Comparing Political Systems

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Comparing Political Systems

• First Session
• Course requirements
• Brief overview over the lecture
• First step into substance

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• Substantive areas of today
• What does politics and government mean?
• What are governments doing?
• How did government activities evolve?
• Which forms of government do exist?
• Key definitions
• Structures and functions of political systems

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What does it mean politics government - state?
When did government occur in history?
What was its economic precondition?
How limited was the scope of government?
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Historical forms of government
Polyarchy (militia system)
Oligarchy (nobility system)
Monarchy (standing army)
Differentiate despotic (autocratic) versus
popular (democratic)
forms of
government
Differentiate historical and modern forms of
autocracy
Differentiate historical and modern forms of
democracy
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Extending the scope of government from the
rent-seeking state to the welfare state
Rent-seeking?
Vested Interests?
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The welfare state a response to market failure
Market failure incomplete markets, public
goods, externalities
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• The role of
• Democracy
• Performance
• Legitimacy

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System Structures Functions
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