Structural and role differentiation

Refers to how far executive and legislative functions are separate from each other, how far the two are separated from the judiciary? What happens when a new sub-system of role develops or is introduced? For example, what happens when universal adult suffrage is introduced making all adults above a particular age eligible to participate in the political process? Does it introduce individual rational decision-making as a corresponding change in the political culture? While the new sub-system role requires participant political culture, there is possibility of voters still voting as per caste, religious or patron-client affiliations. Structural and role differentiation means specialized functions and specialized structures to carry them out. It also means intro duction of a new role. It is said that civic culture or democratic-participant culture epitomizes highly differentiated structure and roles. Political systems can be compared by comparing whether political cultures support highly differentiated structures or roles or not. It is said that in many traditional and developing societies parochial and subject political culture does not support democratic and participant structures and role. This results in a lag or gap or incongruency between the political structures and roles and political culture. Let us take two examples of such a case. In India, adult suffrage and democratic political process is to operate within a social system based on caste hierarchy. For a purist political culture theorist, the two appear incon gruous. As a result, we find theories stating role of caste in politics, democratic politics as a modern activity drawing traditional infrastructure of caste and politicization of caste and casteism in politics. This implies caste adapting to the requirements of the modern democratic political process and vice-versa.