Summary
Summary of Introduction To Comparative Politics
- Course
- Institution
Summary of Introduction To Comparative Politics
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
bellakim
Content preview
1. Comment4 February 2020 at 20:32:38
Capacity to keep issues off
agenda that threaten preferences
2. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:39
Commitment to leader/message
3. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:53
Based on rules of office rather
than leader
Inherent to stable democracies
4. Comment Part 1 - Course Introduction, Comparative Politics and
4 February 2020 at 20:36:33
Origins: revolutionary France;
Comparative Method
royalists sat to the right while
radicals/commoners sat to the left
Concepts
Concepts have blurred
Government: institutions through which societies are authoritatively governed
5. Comment • More suitable for larger units
4 February 2020 at 20:37:58 • Role (Hobbes): anarchy → order (protect from harm)
Peace, democracy, trade • Monopoly of violence
protection, social security, etc • Secure peace + cooperation
• Standardize efficient methods of decision-making → incentivize resolving disagreements
6. Comment • Locke: inherent risk of abuse of authority
4 February 2020 at 20:38:17
Militarism, nationalism, authority, Political system: broader array of forces that surround/influence government (parties, media,
morality, free markets, freedom, lobbies, etc)
etc
Governance: process of collective decision making (with or without government)
• Focus on regulation, quality, process
Politics: negotiation/competition in collective decision-making
Power:
• Capacity to achieve objectives (rather than fall victim to circumstance)
1 • Mobilization of bias
• Manipulation of preferences
State: provides legal mandate/authority to governments
Authority: right to rule given by people
2 3 • Means of validation: tradition, charisma, appeal to legal/rational norms
Ideology: system of thought expressing views on human nature + proper organization of state
and society + individual’s position within prescribed order
• Main ideologies:
• Anarchism: all forms of government unnecessary; voluntary cooperation/free association
• Marxism: elimination of state system/private property
• Liberalism: maximizing personal freedom, limited and democratic government
• Conservatism: free markets, decentralized government
• Fascism: authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism
4 • Left vs right
5 • Left: reduce inequality + pro-diversity
6 • Right: accepting of natural inequalities + national unity
,7. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:47:27
Classification
8. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:13
People have supreme power
9. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:21
One person rules based on
established laws
10. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:31
One person rules in self-interest Methodology
11. Comment Comparative politics: study of different political systems through comparison/contrasting
4 February 2020 at 19:58:10
• Broadening understanding
Object of study 7 • Typology; allows broad assumptions
• Predicting outcomes (often unsuccessful)
12. Comment
• Testing hypotheses
4 February 2020 at 20:01:47
One example meant to apply to
Typologies:
other situations
• Aristotle’s six types of government
8 10 • Montesquieu: republican, monarchical, despotic
13. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:03
• Three world system (based on Cold War)
• Different indexes
Not representative but expected
to become so (e.g. Tunisia as
11 Unit of analysis ≠ level of analysis
guide for Arab Spring)
Methods of comparative study:
14. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:17 • Case study method: focus on single case and its context
Creator, first ever example • Implications and interaction between factors
12 17 • Types of case studies: representative, prototypical, exemplary, deviant, critical, theory-testing
15. Comment • Comparative/qualitative: small number of case studies
4 February 2020 at 20:02:28 • MSSD (most similar system design): selecting cases as similar as possible except in variable
Seeks out atypical cases of study
• MDSD (most different system design): selecting cases as different as possible except in
16. Comment variable of study
4 February 2020 at 20:02:40 • Statistical/quantitative: large number of cases, statistical analysis
If it works here, it works • Historical: focus on process leading to outcome
anywhere (e.g. promoting • Experimental: manipulating case
democracy in Afghanistan) • Counterfactual: what would happen if factor were absent
17. Comment Challenges of comparative study:
4 February 2020 at 20:03:31 • Too few cases, too many variables
Probing theory in new case study • Selection bias
to see how well it applies • Survivorship bias: studying only surviving examples, ignoring past examples
• Value bias
• Con rmation bias
• Cultural imperialism (same act, different meaning)
• Globalization → states no longer separate (hinders statistical analysis)
Readings:
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 1
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 6
fi
,18. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:18:24
E.g. in Apartheid South Africa,
contestation was allowed but
only white citizens could vote
19. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:45
Schumpeter: can only refuse or
accept rulers
20. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:29
Only purpose is to produce a
government
21. Comment Part 2 - Democracies and Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:30:45
John Stuart Mill: only purpose is
to prevent harm to others Democracies
22. Comment Democracy: political system based on fair/open mandate from citizens
6 February 2020 at 19:29:09 18 • Dimensions (Dahl):
E.g. freedom of speech • Contestation: ability to express political preferences
• Inclusiveness: entitlement of citizens to participate in politics
23. Comment • No perfect examples; instead “polyarchies”
6 February 2020 at 19:42:25
(Post-)industrial, educated Types of democracies:
population, etc • Direct: all citizens take part in decision-making
• Example: Athens (462 - 322 BCE)
24. Comment • Advantages: more representative, citizens trained in politics
6 February 2020 at 19:44:11 • Disadvantages: impractical (lack of permanent bureaucracy), disinterestedness of unwilling
Wealth/large middle-class softens participants
class struggle • E-democracy: online arena
• Disadvantages: bandwagoning, trolls, lack of access, manipulation, echo chamber
However, correlation between • Representative: elected government
affluence and democracy absent • Advantages: disinterested citizens can limit attention to monitoring → better politics
between developed countries 19 20 • Disadvantages: limited citizen power (political accessories)
21 • Liberal: representative + limited by laws/constitution
25. Comment • Liberalism: belief in natural rights of individual
6 February 2020 at 19:33:59
22 • Civil liberties: rights relative to government
As much outcome as intention • “Majority rule with minority rights”, prevent tyranny of majority
• Checks and balances: government institutions counter-balance one another
Measuring democracy:
• Freedom house (free, partly free, not free)
• Number of free democracies has decreased in past decade
• Post-war eras: surges in democracy
• Norm (but not evenly spread)
• Distinguish between full and flawed
23 Linked to being modern:
• Reasons:
24 • Distribution of economic resources
• Economic security → less corruption
• More interest groups that promote democracy
• Education strengthens democratic values
• Implies development precedes democratization (e.g. China, Russian failure)
Waves of democracy:
25 • First wave (1828 - 1926): suffrage (slow, sequential)
• Second wave (1943 - 1964):
• Post-war reconstruction (assisted by victorious Allies)
, 26. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:37:20
- Ending of dictatorships in
Greece, Portugal and Spain
(1970s)
- Retreat of generals in Latin
America (1980s)
- Collapse of communism in
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
27. Comment
6 February 2020 at 20:00:58
No (significant) opposition
28. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:59:00 • Decolonization
E.g. no constitution • Political parties
• Third wave (1974 - present): globalizing
29. Comment 26 • Inhospitable environment for non-democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:58:04 • Emergence of many hybrid regimes
If it exists, vague/contradictory/ • Western foreign policy promoting democracy
ignored • Fourth wave? (Fukuyama: end of history)
30. Comment Democratization:
6 February 2020 at 22:11:43 • Fall of authoritarian regime ≠ democracy (can be replaced or failed)
Associated with abuse • Difficult to impose by force
• Success more likely when imposed by multinational force with international support
31. Comment • Needs time to take root
6 February 2020 at 22:23:24 • Stages:
Abuse of officer for private gain • Liberalization (ruling group concedes)
• Transition (write constitution, elections, etc)
32. Comment • Consolidation (acceptance, habitual, peaceful transition of power)
6 February 2020 at 22:24:43 • Deepening (flawed → full)
Use political influence to benefit
third party
33. Comment
Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 22:26:40
Use of state resources to reward Non-democratic regime:
supporters 27 • Non-competitive selection, intolerant to opposition
28 29 • Centralized: unaccountability to citizens and rule of law
34. Comment • Nonexistent/under-resourced/unprofessional legislature and judiciary
6 February 2020 at 22:25:39 30 • Despotism
Favoring family or friends • However, must maintain support of allies
31 • High levels of corruption
35. Comment • Private gain > public gain
6 February 2020 at 22:25:54 • Discourages foreign investments
Theft of public funds 32 35 • Forms: electoral fraud, bribery, influence peddling, patronage, nepotism, embezzlement,
36 kickbacks
36. Comment • Dimensions:
6 February 2020 at 22:26:12 • Pluralism (little to none)
Offer public work to company in • Mobilization
exchange for share of payment • Leadership (unpredictable)
37 • Advantage: ability to work more effectively (no bureaucracy/gridlocks)
37. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:21:39 Types of non-democratic regimes (some overlap):
E.g. China: 38 • Totalitarian: absolute authority (no independent entities)
- Economic growth between • Only example: North Korea
1978 and 2009 far exceed that of • Plurality: none
democratic India • Mobilization: none
- Can generate early stage 39 • Leadership: cult of personality
economic development 40 • Sultanistic/non-patrimonial
(industrialization requires massive • Plurality: some, but subject to despotism
investments in infrastructure; • Mobilization: none?
can ignore losers of investments)
38. Comment
6 February 2020 at 21:34:12
Political, businesses, etc
39. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:04:53
Omnipresent leadership
Like Big Brother (not necessarily
personalistic)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller bellakim. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.88. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
50990 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now