Intro to Comparative Politics Key Comparative Concepts.

Intro to Comparative Politics

Key Comparative Concepts

The Big Ideas & GoalsThe Big Ideas & Goals• Big Ideas– Identify and understand various

political systems– Identify and understand the purpose

and role of government– Compare and contrast different

political theories and systems– Analyze the different inputs and

outputs of political systems and societies

– Identify and describe the major systems and structures of political systems across a variety of nations

– Analyze current events through the comparison of different national interests and political cultures

Goals AP Exam – Thursday, May 12, 2015

8:00AM

What are we learning about?

PRCPRCUSAUSA

RUSSIARUSSIA

MEXICOMEXICO

UKUK

The NationsThe Nations• The United States of America – our common point of comparison, The United States of America – our common point of comparison,

Decline of the USA?Decline of the USA?• United Kingdom – modern democratic state, although different United Kingdom – modern democratic state, although different

from the USfrom the US• China – the rising superpower, Communism in name onlyChina – the rising superpower, Communism in name only• Russia – Putin & the Superpresidency, Russian democracy or a Russia – Putin & the Superpresidency, Russian democracy or a

return to USSR?, Demographic issuesreturn to USSR?, Demographic issues• Mexico – The end of one party rule, the Oil Curse, NAFTA, drug Mexico – The end of one party rule, the Oil Curse, NAFTA, drug

cartels, Mexico rising or falling?cartels, Mexico rising or falling?• Iran – the Pariah State, theocracy and fundamentalism, President Iran – the Pariah State, theocracy and fundamentalism, President

vs. Ayatollah, Persian & Shia Islamvs. Ayatollah, Persian & Shia Islam• Nigeria – Oil Curse, Tribalism, Religious fractures, Nigerian political Nigeria – Oil Curse, Tribalism, Religious fractures, Nigerian political

cultureculture– The Nigerian Identity?The Nigerian Identity?

I. Methods of Comparison

The Comparative ApproachComparing governments instills understanding and helps explain

past and current events and predict future events

Public policy

Political and economic change

Citizens, society, and the state

Political institutions

Sovereignty, authority, and power

Comparisons at multiple levels

Types of Questions

• Normative Questions– Value based questions, subjective answers,

depends on your point-of-view

• Empirical Questions– Questions that can be answered with data

Empirical or Normative?

• The rate of population growth has decreased in China since 1990

Empirical or Normative?

• Developing countries should adopt population growth policies similar to China’s policy.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative• Quantitative research is based on

the measurement or amount and can be expressed in terms of a number. It is used to attempt to make conclusive decisions. (Large N)

• Qualitative research is by definition exploratory, and it is used when we don’t know what to expect, to define the problem or develop an approach to the problem. It is descriptive in nature. A common collection method is a survey. (Small n)

Correlation vs. Causation

• Correlation studies– Measures the degree of association between two

variables and is expressed as a coefficient from 0 to 1 (highest)

– Correlation is not the same as causation:• The more firemen are sent to a fire, the more damage is

done to a property.• Children who get tutored get worse grades than children

who do not get tutored

• Causation studies– The capacity of one variable to influence another.

II. Sovereignty, Authority, & Power

Sovereignty

• Defining feature of a state• Not all states possess it at all times• State’s claim to exercise authority and

effective control of political decisions within a given territory

• A state’s ability to carry out actions independently

Nation

• A self-aware segment of society, united by shared cultural and possessing a belief in the right to political control over a particular territory.

• A psychological sense of identity– Ethnic Nations

• Common ethnic identity• Kurds and Chechens

– Civic Nations• Heterogeneous population, but united by shared citizenship

values• US & Great Britain• What unites people in America?

State• Institutions, people, and groups that have the power to effect change,

including a monopoly on the use of force over territory• Has sovereignty: an independent legal authority over a population in

particular territory, based on the recognized right to self-determination• 192 according to the United Nations• In America, we use the term differently• Characteristics– Permanent population– Defined geographic border– Governing institutions– Sovereignty – International recognition

Nation States

• Word “nation” is sometimes used to mean almost the same as state, but refer to vastly different ideas in Political Science.

• Strictly speaking, nation refers to a group of people with a common identity.

• Cases in which national identification and the scope of legal authority largely coincide are called nation-states.

• Examples: Japan, Koreas, Egypt, Portugal, Bangladesh, & Iceland (Basically means no minority groups)

• Often, the correspondence between a nation and a state is Often, the correspondence between a nation and a state is not so neat.not so neat.– Multinational states: consist of a multitude of different nations; Multinational states: consist of a multitude of different nations;

Example: The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia were Example: The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia were multinational states that have now broken apart.multinational states that have now broken apart.

Stateless Nations

• Kurds• Chechynia

Supranational-states

• United Nations• European Union

Classification of States• Industrialized Democracies (MDCs, 1st world)– Advanced economies, build in restraints on power,

elections, and responsive to public opinion, UK• Communist States (2nd World)– Rely on repression and political violence to control

domestic opposition– Cuba, China, North Korea

• Less-Developed States (LDCs) (3rd world)– Most countries, 130, Nigeria

• Failed States– Cannot maintain law & order or provide basic services– Sierra Leone, Somalia, & Afghanistan

Regimes• The set of institutions and practices that endures

when one government is replaced by the next government.

• It’s not the people, but the traditions, the established norms

• Not necessarily a negative connotation (authoritarian), but that has become the common usage of the term

• Regime of Syrian President Bashar al-AssadVs.

• Regime of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia

Analogy

• “The state is the machinery of politics and the regime is its programming, the government is the operator."

• Can you think of another analogy to describe the relationship between these three?

The peaceful transfer of authority from George W. Bush to Barack Obama is an example of a

A. continuation of both the government and the regime.

B. change of regime and the continuation of the government.

C. continuation of the regime and a change of government.

D. change in both the government and the regime.

E. change in the international system.

Regime Types• Democratic

1. Free and fair elections that are competitive and allow opposition parties2. Citizen control (popular sovereignty)3. Policies implemented based on procedures that guarantee due process,

usually found in a Constitution4. Transparency in decision making and accountability of leaders5. Rights enjoyed by all citizens6. Independent judiciary7. Civilian control over the military8. Agreement that political conflicts will be resolved peacefully according to

legal procedures, rule of law• Consolidated Democracies (A history of adhering to these 8 principles for an

extended period of time)• Britain, France, Germany, India, Japan, & US

Liberal Democracy

• Also known as substantive or functioning democracy

• Meets the criteria democracy, but has not been established long enough to be consolidated

• Mexico

Illiberal (procedural) Democracy

• Has elections, but not freedoms– No open media often

• A governing system in which, although elections take place, citizens are cut off from knowledge about the activities of those who exercise real power because of the lack of civil liberties.

• It is not an 'open society‘• Russia under Putin, Singapore, US before

universal suffrage, new Egypt

Semiauthoritarian

• AKA-Hybrid regimes, transitional democracies• Elements of democracy present in an

otherwise authoritarian regime• Ruling elites keep themselves in power

despite the presence of some institutional features of democracy

• Elections are often not competitive and political liberties are constrained

• Russia, Mexico of old, and Nigeria

Authoritarianism

• A regime type defined by the rule of a single leader, small group, or single political party

• Severe limits are put on political opposition and are often suppressed by the misuse of the military power

• Leaders exercise a high degree of control over social and economic activity

• Little transparency• Iran, China, Cuba, North Korea

Totalitarianism

• Attempts to control nearly all aspects of public and private life

• Characterized by a single leader, a strong ideology, and a strong security forces to repress dissent

• Nazi Germany, Stalin’s USSR, and Mao’s China

Make a regime continuum on the board

Types of Power• Power– The ability to make people do what they otherwise

would not do.– 2 types

• Coercive power– The use of rewards and punishment (force) to get what you want

• Noncoercive power– Results from legitimacy

» Legitimacy is a concern for all regimes» Belief by those obeying commands that the people who are

making the rules have the right to govern» A legitimate regime will be able to produce and enforce

policies more effectively that a system that lacks legitimacy

Types of Authority– Authority

• Power based on legitimacy rather than through coercion – Types

• Traditional Authority– Inherited, divine right of kings, rituals, symbols, myths, and ceremonies

all help support it.• Charismatic Authority

– Cult of Personality, hero worship– Personal attachment to the leader– Does not last beyond the life of the leader– Mao, Stalin, & Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini

• Legal Authority– Power based on established rules that governs how leaders are selected

and how policy decisions are made.– Authority comes from established institutions such as a constitution– Authority lasts beyond the rule of one person, like the UK

Legitimacy

• Generally accepted view that the government has the right to rule

• Popularly accepted use of power by a government. • Difficult concept to measure. • Lack of legitimacy is probably easier to identify but still hard

to quantify.• The answer to if a state’s government is legitimate is

situational dependent– A state’s history of governance (authoritarian, democratic, role of

religion etc.) influences perceptions of legitimacy,

Sovereignty + Authority + Power = Legitimacy

• A government’s legitimacy comes from its sovereignty, authority, and power

• Without sufficient sovereignty, authority, and power to lend legitimacy to its government, a state cannot function.

• Factors influencing legitimacy might include:– The state’s history of leadership– Economic considerations– Foreign Recognition– Role of Religion

The scepter, a monarchical symbol of sovereignty, authority, and power all in one

Common areas to test for Legitimacy: Remember it all depends on the history of the state

• Elections (peaceful transfer of power)• Economic well-being• Foreign recognition • Foreign support, esp. economic investment• Historical tradition/longevity• Ideology• Charismatic leadership • Nationalism, national identity, symbols• Political participation/mobilization• Role of Military is subdued; civilian control• Satisfaction with system• Sense of Efficacy and Sense of Representation• Shared mass political culture• Socialization process through media/schools/religion• Supportive public opinion• Tolerance of opposition (best example: UK)• Written constitution/ respect for the Rule of Law• Think of how many of these the early U.S. had!!!!!

Constitutions

• Rules of the game• Lists official powers• Puts limits on government • Adds to legitimacy if followed• Written (US) vs. Unwritten (UK)

Rule of Law• The legal principle that law should govern a state and not arbitrary

decisions by individual government officials• Laws rule, not people• No one is above the law, not even leaders• Refutes divine right philosophy• Without Rule of Law, the state loses legitimacy• Quotes:

– "The rule of law is better than that of any individual“ and “The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law. ” -Aristotle

– “We must be governed by the force of law, not by the law of force.”– “We have a problem when the same people who make the law get to

decide whether or not they themselves have broken the law.”

• Russia• Great Britain• Mexico• Iran• Nigeria• China

Rank the six from most legitimate to least legitimate governments:

Give open note quiz

• Saved as quiz intro Day one

III. Economic Systems

• Free-Market Capitalism– Private ownership of property, rejects state involvement,

can result in stratification of social classes• Socialism– Public ownership of the means of production and

egalitarian distribution of wealth• Command Economy (Centrally Planned)– State owns the capital and workers work for the state– Decisions about production in the hands of a few

bureaucrats– Lack efficiency and leads to black markets

Mixed Economies– Social Welfare Capitalist System

• Mainly capitalist, but the government sets up many welfare benefits, UK, US: Social Security & Medicare

– Mercantilism• Free-Market to a degree, except with world trade, protectionist,

Imperialism economic model, colonies under UK

– Socialist Market Economy• Mix of state control and market forces, China

– State Capitalism• Greater role for state ownership of economic entities, but less of

a role in regulation and social welfare protection• The state is a major economic player, especially in lucrative

industries, like energy• Russia

VI. Political Ideologies

• Guiding set of principles about the proper design and function of politics and society

• Both normative & prescriptive• Can be used to contrast the Western

democracies & communism, or Democrats & Republicans

Types of Ideologies• Liberalism (Classical)– Favors free-market capitalism and extensive

freedoms, Open society• Liberalism (American Democratic Party Version)– Economic regulation to help defend the common

person and believes in little social regulation• Communism– State ownership of property, equality over

freedom, one-party rule, USSR

• Conservatism– Minimum regulation of the economy, against income distribution,

defends the status quo (Republican Party)• Libertarian– Promotes an even more limited government role than conservatives,

especially with social values• Reactionary– Champions a return to traditional arrangements

• Fascism– Based on nationalism and militarism– State is the most important entity– Nazis, Italy during WWII

Political Culture• Social Relations with authority

– Vertical social relations• Emphasize hierarchy

– Horizontal social relations• Highlights equality

• Group Welfare vs. interests of the individual• Liberty vs. Security• Legitimacy of the political system and its leaders

– Can leaders be trusted and monitored?• Political community

– Does the population identify with the nation or a religion, region, or ethnicity more?

– Civil Society

Do practice multiple choice

• 7-B• 12-D

Practice Multiple Choice Answers

1. A2. E3. B4. B5. B6. D7. B8. D

9. C10. E11. A12. D, not important13. A14. A15. B