Comparative Politics Introduction

Comparative Govt. Political Science Let’s Discuss What can political science tell us that we don’t already know? What are the major changes in the world in the last 30 years?

Comparative Politics Introduction

Comparative Politics Comparative Politics Comparative Politics Compares domestic politics across different countries Compares the pursuit of power and the struggle for leadership in a political community Will focus on institutions within a country Institutions Organizations (or even activities) that are self-perpetuating. They are valued on their own by the public They define and shape what is possible in political life They lay out the rules, norms, and structures in which we live

Comparative Politics Comparative VS IR Comparative Politics International Relations Looks at what happens inside the countries Looks at what happens between countries Focus on institutions Focus on interactions Will overlap often Ex: ethnic conflict, political change

Comparative Politics Comparative VS IR Elections Conflict Foreign Policy International Organizations Elections Party Systems Executive-Legislative Relations Interest Groups Legislatures Comparative VS IR Revolution Political Economy Environmental Politics Note the overlap. These two fields of study are increasingly overlapping because of globalization. Courses on international relations now often integrate a concern with how internal political processes affect states’ behavior toward other states, while course in comparative politics highlight the importance of transnational forces for understanding what goes on within a country’s border. International Relations: between countries Comparative Politics: within countries

Comparative Structures Comparative Politics Comparative Structures Three basic categories Analytical concepts Methods Ideals Assumptions and theories that guide the research Ways to study and test those theories Beliefs and values about preferred outcomes Ask about cause and effect Provides tools to seek out explanations Compare existing politics to what we might prefer

Comparative Politics Comparative Method Inductive Reasoning Comparative Method is the way to compare cases and draw conclusions Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning Starts with studying a case and moves to generating a hypothesis Generates a hypothesis about cause and effect to test against a number of cases Does not provide enough evidence to test the hypothesis Starts with a hypothesis & then searches for the evidence to support it

Comparative Politics Correlation Correlation Causal Relationship An association between certain factors or variables Is a cause and effect relationship between variables A causal relationship is a correlation between variables, but a correlation does not always mean a causal relationship

Comparative Politics Methods Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Documentary research such as interviews and observations Research characterized by use of statistical analysis Usually narrowly focused – investigating one or a few cases Drawn from a wider set of cases unbound by specialization Typically inductive – beginning with case studies to generate theory Typically deductive – start with a theory that can be tested

Can’t make true comparisons because each case is different Comparative Politics Problems 1. Variable Control Political scientists have more difficulty controlling the variables in the cases they study Can’t make true comparisons because each case is different Countries are economically, culturally, politically, etc. different and that cant be controlled Even if you can control some variables, it leaves too many others unaccounted for

There are rarely simple answer to political problems Comparative Politics Problems 2. Multicausality Too often many variables are tied together to produce particular outcomes Even if we can control variables in making comparisons, many variables interact & are interconnected There are rarely simple answer to political problems

Comparative Politics Problems 3. Too few cases Other sciences can conduct studies with huge number of cases, but we are very limited We are limited by the number of countries in the world. Most of those are not even 200 years old. If we attempt to control variables, the potential cases shrinks even more

Comparative Politics Problems 4. Access Political scientists face challenges in accessing the information they need to compare Often requires research in the field – time, money, etc. Governments don’t always allow research A researcher for one case is often unequipped to research a different one (language, etc.)

Comparative Politics Problems 5. Uneven regional attention Specialists tend to be limited to a single geographic region. Area studies – a regional focus Most research focuses on Western Europe, despite rise of Asia, etc. Most comparativists have been raised English speakers

Randomization is not possible in political science Comparative Politics Problems 6. Selection Bias Randomization is not possible in political science Single case studies are already influenced because the person knows the language or is interested Comparativists often start at the outcome and concentrate on cases that fit it.

Comparative Politics Problems 7. Endogenity Cause and effect are not often clear Variables may be both cause and effect in relationship to one another.

Political Science Introduction

Political Science Development Theory What makes political science a science???? Theory An integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts Political science has developed over a long period of time and almost all major societies have masterworks of politics.

Political Science Important People Aristotle Machiavelli Invented political science! Did comparative research – gathering constitutions of 158 Greek city states Made an empirical study of politics with a practical purpose – to determine how to govern Machiavelli The Prince First modern political scienctist, made generalizations about different political systems in Europe as medieval order gave way to Renaissance.

Political Science Important People Thomas Hobbes John Locke Jean Jacques Rousseau The Leviathan Two Treatises of Government The Social Contract State of Nature Natural Rights; emphasis on property Citizens rights can’t be taken away Need for monarch to control Need for government that protects liberties Need for government that serves will of the people

Political Science Important People Karl Marx Max Weber Das Kapital Economy and Society Theory of economic development & class struggle Emphasized importance of bureaucracy Predicted collapse of capitalism and democracy Described impact of culture on economic & political development

Political Science Development The Cold War Changed Political Science Universities have improved and more rigorous methods were applied to studies of human behavior The World Wars raised questions about how people understood world affairs – fascism, decolonization, failure of democracy Motivated attempts to solve social problems through science. Understanding politics could potentially prevent similar conflict

Emphasizes describing political systems and their institutions Political Science Older Theories Traditional Approach Emphasizes describing political systems and their institutions Modernization Theory A view that as societies developed, they would become capitalist democracies, the world would converge on set of shared values Assumed that all countries would eventually catch up to US & West unless they were “diverted” by alternative systems

Political Science Development Modern Approach Behavioralist Theory Shifted from studying political institutions more toward studying individual political behavior Behavioralist Theory Focused on political behavior to make generalizations that can explain and hopefully even predict political activity Was more of a set of methods with which to approach politics Promoted deductive, large scale research over the single case study

Political Science Development Rational Choice Theory Game Theory Assumes that individuals make logical choices in order to maximize their benefits Emphasizes how actors behave in their goal to influence others; assumes they make rational choices The goal is to predict instead of just explain Looks at models of cooperation and conflict between intelligent rational decision makers Usually using quantitative methods You can learn the “rules” and use them to predict outcomes

Political Science Institutions Institutions… Are organizations or patterns of activity that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake Embody norms or values that are considered central to people’s lives and are not easily changed Are different from country to country Set the stage for political behavior by influencing how politics is conducted Ex: legislature, judiciary Also – taxation, army, elections

Political Science Politics Politics Power Authority Struggle for power that will give an actor/actors the ability to make decisions for the larger group Occurs anywhere there are people & organizations Power Ability to influence others or to impose one’s will upon them Authority A legal right to power

Political Science Freedom / Equality Freedom Equality An individual’s ability to act independently without fear of punishment or restriction A standard of living shared by individuals within a community Individual autonomy from the state Often a zero sum game: Greater freedom can increase inequality; a focus on equality is likely to erode personal freedoms

Political Science Zero Sum Games Freedom Equality An individual’s ability to act independently without fear of punishment or restriction A standard of living shared by individuals within a community Individual autonomy from the state Greater freedom can increase inequality; a focus on equality is likely to erode personal freedoms

Political Science Phillip Tetlock Studied political scientists and policy makers asking them to predict political outcomes Hedgehogs Foxes Look for an overarching explanation that can explain many different political events Less confident in their views, which are many small ideas cobbled together Likely to reject information that runs counter to their beliefs Constantly revising their ideas He found “hedgehogs” to be worse predictors of world events

Wrap Up Introduction

Main Ideas What’s in Ch 1? Remember this… OR ELSE Comparative Politics vs International Relations Problems with Comparative Politics Political scientists in history Political science theories Remember this… OR ELSE