POLI 220 midterm cram

Comparative Politics

Study of politics conducted within states; examines why domestic political systems are organized differently. It is both a method of study (epistemology) and a subject of study.

Steps in Doing Comparative Politics

1. Form a question; 2. Apply a model/theory; 3. Hypothesize (implication of theory); 4. Observe (examine evidence, test hypothesis); 5. Evaluate (does the theory/model answer the question?)

Case

A set of phenomena (concept) that can be compared.

Variable

An empirical indicator that differs across cases to help explain outcomes.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The observed end goal or outcome affected by the independent variable.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that affects or influences the dependent variable.

Mill’s Method of Agreement

Compares cases with the same outcome to find shared factors → suggests a necessary condition for that outcome.

Mill’s Method of Difference

Compares cases with different outcomes to isolate causal factors → suggests a sufficient condition for producing the outcome.

Democratic Process

Narrow conceptualization of democracy including contestation (competitive elections, alternation of power) and inclusion (universal suffrage, e.g., Canada: all citizens over 18).

Broader Conceptualization of Democracy

Includes democratic process plus: Liberty (freedom to live as one likes), Equality (equal individual worth), Participation (civil and political engagement), Tolerance (protection of minorities, pluralism).

Authoritarian Regimes (Autocracy)

Leaders rule with few constitutional checks on power.

Hybrid Regimes (Anocracy)

Mix of democratic and non-democratic principles.

Democratic Regimes (Democracy)

Rule by and for the people; not all are fully consolidated.

Regime Scale

Measured on a 0–10 scale in this course.

Features of the State

Government, territory, recognition, highest authority, population.

Weberian State

Monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a territory.

Civil Society

Social institutions independent of the state where citizens pursue interests, express beliefs, and live in communities (Dyck 2007, p. 296).

State-Civil Society Relationship

Civil society shapes what type of regime emerges; economic development and political culture occur within civil society.

Predatory Theory (Tilly)

“War made the state, and the state made war” — rulers extracted resources to fund warfare, leading to centralized authority and taxation.

Middle Class Theory (Ansell & Samuels)

Democratization arises from politically excluded middle classes seeking to protect assets from autocratic elites.

Modernization Theory

Economic development empowers the middle class, creating conditions for democracy. No middle class → no democracy (necessary condition).

Cultural-Modernization Theory (Inglehart & Welzel)

Economic modernization shifts values from traditional/survival to secular-rational/self-expressive; civic culture is necessary for democracy.

Power-Culture Theory (Acemoglu & Robinson)

Democracy consolidates only when state capacity and civil society are balanced. Weak state + strong society → failed state; Strong state + weak society → autocracy; Balance → democracy (“shackled leviathan”)

Civic Culture (Almond & Verba)

Democratic stability requires civic culture marked by participation, trust, tolerance, and gradualism; contrasts with parochial or subject cultures.