The Importance of Political Culture in theAnalysis of Political Systems

Abstract

Political culture is defined as the set of relevant traits of political personality. It is thus a central element for understanding why a determinate political system works the way it does and not otherwise. The consistency between political culture and society’s political structures is an important element, because it enables us to measure the extent to which a population’s values and attitudes support the institutional framework, which in turn strengthens the system’s legitimacy and stability. From all these elements it follows the pertinency of studying and comparing political systems through the analysis of political culture. This work analyses the notion of political culture, its limits, origins, and growing complexity.