Comparative Politics An Introduction

Globalization  The world we live in grows more interconnected by the day.  As the global economy grows, the interactions among the people of the world does as well.  With comparative politics, you have the opportunity to understand those connections, and to compare and contrast the different nation-states of the world.

The Ever-Important Vocabulary  Political science: studying the political process and its impacts on citizens  Normative questions: value-based questions  Empirical questions: data/fact-based questions  State: refers to the political power exercised over a defined geographic territory through a set of public institutions  Nation: a human community with a shared culture and history  Nation-state:  Government: collection of individuals who occupy political office or exercise state power  Regime: set of rules and institutions that control access to, and exercise of, political power and that typically endure from government to government

More vocabulary  Legitimacy: popularly accepted use of power by a government  Authority: formal power rests in individuals or groups whose decisions are expected to be carried out and respected

What do Governments Do?  What would life be like without a government?  Types of government:  Ron Teaches Andy Ron Teaches Andy  Expected to engage in community and nation-building  Helps instill common world views, values, and expectations  Can create a shared political culture  Provide security and order  Protect rights (think John Locke!)  Promote economic efficiency and growth  Provide social justice (income inequality?)  Protect the weak

Government as the problem?  Destroy community  Violate rights  Inefficient economy  Using government for private gain  Vested interests and inertia

Supranational Organizations EU-European Union-a political and economic union with 28 member states ECOWAS-Economic Community of West African States-economic integration union with 15 member nations

Problems Facing Nations Today  Developing world  Income inequality  Rapid industrialization  Erosion of culture  Environmental impacts  Developed World  Post-industrialization-Where do economies go from here?  Changing global alliances/globalization  Nuclear power  “Rogue states” and terrorism  Multiculturalism

Types of governmental systems  Authoritarian  Oligarchies  South Africa under apartheid  Dictatorships  Egypt (supported by military)  Totalitarian systems  Soviet Union  North Korea

Types of Government Systems  Democracies  Direct  Representative  Presidential  Parlimentarian

Democratization  Happens first in most Western states  Spreads after WWII  Final, huge wave since 1974  Not necessarily stable democracies  Crisis can disrupt democracy  See Arab Spring