Political Culture: Concepts, Foundations, and Formation

Abstract

Political culture is one of the basic concepts of political science which helps in understanding how the value system, attitudes, belief system, and behavioural orientation of citizens affect the working of political systems. In this research paper, an attempt has been made to discuss the concept of political culture, its theoretical framework, determinants, typologies, and importance in relation to democracy building with special reference to Nepal. Qualitative review methodology has been employed for this study, involving the analysis and synthesis of literature from the classical and modern authors such as Gabriel Almond, Sidney Verba, Lucian Pye, Robert Dahl and others. The findings suggest that political culture is a vital bridge between the political behaviour of individuals and the effectiveness of institutions. It is a product of many aspects of history, geography, socio-economic environment, culture, religion, and ideology which jointly determine political attitudes and behaviour of citizens. Furthermore, political culture is dynamic and not static and there exists no pure form of political culture in any society. Key words: political culture, political socialization, democracy, political participation. political behaviour, political system, Nepal. Rather, there coexist various types of cultures in politics like parochial, subject, participant, civic, elite, mass, traditional, ideological, secular, and sub-political cultures. Despite the controversy about political culture theory in terms of conceptual vagueness and research methodology, the theory is invaluable to analyse political behaviour and democracy. This paper suggests that promoting participatory and democratic culture in politics via political education and citizenship is crucial for democratic institutions and development in Nepal.