Detailed Notes on Comparative Politics

Understanding Comparative Politics

What is Comparative Politics?

• Definition: The study of politics and government across different contexts and settings.
• Key Considerations:
• Initial thoughts about the term can vary; it's essential to consider various factors when defining it.

The Study of Politics

• Politics Defined:
• Human activity focused on making public, authoritative, and binding decisions.
• Involves:
  1. Decisions made – What decisions are being taken?
  2. Processes of decision-making – How are these decisions reached?
  3. Actors involved – Who has the power to shape these decisions?

Politics as a System (Easton, 1965)

• Framework:
• Input: Demands and supports from the public.
• Political System: Involves regimes, constitutions, and ideologies.
• Output: The resultant decisions from the political system.
• Feedback: How the environment reacts to decisions, including through actions like voting, affects the political system in a cyclical manner.

Different Dimensions of Political Study

• Comparative Politics: Focuses on why political participation varies across countries (e.g., why people might be more politically active in one country than another).
• International Relations: Examines the relationships between states (e.g., the reasons behind diplomatic relations).
• National Politics: Studies the workings of politics within individual countries (e.g., reasons for changes in electoral systems).
• Political Philosophy: Questions normative issues related to politics (e.g., justification for obeying laws).
• Public Policy: Investigates governmental responses to public needs (e.g., formulating responses to demographic changes like aging).

Traditions of Comparative Politics

• Traditions Identified:

1. Single Country Studies: Focused analysis of political systems in one country.
2. Methodological Traditions: Override rules and practices guiding comparative analysis.
3. Analytical Traditions: Identifying and explaining similarities/differences among countries, institutions, and processes.

Missions of Comparative Politics

• Describe the World: Classification and typology of political phenomena.
• Explain Differences: Use of empirical data to hypothesize why certain outcomes occur in some contexts but not others.
• Predict Outcomes: Based on known factors, forecast whether similar outcomes will be replicated in different contexts.

Big Questions in Comparative Politics

• Examples of Exploration:

1. Why are some countries democratic while others aren’t?
2. What drives the influence of particular social groups over others?
3. Why do specific political institutions facilitate better policymaking than others?

Studying Big Questions Scientifically

• Nature of Scientific Inquiry:
• Relies on knowledge and criticism; must be falsifiable.
• Contrast between scientific statements and non-scientific claims (pseudo-science).
• Falsifiability Defined: Statements must be testable by evidence (e.g., correlation between wealth and democratization).

Key Learning Points

• Comparative Politics vs. Other Fields: Clarity on differences between comparative politics, international relations, national politics, political philosophy, and public policy.
• Traditions and Questions in Comparative Politics: Emphasis on understanding different analytical frames, functions, and critical questions that shape the field.
• Scientific Method: Distinguishing scientific approaches from pseudo-scientific claims emphasizes the importance of evidence and testing in political studies.