Introduction to comparative politics- lectures

what is comparative politics?

= subfield of political science studying political strucures, actors and processes within a political system & analysing them empirically by exploring their similarities and differences across political systems.

why is comparaison important?

• knowledge about other countries

• create classifications/ typologies.

• to test hypothoseis.

• to predict.

what are comparative methods ?

= rules and standards of comparative analysis

→ how should be carried out in order to enhance comparaison.

what are the main issues in comp. pol?

1. focus on very different units of analysis (often individual components of lpolitical systems)

2. There is NOT 1 comparative method.

what are lijphart’s methods?

• case study method

• comparative method (small n)

• Statistical method

what is the case study method?

= intensive examinationof 1 case and the context in which it exists.

what is the comparative method?

• small n-method

  • exception from what is generally expected from an established theory.

• Problematic:

  • how many cases exactly?

  • too few cases, too many variable

    • increase N → MSSD

  • selection on dependent variable

    • MDSD.

what is the statistical method?

• probing a theory in a new empirical context to which it is suposed to apply.

  • large n of cases

  • using statistical techniques to examine relationships between variables.

define modern state

= a polity characterized by complex set of institutions, territorially bound which enjoys authoritative rulemaking backed up by a monopoly of the leans of violence.

what are quasi states

• either dont have internal or external soverignty.

  • Somalia

what are some examples of non-state polities?

• republic of venise (city-state)

• Aztec empire ( alliance 3 city states)

• Comanche empire

state controversy?

• is state a good thing for us? should we desire it?

  • Hobbes → life is chaos without it.

  • Graeber → some unities before state even more democratic than sone state nowadays.

• Is the state still meaningful?

  • 3 processes diminish state:

    • globalization

    • market forces

    • regionalism