Community power structure and social inclusion

Abstract

Political elites have always played a major role in shaping the political culture of communities, their social capital and the prospects for effective social inclusion. A community undergoing substantial changes on its social and economic dimensions often reveals major shifts in its power structure and in the exercise of power as conveyed by the social and political influence processes. These changes could affect the influence of top-down social inclusion enforced by the welfare state but especially form the dynamics of bottom-up social inclusion which are based on community structures, social capital and networks. Political culture is often the outcome of influential dynamic processes, and an enduring political culture is often associated with an enduring community power structure, an active social capital and effective social inclusion formal and informal mechanisms. The instability phenomena affecting the internal balance of the power structure is followed by essential shifts in the political culture stability and efficiency, resulting in contentious political phenomena and changes at the value system of a certain community. Political culture instability phenomena on such dimensions like contentious politics or collective action processes have often been approached in social and political movements research. Collective perceptions which underlie the political culture instability represent an understudied issue. It nevertheless might emphasize complex phenomena which provide for the re-configuration (self-configuration) of a community, its social capital and its dynamics for bottom-up social inclusion which is essential in increasing the effectiveness of top-down welfare policies for social inclusion.

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