Comparative Analysis Of Political Systems (6442DCAH)
Institution
Universiteit Leiden (UL)
Book
Cases in Comparative Politics
Combined notes on the lectures and readings from the course (2022) Comparative Analysis of Political Systems. INCLUDES lectures 1-13 (Total: 52 pages).
Lecture notes and book summary - Comparative Analysis of Political Systems - 2023 - Grade 8.5
Summary Comparative Analysis Political Systems - IRO
All notes on Comparative Analysis Of Political Systems - IRO year 2
All for this textbook (4)
Written for
Universiteit Leiden (UL)
International Relations And Organizations
Comparative Analysis Of Political Systems (6442DCAH)
All documents for this subject (8)
2
reviews
By: pepijnhoppenbrouwer • 10 months ago
By: giacomoef • 10 months ago
Thank you Pepijn for the review. Was there anything that could be improved?
By: GabrieleBattisti • 2 year ago
By: giacomoef • 2 year ago
Thank you for the positive review! I'll upload the remaining lectures ASAP!
Seller
Follow
giacomoef
Reviews received
Content preview
Combined notes on the lectures and readings from the course (2022) Comparative Analysis of
Political Systems. INCLUDES lectures 1-13 (Total: 52 pages).
1
Comparative Analysis of Political Systems Lecture Notes (Lectures
1-13)
Table of Contents
Lecture 1: Recap I - States, Nations & Regimes 2
Lecture 2: Recap II - Cleavages, Ideologies & Party Systems 5
Lecture 3: United Kingdom (UK) 9
Lecture 4: France 13
Lecture 5: Germany 17
Lecture 6: United States (US) 22
Lecture 7: Russia 27
Lecture 8: China 31
Lecture 9: Brazil 36
Lecture 10: South Africa 41
Lecture 11: Iran 45
Lecture 12: Exam Preparation 49
Lecture 13: Comparing Political Systems 50
, 2
Lecture 1: Recap I - States, Nations & Regimes
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Major subfields of political science:
1. Public administration (administration + public policies in a state).
2. International relations (domestic + international comparisons).
3. Political theory/philosophy (less empirically about political systems, BUT engaging in how
they should work).
4. Comparative politics (domestic political phenomena across countries, NOT between these
countries → domestic is needed to reach international).
What to compare? How to compare? Why compare? Pitfalls of comparison
Looking at political Cases need to be Descriptively (gather Comparing cases requires a lot
structures, actors, similar enough to knowledge about other of background information.
processes. be comparable. countries + own country)
Different meanings of concepts
Look for similarities Analytically (create in different cultural/linguistic
+ differences based classifications + contexts (e.g., “liberal” used in
on criteria. typologies, formulate/test the US vs. Western Europe).
hypotheses + theories,
Pay attention to make semi-accurate Ethnocentrism/stereotypes →
different contexts. future predictions). ensuing bias.
States, Nations & Nationalism
Societies + political organisations have evolved:
● Tribes without rulers → tribes/communities with rulers → city-states → kingdoms/empires →
modern ‘Nation-States’:
○ 1648-1815 = conception.
○ 1815-1945 = consolidation.
○ 1945-present = erosion (loss of power to supranational actors, organisations).
State: Do NOT confuse country + government (currently governing the state).
➔ 3 features (German sociologist Max Weber):
1. Population (human community)
2. A territory.
3. Internal sovereignty (monopoly of force)
Codified in the Montevideo Convention (1933) = rights + duties of states, the addition of:
4. External sovereignty (international recognition).
➔ Colonialism exported these concepts of the ‘state’.
➔ Peculiarities challenging the idea of a ‘state’:
◆ Supranational organisations (e.g., EU) = associations of states (transfer of power
above the state).
◆ Non-sovereign territories (e.g., Greenland, Puerto Rico) = sub-state autonomy
(transfer of power below the state).
, 3
Partially recognised states De-facto states Failed states
Internal Sovereignty YES YES Little
External Sovereignty Contested Little YES
Examples Taiwan, Palestine Somaliland, TRNC Somalia, South Sudan
Nation: An “imagined community” claiming sovereignty over a territory (NOT imaginary, BUT
inter-subjective) → e.g., Netherlands = state, Dutch nation = nation.
➔ Nationalism: Ideology that contains a nation. Nationalist push tries to homogenise the
nation.
➔ Nation-State: Conception of 1 state = 1 nation.
◆ Initiated at the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) & French Revolution (1789).
◆ Consolidated at the Congress of Vienna (1815).
➔ Degree of consequences on a spectrum:
◆ State-nationalism (national level) = eradicating differences (e.g., Spain under
Francisco Franco).
◆ Multinationalism (mixed approach) = federalism (e.g., Belgium, Canada).
◆ Sub-state nationalism (sub-national level)= secession (break-off of a certain region).
➔ Do NOT confuse nationhood (sense of feeling, sociological) ≠ citizenship (legal question).
◆ Nationality depends on the context.
➔ Ethnicity: Social construction based on common descent + heritage, within or across states.
HOWEVER (difference with nation) it does NOT translate into a quest for political
sovereignty.
◆ Craig Calhoun (1993):
● Ethnicity overlaps/conflicts with the nation.
● Nationalism often has an ethnic foundation.
◆ E.g. Yugoslavia (1980s) = ethnicities precede the nation.
Did the state create the nation, or the nation the state?
● Different for each case (e.g., Germany = nation → state, France = state → nation).
● Depends on the nation’s foundation (ethnicity, language, religion, ideals/ideology).
● Determines the extent to which nations are ‘open’:
○ Civic nationalism = open.
○ Ethnic nationalism = closed (born, speak the language).
Regime & Regime Types
Political system = classified on particular features.
Regimes = NOT very specific but more to set to who governs (how).
● Aristotle’s typology:
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 giacomoef. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $11.03. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
