Comparative PoliticsAn Introduction

Comparative PoliticsWhat is it?

A subset of political science that uses empirical methods to compare two or more countries and attempts to draw conclusions based on those comparisons

Overview

Freedom House

Democratization

Government Types-a brief review, hopefully

Democratic Systems

Freedom House Index An international non-governmental

organization (NGO) based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights.

It publishes an annual report assessing the degree of perceived democratic freedoms in each country, which is used in political science research

Freedom House IndexFree Countries- a broad scope for open political

competition, a climate for respect for civil liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent media. Examples: United States, Australia, South Korea

Partly Free Countries- limited respect for political and civil liberties. Examples: Philippines, Turkey, Jordan

Not Free Countries- basic political rights are absent and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied. Examples: North Korea, China, Cuba, Russia

DemocratizationDemocratization- the transition to a more

democratic political regime Could consist of the following:

A transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy

A transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy

A transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a fully democratic political system

Waves of Democratization“A wave of democratization is a group of transitions

from nondemocratic to democratic regimes that occur within a specified period of time and that significantly outnumber transitions in the opposite direction during that period of time. A wave also usually involves liberalization or partial democratization of political systems that do not become fully democratic. Three waves of democratization have occurred in the modern world” (15).

Sam Huntington, Third Wave of Democratization

WavesFirst Wave- 1810-1922- increased voter participation,

decreased restrictions to the ballot box and a general trend against monarchic rule. Halted during the rise of the second World War due to a general rise in fascism and communism

Second Wave- 1945-1962- marked rise in democracies that were previously fascist during the war; Eastern European countries remained clearly authoritarian; were signs of democratic growth in Latin America

Third Wave- 1974-present- Involved anti-colonial democratic and anti-authoritarian democratic movements throughout the world; Fall of the USSR and the increased democratization of many of the former Eastern Bloc states

Factors Contributing to DemocratizationThere is a significant debate regarding which

factors consistently contribute to democratization of a country

These are some that are most agreed upon:Country’s Wealth- higher GDP leads to higher likelihood of

democratizingEducation- higher education= more liberal perspectives,

pro-democratic idealsPopulation Demographic- more homogenous tend to have a

smoother transition to democracySocial Equality- less equality leads to more reason for

population to revolt and demand democratization

Resource Curse Theory

Refers to the paradox that countries and regions with an abundance of natural resources, specifically point-source non-renewable resources like minerals and fuels, tend to have less economic growth and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources

Resource Curse Theory

Many theorists suggest that states whose sole source of wealth derives from abundant natural resources, such as oil, often fail to democratize because the well-being of the elite depends more on the direct control of the resource than on the popular support

Government TypesDirect Democracy

Democratic Republic

Oligarchy

Authoritarian

Overview Democratic Systems

Strengths and weaknesses of Democratic Systems

Electoral Systems

Exec.-Legislative Relationships

Party Systems

Major theories behind it all

Democratic SystemsPresidential System- a system of government

where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the name) separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it.

Example: United States, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey

Democratic SystemsParliamentary System- the officials of the

executive branch are elected by the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined. In such a system, the head of government is both de facto chief executive and chief legislator.

Examples: Canada, Spain, Sweden, Japan

Democratic SystemsSemi-Presidential System- a president and a

prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state. Has a popularly elected head of state who is

more than a purely ceremonial figureheadThe president, is responsible to the legislature,

which may force the cabinet to resign through a motion of no confidence

Examples: Russia, Egypt (formerly), Mongolia

Electoral SystemsElectoral System- a method by which voters

make a choice between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum

Types of Electoral Systems:MajoritarianProportional RepresentationSemi-Proportional

Electoral SystemsMajoritarian Electoral System

Plurality, “First-Past-the-Post,” “Winner-Take-All”

Each voter votes for one choiceThe choice that receives the most votes wins,

even if it receives less than a majority of votesPotentially less representative of voting

populationGives voters a clear choice

Electoral SystemsProportional Representation Electoral System

Makes some guarantee of proportionality by making each winning option represent approximately the same number of voters

Number of votes per party directly translates into the number of seats they receive

Voters are sometimes given option to vote for more than one candidate

Tends to promote a more consensus, but highly relies upon coalition-building among political entities

Electoral SystemsSemi-Proportional System

A portion of the elected officials are selected through plurality

The remainder is elected based upon proportional representation methods

Each country determines a formula for this approach based upon electorate demographics

Intended to try to solve some of the problems of plurality-majority voting, particularly the misrepresentation of parties and the lack of representation for political and ethnic minorities

Executive-Legislative Relationship

Presidential Executive

Parliamentary Executive

Semi-Presidential Executive

Presidential ExecutiveConstitutionally fixed termsPopularly Elected, directly or indirectly (electoral college)One-Person (non-collegial executive)

Members of cabinet are advisers and subordinates to the executive; appointed by executive

Same person cannot simultaneously serve in both executive and legislative branches Ex. Hillary Clinton resigns Senate seat to serve as Sec. of

StatePresident does not have the right to dissolve the legislatureSingle executive

President is simultaneously the head of state and head of government

Parliamentary ExecutivePrime Minister and Cabinet Members depend

on legislative confidencePrime Minister is selected by legislaturesCollective or Collegial Executives:

Most important decisions made by the cabinet as a whole

Dual Executives Ceremonial Head of State-a monarch or president Head of Government- Prime Minister

Prime ministers and cabinets can dissolve the legislature and call for a new election

Semi-Presidential (Hybrid) Executive

“Premier-Presidential” SystemPopular election of the PresidentPresident appoints and dismisses cabinet

membersCabinet ministers are subject to

Parliamentary confidencePresident has power to dissolve Parliament

and call for new elections

Perils of PresidentialismThree Perils of Presidentialism:

Temporal Rigidity: Fixed terms; terms of presidents are more stringent than parliamentary systems Not able to be removed under lack of confidence; just under

illegalities; cannot be removed for political reasons Majoritarian Tendencies: less likely to have a coalition cabinet; also,

winner-take-all despite a lack of majority of votes; pluralitypartisanship (majority run-off rule) Causes electoral disproportionality; not representative of a minority

of voters. Dual Democratic Legitimacy: Both executive and legislative branches

are popularly elected: President has less incentive to seek coalitions in congress than do

Prime Ministers No incentive for members of congress to seek approachment with the

executive Can create immobility

Party SystemsDetermined by the electoral system and

government type of the country

Party Institutionalization- the degree to which a political party secures a consistent and competitive position in regular elections

The number of institutionalized parties in a government is influenced by a number of factors, but predominately the electoral system

Duverger’s Law and HypothesisLaw- asserts that a plurality rule

(Majoritarian) electoral system tends to favor a two-party system

Hypothesis- suggests that, conversely to the Law, a Proportional Representation System will create a strong multiparty system

Valid? Why or why not?

Tomorrow

A look at the theories surrounding comparative and international politics

Come ready to discuss and debate! (not like I need to tell you all that)

Unit Project

5 minute presentation on your group’s country

Use the rubric and assignment to create a presentation that covers the main topics listed on the assignment sheet

Be sure to include some sort of visual representation (PowerPoint, Handout, Poster, etc.) to assist your presentation