ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how the understanding of political equality has evolved from approaches that focus on equalization of resources for political participation to approaches that also take into account capabilities for using such resources effectively. Far from being a purely subjective, individual matter, motivation for political participation can be systematically reinforced or undermined by a variety of sociocultural, economic, and political factors. Cultivating motivation for participation is particularly important for ethnocultural minorities, who are often marginalized from political processes in which advantaged groups have an inordinate degree of influence. The chapter contends that there is yet another level of understanding political equality beyond resources, capabilities, and motivation, namely, one that is centered on equitable effectiveness in inducing social cooperation to accomplish one's goals in the political sphere. Even though such unequally distributed effectiveness cannot be fully equalized without unacceptable losses in liberty, its tendency to create asymmetries in political power in multicultural societies can be minimized by promoting intercultural understanding.
