ps0300- intro, key concepts, theoretical approaches, comparative method

comparative politics

systematic study of government and politics in different countries, designed to better understand them by drawing out their contrasts and similarities

concept

a term, idea, or category

conception

the manner in which something is understood and interpreted

government

institution and offices through which societies are governed

governance

process by which decisions, law, and policies are made with or without the input of formal institutions

politics

1. collective activity btwn people

2. involves making decision on matters effecting 2+ people, typically to decide on a course or action or resolve disagreements

3. _________ decisions become authoritative policy for the group, binding and committing members

power

capacity to bring about intended effects; often used as a synonym for influence but is also used narrowly to refer to forceful modes of influence (ex. threats)

luke’s three dimensions of power

• who prevails when preferences conflict?

• who controls whether preferences are expressed?

• who shapes preferences?

state

unit containing a population living within a defined territory and enjoying recognition by its residents and other states of it’s right to rule that territory

authority

right to rule; _______ creates its own power, so long as people accept that the person has the right to make decisions

legitimacy

a _________ system of government is one based on authority, and those subject to its rule recognize its right to make decisions

ideology

a system of connected beliefs, a shared view of the world, or a blueprint for how politics, economics, and society should be structured (anarchism, marxism, liberalism, conservatism, fascism)

typology

system of classification by which states, institutions, processes, political cultures, and so on are divided into groups or types with common sets of attributes

institutions

formal organizations or practices with a political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity

institutionalization

process by which organizations build stability and permanence when they possess internal complexity, follows clear rules of procedure, and is clearly distinguished from its environment

institutionalism

approach to the study of politics and government that focuses on the structures and dynamics of governing institutions

new institutionalism

examines how institutions shape decision and define interests through:

• providing benefits and opportunities (shaping interests)

• sustaining interactions that encourage the emergence of an institutional culture and generate norms that shape behavior

logic of appropriateness

part of institutionalist approach

actions which members of an institution take to conform to its norms (Ex. a head of state performing ceremonial duties bc it is an official obligation)

logic of consequences

part of institutionalist approach

actions which members of an institution take based on calculation of altruism or self-interest

historical institutionalism

part of institutionalist approach

defines institutions as formal or informal procedures, routines, norms, and conventions

• path dependency and sequencing

• critical junctures and tipping points

• processing tracing and qualitative studies

path dependency

tendency of institutions or technologies to become committed to develop in certain ways as a result of their structural properties or their beliefs and values (historical institutionalism)

sequencing

for an idea to succeed (ie democracy) a state must fulfill a set/progression of social and political conditions (ex. rule of law, stability and neutrality of state institutions)

critical junctures

turning points that alter the course of evolution of some entity; seeks to explain the historical origin and maintenance of social order and the occurrence of sudden social change

process tracing

systematic examination of diagnostic evidence/qualitative data selected and analyzed in light of research questions and hypotheses; used to evaluate causal claims

rational choice institutionalism

actors seek to maximize utility, institutions are either consciously designed or consequential outcomes of purposive action

• studied through identifying key actors, strategies, decision making sequences

• game theoretic (__________ _______) models

behavioralism

emphasizes people over institutions; studies attitudes and behavior of individuals in search of scientific generalization; individuals as the unit of analysis

rational choice

theory that political behavior reflects the choices made by individuals working to maximize their benefits and minimize their costs

rational choice approach

identifies goals of actions and how their objectives can be achieved in a given situation, enabling the ability to predict through modeling expected behavior

individuals as well as larger units are units of analysis

collective action problems

negative outcomes that happen as people free ride on the efforts of other in providing public goods

structuralism

emphasizes relationships among groups and networks within larger systems; interest and positions of these groups shape the overall configurations of power and provide the dynamic of political change

groups as unit of analysis

marxist/neo marxist theories

(structural approach) explore primacy of economic forces in explaining political and social phenomena, the central role of the production process, the character of capitalism as a global mode of production, and the importance of social or economic class

structure of global system is a result of the spread of global capitalism that privileges some actors and imposes constraints on others

critical feminism

(structural approach) argument that gender permeates all structures; international economic rules and institutions burden women as the current neoliberal capitalist model pressures states to reduce social spending, increasing exposure and exploitation of minorities and poor to global competition

dependency theory

(structural approach) explores why development has benefited rich northern states rather than poorer southern states and why the gap continues to widen

• terms of trade were unequal btwn developing and developed world bc of (neo)colonialism and influence of multinational corporations/international banks in developed world

• organizations/institutions are “agents of penetration” which link exploiter to the exploited

securitization studies

arises due to concerns over presence of military-industrial complex; argues states and international organizations seek to exercise increasing control over their political environment by making an issue into a matter of security

interpretative approach

politics is formed by ideas we have about it; considers how meanings of behavior form, reflect, and sustain the traditions and discourses of a social group or an entire society

• no political reality separate from mental constructions

• ideas have an independent effect, shaping how we define our interests/goals

methodology

systematic analysis of the methods used in a given field of enquiry; also used to describe body of methods used in a discipline/its means used to reach particular set of conclusions

unit of analysis

object of study in comp. politics

level of analysis

level of study in comp. politics; ranging from political system level to individual level

experimental method

usage of experimental and control groups to isolate effects of different stimuli

statistical method

usage of empirically observed data to tease out relationships among variables

comparative method

comparing a small number of cases in order to better understand their qualities and to develop/investigate hypotheses, theories, concepts

case study method

research method involving the detailed study of a particular object (ex. person, institution, phenomenon, etc.) as well as the context within which it exists

• seeks to identify how a range of factors interact in the context of the example being studied

qualitative method

research method that typically uses a small number of cases to understand a phenomenon holistically and within its natural setting, with an emphasis on values, opinions, behavior, and context

descriptive > predictive; studies interaction of multiple variables; observation is main means of data collection

most similar system

(qualitative method) research design based on using cased that are as similar as possible, in effect controlling for the similarities and isolating the causes of differences

most different system

(qualitative method) research design based on using cases that are as different as possible, in effect controlling for differences and isolating the causes of similarites

quantitative method

research method involving variables rather than cases and attempting to explain political phenomena using statistics

• attempts to quantify data and generalize results to a larger population

• generates information through experiments and survey research

variable

changeable feature, factor, quantity, or element

independent variable

factor or element believed to influence the dependent variable

dependent variable

factor or element we wish to explain

correlation

relationship between two or more variables or attributes

outlier

observation furthest away from value predicted by regression line

regression line

line of best fit in a scatter plot summarizing the relationship btwn two variables

selection bias

selected cases and variables are not representative of the wider class from which they are drawn; large ‘n’ quantitiative designs reduce likelihood of this

survivorship bias

only studying current societies and applying what you know about them to previous societies under similar conditions

value bias

political values in one country do not travel to other countries (ex thinking people in brazil have the same political motivations as people in spain)

confirmation bias

only focusing on information that confirms your pre-existing beliefs