COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS INTRODUCTION
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COMPARATIVE
GOVERNMENT AND
POLITICS
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS COMPARATIVE
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS?
GOVERNMENT: leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for the country.
POLITICS: All about power. Who gets it? How? What do they do with it?
WHAT IS COMPARATIVE
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS?
TOPICS for Each Country Under Consideration:
The Comparative Method
Sovereignty, Authority and Power
Political and Economic Change
Citizens, Society and the State
Political Institutions
Public Policy
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
Scientific Method
THREE WORLD APPROACH (PRE 1990)
1ST – The United States and its Allies
2nd – The Soviet Union and its Allies
3rd – Economically underdeveloped and deprived. Did not fit into the other two categories.
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
Newer Types of Comparisons
1. Impact of Informal Politics
Civil Society – the way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests.
Informal politics – ways politicians behavior outside their formal powers as well as beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policymaking.
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
2. Importance of Political Change
The nature of world politics has changed.
Three World Approach not needed anymore.
3. The Integration of Political and Economic Change
- Linking of the political and economic systems. For Example: Communism and Capitalism.
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
Groups With Similar Political and Economic Institutions and Practices:
ADVANCED DEMOCRACIES – Well established democratic governments and high level of economic development.
Great Britain
United States of America
European Union Included in this discussion.
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
Communist and Post-Communist Countries– Limited individual freedom in order to divide wealth more equally.
Russia – Post-Communist Country
China – Communist Country
TOPIC ONE: THE COMPARATIVE
METHOD
Less Developed and Newly Industrializing (or developing) Countries – “Third World” Some are experiencing rapid growth,
tendency toward democratization and social/political stability. Examples are Mexico and Iran.
Lesser Developed countries lack significant economic development and may have authoritarian governments. Example is Nigeria.
TOPIC TWO: SOVEREIGNTY,
AUTHORITY, AND POWER
States are countries that control what happens within their borders.
Institutions are long lasting, stable organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy.
Sovereignty is the ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders without interference.
Nationalism – Sense of belonging to the nation that binds people together.
Democracies
Indirect vs. Direct Parliamentary vs. Presidential
Parliamentary – citizens vote for legislative representatives who select the leaders of the executive branch. Head of Government
Presidential – citizens vote for legislative representatives and the executive branch who function within a system of separation of powersand checks and balances. Head of State and Head of Government.
Semi-Presidential – Prime Minister coexists with a president elected by the power and has power. (example is Russia)
Authoritarian Regimes
Decisions made by political ELITES.
Ruled by single dictator, hereditary monarch, small group of aristocrats, or single political party.
State Corporatism – Government officials interact with people/groups outside of government before making decisions.
Patron-Client System – Reciprocal favors and services to supporters.
Authoritarian Regimes
Characteristics of Authoritarian Regimes Small group of elites with power over the
state.
Citizens with little or no input into the selection of leaders and decisions of government.
No constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public.
Restriction of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Authoritarian Regimes
Totalitarianism – Term used to describe a particularly detested regime with a strong ideological goal (communism).
Military Regimes – Military intervention into politics in a country where letimacy is low and stability is in question. Lacks specific ideology with noncharasmatic
leaders. May join forces with state bureaucracy to form an authoritarian regime.
Not opposed to use of force COUP D’ETAT.
CORPORATISM
CORPORATISM – Method through which business, labor, and/ or other interest groups bargain with the state over economic policy.
STATE CORPORATISM – Eliminates any input from groups not sanctioned or created by the state.
PATRON-CLIENTELISM – system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single person or group for their support.
CORPORATISM
PLURALISM – Power split among many groups with a chance to influence decisions.
DEMOCRATIC CORPORATISM Formation of interest groups is spontaneous.
Dialogue between interest groups and the state is voluntary.
Develop institutionalized and legally binding links with the state becoming semi-public agencies limiting freedom of people.
LEGITIMACY
The right to rule; given by the people.
Three Forms of Authority:
1. Traditional Authority – Tradition should decide who will rule and how.
2. Charismatic Authority – based on dynamic personality of a leader or small group.
3. Rational-Legal Authority – Based on a system of well-established laws and procedures.
Common Law – Tradition, past practices, legal precedent.
Code Law – System of written rules of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes.
LEGITIMACY
Legitimacy of leaders is based on FAIR, FREE, COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS.
Factors that encourage legitimacy in both Authoritarian and Democratic Regimes:
Economic Well-Being
Historical Tradition/Longevity
Charismatic Leadership
Nationalism/Shared Political Culture
Satisfaction with the Government’s Performance/Responsiveness
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
POLITICAL CULTURE – Collection of beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on.
SOCIAL CAPITAL – A method to measure the Political Culture based on the amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens and the state.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Types of Political Culture Consensual Political Culture – Acceptance
of both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems although there may be disagreement on political processes and policies.
Conflictual Political Culture – Citizens are sharply divided on legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems. Subcultures may develop. Effective rule may be subdued.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Political Ideologies – Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics.
1. Liberalism – Emphasis on individual political and economic freedom. (freedom for all, free speech, religion, and association). The right to disagree with the state and leaders. Action to change the decisions of leaders present.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Political Ideologies
2. Communism – Values equality over Freedom. Result of the competition for scarce resources is that a small group will come to control the government and the economy. Private ownership of property is abolished.
Individual liberties give way to the needs of society as a whole.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Political Ideologies
3. Socialism – Shares the value of equality of Communism with the freedom of liberalism.
Accept and promote private ownership & free market.
State regulation of economy and benefits to public to ensure equality.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Political Ideologies
4. Fascism – Devalues individual freedom.
Rejects the value of equality.
People and groups exist in degrees of inferiority and superiority.
State has the right and responsibility to mold society and economy and to eliminate obstacles.
Nazi Germany is example.
POLITICAL CULTURE AND
IDEOLOGIES
Political Ideologies
5. Religions – Source of group identity.
Separation of Church and State in advanced democracies.
Source of interest group activity within the civil society.
Varies in importance to governmental regimes in the world. (Iran = Theocracy).
TOPIC THREE: POLITICAL AND
ECONOMIC CHANGE
Comparative Political Scientists are interested in the impact that change has on the policymaking process.
Political and economic changes occur together and influence one another. If one happens without the other, tensions and instability can occur with serious consequences.
Three Types of Change
1. Reform – does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions. Reformers want to change some of the methods used to reach goals.
2. Revolution – Basic level change that involves major revision or overthrow of existing institutions
3. Coup d’etat – Replacement of the leader of a country. Use of force and assassination can happen.
Attitudes Toward Change
1. Radicalism – Rapid, dramatic changes need to me made in society and/or political system. System cannot be saved and must be replaced (Bolsheviks).
2. Liberalism – Gradual reform and change. Economic/Political system not broken but in need of gradual repair or improvement.
Attitudes Toward Change
3. Conservatism – Less supportive of change. Change is seen as disruptive and can have unforseen outcomes. Change can be a threat to law and order.
4. Reactionary – Find status quo unacceptable but generally similar to conservatives. Regress to an earlier era regarding political, social, and economic institution that once existed.
Three Trends (Patterns)
1. Democratization – Requirement is competitive elections that are regular, free, and fair.
Liberal Democracy Characteristics
Civil Liberties
Rule of Law
Neutrality of the Judiciary
Open Civil society
Civilian Control of the Military
Three Trends (Patterns)
1. Democratization
Illiberal democracies – Countries that have regular, free, and fair elections but lack elements listed in previous slide.
Third Wave of Democratization – Samuel Huntington- Modern World is here.
1st Wave – Post 18th Century Revolutions
2nd Wave – Post WWII until 1960’s –
De-colonization
Three Trends (Patterns)
1. Democratization – Causes
Loss of legitimacy
Expansion of an urban Middle Class
Emphasis on Human Rights
Snowball Effect (domino theory in reverse)
*Political discontent is triggered if preceded by a period higher standard of living, a condition called “revolution of rising expectations.”
Three Trends (Patterns)
2. Movement Toward Market Economies
Command Economies (socialist principles, state ownership) are fading from existence unless partnered with Market Economies
Mixed Economy – Market Economy that allows for control from the central government.
Three Trends (Patterns)
Movement Toward Market Economies
Two Factors precipitating movement toward market economies: Belief that Government is Too Big
Lack of success of command economies.
**MARKETIZATION – state’s recreation of a market in which property, labor, goods and services can function in a competitive environment to determine value.
Privatization – Transfer of state-owned property to private ownership.
Three Trends (Patterns)
3. Revival of Ethnic or Cultural Politics
Fragmentation – divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity.
Politicization of Religion has dominated world politics in the 21st century.
Huntington argues a dangerous future will be based on clashes of civilizations, not socioeconomic or ideological differences.
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