Comparitive Politics Exam 1

What is comparative politics?

The study of politics within and across countries.

What is an empirical question?

A question answered using observable evidence.

What is a normative question?

A question about what should be.

What is the independent variable (IV)?

The presumed cause.

What is the dependent variable (DV)?

The outcome being explained.

What is a hypothesis?

A specific, testable prediction.

What is falsification?

Testing whether a theory or hypothesis could be shown false.

Who is associated with falsification?

Karl Popper.

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

Correlation is a relationship; causation means one variable produces an effect on another.

What is MSSD?

Similar cases with different outcomes.

What is MDSD?

Different cases with the same outcome.

What are KKV associated with?

A common logic of inference across qualitative and quantitative research.

What is power?

The ability to influence outcomes, behavior, agendas, or beliefs.

What are Lukes' three dimensions of power?

Decision-making , agenda-setting, and shaping preferences.

What is the first dimension of Lukes' power?

Control over visible decisions and conflicts.

What is the second dimension of Lukes' power?

Control over which issues reach the political agenda.

What is the third dimension of Lukes' power?

Shaping people's beliefs and preferences.

What are hidden transcripts?

Private forms of resistance or political expression.

Who developed the concept of hidden transcripts?

James Scott.

How does Weber define the state?

An organization claiming a monopoly on legitimate physical force within a territory.

What are Weber's three types of authority?

Traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal.

What is traditional authority?

Authority based on custom and tradition.

What is charismatic authority?

Authority based on devotion to an extraordinary leader.

What is rational-legal authority?

Authority based on formal rules and laws.

What is a state?

An enduring political and administrative organization.

What is a government?

The people currently exercising political authority.

What is a regime?

The rules and institutions governing political power.

What is a nation?

A population connected by a shared identity.

What is sovereignty?

Supreme authority over a territory.

What is juridical sovereignty?

Legal recognition of sovereignty.

What is empirical sovereignty?

Actual control and capacity within a territory.

What is a quasi-state?

A state with legal sovereignty but weak actual capacity.

Who is associated with the quasi-state?

Robert Jackson.

What is Tilly's main argument about war and states?

War made states, and states made war.

How did war contribute to state formation?

It encouraged taxation, bureaucracy, military organization, and centralized authority.

What is Spruyt's main argument?

The territorial state was not historically inevitable.

What is Mann's IEMP framework?

Ideological, Economic, Military, and Political sources of power.

What is infrastructure power?

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

What is despotic power?

The ability of rulers to make decisions without extensive consultation.

What is Olson's collective-action problem?

People may benefit from collective goods without contributing.

What is a free rider?

Someone who receives benefits without contributing.

What is Olson's stationary bandit?

A ruler who settles, extracts resources, and provides enough order to encourage production.

Why would a stationary bandit provide order?

To encourage production and increase future resources available for extraction.

What is Hume's main argument about government?

Governments often arise through force, conquest, habit, and political power rather than social contracts.

What is Bates' "domesticating violence" idea?

Political institutions can transform violence into political order and economic development.

Why does the future matter in Bates' argument?

Expected future stability can encourage investment and production.

What is political economy?

The study of the relationship between politics and economics.

What is Adam Smith associated with?

Markets, competition, specialization, self-interest, and the invisible hand.

What is the invisible hand?

Individual self-interest can contribute to broader market coordination.

What is comparative advantage?

Producing something at a lower opportunity cost than another actor.

Who is associated with comparative advantage?

David Ricardo.

What is a market failure?

When markets fail to efficiently allocate resources.

What is fiscal policy?

Government taxation and spending.

What is monetary policy?

Policies affecting money, credit, and monetary conditions.

What are the two major varieties of capitalism?

Liberal Market Economies and Coordinated Market Economies.

Who developed the Varieties of Capitalism framework?

Hall and Soskice.

What is a welfare state?

Government programs providing social protection and economic security.

Who developed the major welfare-state typology?

Esping-Andersen.

What are Esping-Andersen's three welfare-state types?

Social democratic, Christian democratic, and liberal.

What is Schumpeter's creative destruction?

Innovation replaces older products, firms, and economic methods.

What is Polanyi's main argument about markets?

Markets are embedded in social and political institutions.

What is globalization?

Increasing cross-border flows of goods, capital, people, information, technology, and ideas.

What is Thomas Friedman's "Flat World"?

Globalization has increased worldwide economic interconnectedness.

What is Friedman's "Golden Straitjacket"?

Globalization pressures governments toward market-friendly policies.

What is Friedman's "Electronic Herd"?

International financial actors capable of rapidly moving capital.

What is Rodrik's main globalization argument?

Globalization creates tensions among economic integration, democracy, and national sovereignty.

What is Florida's "Spiky World"?

Economic opportunity, talent, and innovation are concentrated in particular places.

What does realism emphasize?

Power, material interests, competition, anarchy, and relative gains.

What does liberalism emphasize?

Cooperation, institutions, trade, and absolute gains.

What does constructivism emphasize?

Ideas, identity, norms, and socially constructed realities.

What does Marxism emphasize?

Class, capital, inequality, and exploitation.

Weber → ?

State, legitimate authority, and bureaucracy.

Olson → ?

Collective action, free riders, and stationary bandits.

Hume → ?

Critique of the social contract.

Bates → ?

Domesticating violence.

Mann → ?

IEMP and state power.

Tilly → ?

War made states.

Spruyt → ?

The territorial state was not inevitable.

Jackson → ?

Quasi-states.

Lukes → ?

Three dimensions of power.

Scott → ?

Hidden transcripts.

Popper → ?

Falsification.

KKV → ?

Logic of inference.

Smith → ?

Invisible hand and markets.

Ricardo → ?

Comparative advantage.

Hall & Soskice → ?

Varieties of Capitalism.

Esping-Andersen → ?

Welfare-state types.

Schumpeter → ?

Creative destruction.

Polanyi → ?

Markets embedded in society.

Thomas Friedman → ?

Globalization, Flat World, Golden Straitjacket, Electronic Herd.

Rodrik → ?

Globalization, democracy, and sovereignty.

Florida → ?

Spiky World.

IV vs. DV?

IV = presumed cause; DV = outcome.

MSSD vs. MDSD?

MSSD = similar cases/different outcomes; MDSD = different cases/same outcome.

Juridical vs. empirical sovereignty?

Juridical = legal recognition; empirical = actual control.

State vs. government?

State = enduring organization; government = current rulers.

State vs. nation?

State = political organization; nation = shared identity.

Traditional vs. charismatic vs. rational-legal authority?

Custom vs. extraordinary leader vs. formal rules.

Infrastructure vs. despotic power?

Implementation capacity vs. ruler autonomy from consultation.

Fiscal vs. monetary policy?

Taxes/spending vs. money/credit.