Intro to Comparative Politics Exam 1
Who were the political thinkers that relied on the comparative method? How did they contribute to comparative politics?
Aristotle primarily examined the constitutions of the Greek city-states to better understand the various forms of governance. Nicole Machiavelli tried to understand the successes and failures of the various forms of governance in order to prescribe policies for statesmen, first modern political scientist
What was the modernization theory?
As societies developed they would become capitalist democracies, converging around a set of shared values and characteristics
The majority of the remaining communist countries can be found on which continent? Can you name those countries?
Asia. China, Vietnam, North Korea, and Laos
The last remaining dictatorship in Europe is ?
Belarus
What is the difference between dependent and independent variables?
Dependent is something we are trying to explain, and independent is plausible answer to that question/factors that influence the dependent.
What are some limitations of a comparative method?
Difficult to control variables, limited number of cases, barriers to conducting research, selection bias can slew research and results, endogeneity
What is a de facto state? Can you give an example?
Entities that have a population, territory and a government but are not internationally recognized. Somaliland
Where did the first modern state emerge?
Greece
How are parliamentary systems different from presidential systems?
Parliamentary- found in many democracies prime minister is head of state can't be removed by national elections or vote of no confidence prime minister is part of legislature. Presidential- found in few, president head of state and government, can be removed, not tied to legislature or greater separation of powers.
What are the different types of non-democratic rule? Can you define them?
Personal/Monarchical Rule- One person rules the country Military Rule- small group of military officials seizes power and takes over the government One-Party Rule- Single political party has all of the power and other political parties are not allowed to participate in politics Theocracy-Political regime based on faith and described as a "rule by God". Hybrid Regimes- both democratic and non-democratic aspects of politics
What are the benefits and drawbacks of each method?
Qualitative Benefits: Researchers can conduct an intensive study of cases to acquire deeper grasp of political context. Qualitative Drawbacks: There are limitations in establishing large datasets because researchers can examine only one country or few countries at the same time. Quantitative Benefits: Researchers can examine a large number of cases all at once. They can also control variables more easily because certain mathematical functions will allow them to do so when they use SPSS or STATA. Quantitative Drawbacks: The data that researchers have may be skewed or incomplete which means thatcertain variables that one wishes to examine are not available in the dataset
What methods are used to gather and analyze data?
Quantitative and Qualitative methods
What are the different types of political attitudes? How do they look at the pace and scope of political change?
Radicals- seek revolutionary change, violent is necessary. Liberals- seek evolutionary change. Conservatives- seek little or no change. Reactionaries- seek to restore previous order, violent if necessary
Which country is number one in the "2017 Fragile States Index"?
South Sudan
Which state joined the United Nations in July 2011?
South Sudan
How is a regime different from a state?
States are the computers and a regime is the software
What is comparative politics?
The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries
What is the significance of the Reign of Terror (French Revolution)?
The term - terrorism- was coined during the French Revolution. example of state- sponsored terrorism.
Can you define the following: a) ethnicity?; b) citizenship?; c) nation?; and d) nationalism?
a) attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from another b) individual's relationship to the state c) a group that desires self-government through an independent state d) "set of political ideas emphasizing the distinctiveness and unity of one's nation, specifying common interests, and prescribing goals for action."
What are the following types of political control and can you give an example of each? a) coercion; b) surveillance; c) co-optation; d) personality cult.
a) coercion- use of force/threat to induce compliance with the regime. Josef Stalin was known for his "purges". b) surveillance-close watch over individuals' behavior by state authorities. East Germany's secret police c) co-optation-providing benefits in return for political support. Mobutu and Democratic Republic of Congo d) personality cult- holding the leader to higher standards than simply viewing him/her as a political figure.Turkmenistan and Former President Niyazov
What are the goals of the following political ideologies: a) anarchism; b) liberalism; c) communism; d) social democracy; e) fascism?
a) no state, individuals have a lot of freedom. b) limited state role in society and economic activity, high degree of personal freedom c) limited personal freedom and strong state, property is wholly owned by the state d) private property and state has a strong role in regulation the economy and providing benefits to the public. e) low degree of personal freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state.
What is the resource trap theory?
allow leaders to have enough wealth to run their respective states without imposing taxes on the citizens
How are non-democratic regimes defined?
controlled by by a small group of individuals who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public
What is the difference between correlation and causation?
correlation association between certain factors or variables.
What is the significance of the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)?
created the ultimate division between church and state on the level of global politics and as having introduced the concept of sovereignty to world politics. it also ended the thirty year war
Review your documentaries-related notes.
don't have any lol
What is the difference between a revolution and a coup d'état?
during a coup d'état military officials or elites are seizing power whereas during a revolution the public plays the key role in the struggle for power.
What is the significance of the Magna Carta, 1215?
first document that tried to limit the political pursuits of kings/monarchs, nobody is above the law.
What are the origins of democracy?
goes back to ancient Greece and Rome
Which of the following is weakly institutionalized: a) government; b) regime; c) state?
government
What is the difference between a head of state and a head of government?
head of government is concerned with day-to-day tasks of running the country, head of state- more symbolic role and is not directly involved in everyday activities of running the country
What is totalitarianism?
highly centralized state whose regime has a well defined ideology and seeks to transform and fuse the institutions of state, society, and the economy.
What is the significance of the ancient Greek city-states?
how the city-based states behaved and how they behaved towards one another. Acted as they're own sates and had wars and alliances etc...
What are the institutional, individual, and ideational explanations for political violence?
institutional- individual-motivations are based on their belief that there should be a struggle for independence and/or their own personal experiences of repression ideational- belief that citizens face extermination.
What do you know about Al Qaeda and ISIS?
last two slides of module 6
Can you give an example of a "nation-state" and a "stateless nation"?
nation-state- japan, stateless nation- kurdistan
What was the purpose of the Bolshevik Revolutions (1917)?
plant the roots of communism and what was later to become the Soviet Union.
How is democracy defined?
political power exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty.
What is a revolution?
public seizure of the state in order to overturn the existing government and regime
What do you know about the Arab Spring?
slide 11 of module 6
What are the characteristics of a sovereign state?
territory, population, government, international recognition
What is state sovereignty?
the ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independent of external actors and internal rivals
What is a state?
the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory, most important actor in modern international system and is central to all relationships in global politics.
What is terrorism?
the use of violence by non state actors against civilians to achieve a political goal.
What is political violence?
violence that is outside state control and politically motivated
