Essays on Political Culture

A few weeks ago, I heard that the Supreme Court passing the ‘Aadhaar’ Bill – a ruling on the Indian state’s biometric-based demographic database of every individual resident – like a punch in the gut. In India, where I live, this was the first form of central identification for many: a huge opportunity for the government to streamline public distribution, reach more people, and monitor progress. However, the only dissenting Judge’s opinion that Aadhar is a blatant violation of the fundamental ...

Literature has always shaped who we are and has defined us to this day. It dates back centuries and records our history, the good and the bad. Books and articles have always reflected society and the values held. In the 1960s, there was political unrest and upheaval, affecting literature in United States as it was used as a political weapon and power tool to extract doubts about the conflicting sides. The Cold War changed how literature was used and had affected it to this day. Literature ...

As John Adams once said, “Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” After reading this, it got the brain running… John Adams wouldn’t just say this for any reason. Perhaps, maybe he saw flaws in our American government system that many people aren’t able to see. Following John Adams quote left us to one question. Is ...

By understanding and defining the conditions of equality, this will help define what are the preconditions for political life. Through the careful analyzation of equality and inequality, the nature of the human, and options for equality, we will learn how equality is a necessary precondition to political life. Equality: In order to answer the question, we need to first determine what we are trying to determine as equality. As Sen stated, “equality of what?”. If we don’t understand what we ...

The Period between Smith's Wealth of Nations and Ricardo's Principles of political economy and taxation David Ricardo (1772-1823), a stock dealer turned economist, made significant contributions to a number of areas of economic theory, including methodology, theories of value, international trade, public finance, diminishing returns, and rent. He began his study of economics sometime around 1799, when he was twenty-eight years old, and in 1810 published his first pamphlet, The High Price of ...

Introduction With Donald J. Trump winning the 2016 presidential election in the United States and doing so through a strikingly provocative campaign, it was apparent that many Americans were unsatisfied with the liberal democratic structure of US politics. There was a sense of a growing distrust towards the elites and many had the feeling of being unrepresented - the zeitgeist was ideal to take a populist approach to reach the masses during the election. An approach focused on less talking ...

In the United States, it seems that everything has become political. Especially with the election of President Donald Trump, the battle between Republicans and Democrats is at an all-time high. From television advertisements to comedy sketches, Americans cannot escape the turmoil that exists between the two political parties. But, the divide between the two parties began long before now. In 1787, Alexander Hamilton, along with his supporters, created the first American political party, known ...

Nowadays, we don't have the time to spend an entire day deliberating about political matters and ideas. The vast majority of us goes to work everyday in order to acquire a livelihood, but we still analyze and discuss world problems, sometimes involuntary, when watching the news, at the bar or even at a family meal. Politics - just like sports - is a good way of starting and maintaining a conversation with a complete stranger. People who lived in the ancient Greece didn't have any time ...

Increased civil engagement by the citizens in the 18-29 age group in Texas can make a change in the politics of Texas. But low civic engagement is not mainly a millennial issue; it is problem of young person. Interestingly, even though millennial voter turnout numbers are lesser than previous young generations. Online voter registration might be one example of a means to grasp the younger age group. I also contemplate that civic education and training is very significant — not just training ...

In the wake of Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump to power, numerous intellectuals and media have pointed out the rather disturbing reality that contemporary political events are led by the propagation of misleading information and outright false claims. The term “post-truth” designated to describe the current phenomenon aptly captures how our era has moved beyond the rules of facts and truths. Political debates are no longer based on factual accuracy. Truth, as the shared ground for ...

There exists a political imperative to plan for uncertainty, however who to plan for and to what effects often remains a point of debate. Uncertain futures with regard to economic crisis, natural disasters, infrastructural breakdown and conflicts force us to shift the way we perceive, plan and govern cities. In cases of unexpected events, the interaction between formal institutions and affected communities becomes paramount to observe. A methodologically and theoretically challenging concept, ...

“Every vote counts!” is a quote that I always think about when it comes to the topic of voting and elections. As an American citizen, it is responsible for me to keep in touch on what is going on in the country, through the good and tough times. By the time that day finally came, on November 2018, it was the day that I can finally bring my voice to all. I had a chance to choose leaders and representatives in the government. It was an experience that I will never forget. A political cartoon, ...

When the public is called to investigate and decide upon a question in which not only the present members of the community are deeply interested, but upon which the happiness and misery of generations yet unborn is in great measure suspended, the benevolent mind cannot help feeling itself peculiarly interested in the result. In this situation, I trust the feeble efforts of an individual, to lead the minds of the people to a wise and prudent determination, cannot fail of being acceptable to the ...

Well, cooperative federalism response to specific policy challenges that took place in the past. Also, reigning conception of American federalism took place between nineteen fifty four to nineteen seventy eight. It was a political response to the policy challenges of market failure. Social equity is its primary objective, cooperative federalism significantly transformed American society. During the nineteen seventies conditions changed and the pressure to expand national power inherent in ...

Politics is a subject I thoroughly enjoy learning at A-level, therefore I wish to enhance my existing knowledge of the supremacy and influence, politics has on our democracy, by studying it at a higher level. It is evident that politics has a great influence across the whole globe, therefore it becomes tough to overlook the significance politics has on us. I would like to look further into these factors and investigate why many people are oblivious of the impact it has on them. What ...