”Non-Politicians” in Politics: The Case of Georgia

Giorgi Melikidze

Abstract


There are two main types of leaders in political science: formal and informal. A formal leader is a person who has responsibility by virtue of their position. An informal leader is recognizable and respected figure in society, who does not have an official burdens. Social capital accumulated outside the political sphere can be successfully utilized for political purposes. It is significant that in the pre-election period electorate shows more trust in informal leaders. An informal leader has no political responsibility which puts them in a very advantageous position. The involvement of informal leaders in politics is particularly active in conditions of ineffectivness of  political.parties.  At such times, they try to compensate for  parties ineffectivness through leadership. In this way, politics becomes person-centered and free from ideological accountability. During the pre-election period, the compilation of party lists  by well known figures  for society is a proven strategy. This approach mobilizes an unstable electorate and their votes.

The purpose of our study was to determine the role of effectivness of political parties in the involvement of informal leader in politics. In our research, we utilize Marshall’s theory of celebrity influence. According to this theory, celebrities are individual members of society who, on the surface, promote (false) values and actively shape political, economic, and social life. Our hypothesis is as follows: political parties ineffectivness leads to the involvement of informal leaders in politics. We are interested in exploring the role of so-called intelligentsia and celebrities in political process. In the research process we used a qualitative research method, specifically focus-group, and the respondents were selected non-propabilistically and supposefully. We identified two groups: the first group consisted of individuals aged twenty to thirty-nine, and the second group consisted of individuals aged forty to seventy.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Archeri, A., Causton, A., Mathenson, B. and Gausken. M. (2020). Celebrity, Democracy and Epistemic Power. Perpective polit 18(1):27-42

Bader, Max (2008). Fluid Party Politics and the Challenge for Democracy Assistance in Georgia. Caucasian Review of International Affairs 2(2).

Billington, J. (1999). Fire in the minds of the men. Transaction Publishers.

Kritzwalte, T. (2009). The History of the Polish Intellugentsia.

Marshall, D. (1997). Celebrity and Power: The Fame in Contemporary Culture. University of Minnesota Press

Meyer, T. (2002). How the Media Colonise the Politics. Polity, Cambridge.

Mill, C. W. (1956). The Elite Power. Oxford University Press

Pascal, O. and Sirinelluli, J. F. (2002). Le Intellectuels en France.

Wheatley, Jonathan (2005), Georgia from national awakening to Rose Revolution: delayed transition in former Soviet Union. Ashgate, Aldershot.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.