1. Global Challenges of Comparative Politics
Introduction

2. Junctures we will focus on:
Comparative Politics
Critical junctures
Critical juncture:
Important historical moments when political actors make critical choices that shape institutions and future outcomes
1989
Junctures we will focus on:
2001
2008
2011

3. Comparative Politics Critical junctures Critical juncture:
Important historical moments when political actors make critical choices that shape institutions and future outcomes
1989
Collapse of Berlin Wall
End of Cold War
Junctures we will focus on:
2001
Terrorist attacks on NYC
New global insecurity
2008
Great Recession
Global economy decline
2011
“Arab Spring” , Japan’s earthquake, Bin Laden

4. Comparative Politics Text Themes Focus on Four Themes
The World of States
Historical formation, internal organization, and interaction of states
Governing the Economy
Role of the state in managing the economy
Democratic Idea
Spread of democracy and
challenges to democratization
Politics of Collective Identity
Sources and political impact of collective identities (class, gender, religion)

5. What Comparative Politics Compares
Introduction

6. Comparative Politics What is it? Comparative Politics:
Subfield of political science
Comparison of domestic politics of countries
Evaluation of some feature of country X and a similar feature of country Y
Separate from political theory, international relations, and American politics

7. Comparative Politics What isn’t it? Comparative Politics:
International Relations:
Comparing domestic political institutions
Study of foreign policy and interaction among countries
Comparison of policies and factions within a country
Role of international organizations like the UN
Study of increasing influence of global actors such as MNCs and terrorist networks

8. Comparative Politics Economic Approaches Keynesianism: Neoliberalism:
Prioritizes government regulation of the economy
Emphasizes the importance of market friendly policies
Govt. will manipulate supply & demand to reach desired market outcomes
Govt. will take a hands off approach to the market to allow it to operate efficiently

9. Basic Political Concepts
Comparative Politics
Basic Political Concepts
country:
Distinct, politically defined territories
state:
Key institutions responsible for making & carrying out policy
executive:
Institutions that execute policy
cabinet:
Body of officials who direct executive departments
legislature:
Elected members who have responsibility for making policy
judiciary:
Hold responsibility for administration of justice
legitimacy:
Belief of citizens that a state has rightful authority

10. Comparative Politics Economic Approaches casual theories: Independent
Attempts to use hypotheses to demonstrate how “if X happens, Y will happen”
Independent
variable:
Dependent
Variable:
Symbolized by X – believed to influence some outcome
Symbolized by Y – something the analyst wants to explain

11. Comparative Politics Economic Approaches Rational Choice Theory
Middle Level Theory
Based on the idea that individuals act strategically
Develops theories focusing on specific features of the political world
People make decisions that maximize their interests
Attempts to explain phenomena in a limited range
Criticized for ignoring importance of history, identity, and political culture

12. Themes for Comparative Analysis
Introduction

13. Themes World of States Institutional design: Failed state
States have been the major actor in global politics for last 500 years
Institutional design:
Relationships between legislative, executive, and judicial branches; & between central government and sub-central units of govt.
Failed state
States in which the govt can no longer function effectively
International Organizations
Challenge the sovereign control of national governments over their territories
WTO
IMF
NAFTA

14. sustainable development
Themes
Governing the Economy
Political Economy
Interaction between politics and economics; how government actions affect economic performance
We will examine the various balances between state direction of the economy and completely free markets
sustainable development
Ecologically sound ways to modernize the economy and raise the standard of living
communist state
State where the communist party exercises a monopoly on political power and controls all important state institutions
GDP
Total value of goods and services produced in a country within a given year

15. Themes Democratic Idea Democracy Democratic transition
Regime in which citizens exercise control over choice of leaders & decisions made by the govt.
What causes democracy to begin or grow in a country?
What causes democracy to decline in a country?
Democratic transition
Toppling an authoritarian regime and adopting the basic institutions and procedures of democracy
Democratic consolidation
Developing full adherence to democratic principles and making democratic government more durable
Social Movements
Large scale grass roots action that demands reform of existing social practices or government policies

16. Collective Identities
Themes
Collective Identities
Collective political identity involves efforts to mobilize identity groups to influence political outcomes
ethnicity
race
citizenship status
religion
nationality
Social Class
Group with a common world view determined largely by occupation, income, and wealth
Distributional Politics
Process of deciding how resources are distributed
Groups are held together by attachment & solidarity, and desire to obtain material benefits and political influence for its members

17. Classifying Political Systems
Introduction

18. Classifying Typology Typology Consolidated democracies
An analytic construct that helps us engage in comparisons that lead to useful knowledge
Consolidated democracies
Transitional democracies
Authoritarian regimes
Democratic systems that have been solidly established for a period of time
Countries that have moved from authoritarianism to a democratic regime
Power depends on coercive force of political authorities and not on popular legitimacy

19. Classifying Typology Conditions for Democracy
Selection of the highest offices on the basis of free and fair elections
Political parties are free to organize and compete in elections
Elected govt makes policy in a transparent way and is accountable
All citizens have political rights
(voting & civil liberties)
Legal system is based on “rule of law”, citizens are treated equally, independent judiciary
Govt exercises effective authority, not military, not hidden private groups
Commitment to peaceful resolution of conflict

20. Organization of the Text
Introduction

21. Organization Each Case Study Includes: Making of the Modern State
History that shapes the state today, geography, critical junctures, influence of the past
Political Economy & Development
Pattern of governing the economy, economic systems, social implications, welfare policies
Governance & Policy Making
Policy making institutions, distribution of power, executive branches, policy making process
Representation & Participation
Relationship between state & society, legislature, political parties, election systems, political culture
Politics in Transition
Major challenges, unresolved issues, global economic situation, international issues

22. Wrap Up
Introduction

23. Main Ideas What’s in Ch 1? Remember this… OR ELSE
What comparative politics studies
Themes of study
Economic approaches
Characteristics of Democracies
Remember this… OR ELSE