|
|
Poltical
cultural theorists and psychology based behavioral models provide an alternate
explanation of political behavior. These explanations rest on the causal
relationship between the measures of psychological involvement in politics
and modes of participation whereby holding higher levels of these attitudes
tend to stimulate more political activities.
Thus, higher levels of trust in the political system, of perception of
personal influence on the political process and of responsiveness from
the political system, of civic mindedness out of knowledge about the political
environment create a participant political culture which in turn leads
to higher political participation and, ultimately, to strengthening the
political system.
As with the socio-economic status approach, political cutural theories
have tended to focus on the Puerto Rican population in the United States
and, making a circular argument, argue that the low levels of political
participation and corresponding low psychological involvement in politics
may be the result of a subject political culture this migrant may have
brought from the islnad with them.
But as I will show below, any cursory look at the political climate of
Puerto Rico would demonstrate that far from having a system that promotes
political passivity, Puerto Rico is a polity that promotes active involvement
in the political process. Therefore, to understand the political behavior
of Puerto Ricans in the United States, one needs to study and understand
the political system, the political institutions in Puerto Rico and the
extant patterns of political participation on the island to then be able
to identify the factors that inhibit such levels of involvement in the
United States.
|
