cps final study guide points

The State and Political Organization

• What makes a state legitimate?

• Different ways to understand what a state is (institutional vs. sovereign perspectives).

• The concepts of state strength and state independence.

1. The recognized right to rule. It’s what makes people obey the state without the constant use of force

   • Traditional Legitimacy: Based on long-standing customs (e.g. monarchies).

   • Charismatic Legitimacy: Built on the personality and ideas of a leader (e.g. Hitler).

   • Rational-Legal Legitimacy: Based on rules, procedures, and laws (e.g. elections, courts).

2. Institutional Perspective: Sees the state as a legal, bureaucratic, and administrative organization that manages public affairs. Think “City Hall”—it’s impersonal and rules-based.

   Sovereign Perspective: Emphasizes the monopoly over the legitimate use of force within a territory (Weber’s definition). It focuses on the state’s independence in making decisions without interference.

Vocab:

• State

• Institutional state

• Sovereignty

• Monopoly on violence

3. State Strength: Refers to capacity—the ability to execute basic functions like defending territory, enforcing laws, collecting taxes, and managing the economy.

4. State Independence: Refers to autonomy—how well a state can operate without outside interference, whether from international actors or domestic interest groups.

Vocab:

• Capacity (internal strength to do stuff)

• Autonomy (freedom from interference)

• State

• Sovereignty

Political Change and Ideologies

• How political attitudes influence approaches to change.

• General types of political attitudes (from very fast change to resistance to change).

1. Political attitudes shape how fast or slow someone wants political change, and whether that change should preserve the current system or completely replace it. These attitudes influence what kind of regime or policy reforms people support—revolution, reform, or tradition. Key point: Attitudes are not about what you believe (that’s ideology), but about how much and how fast change should happen.

2. Types of political attitude: Radicals (Want dramatic, revolutionary change, Support overthrowing the current system, May use violence, ex. French Revolutionaries) Liberals (support evolutionary and gradual change within existing institutions, Prefer reform over revolution, ex: Civil rights movement leaders who worked through the courts and laws) Conservatives (Favor little or no change; view change as risky, Prefer to maintain the status quo, ex: Supporters of the U.S. Constitution as it stands, opposing amendments or court reinterpretations) Reactionaries (Want to restore an older order, sometimes imaginary, Willing to use force to do it, ex: Fascists who wanted to return to a perceived past greatness)

Vocab:

• Radicals

• Liberals

• Conservatives

• Reactionaries

• Political attitudes

• Revolution vs. Reform

• Status quo

Political-Economic Systems

• Basic understanding of different ways states organize their economies.

• How different systems balance freedom and equality

Liberalism (Economic Liberalization / Capitalism)

• Freedom prioritized over equality.

• Belief in private property, free markets, limited state intervention.

• Individuals are responsible for their economic success.

• State’s role is minimal—focused on defense, property rights, and public goods only.

• 📍 Example: United States, United Kingdom.

Vocab:

• Capitalism

• Economic liberalization

• Invisible hand (Adam Smith)

• Private property

• Free market

Social Democracy (Socialism)

• Aims to balance freedom and equality.

• Market economy exists but is heavily regulated.

• State provides social expenditures like health care, education, welfare.

• Tries to reduce inequality without eliminating capitalism.

• 📍 Example: Sweden, Germany.

Vocab:

• Socialism

• Welfare state

• Social expenditures

• Regulated capitalism

3. Communism

• Equality over freedom.

• State owns all wealth and property.

• Goal: Eliminate exploitation and the need for political institutions.

• No private ownership; economy is centrally planned.

• 📍 Example: Former USSR, North Korea.

4. Mercantilism

• Focused on national economic power, not freedom or equality.

• State shapes the economy to serve strategic goals.

• Heavy use of parastatals, trade barriers, subsidies.

• Less concern for individuals—more about state strength and security.

• 📍 Example: Japan (historically), modern-day China to some extent.

Vocab:

• Mercantilism

• Parastatal

• Trade protectionism

• Export-driven economy

Causes of Political Violence

• Different broad categories of why political violence occurs.

• The role of structures, ideas, and individuals

Institutional Explanation

• Violence happens because of the design or failure of institutions (like weak states, unfair laws, or lack of participation).

  • Some institutions exclude, polarize, or repress populations, which causes resentment.

Ideational Explanation

• Violence driven by ideas, beliefs, or ideologies.

• Ideas give people a worldview and justify violence (like nationalism, fundamentalism, or nihilism).

• 📍 Example: Religious extremism or ethnic nationalism fueling attacks.

Individual Explanation

• Violence happens due to personal motivations, experiences, or rational choices.

• Two sub-types:

  • Emotional: Alienation, humiliation, revenge.
    📍 Example: Arab Spring protester who self-immolated in Tunisia.

  • Rational Actor: Strategic decision to use violence for gain.
    📍 Example: ISIS fighters motivated by pay or power.

Vocab:

• Political violence

• Institutional explanation

• Ideational explanation

• Individual explanation

• Emotional approach

• Rational actor approach

• Patrimonial regime

• Fundamentalism

• Relative deprivation

• Nihilism

• Civil society vs. the state

Globalization and Sovereignty

• How international cooperation and organizations affect traditional ideas of state power.

Globalization challenges the traditional idea that a state has total control (sovereignty) over what happens inside its borders. International cooperation and organizations increasingly limit, share, or influence a state’s decision-making.

Key Ways This Happens:

• International Integration

  • States pool their sovereignty to achieve shared goals.

  • This limits independent decision-making but can increase economic, political, and security benefits.

  • 📍 Example: European Union (EU)

• Supranational Systems

  • Organizations that have power over member states.

  • Can create laws, trade rules, and standards that override national policies.

  • 📍 Example: EU Court of Justice can overrule national courts.

• Devolution

  • Power is sent down to regional governments, weakening central authority.

  • 📍 Example: Scottish Parliament in the UK.

• Economic Globalization

  • Global markets, trade agreements, and corporations pressure states to adapt policies or lose competitiveness.

  • 📍 Example: WTO rules limiting subsidies or tariffs.

• Security Cooperation

  • Alliances like NATO or intelligence-sharing groups like the Five Eyes Alliance mean countries act together, not alone.

Civil Society and Political Systems

• Why having active organizations and groups outside the government matters for democracy.

• How the strength or weakness of civil society can shape governments

Why having active organizations and groups outside the government matters for democracy

• Civil society is the space where people organize independently of the state to express interests, values, and demands.

• It includes things like neighborhood groups, labor unions, activist organizations, media, religious groups, and professional associations.

• In a democracy, civil society:

  • Holds the government accountable

  • Checks state power

  • Promotes participation

  • Raises awareness of issues

  • Builds trust and social bonds in the community

📍 Example: Journalists exposing corruption or lawyers advocating for civil rights reform.

How the strength or weakness of civil society can shape governments

• A strong civil society:

  • Protects democracy by mobilizing protest, advocacy, and civic engagement.

  • Can help transition from authoritarianism (e.g., grassroots protests bringing down regimes).

  • Makes democratic government more responsive and transparent.

• A weak civil society:

  • Leaves power unchecked → makes authoritarianism easier.

  • Fails to generate collective action.

  • May lead to populism or clientelism, where individuals rely on strong leaders or state favors instead of organized rights.

📍 Example: In authoritarian states, civil society is often co-opted or repressed (e.g., Russia targeting NGOs).

Paths to Democracy and Authoritarianism

• How economic development and societal changes can lead to different types of political systems.

• Theories connecting modernization with political outcomes

• Economic development affects the balance of power between elites, the middle class, and the state. As countries grow wealthier:

  • New social groups (like a middle class) demand representation and rights.

  • Urbanization, education, and tech can mobilize citizens and create pressure for democracy.

  • On the flip side, resource wealth (oil, minerals) can entrench authoritarianism—called the Resource Curse.

• Societal changes like civil society growth, shifts in values, or demographic pressure can also either support or undermine democracy.

📍 Examples:

• South Korea’s economic growth + student protests → democracy

• Oil-rich states like Saudi Arabia remain authoritarian

Theories Connecting Modernization with Political Outcomes 🔹 Modernization Theory

• As societies develop economically, they become:

  • More urbanized

  • Better educated

  • More secular and rational

  • More inclined toward democracy

• Assumes inevitable progress toward liberal democracy.

📍 Critique: Doesn’t apply universally. Some wealthy countries remain authoritarian (e.g., China).

🔹 Other Relevant Theories:

• Elite Theory: Elites resist democracy to protect wealth; extreme inequality increases repression.

• Civil Society Theory: Stronger civil society → more democratic pressure.

• Cultural Theory: Traditions and values influence whether democracy takes root (e.g., hierarchical cultures may resist it).

• International Relations Theory: Outside forces (like the U.S. or international orgs) support or suppress democracy based on their interests.

Vocabulary:

• Modernization theory

• Democratization

• Economic development

• Middle class

• Urbanization

• Civil society

• Resource curse

• Elite resistance

• Authoritarianism

• Liberal democracy

Comparative Politics Research Skills

• Different methods used to study politics (quantitative vs. qualitative).

• Basic challenges in studying political systems, like having many causes for one event (multicausality)

🔹 Quantitative Methods

• Use numbers and data to look for patterns across many cases.

• Focused on statistical analysis.

• 📍 Example: Comparing GDP and regime type across 100 countries.

🔹 Qualitative Methods

• Use in-depth case studies, interviews, or historical documents.

• Focused on deep understanding of fewer cases.

• 📍 Example: Analyzing how the French Revolution led to modern democratic ideals.

🔹 Other terms from your notes:

• Deductive reasoning: Start with a theory, then test it on cases.

• Inductive reasoning: Start with observations, then build a theory from them.

Basic Challenges in Studying Political Systems 🔹 Multicausality

• Political events often have many causes, making it hard to isolate one factor.

• 📍 Example: A revolution may be caused by economic inequality, weak state capacity, and ideology—all at once.

🔹 Endogeneity

• When it’s unclear if A causes B or B causes A.

• 📍 Example: Does democracy cause economic growth, or does economic growth cause democracy?

Vocabulary:

• Quantitative method

• Qualitative method

• Case study

• Deductive reasoning

• Inductive reasoning

• Multicausality

• Endogeneity

• Comparative method

• Correlation vs. Causation