T

POL WEEK 7 Lecture 1 Notes — Introductory

Comparative Politics: Introductory Notes

  • Source material covers foundational concepts for a course on comparative politics, government, and public policy, as presented in Lecture 1.

  • The content distinguishes between several interrelated terms and frameworks used to study politics comparatively.

Comparative politics, government, and policy

  • Comparative politics uses the comparative method to explore:

    • political institutions

    • political behaviour

    • conflict

    • relationships between politics and economics

  • Comparative government is the comparative study of forms of government:

    • a society's institutional mechanisms of decision making, implementation, and enforcement

    • the state and how it functions in different countries

    • how the state enforces binding decisions and makes public policy

  • Government also refers to the political executive:

    • the part of the executive branch made up of elected members of the legislature (ministers and deputy ministers)

  • Comparative public policy concerns what governments do (and don’t do), studied comparatively

Comparative public policy

  • Governments identify problems in society and formulate policies to address them; and implement them

  • The policy process involves:

    • the three branches of government (legislature, judiciary, executive)

    • many other actors

  • The executive branch is central to policy making in most modern states

  • Forms of government and public policy challenges are explored in the public policy and administration stream of the politics and governance major

Why “comparative” government & policy?

  • Domestic context: compare policies across countries to identify commonalities and domestic political factors (e.g., education, public health, defence)

  • Comparative policy study: understand why education policy makers in different countries face similar challenges and implement similar policies

Overview of 6 Weeks (Course Structure)

  • Week 1: Comparative study of regime types

    • What do we mean by democracy and authoritarianism?

    • How do we explain transitions between the two?

    • Other regime types

  • Week 2: Party systems

    • Focus on dominant party systems

    • Why do dominant parties dominate and remain in power?

  • Week 3: Comparing outcomes

    • Should governments pursue economic growth, wider forms of wellbeing, or happiness?

  • Week 4: The varieties of modern states

    • Emphasis on capitalist, welfare, and developmental states

  • Week 5: The executive branch of government in democratic countries

    • Key distinction between parliamentary and presidential systems

  • Week 6: Power and policy making

    • How are interest groups and ordinary citizens organized and how do they pressure governments to change policy?

Week 1: Comparing regime types

  • BRICS context: BRICS Summit and related discussions on democracy (cited as 2021 democracy, assessed by Economist Intelligence Unit, 2022)

  • Democracy index (EIU 2022):

    • Based on expert assessments and index developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit

    • Combines information on:

    • extent to which citizens can choose their political leaders in free and fair elections

    • civil liberties

    • preference for democracy over other political systems

    • ability to participate in politics

    • functioning government that acts on behalf of citizens

    • Scale: from 0 to 10 (most democratic)

    • Notation: the index is a composite measure; higher values indicate higher levels of democracy

    • Representation in data sources: Our World in Data (note: some datasets may have missing data, indicated as No data)

  • Important scale details:

    • 0 \,\le\, DI \,\le\, 10 where DI denotes the democracy index value

Week 2: Comparing party systems

  • One party system: one party monopolises political power; typically authoritarian

  • Dominant-party system: one party secures repeated election victories over two decades or more and dominates the political agenda (definitions vary)

  • Two-party system: two parties rotate in office

  • Multi-party system: three or more major political parties can win office independently or in coalition

  • Non-partisan system: elections are not determined by competition between parties

Week 3: Comparing outcomes

  • Core question: how do we assess the quality of life, the accomplishments of governments, or the desirable outcomes to seek?

  • Possible evaluation dimensions include:

    • economic performance

    • wellbeing and happiness measures

    • governance quality

    • distributional outcomes and equity

Week 4: Comparing states

  • Visual and geographical analysis component (maps and spatial context) used to understand how state characteristics vary globally

  • Note: map excerpt included with country labels and oceanic regions to illustrate global distribution of states

  • Emphasis on how state structures and contexts influence policy choices and outcomes

Week 5: Executive branches

  • Structure of the executive in democratic systems:

    • President, Cabinet, Public service (Executive)

  • Interaction with other branches:

    • Legislature: law making and oversight

    • Judiciary: courts interpret the constitution

  • Key considerations:

    • Separation of powers

    • Presidential vs parliamentary systems (distinctive features, checks and balances)

Week 6: Group politics

  • Topic title: DOWNWITH THIS SORT OF THING! (emphasis on collective action and political organization)

  • Focus areas potentially include:

    • interest groups and social movements

    • mobilization, lobbying, and policy influence

    • the role of collective action in shaping public policy

Readings, lectures, and tutorials

  • Readings are essential for exam success

  • Lectures provide wider context and deeper exploration of themes

  • Delivery format:

    • In-person lectures on Monday, Tuesday, and some Wednesdays at 15:00

    • Recorded lectures posted on some Wednesdays and Thursdays

  • Active engagement is encouraged through tuts and consultations

Assessment overview

  • Participation: 20% (based on debates)

  • Test: 14 October, 15:00–15:30; Short answer questions based on weeks 7–11 lectures and recorded lectures; 30%

  • Examination: 10 November (date to be confirmed); 50%

  • Consultations: after lectures or by appointment on Teams (anthony.butler@uct.ac.za)

Key concepts and connections

  • Comparative politics as a method for cross-national understanding of political phenomena

  • Distinction between type of government, regime, and policy processes

  • The centrality of the executive in policy formation across many states

  • The role of multiple actors in the policy process beyond the three traditional branches

  • The importance of domestic context in shaping policy outcomes and the value of cross-national comparisons to reveal common challenges and effective responses

  • Conceptualization of democracy through composite indices and the interpretation of numerical values in policy analysis

  • The practical implications of different party systems for governance, stability, and policy continuity

  • The ethical and philosophical implications of evaluating wellbeing, happiness, and quality of life as policy objectives

Notation and references (as per slides)

  • Democracy index (EIU, 2022): a composite index reflecting

    • electoral freedom, civil liberties, democratic preferences, political participation, and government responsiveness

  • Index range: 0 \le DI \le 10 (0 = least democratic, 10 = most democratic)

  • Datasets referenced:

    • Our World in Data

    • Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

  • Contact for further inquiries: anthony.butler@uct.ac.za