A comprehensive guide for the course Introduction to Political Science. It is a must have document for visual learners as I have color coded the notes and included handy diagrams.
introduction to political sience introduction to political research
Written for
Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA)
Politicologie
Introductie tot Politicologisch Onderzoek
All documents for this subject (2)
2
reviews
By: lararoefs • 4 year ago
By: doraliszi • 4 year ago
Seller
Follow
user8539482
Reviews received
Content preview
Introduction to Political Science
Topic: Chapter 1: Key Concepts (Hague, Harrop and McCormick)
Summarize key ideas/ main Notes
points (Tips: Skip a space between ideas/topics and use abbreviations)
Comparative Government and Key concepts: an overview
Politics ● In the study of politics it is important to distinguish between a ‘concept’ and
a ‘conception.’
○ Concept: A term, idea, or category
○ Conception: The manner in which something is understood or
interpreted [a conception builds on a concept].
Social Science: The study of human society and of the structured interactions
Government and Governance among people within society. Distinct from the natural science such as physics and
biology.
Government: the arena for decision-making and enforcing collective decisions
● People often refer to prime ministers, presidents as the ‘government’
however groups such as the police, judges and armed forces also hold
power in governing.
Thomas Hobbes ○ Government is the entire community of institutions endowed with
public authority.
Government: The institutions and offices through which societies are governed.
Also used to describe the group of people who govern (e.g. the Japanese
government), a specific administration (e.g. the Putin government), the form of the
system of rule (e.g. centralized government), and the nature and direction of the
administration of a community (e.g. good government).
● Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who lived during the English
Civil War [the King against the parliament].
, ○ Thomas Hobbes argues for why we should obey rulers even if this
government is not always legit. We obey in order to avoid chaos.
○ Thomas Hobbes believed that life was “short, nasty and brutish”
○ He believed that the government protects people and that’s why
people should give up all their rights to the government.
■ This would then not only lead to peacefulness and security
but also mutually beneficial cooperation.
■ The dangers of Hobbes argument is that the government may
gain too much power or abuse its power.
● This connects with Plato’s question: Who guards the
guards?
Political System: The interactions and organizations (including but not restricted
to government) through which a society reaches and successfully enforces
collective decisions. Interchangeably used with the word regime a lthough the latter
tends to have negative connotations.
● E.g. The Dutch political system is more than just the Dutch government.
Governance: The process by which decisions, laws and policies are made, with or
without the input of formal institutions.
● Governance can indicate how well the country is being ruled [the quality of
ruling].
● Governance is the act of policy making, law making, which is more
important for economic development than the government institutions
themselves.
Politics Politics: The process by which people negotiate and compete in the process of
making and executing shared or collective decisions.
Aspects of politics:
1. Politics involves multiple people
2. Politics involves decisions making that affects more than two people
3. Once a policy is reached it becomes binding for the group of people
Politics may be defined as the making and reaching of collective decisions
● Politics can create cooperation and peace but it may also create competition
for power
● Politics may be described as the process of decision making that benefits
the greater collective good
○ However, it may also be the case that those in power place their
, self-interest above the collective good.
■ Politics is a game of winners and losers
● “Who gets what, when and how”
Politics has many different facets, it includes, cooperation, conflict,
competition, force and reason.
“Pure conflict is war. Pure cooperation is true love. Politics is a mixture of both.”
Power Power: The capacity to bring about intended effects. The term is often used as a
synonym for influence, but is also used more narrowly to refer to more forceful
modes of influence: notably, getting one’s way by threats.
Lukes Three Dimensions of Power
● Luke’s Theory of Power argues that power is exercised in three distinct
ways:
○ 1. Decision-making power
■ The Issue Method: the one person who wins the argument
has the power
○ 2. Non-decision making power
■ The Agenda Setting Method: the one person who is able to
set an agenda and decide what happens has the power
○ 3. Ideological power
■ The Manipulation Method: those who can
change/manipulate the views of others are in power
The state, authority, and legitimacy ● The world is divided into nearly 200 states
● States are sovereign entities and are responsible for what goes on within
their borders.
○ This calls into question a state’s authority and legitimacy
■ Power is the capacity to act, whereas authority is the right to
do so.
Authority: The right to rule. Authority creates its own power, so long as people
accept that the person in authority has the right to make decisions.
The four criterion for a state:
1. A permanent population
2. The ability to enter relations with other states
3. Defined borders/ territory
4. An effective government
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 user8539482. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.35. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
