Comparative Politics Notes
Comparative Politics
Tuesday Sept 16
What is comparative Politics?
Important Terminology?
Politics: Who gets what when where and how. Usually focused on the study of the state.
Power: The ability to get someone to do something that they might not otherwise do. COERCION. This does not always mean that you use force.
Hard (Military Power, Police) and Soft power (leading by example without exerting force).
Authority: “Employed to denote power that is viewed as proper and is voluntarily accepted by those who are governed.” Authority usually rests with a legitimate govt. ex: Democracies.
Legitimacy: “When people freely accept those who yield power over theme, power is legitimate.” If a govt is seen as legitimate, even when they coerce power over you, they have the right, but there is a limit to the use of power.
Institutions: Organizations or patterns of activity that are self perpetuating and valued for their own stake. The rules and norms that governs a place.
Formal and Informal Institutions (look in the intro reading)
Comparative Politics as a Subject of Study
Political Theory: How do you live a good life? How can we know what a good state looks like? What is good and proper behaviour? They ask normative questions.
International Relations: There is a bit of overlap b/n IR and CP
Comparative Politics (CP): study of domestic politics across countries.
Public Policy: Look at public administration
American Politics: IN US, American politics is a sub-field
Comparative Politics as a Subject of Study
These are studies you can find w/n filed of CP
1. Ideas
a. Democracy
b. Authoritarianism
c. Totalitarianism
2. Issues
a. Political Economy
b. Immigration
3. Institutions
a. Electoral Systems
b. Constitutions
c. Party Systems
Comparative Politics as a Method (Ask)
1. Experimental Method: Scientific Method
a. As a result of EM, you can hold other variables constant
b. However, you can’t control variables in CP because true comparisons cannot be made as each case is
Tuesday Sept 16
What is comparative Politics?
Important Terminology?
Politics: Who gets what when where and how. Usually focused on the study of the state.
Power: The ability to get someone to do something that they might not otherwise do. COERCION. This does not always mean that you use force.
Hard (Military Power, Police) and Soft power (leading by example without exerting force).
Authority: “Employed to denote power that is viewed as proper and is voluntarily accepted by those who are governed.” Authority usually rests with a legitimate govt. ex: Democracies.
Legitimacy: “When people freely accept those who yield power over theme, power is legitimate.” If a govt is seen as legitimate, even when they coerce power over you, they have the right, but there is a limit to the use of power.
Institutions: Organizations or patterns of activity that are self perpetuating and valued for their own stake. The rules and norms that governs a place.
Formal and Informal Institutions (look in the intro reading)
Comparative Politics as a Subject of Study
Political Theory: How do you live a good life? How can we know what a good state looks like? What is good and proper behaviour? They ask normative questions.
International Relations: There is a bit of overlap b/n IR and CP
Comparative Politics (CP): study of domestic politics across countries.
Public Policy: Look at public administration
American Politics: IN US, American politics is a sub-field
Comparative Politics as a Subject of Study
These are studies you can find w/n filed of CP
1. Ideas
a. Democracy
b. Authoritarianism
c. Totalitarianism
2. Issues
a. Political Economy
b. Immigration
3. Institutions
a. Electoral Systems
b. Constitutions
c. Party Systems
Comparative Politics as a Method (Ask)
1. Experimental Method: Scientific Method
a. As a result of EM, you can hold other variables constant
b. However, you can’t control variables in CP because true comparisons cannot be made as each case is