12/2/2013

Political incorporation is the connection of the people in a country to their political institutions.  Much has been written on  the importance of political institutions on the functioning of a democracy (Roberts DATE, Flores-Macias 2012).  One of the important pieces of democratic viability is the legitimacy of these institutions.  That legitimacy comes from whether people see there needs expressed and/or assuaged through the political system, OR, importantly, at least see the future possibility of have these needs assuaged (Przeworski).  But how long will people wait for their need to be met?  At what point does democratic procedure become subsumed by demanded outcomes?

This problem is especially puzzling for those squeezed by the global economy.  The working class, especially those who struggle on the edge of subsistence despite having some sort of job, face a future that involves either upskilling, finding some way into the more-skilled economy or, more likely, being caught in a cycle of near poverty (Standing, probably).

The government exists to ensure the health and wellbeing of its people, but how far the idea of "health and wellbeing" extends is under debate.  Moreover, the extent to which the people of a given country, especially those without material wealth, are represented by a government is an important part of a government's legitimacy.  

So when do we talk to the people?

How do labor unions fit in?

Why is political incorporation important?  Or rather, why does it matter to the worker?
- politics is the arena where workers have (or at least rhetorically have) as much legitimacy as business.