QUIZ 9/24: Intro to Comp. Politics

one question short answer.

Politics

Study of power, where it resides, and with what consequences.

Comparative Politics

Comparison of power across countries and societies.

Causation

One change in a factor directly causes change in another.

Correlation

One factor simultaneously changes with another, may be related but one factor does not directly cause a change in the other.

Most Different Systems Design (MDSD)

The comparison of two cases that are very different, but end in the same outcome. (i.e. Russia and Vietnam end in Revolution)

Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD)

The comparison of two cases that are very similar but have very different outcomes. (i.e. North and South Korea)

U.S. Exceptionalism

The belief the U.S is unique/superior to other countries based on history, core values, political evolution, etc.

State

A political organization with sovereignty over a given territory. Also has institutions that generate policy.

Nation

A community of people with shared attributes with a desire for self-determination. (i.e. Quebec)

Self-determination

Gaining more political power in a state, or separating from that state to form your own independent state.

Nation-state

State where most people share a common national identity and are governed under the same state.

Regime

A system of government and rules used in a country to exercise political power (i.e. democracy, authoritarianism)

• determines how leaders are chosen

• who can participate in politics

• what enables or limit power

Internal-soverignty

The state's authority over people and territory within its border.

External-soverignty

The state's independence from external political authority, other states recognize its right to govern itself.

Monopoly of Force

The state’s exclusive right to use legitimate physical force within its territory (i.e. police, military, courts, prisons)

Territoriality

The state’s right to exercise authority over its given territory within its borders.

State Legitimacy

The recognized right to rule.

Traditional Legitmacy

Right to rule based on long-standing traditions and practices (i.e. British monarchy)

Charismatic Legitimacy

Right to rule based on the perceived extraordinary qualities of a leader (i.e. Hitler)

Rational-legal legitimacy

Right to rule based on established laws and procedures (i.e. constitution, elections, etc.)

Strong state qualities (T-R-M-G)

Tax and enforce: collect taxes, implement and enforce laws and policies.

Regulate: regulate social behavior, organizations/groups, and potential rivals.

Monopoly of Force: maintain effective control over use of force

Goods: provide public goods like infrastructure, education and security.

Weak state qualities (T-R-M-G)

Tax & enforce: struggles to collect taxes and enforce laws

Regulate: struggles to control social behavior like facing competition from religious institutions or criminal groups.

Monopoly of force: state power uneven, other groups may have control over force in different areas

Goods: struggles to provide security, education, infrastructure, etc.

Failed States

Territory becomes fragmented, no authority, state loses legitimacy, cannot provide or guarantee security.

“War made the states", states made the war.”

• European states competed with each other.

• Competition led to wars.

• To win wars, states needed money, armies, and organization.

• They increased tax collection, bureaucracy, and control over territory.

• This made states stronger and more centralized.

Capacity

The state's ability/power to actually carry out and enforce decisions.

Autonomy

The state's ability to make decisions independently of powerful groups.

Society

Collection of people bound by shared institutions that shape how human relationships take place

Ethnicity

Person’s relation to other members of society (i.e. language, religion, location, culture, etc.)

National Identity

An insitution that binds people together through common political aspirations

Nationalism

A pride in one’s people and a belief that they have unique and soverign political identity.

Classic liberalism

Political ideology with a focus on free markets, limited gov’t intervention, individual freedom, and private property.

Liberalism

Political ideology with a focus on individual rights, equality, democracy, and political freedom.

Communism

Political ideology with a focus on a classless society with collective ownership of property.

Anarchism

Political ideology with a focus on rule of the people without a state or central power.

Capitalism

• heavy labor focus

• $$$ centered

• private ownership of means of production (land, factories)

• market and prices make up economic activity

Bourgeoisie

owners of means of production

Proleitariat

sell labor to earn a living (working class)

Why is capitalism unique?

it does not rely on direct coersion (threats, use of force, slavery), instead it relies on the fact that workers depend on selling their labor to survive, but are still legally free to choose if they want to work or not.

Development

attempt to create positive long term social change

GDP

(only one part of development) value of goods and services produced within a country

Case study (development): Brazillian Miracle

In 1960s-1980s, Brazil experienced a period of economic growth but struggled more than ever before with wealth inequality and morality rates.

• wealth was distributed unfairly, and rich people only increased their national spending while the poor’s declined.

• shows how economic growth isn’t always a indicator of development

Case study (development): Ghana

• Ghana was Africas 2nd largest Gold producer

• Helped increase revenue and led to economic growth

• BUT.. caused air and water pollution, displacement of farmers and small miners by multinational companies, human rights violations (rapes, village burnings, layoffs too)

Human Development Index (HDI)

• key indicator of development

• measures overall well-being

• considers heath and education

• income is only part of development; development is multidimensional

Case study (development): Costa Rica

• very high levels of HDI (69th in the world)

• low GDP (peru, argentina, etc has more), 11th ranking

• they achieved this bc they have abolished the military to redirect spending to health and education, universal heathcare and stable democracy.

• shows that strong social policies and governance can lead to high human development even w/o high income

Oligarchy

rule by the wealthy

Democracy

originated in rome and greece; rule of the demos (common people)

Aristotle on democracy

• democracy is a quesiton of: who rules? the poor or the wealthy?

• the wealthy = oligarchy, the poor = democracy

Liberal Democracy

public participation + protection of individual rights, liberal constraints on government (i.e. seperation of powers, consitutions, branches)

Democratic Backsliding

when a country gradually becomes less democratic, even despite the fact they still hold elections

Case study (Democracy): Hungary

example of democratic backsliding

• hungary was under viktor orban and the fidesz party

• they originally, won various elections fairly under democracy until they started changing rules to stay in power

• ex: changed electoral system to win majority parliamentary seats without winning majority vote, restrictions on campaigning, changed constiution, and put loyalists in institutions.

In 2026, Tidza party won election demonstrating how elections still give voters to remove the ruling party, and democracy can recover.

Institutions

The formal and informal “rules of the game” that shape how people behave, how politics works, and how power is used and challenged (constitutions, laws, social norms)

Formal institutions

written rules and procedures that shape how people behave usually with formal enforcement (i.e. traffic laws, lights, stop signs, elections, constitution)

Informal institutions

unwritten rules and norms that shape behavior often without formal enforcement (i.e. holding the door, social expectations on how politicians should behave)

Presidential System

(ex: us, phillipines, korea, etc)

• president is directly elected by the people for a fixed term

• voting for the legislature and president are seperate

• legislature is bicameral; house and senate

• legislature checks power of executive and seperation of powers

• election days are fixed and unchangeable

• head of state + head of gov’t = president

Head of State

symbolizes and represents the country; carries out goals of the regime

Head of government

Carries out policies and runs the country

Linz critique of Presidential System

• Legislature and President both compete for legitimacy (recongized right to rule)

• Presidents have fixed terms so if public is not happy with the leader, it is harder to make any changes

• Zero-sum elections: one party wins all, making poitics more personalistic

• Political deadlock: because of two seperate elections in legislature and president, both can be ruled by two diff parties, making it harder for any laws to pass

• Presidential Cabinet: President hand picks who should be ministers and not picked from legislature

Pros of Presidential System

• president does not need support of the legislature to stay in office

• political deadlock = more active judiciary (ex. judicial branch decides on constitutionality of a law the president wants to pass, that congress doesn’t think he has, they choose.)

Parliamentary System

• found in most democracies in the world

• executive emerges from legislature; including prime minister (version of president) and cabinet ministers

• executive only stays in power if there is legislative confidence (confidence of the legislature)

How Parliamentary Governments are formed

• voters vote for members of parliament to represent them (MPs)

• the party with more than half of the seats or able to command a majority, is the ruling party

• the ruling party forms a government and decides prime minister and cabinet members

• prime minister is the leader of the ruling party

Majority Government (Parliament)

the ruling party has more than half (aka majority) seats in Parliament

Minority Government

the ruling party has the most seats, but not majority (more than half), so they need support from other parties to govern.

Coaliton Government

usually when no party has majority, two parties decide to share power. they divide cabinet member positions.

Vote of No Confidence

• member of parliament brings forth a vote, and parliament votes on it

• means there is an absence of majority support

• brings down exisiting gov’t/party and brings new election

• i.e. James Callaghan UK

Key differences between Parliamentary and Presidential System

Head of Govt: paraliament (prime minister, but not voted on directly) v.s presidential (president, voted on directly)

Head of State: paraliament (UK monarch, symbolic rep of country) v.s presidential (president)

Source of Power: parliament (support from legislature) v.s presidential (fixed term)

Party Discipline: parliament (very important) v.s presidential (no, veto power)

Cabinet: parliament (from legislature or party) v.s presidential (hand-picked, private indiv.)

Elections: parliament (usually 4 years, but no confidence can happen anytime) v.s president (every 4 years)

Single-member district (SMD)

each district elects one representative

Proportional-representation (PR) system

parties recieve seats based on percentage of votes

First-Past-The-Post System (FPTP)

• ASSOCIATED WITH SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT (SMD) SYSTEM

• single member: each district elects one representative

• proportion: each district is generally drawn to have equal representation

• representation: voters choose among candidates to represent them

Limitations of FPTP System

• can win more seats than the percentage of districts won

• votes don’t always translate proportionally to seats

• produces wasted votes: votes for losing candidates don’t help elect a rep. in that district and disporptionate outcomes

• UK in 2015:

• Conservative party won 37% votes but 51% of seats

• SNIP (UK) won 5% of seats because they were concentrated in Scotland but 56 seats.

• UKIP 13% votes and won 1 seat. (votes across the country, but not in one single constitutency to win various districts)