BUS 430 D100 Team 2 – Theory Session 4 Mohammed Al-Awlaqi Kelvin Lai Jacky Pan Sasha Vukovic Wednesday, February 20, 2013 THEORY SESSION 4: POLITICAL SYSTEMS CRITICAL REFLECTION PRESENTATION

Featuring Distinguished Guests:Hosted by: Sasha Vukovic Chief Economist Kelvin Lai Legal Counsel Jacky Pan Policy Advisor MoMo Al-Awlaqi CCMW Host

Breaking News:

1- If you were in Gerard’s position, a movie star earning millions but subject to France’s 75% income tax, would you do the same? 2- What issues can you see that emerge when domestic talent begins to compare and choose between competing political systems?

Today’s Discussion: Political Systems START FINISH Intro & Article Overview Limitations Theme & Research Problem Comparative Analysis & Reflection Value-Adding Articles Country-Comparison Application Audience Engagement

Article 1 – Almond (1956) 1 Comparative political systems (Almond, 1956) Article Overview | | | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application To Be Dynamic Political culture Behaviors and motivations Roles Interactions among institutions To Be Dynamic or Static? That Is the Question To Be Static Particularistic Regional Political Functional

Article 1 – Almond (1956) 1 Comparative political systems (Almond, 1956) Article Overview | | | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application A Political System is "the legitimate monopoly of physical coercion” (1956, pg.394)

Article 2 – Hewitt (1977) 2 The effect of political democracy and social democracy on equality in industrial societies: a cross national comparison (Hewitt, 1977) Article Overview | | | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Their Political Culture Reduce inequity Increase mobility rates To Be Egalitarian Is To Be Socialist? Their Polices Lower Class Interests

Common Theme & Research Problem 3 Identifying the overarching theme addressed by the articles and the scope of analysis. | Theme | | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Political Systems Comparative study of dominant classifications Sources of political power Observable effects on society of political actions Theme statement The patterned interactions, relationships, and power dynamics that influence empirically observable outcomes of political actions.

Common Theme & Research Problem 3 Identifying the overarching theme addressed by the articles and the scope of analysis. | Theme | | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Political Systems Scope, Definitions, and Assumptions Political System Interdependent components (norms and institutions) Interact with environment Possess legitimate power to take action Dynamic: change in one aspect may affect system as a whole Closely related questions 1.How do aspects of environment interact with political system components to result in source of legitimate power over society? 2.To what extent do political actions undertaken on behalf of society (enforced by the legitimate power) affect behaviour or achieve certain goals?

Comparative Analysis 4 Comparative analysis and critical reflection on the assigned articles. | | Comparative Analysis | | | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Inputs - Working class support - Demands (i.e. for equality) - Pressure groups - Historical experience - Gradual reform or revolution - Conformity or apathy Sources of legitimate Power Political System Actions (Decisions & Policies ) Outputs - Egalitarianism - Provision of welfare - Protection of freedoms - Imposed order - Other empirically observable outcomes “A system of action…with empirically observable behaviour…viewed in terms of what it is they do…and how what they do is related to and affects what others do” (1956, pg. 393) 1. Political System 3. Cultural Variations 2. A Visual Representation: Definitions of Fairness, Equality, and Egalitarianism

Methodology & Limitations 5 Critique of the methodology and limitations of the assigned articles. | | | Limitations| | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Really, what is egalitarianism? Equality approach Equality of outcomes VS. Equity approach Equality of opportunity Equitable rewards Data limitations Growing Cooperation between nations in the OECD More standardized measures of equality Gini coefficient data is widely available today

Limitations (Continued) 6 | | | Limitations| | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Critique of the methodology and limitations of the assigned articles. True strength of correlation, underlying reasons, and effects on society? Why are countries with socialist parties operating within democratic frameworks more successful in implementing equality than more “liberal” countries? To what extent do Hewitt’s measures of egalitarianism truly benefit the lower classes?

Value-Adding Additional Article 1 7 Socialist parties help the Middle class, not the lower class -Lower class votes for socialist parties that would represent them (egalitarian ideologies) No impact on income distribution -Socialist parties need to maintain status quo -Social equality is most likely achieved in social democratic systems, such as Canada Socialist Parties and Income Inequality in Western Industrial Societies (Jackman, 1980) | | | | Additional Articles | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application

Limitations (Continued) 8 | | | Limitations| | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Critique of the methodology and limitations of the assigned articles. What about illegitimate power? Interaction of political systems with illegitimate sources or uses of power Role of Sicilian mafia in Italian politics; corruption; etc. Undermine effectiveness of political system’s legitimate power

9 Public Protection or Private Extortion? (Bueno De Mesquita & Hafer, 2008) | | | | Additional Articles | | Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Value-Adding Additional Article 2 -Mafias are “relatively benign competitors of the state” -The strongest makes the rules -Mafias’ power: 1.Government needs to pay attention to them 2.Influences the tax rate -When mafia is strong, government not corrupt -When mafia is weak, government highly corrupt

10 Intersectoral income inequality To understand future consumer purchasing power, evaluate if energy industry is profitable Three Questions: Is there income inequality across sectors? How large is the gap? Is the gap narrowing? What dimensions are we going to use? | | | | | | Application Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Relevance to Canada-Italy Factbook

10 Political Regimes To know the stability of the political system, which will affect FDI Three Questions: What is the current political system? Are the political systems shifting? Which side of the spectrum is it shifting towards? What dimensions are we going to use? | | | | | | Application Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application

10 Presence of Mafia Form of illegitimate power Faiola’s article (2013): Monumental presence Exploited billions of dollars of gov’t subsidies Controls many projects What dimensions are we going to use? | | | | | | Application Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application Relevance to Canada-Italy Factbook

| | | | | Engagement| Article Overview | Theme | Comparative Analysis | Limitations | Additional Articles | Engagement | Application

THANK YOU! ANY AUDIENCE QUESTIONS? BUS 430 D100 Team 2 – Theory Session 4 Mohammed Al-Awlaqi Kelvin Lai Jacky Pan Sasha Vukovic Wednesday, February 20, 2013