Lim Chapter 3 Comparative Politics

Rational Choice Theory

Individuals make choices based on self-interests and preferences, but don't do EVERYTHING they want to be of constraints

superstructure

Marxist term for the government, religion, and other institutions whose primary role is to help support the dominance of the ruling class

reproduction

in structuralism, the process through which relationships are passed between generations or societies

institutionalism

that sound in the background is neoliberals nutting. it kinda scoots outside of the main 3 approaches but its not Cool or Popular enough to be counted as a main.

post-positivism/reflectivism

tied to constructivism - believes the way we think helps define reality. Popular rn bc cultural relativism is all the rage.

equilibrium outcomes

when all rational choices necessary have been made so no actor has incentive to alter things

What Theory Do

- simplify reality - help select relevant facts - guides interpretation of facts - guides how u organize facts - allows development of "whole" arguments (they all simplify or abstract tho)

objectivity

The point where positivists and reflectivists break from each other - reflectivists don't think it exists

public choice

Variant of "rational choice". Synonymous with "collective action," it specifically studies how government officials, politicians, and voters respond to positive and negative incentives.

deductive logic

a type of reasoning, based on hypothetical premises, that requires predicting a specific outcome from a general principle (if she breathes... she's a thot)

positivism

believes good theories explain "how reality works"; once we have good ones we should be able to develop laws to predict the workings of the social world

contradictions

conflicts within relationships which cause disharmony (to a marxist structuralist, say, competition and the desire for accumulating wealth which leads to class conflict)

structural tradtion

looks abstractly at relationships between actors: hegemony, dependency, etc. Focuses on state lvl analysis, and emphasises history. (chess analogy)

Cultural approach

most understood of the three traditions bc culture is a lil.... relative. Even the way we define it varies.

3 main approaches to theory

rationality, culture, structure

strategic interaction

relates to game theory, refers to situations where actors make decisions based on their knowledge of each other