The Political Culture of Costa Rica

I chose to discuss Costa Rican political culture. In short, political culture is a collection of beliefs and values ​​inherent in the general public, emphasizing their political activities and attitudes towards the government. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the two things that have a major influence on the political culture of that country are its political history and the cultural development of that country. These two collaborative factors constitute the majority of the county 's political culture.

Historically, Costa Rica has enjoyed greater peace and more consistent political stability than many Latin American countries. However, since the late nineteenth century, Costa Rica has experienced two major violence era. From 1917 to 1919, General Federico Tinoko Granados ruled military dictators until he was knocked down and forced to exile. After his overthrow, the unpopularity of the Tinoko regime brought about a marked decrease in the size, wealth and political influence of the Costa Rican troops. In 1948, Figueres Ferrer led the armed uprising in the presidential election between Rafael Andel Calderon Guardia (President from the 1940s to 1944) and Otirio Ulla Blanco, Jose. As a result, more than 2,000 people died and the Civil War of 44 days occurred in Costa Rica. This was the most brutal event in Costa Rica of the 20th century.

The Nicaraguans migrated mainly to Costa Rica, but not so much but migrate to the United States. Since the beginning of the 20th century the Nicaraguans migrated seasonally to Costa Rica to harvest bananas and coffee. From the 1970s to the 1990s political turmoil, civil war, and natural disasters greatly promoted employment of refugees and permanent residents, raised wages, and improved social and medical benefits. Immigration to Costa Rica in Nicaragua has slowed and stabilized since 2000. Today, about 300,000 Nicaraguans are permanent resident of Costa Rica - about 75% of the foreign population - and thousands of people are working for seasonal movements, many of which are illegal.

The political stability of Costa Rica, the high standard of living and well-developed social welfare system distinguish it from its neighboring countries in Central America. Through the ongoing social expenditure of the government - about 20% of the annual GDP - Costa Rica has made significant progress in achieving universal education, medical care, clean water, sanitation and electricity goals. Expansion of these services since the 1970s resulted in a sharp decline in infant mortality, an increase in life expectancy at birth, and a sharp decline in fertility rates. The average number of births per woman decreased from 7 in the 1960s to 3.5 in the early 1980s to the level of today's substitution. The poverty rate in Costa Rica is lower than in other Latin American countries, but it has been sluggish by about 20% in the past 20 years.