writing a Research
Paper in Political Science." Saint Joseph's University. United States.
Anduiza Eva (2004)
"Political and Electoral Behaviour."
University of Barcelona. Spain
