(SIMPLIFIED GENERAL) COMP POLITICS MIDTERM EXAM

What is comparative politics?

The study of politics across different countries.

What is a theory?

A general explanation for why things happen.

What is a hypothesis?

A specific prediction that can be tested.

What makes a good research question?

It can be answered with evidence and helps theory.

What is falsification? (Popper)

Trying to test whether a theory could be wrong.

What is parsimony?

Prefer the simplest explanation that fits the evidence.

What is empirical evidence?

Evidence based on observations or data.

What is a variable?

Something that can change or have different values.

What is the dependent variable?

The outcome you are trying to explain.

What is the independent variable?

The factor you think affects the outcome.

What is correlation?

Two things change together.

What is causation?

One thing actually helps cause another.

What is spurious correlation?

X and Y correlate, but there is no good logic explaining why.

What is spurious causation?

No logic connects the correlation.

What is the storks-and-babies example?

Both increase because of industrialization, not because storks cause babies.

What is the ice cream-and-shark-attacks example?

Both rise in summer; summer is the missing factor.

What is an omitted variable?

A missing factor that affects the variables being studied.

What is reverse causation?

You think X causes Y, but Y actually causes X.

What is endogeneity?

The variables affect each other, making causation hard to identify.

What is internal validity?

How well a study identifies the true cause.

What is external validity?

How well findings apply beyond the cases studied.

What is probabilism?

A cause makes an outcome more likely.

What is determinism?

A cause guarantees an outcome.

What is multi-causality?

Several causes can contribute to one outcome.

What is Mill's Method of Difference?

Compare similar cases that differ in the outcome.

What is Mill's Method of Agreement?

Find what different cases have in common.

What is a necessary condition?

It must be present for the outcome to happen.

What is a sufficient condition?

It is enough by itself to produce the outcome.

What is a case study?

A detailed study of one or more cases.

What does N mean in research?

The number of cases being studied.

What is selection bias?

Choosing cases in a way that distorts the results.

What is a counterfactual?

Asking what would have happened under different conditions.

What is path dependence?

Earlier events shape later possibilities.

What is a critical juncture?

A major turning point that can change future paths.

What is power?

A relationship where one actor can affect another.

What is Lukes' first dimension of power?

Direct and visible power over decisions.

What is Lukes' second dimension of power?

Controlling which issues get discussed.

What is Lukes' third dimension of power?

Shaping norms and values people may not question.

What are Weber's three types of authority?

Charismatic, traditional, and rational-legal.

What is charismatic authority?

Authority based on a leader's personal appeal.

What is traditional authority?

Authority based on tradition.

What is rational-legal authority?

Authority based on laws and rules.

What is a government?

The people who actually run the state.

What is a regime?

The formal and informal rules governing government.

What is a state?

The bureaucracy that administers a sovereign territory.

What is a nation?

People united by shared identity who claim a homeland.

What is a democracy?

A regime where political power is based on the people.

What is an autocracy?

A regime where power is concentrated in one ruler.

What is an oligarchy?

A regime where power is held by a small group.

What is totalitarianism?

A regime seeking extensive control over society.

What is collective action?

Getting individuals to work together for a shared goal.

What is Olson's collective action problem?

Getting many individuals to cooperate is difficult.

What is Olson's roving bandit?

A ruler who moves around taking resources by force.

What is Olson's stationary bandit?

A ruler who stays and extracts taxes from society.

Why does the stationary bandit provide public goods?

A stronger economy gives the ruler more revenue.

What is Olson's "grasping hand"?

A ruler's incentive to extract as much wealth as possible.

What does Hume say about the social contract?

Government usually did not begin through popular consent.

What is Bates mainly interested in?

Political economy, development, and violence.

What problem does Bates emphasize?

How societies manage violence for productive purposes.

What are Mann's three key ideas?

State autonomy, infrastructure vs. despotic power, and social power.

What does Mann mean by autonomous state power?

The state can have power and interests of its own.

What is infrastructure power?

The state's ability to reach and organize society.

What is despotic power?

The ability to make decisions without societal input.

What does Mann say about state formation?

States were created over time and competed with other organizations.

What do Tilly and Spruyt emphasize about states?

States developed historically through changing political conditions.

What does KKV argue about qualitative and quantitative research?

Both can use a common system of logic.