pol 002 midterm 1

comparative politics

domestic; subfield of polt science that focuses primarily on politics within countries

politics

the subset of human behavior that involves the use of power or influence

science

a method for understanding and explaining the world that emphasizes the use of statements that can be examined

science method - 5 steps

1. identify a question/puzzle

2. come up with theory/model/explanation

3. generate implications/hypotheses

4. test hypotheses

5. evaluate the theory

falsifiability

potentially testable/observable

tautology

true by definition

explain categorical syllogism

if p, then q. not q. therefore, not p

think abt california as p and q as the us

necessary conditions v sufficient conditions

necessary - outcome (inner circle) cannot happen without meeting the criteria of the outer circle

sufficient - whenever inner circle happens, outer circle will happen (whenever u jump, you leave the ground BUT every time you leave the ground does not mean that you’re jumping)

webers def of a state

a human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory

tillys def of a state

relatively centralized, differentiated organizations, the officers of which claim control over the chief concentrated means of violence within a pop over a territory

north’s def of a state

an organization with a comparative adv in violence, over geogarphic area and boundaries are determined by power to tax

cgg textbook def of a state

a centralized political entity that uses coercion and the threat of force to rule in a given territory

nation

Large group of ppl who share identity thru culture, shared experience, etc.

nation-state

Political unit that got rules over with shared identity/culture

state strength

what a state has the CAPACITY to do (what they are actually capable/able)

• procedural - admin procedures, general capacity like tax capacity, autonomy of civil service

• output-based - ability to achieve policy goals (literacy, public health)

output-based

set of goals they aim to reach (can be affected by outside factors, difficult to measure, how it was achieved is significant) - like mortality rate or number of days to get your FREAKING calfresh

public good dimensions + examples

good that is non-excludable and non-rivalrous - everybody is able to use it and it won’t run out (lighthouse, streetlight, clean air)

governance

system of rules, practices, and institutions used to direct control and hold an entity accountable

worldwide governance indicators

failed state

a state that cannot coerce and is unable to successfully control the inhabitants of a given territory

contractarian theory

says that states form because citizens are better off with a third-party enforcer so citizens form a social contract and payoffs; civilians choose civil society over state of nature when the punishment in civil society is large enough for cooperation

predatory view

states form bc leaders try to maximize revenues, emphasize the interest of rulers

game theory

tool for analyzing strategic situations where the choices of one actor depend on the choices made by other actors

nash equilibrium

the combination of strategies in which no player wants to change her strategy on her own, given what the others are doing (everybody is doing their best response)

dominant strategy

the best strategy to allll of the other player’s strategies

prisoners dilemma

says that individuals tend to work in their self-interest even if it results in a less favorable outcome for everyone

social contract

agreement btwn society and gov where gov controls society in exchange for society giving up some personal freedoms for protection

third-party enforcer/sovereign

independent agency that are designed to step in to guarantee rules/laws/contracts are followed

cooperative culture

values/norms/expectations that prioritize interdependence over competition and control

evaluating measures (3)

1. validity - do our measures correspond to the concepts they are intended to reflect

2. reliability - will it produce same result over and over

3. replicability

wave of democratization

group that transitions from non-democratic to democratic regimes within a specific period of time

reverse wave

setback where gov transitions away from democratic governance and revert to dictatorial

government

a set of ppl who run the state; means thru which state power is exercised

regime

set of rules, norms, or institutions that determine how the gov is constituted, organized, and how decisions are made

concept

a mental category/construct that captures the meaning of objects, events, ideas

early democracy

associated with small-scale communities, rulers obliged to seek the consent of those over whom they ruled

• create powerful centralized states

  • seek consent thru assemblies

direct v indirect democracy

direct - citizens vote directly on laws, policies

indirect - citizens elect officials to make those laws and govern

consent of the governed

minimalist democracy

democracy depends exclusively on the prescence of certain institutions

dahl’s conceptualization of democracy

must be inclusive and fit contestation

inclusion

who gets to participate in politics

contestation

competing blocs

polyarchy

form of gov in which power is invested in mutiple ppl

electoral democracy

democracy achieved thru competition among leadership groups that vie for the elector’s approval

substantive democracy

Classify regimes by the outcomes that they produce - representation, accountability

procedural democracy

Defines democracy by what they are capable of doing and the resources they have rather than what ends up happening

liberal democracy

More emphasis on checking the government and making sure they don’t abuse their power

dichotomous v continuous

dichotomous - short v tall

continuous - spectrum, age -height

concept operationalization

the process by which abstract theoretical concepts are translated into concrete and observable measures

measure/indicator

a quantification of the concept that we are interested in

NOT falsifiable

tautologies - true by definition

inherently unobservable phenomena - “god exists”

normative/aesthetic claims - this film is bad

state scope

the extent of state intervention in society

state strength

the ability of states to plan and execute policies as well as enforce laws