AP Comparative Government and Politics - Unit 1 Notes

Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics

  • Comparative government and politics is a field that defines, assesses, and describes political concepts across governments and political institutions.
  • The AP course includes:
    • Concept Application
    • Country Comparison
    • Data Analysis
    • Source Analysis
    • Argumentation

AP Exam Overview

  • Countries: United Kingdom, Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Iran
  • Big Ideas: Power and Authority, Legitimacy and Stability, Democratization, Internal/External Forces, Methods of Political Analysis

Exam Structure

  • Section I: Multiple-choice (55 questions, 50%)
  • Section II: Free-response (4 questions, 50%)
    • Question 1: Conceptual Analysis (11%)
    • Question 2: Quantitative Analysis (12.5%)
    • Question 3: Comparative Analysis (12.5%)
    • Question 4: Argument Essay (14%)

The Comparative Method & Scientific Method

  • Begin with a hypothesis about the relationship between two or more factors (variables).
    • Dependent Variables: Influenced by another variable.
    • Independent Variables: Influences the other variable.
  • Establish correlation and theorize about causation.

Comparing Countries

  • Empirical (Positive) Approach: Data based, reserves judgment.
  • Normative Approach: Data linked, makes value judgments.
    • Empirical Statement: The USA has a higher GDP than the UK.
    • Normative Statement: The USA has a better economic system than the UK because of its higher GDP.

Three-World Model (Cold War Era)

  • First World: Western, democratic, capitalist nations.
  • Second World: Communist countries.
  • Third World: Unaligned countries with political and economic corruption and instability.

Diversifying the Three-World Model:

  • Impact of informal politics & civil society.
  • Importance of political change; transition from bipolarity to multipolarity.
  • Integration of political and economic systems.

Ethel Wood’s Three-World Model:

  1. Advanced Democracies: Long-standing democratic governments and high economic development (e.g., Great Britain).
  2. Communist and Post-Communist Countries: Limit individual freedom to divide wealth more equally (e.g., Russia, China).
  3. Less-Developed and Newly-Industrializing Countries: Rapidly developing economic and political structures (e.g., Nigeria, Mexico, Iran).

Sovereignty, Authority, and Power

  • Sovereignty: Supreme authority of a state to govern without interference.
  • State: A political entity that possesses sovereignty over a territory.
  • Institutions: Stable organizations that implement policy.

Westphalian Sovereignty

  • Principle that all states have exclusive jurisdiction over their territory.

De Jure v. De Facto Sovereignty

  • De Jure: By law.
  • De Facto: In reality.

Nations and Nationalism

  • Nation: Group bound by common language, history, culture, and political identity.
  • Nationalism: Sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another.
  • Nation State: A political entity which identifies with a particular nation

Regimes

  • Regimes: The institutions and practices which the state sets and follows in exerting its power.
  • Democratic Regimes vs. Authoritarian Regimes.

Democracies

  • Parliamentary Systems: Legislature is sovereign.
  • Presidential Systems: Combined head of state and government; president elected; separation of powers.
  • Semi-Presidential Systems: President coexists with a prime minister

Authoritarian Regimes

  • Small body of elites govern with little citizen input.
  • Includes monarchies, dictatorships, military juntas, theocracies, communist states.
  • Totalitarianism implies total control of political, economic, and social structures.

Corporatism

  • Representation by various social groups within official state functions.

Legitimacy

  • The right to rule as determined by the citizens of a state
  1. Traditional Legitimacy: Stemming from traditions.
  2. Charismatic Legitimacy: Based on leader's personality.
  3. Rational-Legal Legitimacy: Based on upholding laws and procedures.

Political Culture

  • Collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions.
  • Consensual Political Culture: Citizens generally agree on the legitimacy of the system.
  • Conflictual Political Culture: Sharply divided on the legitimacy of the system.

Political Ideologies

  • Fundamental political values that guide governance.

Liberalism

  • Emphasizes individual freedom and natural rights.
  • Supports freedom of speech, religion, and association.

Communism

  • Values an equal society over a free society.
  • Seeks abolition of private property and a classless, moneyless, stateless utopia.

Socialism

  • Shares communist ideals but may exist in market forms.
  • State directs market resources to the common good.

Fascism

  • Ultranationalist; rejects individual freedom.
  • Seeks to implement a totalitarian one-party state.

Types of Change in Government

  • Reform: Change within the basic structure of political institutions.
  • Revolution: Major revision or overthrow of existing institutions.
  • Coup d’Etat: Sudden replacement of national leaders, typically by force.

Attitudes Toward Change

  1. Radicalism: Dramatic, rapid change.
  2. Liberalism: Gradual transformation.
  3. Conservatism: Preserve the status quo.
  4. Reactionary Beliefs: Reinstate former institutions and practices.

Democratization

  • Requires regular, free, and fair competitive elections.
  • Liberal Democracies vs. Illiberal or Procedural Democracies.

Democratic Consolidation

  • Stable democratic system established across society.
  • Military subject to civilian control; judiciary independent; elections held.
  • Revolution of rising expectations.

The Tocqueville Effect:

  • Frustration grows after reform improves circumstances.

Liberal Economies vs. Command Economies

  • Liberal Economies: Private ownership; prices set by market forces.
  • Command Economies: State ownership; prices set by the state.

Economic Liberalization

  • State relinquishes control over the market.
  • Marketization: Return of property and services to a competitive environment.
  • Privatization: Transfer of state-owned property to the private sector.

Important Terms

  • Social Cleavages: Dividing lines within a community.
  • Political Efficacy: Citizens’ capacity to influence political events.
  • Political Socialization: Process by which citizens’ political ideas are shaped.
  • Civil Society: Organizations outside the state that citizens engage with.

Political Institutions

  • Structures that carry out the work of governing.

Systems

  • Unitary System: Policymaking is concentrated in the central government.
  • Confederal System: Policymaking primarily by sub-units.
  • Federal System: Policymaking divided between sub-units and central government.

Globalization

  • Nations pool sovereignty for political, economic, or military gain (integration).

Forces

  • Centripetal Force: Binds the nation together.
  • Centrifugal Force: Opposes national unity.

Electoral Systems

  • First-Past-the-Post or Plurality: Candidate with the most votes wins.
  • Proportional Representation: Proportion of votes equals proportion of representation.
  • Mixed System: Combination of plurality and proportional voting.

Interest Groups

  • Groups that seek to influence public policy.
    • Interest group pluralism: Where autonomous interest groups compete with each other for government attention.
    • Corporatism: Where there is only one interest group per sector and these groups are granted control over the sector by the state.

Public Policy

  • Actions taken by the government to address issues and solve problems.

Economic Performance

  • Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Value of goods and services produced in a year, excluding income earned outside the country.
  • Gross National Income (GNI): Value of goods and services including income earned abroad.
  • GNI Per Capita: GNI divided by the population.
  • Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): Takes into account what people can buy locally.

Social Welfare

  • How citizen’s needs are met.
  • Gini Index: Measures economic inequality.
  • Human Development Index: Measures well-being based on literacy, life expectancy, education, and GDP.

Civil Liberties, Political Rights, and Political Freedoms

  • Measured by Freedom House.