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Comparative Politics:

Comparative Politics:. Asking “Why” About The World. CP as a subfield of Political Science. What is Comparative Politics?. Study of Politics Within Countries Emphasis on politics “as they are,” not as they “should be”

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Comparative Politics:

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  1. Comparative Politics: Asking “Why” About The World

  2. CP as a subfield of Political Science

  3. What is Comparative Politics? • Study of Politics Within Countries • Emphasis on politics “as they are,” not as they “should be” • Implicit and explicit emphasis on comparing and contrasting politics within and between countries, eras, & regions

  4. Comparative Politics: • Originated in late 1800s as subfield of political science • Originally minor field due to: • American bias • primarily done by Europeans themselves • Originally very formal – looked at constitutions, judicial rules, etc.

  5. 20th century: CP gets cool. Why? Behavioral revolution (1920s, 1930s), World War II, and post-colonialism (1950s and 1960s)

  6. What do you think are some of the most important questions in comparative politics today?

  7. What we study in CP: examples • Why do some governments work more efficiently than others? • Under what conditions are totalitarian regimes likely to come to power? Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Allegory of Good Government. Detail. 1337-40. Fresco. Sala dei Nove, Palazzo Publico, Siena, Italy

  8. More examples of what we study in CP: • Why do some communities get along well and others try to kill each other? • Why do some ethnic conflicts become genocidal?

  9. Democracies & Democratization Politics of Advanced Industrial Democracies transitions to democracy legislative institutions, electoral systems, party systems the judiciary capitalism and democracy democratic stability Current Themes in CP

  10. More Themes in CP: Political Economy • Liberalization • development • income distribution • business-govt relations • welfare states • welfare reform • corruption • Transitions from communism

  11. Effects of globalization Citizenship; minority rights; immigration Social movements & social mobilization More Themes in CP:

  12. More Themes in CP: Nationalism & ethnic conflict: • ethnic mobilization • conflict resolution • nationalist ideology • guerrilla movements • ethnic parties

  13. The “Comparative” in CP: • One case (small n) Why did the East German regime collapse so suddenly in 1989? • Many cases (large n) Why did almost all the communist regimes of East Europe collapse in 1989? • Theoretically informed

  14. What are some of the benefits (McCormick) -- and drawbacks -- of comparison?

  15. How we do CP: Types of research • Quantitative: based on numbers & statistical methods. • Qualitative: does NOT rely on numerical analysis. Tends to focus on one or a few cases. Includes in-depth interviews, analysis of documents, etc. (“area specialists”)

  16. Censuses Surveys & polls Court documents Interviews Memoirs Speeches Party programs Letters Reports Newspapers Participant-observation Other government documents How we “do” CP: some sources of information

  17. What are the five main tasks (operations) good comparativists engage in, according to Sodaro?

  18. Looking for answers:Methods in CP An example: Why didn’t Iraqi citizens overthrow Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and 1990s?

  19. Three main methods (types of answers) • Rational-Choice • Culturalist • Historical Institutionalism

  20. What’s the point of a methodology?! •  Helps you decide what to focus on (culture, economy, institutions, etc) • Helps you recognize your biases and preconceptions • Gives you a tool kit and useful vocabulary • Helps you “join” a conversation and encourage you not to re-invent the wheel.

  21. Diversity in CP: Scientists & Storytellers in search of explanation

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