In his 1966 book, American Federalism: A View from the States, [1] political scientist Daniel Elazar introduced a theory of “political subcultures in American states.” According to Elazar, there are three dominant political subcultures in America: moralistic, traditionalistic, and individualistic. Where these subcultures can be found today can be traced back to patterns of immigration—who landed where on the eastern seaboard and how they spread across the country. But more importantly, Elazar’s theory helps answer the question, “Why do people go into government?”

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The moralistic subculture, which has roots in the Puritan communities of New England and the Scandinavian and German settlers of the Upper Midwest, sees government as an egalitarian institution responsible for pursuing the common good and promoting a just and moral society. In this subculture, people go into government to improve their community.  While positive in terms of intent, this subculture can sometimes lead to idealism and worse, performative politics.  The first public meeting of the newly elected 2024 Minneapolis City Council offers an example. Usually a time to establish rules, calendars, and committee assignments, instead chaos reigned at this meeting as the council members spent almost the entire session debating the wording of a resolution related to the war in Gaza. Afterwards, critics pointed out that these council members, who have little expertise in foreign affairs, were neglecting their real job of solving problems for the people of Minneapolis. The City Council has since sought to legislate minimum rates for Uber drivers, leading Uber to threaten to leave the City; and establishing operating regulations for restaurant owners to ensure fair wages for workers. City Council has little influence and no expertise in any of these areas.

 

The traditionalistic subculture, originating from the hierarchical and aristocratic societies of England, Spain, and France, is most common in the South and Southwest. It views politics as the domain of an elite class whose job is to preserve existing social orders and traditions. In this subculture, people go into government to protect the privileges and way of life they and their class already enjoy. The traditionalistic subculture remains alive and well, as demonstrated in 2023, when the mostly old, white, male Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two young, urban, African American Democrats from their seats.  They were leading a protest in the chamber and demanding action on gun reform after a mass shooting at a private school in Nashville. (The third representative involved in the protest, a white woman, was not expelled.)  Both representatives were quickly reinstated by their local governments, but this incident highlighted the clash between the dominant traditionalistic culture of white conservatives, and the moralistic culture of the minority African American community in Tennessee.

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The individualistic culture was shaped by the entrepreneurial and commercial values of the Dutch who settled New York City, along with early settlers of the Mid-Atlantic states from England, Italy, Ireland, Poland, and Germany. Prevalent in the Midwest and parts of the West, this subculture sees government as a minimalist institution meant to keep the private marketplace running smoothly. In this subculture, people go into government to make money for themselves, their family, and their friends. We saw a textbook example of this in 2024, when over 70 current and former staff of the New York City Housing Authority were arrested and charged with bribery and extortion—the largest number of bribery charges ever handed out by the Justice Department in a single day.

 

And speaking of bribery and extortion—a topic we’ll return to in the future—over time, we all become accustomed to our own political subcultures. This helps explain why people in places with the individualistic culture, like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco, have a higher tolerance for graft and corruption: Because it’s been normalized. The New York City Housing Authority employees took over $2 million in bribes before getting caught, a relatively small amount by New York standards. So while it was a big story, few New Yorkers were probably surprised, much less outraged. On the other hand, in places with the moralistic culture, like Minneapolis, residents are much less tolerant of corruption. That’s why they were shocked when a city council member was caught—and sent to federal prison—for accepting a mere $2,700 in free plumbing work on his own house.