Theories, Hypotheses, and Evidence in Comparative Politics

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on political science, particularly focused on theories, hypotheses, and their implications in comparative politics.

Colonialism

A practice whereby a country exerts control over a foreign territory, affecting state-building and state strength.

Indirect Rule

A system of governance used during colonial times where local rulers maintain their authority under the guidance of a colonial power, often leading to weak state capacity.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction or educated guess about the relationship between two or more variables.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or varied in an experiment to observe its effects on the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured and is affected by the independent variable in a study.

Correlation

A statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two or more variables fluctuate together.

Causation

The relationship between cause and effect, where one event (the cause) leads to the occurrence of another event (the effect).

Berlin Conference

A 1884-1885 meeting that regulated European colonization and trade in Africa, facilitating the partitioning of the continent.

Mechanism

The process or means through which an independent variable influences a dependent variable.

Spurious Correlation

A relationship between two variables that appears causal but is actually influenced by a third variable or is coincidental.