Social Capital and Civic Community in Alberta

Abstract

Abstract. We investigate the nature of civic community and social capital in Alberta. We find a civic community with high levels of interpersonal trust and civic participation, that values formal political equality and direct participation, yet expresses high levels of alienation from and low levels of confidence in its governments. While exogenous variables contribute to a strong civic community, only endogenous variables can account for the comparatively higher levels of participation and trust. Using a model developed by John Brehm and Wendy Rahn, we discover a virtuous circle between trust and participation, with its roots in the agrarian, populist past of the province. Economic and social changes have helped sustain this pattern, as have politicians bent on using it to defend Alberta's exceptionalism.Résumé. Nous examinons la nature de la communauté civique et du capital social en Alberta. Nous y trouvons une communauté civique riche en confiance interpersonnelle et en participation civique et trés attachée à la fois à l'égalité politique formelle et à la participation directe. Cette communauté exprime cependant un profond sentiment d'aliénation et de méfiance à l'égard de ses gouvernements. Alors que des variables exogènes contribuent au développement d'une communauté civique vigoureuse, seules les variables endogènes peuvent expliquer les niveaux relativement élevés de participation et de confiance. En nous servant du modèle développé par John Brehm et Wendy Rahn, nous avons découvert une relation circulaire “ vertueuse ” entre la confiance et la participation, ayant des racines dans le passé agraire et populiste de la province. Les changements économiques et sociaux ont aidé à promouvoir ce modèle comme le font aussi les politiciens enclins à défendre l'exceptionalisme albertain.

Objectives of public participation: Which actors should be involved in the decision making for river restorations?

“…Empirical studies confirm that interfering with people's living space without involving them leads them to become alienated, as well as to feel less responsible for changes in their everyday landscape [ Pickup et al , 2004; Pfister , 1997; Pöttker , 1997]. Public involvement, on the other hand, helps people to identify more with their living space and to strengthen social cohesion [ Weichhart , 1990; Buchecker et al , 2003; Volker , 1997].…”

Engaging with Identity Politics in Canadian Political Science

“…In contrast, 54 articles applied the label identity politics to others' work, usually as evidence of some deficiency. For instance, scholars engaged in identity politics were described as erroneously “prioritiz[ing] differences and attach[ing] political rights to them” (Pickup et al, 2004: 622). These rhetorical dismissals of identity politics reflect differing political orientations; while social political economy interventions decry identity politics as a movement away from materiality, liberal-based critiques portray the focus on difference as antithetical to universal politics.…”

“…Whitaker references Kymlicka as an example of a “temperate and reasoned defence” of multiculturalism and ties identity politics to Taylor's “politics of recognition” (2000: 226). Pickup and colleagues similarly reference Kymlicka with respect to his position that “group rights are not antithetical to liberalism” (2004: 642n) as a possible rejoinder to the concern that identity politics “can be seen as a threat to civic society” (2004: 642). Continuing with the theme of the threat of identity-based political divisions, Redhead offers a rereading of Taylor's contributions “to address political fragmentation” (2003: 61) as the antidote to schisms created by identity politics.…”

This Is Not a Turn: Canadian Political Science and Social Mechanisms

“…This need for clarity is also central to a third challenge: ensuring clarity when it comes to one's definition of mechanisms and when it comes to the status of mechanism in explanations. For one thing, this will avoid confusion between social mechanisms and concepts such as institutional mechanisms (Radmilovic, 2013), used to describe the functioning of institutions, or references to mechanisms as part of correlational analysis (Pickup et al, 2004). More important, however, are the current debates between scholars considering mechanisms as causal and those considering mechanisms as non-determinants.…”