Foundations and Comparative Political Science Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering political theory, comparative methodology, power, state evolution, democracy, populism, and party systems.

Political Epistemology

The theory of knowledge focusing on how we learn and obtain truth regarding politics.

Double Hermeneutics (Giddens, 1982)

The concept that social scientists are not passive observers but can affect the object of study by discussing it.

Political Theology

The belief that knowledge of things is acquired through divine providence and intervention rather than human reason alone.

The Comparative Method

The foundation of comparative politics involving the comparison of different political cases, usually countries, to identify causes of political outcomes.

Independent Variable

The factor believed to cause an outcome in research, such as economic development leading to democracy.

Dependent Variable

The outcome researchers want to explain in a study, such as the level of democracy.

Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD)

A research design comparing countries that are similar in many ways but differ in one outcome to isolate the causal factor.

Most Different Systems Design (MDSD)

A research design comparing very different countries that share the same political outcome to find a common factor.

Small-N Studies

Research involving a small number of cases, providing historical depth and contextual analysis but making findings difficult to generalize.

Large-N Studies

Research involving many cases using statistics and datasets to identify broader patterns and generalize findings.

Operationalization

The process of defining abstract political concepts into specific, measurable indicators like free elections or rule of law.

Parochialism (Sartori)

A mistake in comparison where a researcher assumes that one specific case applies everywhere.

Conceptual Stretching

A comparison error involving the use of political concepts too broadly, losing their analytical precision.

Process Tracing

A case study method that involves following events chronologically to test how political outcomes developed step by step.

Power (Robert Dahl, 1957)

A relational ability where A gets B to do something that B would not otherwise do.

Authority

Legitimate power that is accepted as rightful by those who obey it.

Legitimacy

The belief that political institutions and their right to rule are appropriate and rightful.

Sovereign Power (Carl Schmitt)

The absolute authority of the individual who decides on the 'state of exception' and can suspend laws.

Despotic Power (Michael Mann)

A form of state power where the elite can act without negotiating with societal groups.

Infrastructural Power (Michael Mann)

The state's ability to implement decisions and penetrate society through institutions and administration.

Nudge Theory (Thaler & Sunstein)

A form of soft, behavioral power using subtle changes in the choice environment to influence behavior without force.

Cultural Hegemony (Gramsci)

The maintenance of dominance through 'common sense' and ideological control rather than force.

The State (Max Weber)

The organization that holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence within a given territory.

Political System (David Easton)

The set of interactions through which values are authoritatively allocated in a society.

Political Regime (Juan Linz)

A specific type of rule including ideology, mobilization, party structure, and control over participation.

Almond & Verba’s Participant Culture

A type of political culture where citizens are active, engaged, and participate in politics.

Veto Players (George Tsebelis)

Individual or collective actors whose agreement is required to change the status quo in a political system.

Tabula Rasa (Carles Boix)

A theoretical blank slate stripping away the state and technology to analyze how cooperation is possible without authority.

Shadow of the Future

A mechanism where long-term time horizons sustain cooperation because future benefits outweigh short-term gains from theft.

Exit Wounds (Ieva Jusionyte)

An ethnographic concept illustrating how violence is transnational and circulates through bodies, weapons, and emergency systems across borders.

Polyarchy (Robert Dahl)

The term for modern, actually existing democracies defined by institutional guarantees and competition.

Post-democracy (Jacques Rancière)

A condition where democratic institutions exist but politics is reduced to elite consensus and technocratic management.

Lawfare

The use of legal tools and constitutional amendments as weapons to weaken or eliminate political opponents.

Constitutional Hardball

The use of formally legal measures like court-packing or redistricting to tilt the playing field and entrench incumbents.

Populism (Cas Mudde)

A thin-centred ideology dividing society into 'the pure people' and 'the corrupt elite.'

Populism as Political Style (Moffitt)

A repertoire of performance involving appeals to 'the people,' crisis performance, and 'bad manners.'

Imagined Communities (Benedict Anderson)

A nation conceived as a limited and sovereign community because members share identity despite never meeting.

Civic Community (Robert Putnam)

A society characterized by high trust, horizontal networks, and citizen participation that leads to better government performance.

Social Capital

The networks of trust and norms of generalized reciprocity that enable citizens to solve collective action problems.

Simple Majoritarianism (Ganghof)

A vision of democracy that emphasizes clarity and accountability by reducing politics to a clear winner who governs.

Complex Majoritarianism (Ganghof)

A vision of democracy favoring fairness and representation through shifting majorities and coalition agreements.

Executive Personalism

The concentration of political power in a single person, often cited as a major risk in presidential systems.

Party System Closure

The degree to which access to government is predictable and restricted, measured by stability in coalitions and alternation.

Party System Institutionalization

The process by which party competition becomes stable, loyal, and well-established over time.