Post-Materialism from a Peasant Perspective

Abstract

Although the post-materialist study of political motivation focuses upon affluent political actors in more developed countries, it has important implications for political motivation among the poor and in less developed countries. To date these have not been addressed by students of post-materialism. If the affluent who no longer face economic insecurity take political action for value-oriented and idealistic reasons, the implication is that the economically insecure will act politically mainly for economic reasons. In fact, data collected from the poor in Costa Rica and Nicaragua indicate that the poor are politically motivated for economic reasons primarily in conjunction with noneconomic and value-oriented reasons. The poor as well as the affluent act politically for nonmaterialist reasons such as moral notions of right and wrong, and the need for self-respect and dignity.