Comparative Politics Readings - Midterm Prep

Fukuyama - “The Imperative of State-Building”

Main Argument: development requires strong, effective state institutions - not just smaller governments

• Market reforms fail when institutions are weak; reducing government size doesn’t automatically improve effectiveness

• State scope = range of gov. activities; State strength = ability to implement policies & enforce laws

Herbst - “The Challenges of State-Building in Africa”

Main Argument: African states have struggled to consolidate due to low population densities & widely varying environmental conditions

• sparse populations meant the cost of extending authority for states is high, weakening incentives for territorial control

• criticizes using Europe as a model due to its geographical advantages

• state consolidation is determined by the cost of extending power, the nature of boundaries, and the nature of the state system

Corrales & Freeman - “How Organized Crime Threatens Latin America”

Main Argument: Organized crime threatens Latin American democracy by corrupting the state, manipulating elections, & fueling authoritarian responses

• Shows how weak institutions and corruption undermine democracy even when elections exist

• Crime enables electoral interference, military involvement in policing, and mano dura (harsh crackdowns that restrict civil liberties)

• Solution: strengthen courts, police, & prosecutors while protecting democratic rights

Wimmer - “Why Nationalism Works: And Why It’s Not Going Away”

Main Argument: Nationalism is a lasting foundation of modern states, & its effects depend on whether national identity includes or excludes groups

• Creates shared identity and loyalty, supporting democracy, equality, and welfare states

• Excluding minorities from power can fuel discrimination, ethnic conflict, and civil war

• Shows how national identity and political inclusion shape state legitimacy, democracy, and conflict

Inglehart & Welzel - “How Development Leads to Democracy”

Main Argument: Economic development makes democracy more likely by changing society & people’s values

• Industrialization —> education, urbanization, economic security, occupational change —> greater political participation

• “Modernization Theory”

Levitsky & Way - “The New Competitive Authoritarianism”

Main Argument: Competitive authoritarianism occurs when elections exist, but leaders manipulate the political system to stay in power. It persists as global pressure for democracy weakens.

• Competitive Authoritarianism = elections are real, but unfair because incumbents undermine opponents & democratic institutions

• Shows how democracies can erode from within without coups or the complete elimination of elections

• Example: Hungary —> Fidesz used parliamentary supermajority to pack courts, controls the media, & gerrymander to maintain power (subtle institutional manipulation)

Lee - “Collective Action & Social Movements”

Main Argument: Social movements succeed when political opportunities, strong organization, & effective messaging allow people to mobilize for change

• free-rider problem occurs when people benefit from collective action without contributing

• nonviolent movements tend to be more successful than violent ones

• shows how political institutions and state repression shape citizens’ ability to organize and challenge power

Chenoweth - “The Future of Nonviolent Resistance”

Main Argument: Nonviolent resistance has become the most common form of mass political struggle & has historically been more successful than violent resistance, however its effectiveness has declined in recent years

• Nonviolent resistance works because mass participation = broader, diverse movement = defections from regime = weak regime

• Has risen as the internet/social media makes it easier for movements to spread

• Declining due to less public participation, over-reliance on protests over strikes/noncooperations, and social media (weak for long-term organization)

Tucker et al. - “From Liberation to Turmoil”

Main Argument: Social media is a double-edged sword that can strengthen democracy by increasing political participation but can also strengthen authoritarianism & antisystem forces by enabling censorship, propaganda, & misinformation

• gives previously excluded groups a voice

• makes political coordination easier

• can be flooded with harassment & propaganda

McClintock - “Re-Evaluating Runoffs”

Main Argument: Contrary to common criticism that presidential runoffs create too many parties & weaken democracy, most runoff elections support democratic quality in Latin America by increasing legitimacy, encouraging moderation, & including previously excluded groups

• greater legitimacy from the majority support requirement

• encourages moderation by pushing candidates to appeal beyond their bases

• major tradeoff: more parties —> sometimes too many weak, personalistic parties can create executive-legislative conflict (ex: Latin-American cartel parties)

Svolik - “Polarization vs. Democracy

Main Argument: Democracy can weaken when political polarization becomes strong enough that voters prioritize their party/policy interests over democratic principles, giving politicians with authoritarian tendencies an opportunity to undermine democracy

• people often say they strongly support democracy but can vote differently when democracy conflicts with their partisan interests

• polarization —> stronger partisan loyalty —> less willingness to punish undemocratic behavior —> democratic backsliding

Stokes - “Why Elected Leaders Subvert Democracy”

Main Argument: Democratic backsliding often happens when elected leaders themselves weaken democratic institutions. Economic inequality increases the risk of backsliding by creating exploitable divisions.

• backsliding is a much more gradual process than a coup

• wealthier countries: immigration & loss of manufacturing = right-wing nationalism

• developing countries: foreign competition/investment = left-wing populism

Milanovic - “The Clash of Capitalisms”

Main Argument: Capitalism has essentially won globally, but there are 2 main competing versions —> political capitalism & liberal meritocratic capitalism

• China has shown us that capitalism doesn’t always produce a liberal democracy

• Political capitalism: state can make decisions rapidly BUT must continually deliver growth, corruption is common

• Liberal meritocratic capitalism: encourages innovation BUT can lead to growing inequality

Acemoglu & Robinson - “The Making of Prosperity & Poverty”

Main Argument: Countries become rich/poor largely because of their political & economic institutions (inclusive vs. extractive)

• inclusive institutions involve broad economic participation, secure property rights, encouragement for education & innovation, & widely distributed political power

• extractive institutions involve benefits concentrated among elites, insecure property rights, restricted opportunities, & concentrated political power

• example: North Korea (extractive, poverty) vs South Korea (inclusive, rapid economic growth & prosperity)

Karma - “A Pillar of the Economics Establishment Admits That It Was Wrong”

Main Argument: Going back on its assertion 30 years ago, the World Bank has pivoted to promote industrial policy if done “correctly”

• rejection of the longstanding “Washington Concensus” viewpoint that free markets & little to no industrial policy make a country rich

• turning point: China’s rise as an economic & geopolitical threat

• “correct” industrial policy: offers specific industries direct support, hands over policy implementation to a non-political technocratic agency, avoids picking winners, offers broad incentives to entire sectors

Milanovic - “Winners of Globalization”

Main Argument: Globalization has reduced global inequality but created winners & losers within countries. China’s middle class & the global rich have benefited while lower & middle income groups in wealthy countries have suffered.

• caused by globalization connecting workers & businesses across countries, outsourcing creating wage stagnation in richer countries, & economic growth raising incomes in Asia

• shrinking middle class may weaken democracy by giving wealthy elites disproportionate political influence

• exposes a mismatch between a globalized economy & politics organized around nation-states

Frieden - “The Backlash against Globalization and the Future of the International Economic Order”

Main Argument: Globalization increased economic integration but distributed its benefits unevenly, fueling populism, protectionism, & challenges to the global economic order