Intro to Comparative Politics

What is political science?

• the study of governments, public policies, political processes, systems, and political behavior

States and Nations

• Nation = a group of people with a common identity, including a common history, ethnic, linguistic, religious bonds

• State = political system that has sovereignty based on a recognized right of self-determination

• Nation-states = when national identification and the scope of legal authority in a territory coincide

Regime vs. Government

• Government – the people currently in charge– Ex.) Obama in the White House, Democrats in

the Senate, Republicans in the House• Regime – institutions and practices that

typically endure from govt. to govt.– Ex.) Democratic regime; authoritarian regime

• Regime change in Iraq different from change in government in US

Regime Types• Constitutional republic• Single party republic• Constitutional monarchy• Absolute monarchy• Theocracy• Dictatorship• Oligarchy• Totalitarian

Political and Economic Change

• Two major forces transforming political systems and nations:– Process of economic development

(marketization)– Political democratization

What causes democratization?

Corporatism vs. Pluralism

• Corporatism – economic policy is negotiated among elites in government, labor, and business– Usually outside of the regular electoral

legislative process• Patron-client relationship – relationship

b/w powerful people seeking support and less powerful people seeking benefits

• Pluralism – many different interests compete to influence government policy

Electoral Systems: Single Member Districts vs. Proportional Representation

• Single Member District (First-Past-the-Post / Winner-Take-All) – only one representative is chosen from each constituency/district– Tends to produce two party system

• PR – parties receive a number of seats in legislature proportionate to their share of the vote– Tends to produce multiparty system

Liberal vs. Illiberal Democracies

• What’s the difference?

Criteria for Liberal Democracies• Civil liberties• Rule of law• Competitive, fair, free elections

– Possibility of alternation of parties in government

• Neutrality of judiciary• Open, strong civil society – web of

membership in political and social groups (voluntary associations)

• Civilian control of the military

Illiberal Democracies

• = Countries that have regular elections but are missing others of the above qualities

• Ex.) Russia and Nigeria

Substantive vs. Procedural Democracy

• Democracies may have elections (procedural) but may lack the rule of law and civil liberties (the substance of democracies)

• All substantive democracies are procedural, but not all procedural democracies are substantive– Ex.) elections but no independent judiciary +

no civil society allowed to exist

Democracy is NOT a Dichotomy

• Most countries cannot be easily categorized as absolutely democratic or authoritarian– There will often be characteristics of both

• It is better to think of democracies as existing along a continuum/spectrum

Democratic------------------Authoritarian

• Where do each of the 6 core countries fall on the continuum?Democratic------------------Authoritarian

• China• Iran• Mexico• Nigeria• Russia• United States• United Kingdom• North Korea

Role of Bureaucracies in Modern Nation-States

• Bureaucracies = agencies that implement govt. policy

• Size and number greatly increased throughout 20th century– Bureaucracies have assumed increasing rule-

making powers in most political systems

Fragmentation

Democratization