Nations and Society

A nation’s society differs from nation to nation. By studying a nation’s society, a political analyst can better understand a countries political system. Studying and understanding the different ethnicities in a nation is an integral part of getting to know a culture. Ethnicities lead to ethnic conflict, so studying the ethnicities of a country allows one to better comprehend how an ethnic conflict came into place. When looking, one must also gauge the level of nationalism that exists within a country. A nation’s nationalism shows how much pride the citizens take in their own people. Looking at citizenship is also an important part of comparative politics, for citizenship differs from nation to nation. For example, in a democracy, citizens have the right to vote, but in a different type of government, such as a totalitarian one, citizens may not have the right to vote. Another analytical tool is measuring patriotism, because a nation’s level of patriotism shows how much pride citizens take in their own country.  All of these items are important parts of comparative politics.

The rational choice/political culture debate and immigration policy

In the terms of rational choice, a nation’s people will examine the benefits of immigration.  If the immigrants coming in are highly skilled and trained, then they may benefit the economy by performing well at certain jobs.  However, the immigrants could also take away the jobs of the current residents, a thought that may make a person turn away from immigration.  Immigration policies differ between nations because each nation has it’s own culture.  In some countries, the culture of the nation is more accepting of immigration, while others are less accepting.  If a country has a culture that dislikes immigration, then the politics of that nation will be anti-immigration.  On the other hand, if a country has a culture that approves of immigration, then the politics of that nation will be pro-immigration.