Comp Politics-quiz #1

The First Comparativist was:

Aristotle

President who was a political scientist

Woodrow Wilson

Inductive Reasoning

specific—>general. Study a case in detail, then generate a hypothesis that can be generalized

Deductive Reasoning

general—> specific. Start with a hypothesis to try and explain why A causes B.

Theory

trying to explain the causes and effects of phenomena, neither T or F, rather good or bad based on how much it explains 

Law

A REGULAR relationship between 2 phenomena (ex. gravity)

Modernization Theory

theory that travels can extend far– as societies developed, they would become capitalist democracies, around a shared set of values. Describes how societies shift from traditional, rural, and agricultural structures to modern, urban, and industrial ones

Revised Modernization Theory

a country that is a democracy that is continuing to develop economically is more likely to stay a democracy- views modernization as a form of human development

The theory that is law like is the…

Democratic Peace Theory- Countries that are democracies don’t go to war/don’t fight each other (war= conflict where 2+ involved and 1,000+ have died)

Economic development typically leads to…

democracy

Equality correlates with…

stability. The greater the inequality, the more likely the society will face disruption and conflict.

Behavioral Movement

a mid-20th-century methodological shift that prioritized studying actual, observable human behavior and quantifiable data over the mere description of formal legal institutions, becoming more systematic

• Empirical: observable 

• Systematic: #’s

Normal Science

established, problem solving within a framework

Revolutionary Science

ideas that challenge normal, old framework gets replaced by new one.

State

centralized power, the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory--meant to limit dangers of internal and external violence, they are strongly institutionalized.

Regime

fundamental rules and norms of politics (long term goals with individual freedom and equality overall), where power should be—mid institutionalized

Government

leadership in charge of the state 

• Weakly institutionalized

Example to remember State, Regime, Government

STATE=personal computer, REGIME=software, GOVERNMENT=operator  

Thomas Hobbes & Social Contract

philosopher, theory states that people surrender their freedom to an absolute ruler in exchange for safety and order

What Hobbes meant by Anarchy

Man lived in a state of nature in the beginning- “life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”- because people lived in _____.

Vermeer Theory

beneath the surface, there is a capacity for all of us to commit evil acts (rules and laws prevent this)- INFLUENCED BY HOBBES THINKING

Treaty of Westphalia

30 year war came to an end

Increased powers of existing principalities at the expense of the Roman Empire

Birth of the modern state

As states emerged, this encouraged

technological and economic development

Max Weber’s definition of a state

the ___ is an entity that has a monopoly on the use of force

Rowing Bandit Theory

 go to one village and take everything, go from village to village 

Stationary Bandit Theory

Provide protection for people in one village, and they provide payment for it (LIKE A GOVERNMENT!)

Traditional Legitimacy

 valid because “it has always been that way,” embodies historical myths (Monarch), very institutionalized (ex. King of England)

Rational-Legal Legitimacy

rules and procedures, and the offices that enforce, strongly institutionalized (Obama)- what MODERN states are built on

Charismatic Legitimacy

based on the power of ideas, influential career (ex. Jesus, Hitler), weakly institutionalized 

Unitary Structure

Unitary: the central government has all the power (China).

Federal Structure

2 or more levels of government (ex. Federal, State, local, municipal), share power (US currently)

Hard Power

military power/force

Soft Power

based on attraction: what a country has that other countries wish they have; creates influence (ex. US sports team, universities). Sharable 

Nationalism

pride in your people and sovereign identity. The doctrine that each nation ought to have its own state in order to protect unique culture 

Ethnic Nationalism

privilege an ethnic group in the setup of the country (ex. In constitution or laws). Rules are written in ways that promote interests of one particular group. 

Civic Nationalism

When the rules and laws of the country have been set up not to appeal to a group's identity, but rather common issues contributing to a common identity (usually based on citizenship). Loyalty is rooted in the constitution, laws, etc..

Multi-Nation State

different nations residing within the countries territory 

Nation State

Japan, Koreas; national homogeneity. States where one group dominates

Bridging Social Capital

in a multi-nation state, in the process of forming associations, you are bridging some divides in society. (ex, religious, ethnic, race, divisions). More inclusive. 

Bonding Social Capital

people bond based on some identity (racial, ethnic, economic), which becomes less inclusive, more exclusive.

Consociationalism

when you have a multi-nation set up living within a territory, the goal is to minimize conflict. Rooted in 4 key features:

• Grand Coalition Government

• Proportional Representation

• Community Autonomy

• Mutual Veto  

Political IDEOLOGIES bring out…

political attitudes

Liberalism

individual political and economic freedom is the priority. Small gov with little interference. (ex. US)

Adam Smith

Associated with liberalism, wrote Wealth of Nations in 1776, more concerned about consumers.

Communism

a small group will dominate the market and the state, and use their wealth to exploit/control society. No private property, classless society, want no government, social hierarchy, no money.

Karl Marx

Believer in communism. State should control all economic resources—requires a powerful and autonomous state- created the foundations for communism

Social Democracy

strong private ownership while maintaining economic equality. More involvement from the state 

• May limit freedom more than liberalism does because they are committed to equality

• Make society have fewer inequalities 

Eduard Bernstein

believed that socialism should be achieved through gradual, peaceful, and democratic reform rather than a violent proletarian revolution

What ideologies connect to what attitudes

Liberalism—conservatism

Social Democracy—-liberal

Communism—radicals

Freedom v. Equality

The more inequality you have in society, the greater the chance for instability

Tariffs

taxes on imported goods

Comparative advantage

the ability to produce a particular good or service more efficiently than other countries

GDP

• TOTAL AMOUNT OF GOODS AND SERVICES PRODUCED IN THE BORDER OF A COUNTRY

• per capita is divided by the amount of people in a country

GNP

total amount of goods and services produced by the citizens of a country, no matter where they live.

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

• estimates the buying power of income in each country by comparing similar costs (ex. Food and housing), using the US as a benchmark 

  • Based on a theory of interest rates 

Gini Index

• mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society. 

  • Complete equality=0

  • Complete inequality=100

  • Greater number, greater inequality, more chance for instability 

Human Development Index (HDI)

looks at total wealth and distribution, but gives equal weight to income, life expectancy, and average years of schooling, infant mortality, etc. 

Easterling Paradox

•  the richer a person becomes, the happier that person is likely to be, up to a certain threshold

• Beyond a certain threshold, the rise in wealth is not congruent to rise in happiness, as your sense of wealth is relative 

Relationship between HDI and GDP

• GDP higher means likelihood of HDI is higher (more money to spend on different goods)