1. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:32:38
Capacity to keep issues off
agenda that threaten preferences
2. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:39
Commitment to leader/message
3. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:53
Based on rules of office rather
than leader
Inherent to stable democracies
4. Comment Part 1 - Course Introduction, Comparative Politics and
4 February 2020 at 20:36:33
Origins: revolutionary France;
Comparative Method
royalists sat to the right while
radicals/commoners sat to the left
Concepts
Concepts have blurred
Government: institutions through which societies are authoritatively governed
5. Comment • More suitable for larger units
4 February 2020 at 20:37:58 • Role (Hobbes): anarchy → order (protect from harm)
Peace, democracy, trade • Monopoly of violence
protection, social security, etc • Secure peace + cooperation
• Standardize efficient methods of decision-making → incentivize resolving disagreements
6. Comment • Locke: inherent risk of abuse of authority
4 February 2020 at 20:38:17
Militarism, nationalism, authority, Political system: broader array of forces that surround/influence government (parties, media,
morality, free markets, freedom, lobbies, etc)
etc
Governance: process of collective decision making (with or without government)
• Focus on regulation, quality, process
Politics: negotiation/competition in collective decision-making
Power:
• Capacity to achieve objectives (rather than fall victim to circumstance)
1 • Mobilization of bias
• Manipulation of preferences
State: provides legal mandate/authority to governments
Authority: right to rule given by people
2 3 • Means of validation: tradition, charisma, appeal to legal/rational norms
Ideology: system of thought expressing views on human nature + proper organization of state
and society + individual’s position within prescribed order
• Main ideologies:
• Anarchism: all forms of government unnecessary; voluntary cooperation/free association
• Marxism: elimination of state system/private property
• Liberalism: maximizing personal freedom, limited and democratic government
• Conservatism: free markets, decentralized government
• Fascism: authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism
4 • Left vs right
5 • Left: reduce inequality + pro-diversity
6 • Right: accepting of natural inequalities + national unity
,7. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:47:27
Classification
8. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:13
People have supreme power
9. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:21
One person rules based on
established laws
10. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:31
One person rules in self-interest Methodology
11. Comment Comparative politics: study of different political systems through comparison/contrasting
4 February 2020 at 19:58:10
• Broadening understanding
Object of study 7 • Typology; allows broad assumptions
• Predicting outcomes (often unsuccessful)
12. Comment
• Testing hypotheses
4 February 2020 at 20:01:47
One example meant to apply to
Typologies:
other situations
• Aristotle’s six types of government
8 10 • Montesquieu: republican, monarchical, despotic
13. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:03
• Three world system (based on Cold War)
• Different indexes
Not representative but expected
to become so (e.g. Tunisia as
11 Unit of analysis ≠ level of analysis
guide for Arab Spring)
Methods of comparative study:
14. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:17 • Case study method: focus on single case and its context
Creator, first ever example • Implications and interaction between factors
12 17 • Types of case studies: representative, prototypical, exemplary, deviant, critical, theory-testing
15. Comment • Comparative/qualitative: small number of case studies
4 February 2020 at 20:02:28 • MSSD (most similar system design): selecting cases as similar as possible except in variable
Seeks out atypical cases of study
• MDSD (most different system design): selecting cases as different as possible except in
16. Comment variable of study
4 February 2020 at 20:02:40 • Statistical/quantitative: large number of cases, statistical analysis
If it works here, it works • Historical: focus on process leading to outcome
anywhere (e.g. promoting • Experimental: manipulating case
democracy in Afghanistan) • Counterfactual: what would happen if factor were absent
17. Comment Challenges of comparative study:
4 February 2020 at 20:03:31 • Too few cases, too many variables
Probing theory in new case study • Selection bias
to see how well it applies • Survivorship bias: studying only surviving examples, ignoring past examples
• Value bias
• Con rmation bias
• Cultural imperialism (same act, different meaning)
• Globalization → states no longer separate (hinders statistical analysis)
Readings:
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 1
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 6
fi
,18. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:18:24
E.g. in Apartheid South Africa,
contestation was allowed but
only white citizens could vote
19. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:45
Schumpeter: can only refuse or
accept rulers
20. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:29
Only purpose is to produce a
government
21. Comment Part 2 - Democracies and Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:30:45
John Stuart Mill: only purpose is
to prevent harm to others Democracies
22. Comment Democracy: political system based on fair/open mandate from citizens
6 February 2020 at 19:29:09 18 • Dimensions (Dahl):
E.g. freedom of speech • Contestation: ability to express political preferences
• Inclusiveness: entitlement of citizens to participate in politics
23. Comment • No perfect examples; instead “polyarchies”
6 February 2020 at 19:42:25
(Post-)industrial, educated Types of democracies:
population, etc • Direct: all citizens take part in decision-making
• Example: Athens (462 - 322 BCE)
24. Comment • Advantages: more representative, citizens trained in politics
6 February 2020 at 19:44:11 • Disadvantages: impractical (lack of permanent bureaucracy), disinterestedness of unwilling
Wealth/large middle-class softens participants
class struggle • E-democracy: online arena
• Disadvantages: bandwagoning, trolls, lack of access, manipulation, echo chamber
However, correlation between • Representative: elected government
affluence and democracy absent • Advantages: disinterested citizens can limit attention to monitoring → better politics
between developed countries 19 20 • Disadvantages: limited citizen power (political accessories)
21 • Liberal: representative + limited by laws/constitution
25. Comment • Liberalism: belief in natural rights of individual
6 February 2020 at 19:33:59
22 • Civil liberties: rights relative to government
As much outcome as intention • “Majority rule with minority rights”, prevent tyranny of majority
• Checks and balances: government institutions counter-balance one another
Measuring democracy:
• Freedom house (free, partly free, not free)
• Number of free democracies has decreased in past decade
• Post-war eras: surges in democracy
• Norm (but not evenly spread)
• Distinguish between full and flawed
23 Linked to being modern:
• Reasons:
24 • Distribution of economic resources
• Economic security → less corruption
• More interest groups that promote democracy
• Education strengthens democratic values
• Implies development precedes democratization (e.g. China, Russian failure)
Waves of democracy:
25 • First wave (1828 - 1926): suffrage (slow, sequential)
• Second wave (1943 - 1964):
• Post-war reconstruction (assisted by victorious Allies)
, 26. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:37:20
- Ending of dictatorships in
Greece, Portugal and Spain
(1970s)
- Retreat of generals in Latin
America (1980s)
- Collapse of communism in
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
27. Comment
6 February 2020 at 20:00:58
No (significant) opposition
28. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:59:00 • Decolonization
E.g. no constitution • Political parties
• Third wave (1974 - present): globalizing
29. Comment 26 • Inhospitable environment for non-democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:58:04 • Emergence of many hybrid regimes
If it exists, vague/contradictory/ • Western foreign policy promoting democracy
ignored • Fourth wave? (Fukuyama: end of history)
30. Comment Democratization:
6 February 2020 at 22:11:43 • Fall of authoritarian regime ≠ democracy (can be replaced or failed)
Associated with abuse • Difficult to impose by force
• Success more likely when imposed by multinational force with international support
31. Comment • Needs time to take root
6 February 2020 at 22:23:24 • Stages:
Abuse of officer for private gain • Liberalization (ruling group concedes)
• Transition (write constitution, elections, etc)
32. Comment • Consolidation (acceptance, habitual, peaceful transition of power)
6 February 2020 at 22:24:43 • Deepening (flawed → full)
Use political influence to benefit
third party
33. Comment
Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 22:26:40
Use of state resources to reward Non-democratic regime:
supporters 27 • Non-competitive selection, intolerant to opposition
28 29 • Centralized: unaccountability to citizens and rule of law
34. Comment • Nonexistent/under-resourced/unprofessional legislature and judiciary
6 February 2020 at 22:25:39 30 • Despotism
Favoring family or friends • However, must maintain support of allies
31 • High levels of corruption
35. Comment • Private gain > public gain
6 February 2020 at 22:25:54 • Discourages foreign investments
Theft of public funds 32 35 • Forms: electoral fraud, bribery, influence peddling, patronage, nepotism, embezzlement,
36 kickbacks
36. Comment • Dimensions:
6 February 2020 at 22:26:12 • Pluralism (little to none)
Offer public work to company in • Mobilization
exchange for share of payment • Leadership (unpredictable)
37 • Advantage: ability to work more effectively (no bureaucracy/gridlocks)
37. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:21:39 Types of non-democratic regimes (some overlap):
E.g. China: 38 • Totalitarian: absolute authority (no independent entities)
- Economic growth between • Only example: North Korea
1978 and 2009 far exceed that of • Plurality: none
democratic India • Mobilization: none
- Can generate early stage 39 • Leadership: cult of personality
economic development 40 • Sultanistic/non-patrimonial
(industrialization requires massive • Plurality: some, but subject to despotism
investments in infrastructure; • Mobilization: none?
can ignore losers of investments)
38. Comment
6 February 2020 at 21:34:12
Political, businesses, etc
39. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:04:53
Omnipresent leadership
Like Big Brother (not necessarily
personalistic)
4 February 2020 at 20:32:38
Capacity to keep issues off
agenda that threaten preferences
2. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:39
Commitment to leader/message
3. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:34:53
Based on rules of office rather
than leader
Inherent to stable democracies
4. Comment Part 1 - Course Introduction, Comparative Politics and
4 February 2020 at 20:36:33
Origins: revolutionary France;
Comparative Method
royalists sat to the right while
radicals/commoners sat to the left
Concepts
Concepts have blurred
Government: institutions through which societies are authoritatively governed
5. Comment • More suitable for larger units
4 February 2020 at 20:37:58 • Role (Hobbes): anarchy → order (protect from harm)
Peace, democracy, trade • Monopoly of violence
protection, social security, etc • Secure peace + cooperation
• Standardize efficient methods of decision-making → incentivize resolving disagreements
6. Comment • Locke: inherent risk of abuse of authority
4 February 2020 at 20:38:17
Militarism, nationalism, authority, Political system: broader array of forces that surround/influence government (parties, media,
morality, free markets, freedom, lobbies, etc)
etc
Governance: process of collective decision making (with or without government)
• Focus on regulation, quality, process
Politics: negotiation/competition in collective decision-making
Power:
• Capacity to achieve objectives (rather than fall victim to circumstance)
1 • Mobilization of bias
• Manipulation of preferences
State: provides legal mandate/authority to governments
Authority: right to rule given by people
2 3 • Means of validation: tradition, charisma, appeal to legal/rational norms
Ideology: system of thought expressing views on human nature + proper organization of state
and society + individual’s position within prescribed order
• Main ideologies:
• Anarchism: all forms of government unnecessary; voluntary cooperation/free association
• Marxism: elimination of state system/private property
• Liberalism: maximizing personal freedom, limited and democratic government
• Conservatism: free markets, decentralized government
• Fascism: authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism
4 • Left vs right
5 • Left: reduce inequality + pro-diversity
6 • Right: accepting of natural inequalities + national unity
,7. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:47:27
Classification
8. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:13
People have supreme power
9. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:21
One person rules based on
established laws
10. Comment
4 February 2020 at 19:55:31
One person rules in self-interest Methodology
11. Comment Comparative politics: study of different political systems through comparison/contrasting
4 February 2020 at 19:58:10
• Broadening understanding
Object of study 7 • Typology; allows broad assumptions
• Predicting outcomes (often unsuccessful)
12. Comment
• Testing hypotheses
4 February 2020 at 20:01:47
One example meant to apply to
Typologies:
other situations
• Aristotle’s six types of government
8 10 • Montesquieu: republican, monarchical, despotic
13. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:03
• Three world system (based on Cold War)
• Different indexes
Not representative but expected
to become so (e.g. Tunisia as
11 Unit of analysis ≠ level of analysis
guide for Arab Spring)
Methods of comparative study:
14. Comment
4 February 2020 at 20:02:17 • Case study method: focus on single case and its context
Creator, first ever example • Implications and interaction between factors
12 17 • Types of case studies: representative, prototypical, exemplary, deviant, critical, theory-testing
15. Comment • Comparative/qualitative: small number of case studies
4 February 2020 at 20:02:28 • MSSD (most similar system design): selecting cases as similar as possible except in variable
Seeks out atypical cases of study
• MDSD (most different system design): selecting cases as different as possible except in
16. Comment variable of study
4 February 2020 at 20:02:40 • Statistical/quantitative: large number of cases, statistical analysis
If it works here, it works • Historical: focus on process leading to outcome
anywhere (e.g. promoting • Experimental: manipulating case
democracy in Afghanistan) • Counterfactual: what would happen if factor were absent
17. Comment Challenges of comparative study:
4 February 2020 at 20:03:31 • Too few cases, too many variables
Probing theory in new case study • Selection bias
to see how well it applies • Survivorship bias: studying only surviving examples, ignoring past examples
• Value bias
• Con rmation bias
• Cultural imperialism (same act, different meaning)
• Globalization → states no longer separate (hinders statistical analysis)
Readings:
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 1
• Comparative Government and Politics (Hague et al.), chapter 6
fi
,18. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:18:24
E.g. in Apartheid South Africa,
contestation was allowed but
only white citizens could vote
19. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:45
Schumpeter: can only refuse or
accept rulers
20. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:26:29
Only purpose is to produce a
government
21. Comment Part 2 - Democracies and Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:30:45
John Stuart Mill: only purpose is
to prevent harm to others Democracies
22. Comment Democracy: political system based on fair/open mandate from citizens
6 February 2020 at 19:29:09 18 • Dimensions (Dahl):
E.g. freedom of speech • Contestation: ability to express political preferences
• Inclusiveness: entitlement of citizens to participate in politics
23. Comment • No perfect examples; instead “polyarchies”
6 February 2020 at 19:42:25
(Post-)industrial, educated Types of democracies:
population, etc • Direct: all citizens take part in decision-making
• Example: Athens (462 - 322 BCE)
24. Comment • Advantages: more representative, citizens trained in politics
6 February 2020 at 19:44:11 • Disadvantages: impractical (lack of permanent bureaucracy), disinterestedness of unwilling
Wealth/large middle-class softens participants
class struggle • E-democracy: online arena
• Disadvantages: bandwagoning, trolls, lack of access, manipulation, echo chamber
However, correlation between • Representative: elected government
affluence and democracy absent • Advantages: disinterested citizens can limit attention to monitoring → better politics
between developed countries 19 20 • Disadvantages: limited citizen power (political accessories)
21 • Liberal: representative + limited by laws/constitution
25. Comment • Liberalism: belief in natural rights of individual
6 February 2020 at 19:33:59
22 • Civil liberties: rights relative to government
As much outcome as intention • “Majority rule with minority rights”, prevent tyranny of majority
• Checks and balances: government institutions counter-balance one another
Measuring democracy:
• Freedom house (free, partly free, not free)
• Number of free democracies has decreased in past decade
• Post-war eras: surges in democracy
• Norm (but not evenly spread)
• Distinguish between full and flawed
23 Linked to being modern:
• Reasons:
24 • Distribution of economic resources
• Economic security → less corruption
• More interest groups that promote democracy
• Education strengthens democratic values
• Implies development precedes democratization (e.g. China, Russian failure)
Waves of democracy:
25 • First wave (1828 - 1926): suffrage (slow, sequential)
• Second wave (1943 - 1964):
• Post-war reconstruction (assisted by victorious Allies)
, 26. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:37:20
- Ending of dictatorships in
Greece, Portugal and Spain
(1970s)
- Retreat of generals in Latin
America (1980s)
- Collapse of communism in
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
27. Comment
6 February 2020 at 20:00:58
No (significant) opposition
28. Comment
6 February 2020 at 19:59:00 • Decolonization
E.g. no constitution • Political parties
• Third wave (1974 - present): globalizing
29. Comment 26 • Inhospitable environment for non-democracies
6 February 2020 at 19:58:04 • Emergence of many hybrid regimes
If it exists, vague/contradictory/ • Western foreign policy promoting democracy
ignored • Fourth wave? (Fukuyama: end of history)
30. Comment Democratization:
6 February 2020 at 22:11:43 • Fall of authoritarian regime ≠ democracy (can be replaced or failed)
Associated with abuse • Difficult to impose by force
• Success more likely when imposed by multinational force with international support
31. Comment • Needs time to take root
6 February 2020 at 22:23:24 • Stages:
Abuse of officer for private gain • Liberalization (ruling group concedes)
• Transition (write constitution, elections, etc)
32. Comment • Consolidation (acceptance, habitual, peaceful transition of power)
6 February 2020 at 22:24:43 • Deepening (flawed → full)
Use political influence to benefit
third party
33. Comment
Non-Democracies
6 February 2020 at 22:26:40
Use of state resources to reward Non-democratic regime:
supporters 27 • Non-competitive selection, intolerant to opposition
28 29 • Centralized: unaccountability to citizens and rule of law
34. Comment • Nonexistent/under-resourced/unprofessional legislature and judiciary
6 February 2020 at 22:25:39 30 • Despotism
Favoring family or friends • However, must maintain support of allies
31 • High levels of corruption
35. Comment • Private gain > public gain
6 February 2020 at 22:25:54 • Discourages foreign investments
Theft of public funds 32 35 • Forms: electoral fraud, bribery, influence peddling, patronage, nepotism, embezzlement,
36 kickbacks
36. Comment • Dimensions:
6 February 2020 at 22:26:12 • Pluralism (little to none)
Offer public work to company in • Mobilization
exchange for share of payment • Leadership (unpredictable)
37 • Advantage: ability to work more effectively (no bureaucracy/gridlocks)
37. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:21:39 Types of non-democratic regimes (some overlap):
E.g. China: 38 • Totalitarian: absolute authority (no independent entities)
- Economic growth between • Only example: North Korea
1978 and 2009 far exceed that of • Plurality: none
democratic India • Mobilization: none
- Can generate early stage 39 • Leadership: cult of personality
economic development 40 • Sultanistic/non-patrimonial
(industrialization requires massive • Plurality: some, but subject to despotism
investments in infrastructure; • Mobilization: none?
can ignore losers of investments)
38. Comment
6 February 2020 at 21:34:12
Political, businesses, etc
39. Comment
6 February 2020 at 22:04:53
Omnipresent leadership
Like Big Brother (not necessarily
personalistic)
