Comparative Politics and Historical Development Lecture Notes

State

A set of permanent administrative, legal, and coercive institutions with a monopoly over the legitimate use of force in a given territory (an expansion of Max Weber's definition).

Regime

The set of rules by which political power is allocated within a polity.

Government

The group of people who occupy the top decision-making and administrative positions in the state at a given time.

Independent and Dependent Variables

Independent variables are the explanatory factors or causes used to explain a phenomenon, whereas dependent variables are the specific outcomes or phenomena being explained.

Structuralist versus Voluntarist Approaches