Introduction to Comparative Politics

1. POL 252
Fall 2014

4. Politics: “Who gets what, when and how”
(Lasswell)
Politics: Struggle for power; emphasis on
decision-making
Political scientists study leadership in
political community
 Political party, legislature, city, region, country

5. Power: Ability to influence others or impose will
on them
First Dimension of Power (Lukes)
Second Dimension of Power (Bachrach and
Baratz)
Third Dimension of Power (Lukes)
 Examples: Campaign Commercials

7. Subfield of political science that compares
the pursuit of power across countries
Examples of Power Imbalances:
 State Control vs. Individual Freedom
 Plutocracy vs. Egalitarianism

10. Based on simple
questions:
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?

12. INSTRUCTIONS:
Just like Jeopardy!, come up a topic of your choice
(does NOT have to be political—can be movies, music, etc.)
Write questions and answers using the Four W’s
Can use phones, laptops, etc. to find answers
Example: The American Presidency
WHO was our sixteenth president? (Abraham Lincoln)
WHAT did he do while in office? (Signed Emancipation
Proclamation)
WHEN did he serve? (1861-1865)
WHERE did he die? (Ford’s Theater, Washington, D.C.)

13. Knowing the four W’s can answer a lot of
interesting questions.
In Lincoln example, “Why?” question might be:
 Why was Lincoln such a great orator?

15. INSTRUCTIONS:
Return to your group and come up with a few
“Why?” questions related to your original topic.

19. Why are some countries democratic and others are not?
Why are some countries rich and others poor?
Why do countries have different institutions and forms
of government?
Why do countries have different public policies?
Why are some social revolutions and others fail?
Why do countries go to war?

20. GENERAL QUESTION
Why do countries go to
war?
SPECIFIC QUESTION
Why did Britain support
U.S. involvement in the
Iraq War?

22. Institutions
Interests
Ideas
Individuals
International Environment
Interactions

24. Government Performance
 Unemployment and Inflation
Constitutional Structures
(and resulting institutions)
“Behavioral Revolution” in Political Science

26. Lasswell Definition of Politics
How do individuals and groups define their
interests?
 Politically
 Economically
 Socially

28. Political Culture
What do people think about politics?
 Opinion Polling (e.g. Gallup Poll, World Values
Survey, etc.)
Equality, Loyalty, Freedom, Justice, Trust
Impact of ideas change over time
 Why?

30. James David Barber

31. ACTIVE-PASSIVE
How much energy does
the president invest in
their job?
POSITIVE-NEGATIVE
How much does the
president enjoy their job?

32. Credit given to Dr. James M. Curry, GVPT 475, University of Maryland
Active-Positive
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt
JFK
Active-Negative
Can we categorize recent presidents?
George W. Bush? Barack Obama?
John Adams
LBJ
Woodrow Wilson
Richard Nixon
James Madison
Ronald Reagan
William H. Taft
Passive-Positive
G George Washington
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ulysses S. Grant
Passive-Negative
Presidential
Character

34. Individual Country Focus
 Why problematic?
International Influences
European Union as Case Study

36. How do EU member
states balance
individual history,
culture, etc. while part
of a large continental
organization?

41. Assumes individuals are rational and self-interested
with sincere preferences
 What?
Borrowed from economics (“utility
maximization”)
Example: Building a New Road in Murray
 Representative Whitfield
 Other Members in Congress

43. Set of widely held attitudes, values, beliefs,
and symbols about politics
 Gives people a way to understand politics
Culture of location can change—but does
slowly—since it becomes ingrained in society
 Endures because of political socialization
Cultural values can influence forms of power

44. Well-defined attitudes, values, beliefs are
clearly identified within any political culture

45. Question Modernists’ argument
Cultures NOT fixed with set values; subject to
interpretation
 Societies have subcultures
(e.g. South and Northeast in U.S.)
Importance of political discourse
Example: Meaning of “family values”

46. Set of beliefs about how a political system should
be constructed
 Examples:
▪ Republicans vs. Democrats in U.S.
▪ Conservatives vs. Labour in UK

47. Argue that political structures influence and
limit behavior
Marxism and Institutionalism
What is an institution?

49. Who rules in the United States?
 Democratically-elected political actors
▪ Presidents, legislators, justices
 Voters
Who rules in other countries?
 A dictator
 The military
 Something or someone else

50. Distribution of Resources
 Social, Economic, Political
 Variation in Supply of
Resources
Discusses power and
influence in New Haven, CT
 Will return to this during week
on democracies and
democratization

52. Society divided into various groups and power is
dispersed so that no group has absolute power
Common in countries with opposing political
parties
Policy = Compromise
Power and Influence Varies
 Example: Democrats and U.S. House

54. Societies are ruled by elite; effective
monopoly on power
C. Wright Mills
Elite groups control
society.
Includes notable
families, celebrities,
CEO’s of companies,
stockholders, etc.

55. Marxism
Patriarchy
Racial Elite

57. Who is in formal position of power?
Who has influence in governmental-decision-
making?
Who benefits from decisions made?