Comparative Politics An Introduction

 Sub-disciplines of Political Science  American Politics  Public Administration  Political Theory  International Politics  International Relations  Comparative Politics  Others (Public Law, Methods, Public Policy, etc.) Fitting Comparative into PoliSci

“A scholar who studies only American presidents is an Americanist, whereas a scholar who studies only French presidents is a comparativist. Do not ask me how this makes sense—it does not” --Giovanni Sartori as quoted in Draper and Ramsay, 2008:xv. Fitting Comparative into PoliSci

“…it is impossible to understand a country without seeing how it varies from others. Those who know only one country know no country.” -Seymour Martin Lipset (American Exceptionalism, 1996:17). Fitting Comparative into PoliSci

 Comparative Politics v. Comparative Government  O’Neil: “Politics is often described as the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group….Politics is essentially the struggle for authority to make decisions that will affect public as a whole” (3).  “Within political science, comparative politics is the subfield that compares this struggle across countries” (3).  Note the linkage of power to politics. What is “Comparative Politics”?

Howard Wiarda’s defintion  “systematic study and comparison of the world’s political systems”  “seeks to explain differences between as well as similarities among countries”  “It is particularly interested in exploring patterns, processes, and regularities among political systems”  “It looks for trends, for changes in patterns”  “It tries to develop propositions or hypotheses” What is “Comparative Politics”?

 Theory: an attempt to explain and therefore to understand the complex reality around us.  Empirical v. Normative Theory  Proposition: stating the idea that two or more things are related. (White, 38)  Hypothesis:  propositions stated so that they can be tested empirically (White, 38)  “A hypothesis is a testable statement of relationship, derived from a theory” (Corbett, 73). Defining Terms

 Independent and Dependent Variables  Quantitative and Qualitative methods  Operationalize/operationalization Defining Terms

 Regime Types  Institutional Structures  Levels of Development  Wealth (GDP and GDP per capita)  Governance  Capabilities of Citizens (Sen and Nussbaum)  Meeting Physical Needs  Insuring Physical Safety  Making Informed Decisions  Having Civil and Political Rights Things to Compare

 Single Case Study  Studies of Multiple Cases  Area Studies  Cross-Regional Studies  Global Comparisons  Thematic Studies Types of Comparative Political Inquiry