Comparative Politics Outline

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Comparative Politics Outline

• AP Comparative Government Politics
• Mrs. Marshall
• Spring 2007

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1 The Comparative Method

• Three world approach
• Advanced democracies
• Communist post-communist countries
• Less developed (LDCs) and NICs
• Impact of informal politics
• Importance of political change
• Integration of political and economic systems
• Never study countries by themselves!

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2 Sovereignty, Authority, Power

• Sovereignty ability to carry out action or
  policies within their borders independently from
  interference either from the inside or the
  outside
• States
• organization that maintains a monopoly of
  violence over a territory - Max Weber
• Institutions
• Stable, long lasting organizations that help to
  turn political ideas into policy

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Max Webers State
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2 S, A, P

• States, nations regimes
• Democracies
• Direct or indirect
• Parliamentary or presidential systems
• Authoritarian regimes
• Decisions made by political elites
• Some based on communism
• Corporatism patron-client systems

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2 Legitimacy - What makes A,S, P work

• Traditional legitimacy
• Tradition should determine who should rule and
  how
• Charismatic legitimacy
• Based on the dynamic personality of an individual
  or small group
• Rational-legal legitimacy
• Based on a system of well-established laws and
  procedures
• Rule of law
• Most modern states rely on this form!

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2 Political Culture Ideologies - What makes
up A,S, P

• Political culture political beliefs, values,
  practices, institutions government is based on
• Political ideologies sets of political values
  held by individuals regarding the basic goals of
  government politics

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2 A, S, P - Common Political Ideologies

• Liberalism
• Conservativism
• Communism
• Socialism
• Fascism
• Religions

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3 Political and Economic Change

• Types of Change
• 1. Reform
• Change methods, not substance (no overthrow
  advocacy!)
• 2. Revolution
• Advocates change at more basic level
• More widespread
• 3. Coup detats
• Most limited
• Replaces leadership, but undirected - usually
  overthrown by another coup

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3 Attitudes Toward Change

• Radicalism
• Rapid, systemic change necessary
• Liberalism
• Reform gradual change (not liberal ideology!)
• Conservatism
• Change is disruptive brings unforeseen
  consequences
• Reactionary beliefs
• Turn back the clock (even status quo is bad)

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3 Three Trends

• Democratization
• Competitive elections
• Liberal democracies (v. illiberal democracies)
• Civil liberties
• Rule of law
• Neutrality of the judiciary
• Open civil society
• Civilian control of the military

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3 More(surfs up!)

• Third wave of democratization
• 1st wave gradual
• 2nd wave post WWII
• Why democratize?
• Loss of legitimacy
• Expansion of urban middle class
• Human rights emphasis
• snowball effect (end of Cold War)

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3 Oh Yeah Those Trends

• 2. Movement toward Market Economies
• Terms command economies, market economy, mixed
  economy, marketization, privatization
• 3. Revival of Ethnic or Cultural Politics
• Terms fragmentation, nationalism, politicization
  of religion

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4 Citizens, Society, State

• Social cleavages
• Citizen/state relationships
• Attitudes beliefs of citizens
• Political socialization
• Voting behavior
• Factors that influence political beliefs
  behaviors

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More 4

• Civil society
• Def organizations outside the state that help
  people define and advance their own interests
• Political institutions
• Levels of government
• Confederal, federal, and unitary

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5 Political Institutions

• Political institutions
• Levels of government
• Confederal, federal, and unitary

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Even more 5

• Supranational organizations
• NATO, EU, UN, etc.
• Executives
• Head of state v. head of government
• Bureaucracies
• Remember Weber!
• Legislatures
• Judiciaries
• Linkage institutions

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Last 5

• Electoral systems
• First-past-the-post
• Single-member districts (v. multi)
• Plurality system
• Winner-take-all
• Proportional representation
• Mixed system
• Political elites/recruitment

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6 Public Policy

• Created by legislative vote, executive decision,
  judicial rulings, or a combo of all three
• Many issues similar in all countries, but
  governments differ in how they approach issues
  and what importance they assign to them

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6 Public Policy

• Economic performance
• Domestic issues and international trade
• Social welfare
• Health, employment, family assistance, eduction
• Civil liberties, rights, freedoms
• Freedom House
• Environment