This document provides an overview of key concepts in comparative politics. It discusses three major forces transforming political systems: democratization, socioeconomic modernization, and globalization. Some of the challenges that states face in these areas include building a shared national identity, fostering economic development, and advancing representative democracy. The document also outlines the positive and negative impacts of globalization. It describes the roles of government in community building and economic growth, as well as situations where government actions may hinder citizens.

1. Chapter One
Challenge and Change
in Comparative Politics

2. Learning Objectives
• 1.1 Briefly describe the public and authoritative aspects of political
decisions.
• 1.2 Discuss the challenges of building a national identity for a
nonhomogeneous population.
• 1.3 Explain the processes and challenges of economic
development, giving specific examples from various countries.
• 1.4 Describe the characteristics of representative democracy and
the connections between economic development and
democratization.
• 1.5 Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization.
• 1.6 List five ways in which a government can help its citizens.
• 1.7 List five ways in which a government can harm or hinder its
citizens.
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3. Issues in Comparative Politics
• In the past few decades, the world has
undergone a fundamental transformation.
• Three forces drive this transformation:
• Democratization
• Socioeconomic modernization
• Globalization
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4. What Is Comparative Politics?
• Political decisions are social, public, and
authoritative.
• They take place within a political system.
• The public sphere deals with collective decisions
that extend beyond the individual and typically involve
government action.
• Private sphere deals with actions that do not bind
anyone outside a group (e.g., family, friends).
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5. What Is Comparative Politics?
• Politics is authoritative.
• Formal power rests with individuals or groups
whose decisions are expected to be carried
out and respected.
• Decisions are binding on the political system.
• Politics: activities associated with the control of
public decisions among a given people and
within a given territory.
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6. Challenges
• Despite their diversity, states face common challenges:
• Building community and identity;
• Securing economic development and growth; and
• Advancing democracy and civil liberties.
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7. Building Community
• Absence of common identity can have severe political
consequences.
• Conflict over national, ethnic, or religious identities
can cause political turmoil.
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8. States and Nations
• “Nation” refers to the self-identification of a
people with a common identity.
• Built upon a common language, history, race, or
culture, or simply upon the fact that this group
has occupied the same territory.
• May or may not have their own state or
independent government.
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9. Nationality and Ethnicity
• Ethnicity is an important part of identity
• The German sociologist Max Weber argued that ethnic
groups are usually defined by common physical traits,
languages, and cultures that individuals believe
separates them from other people.
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10. Language
• Language and social division
• 5,000 different languages in use in the world today
• 200 languages have a million or more speakers
• Only 8 classified as world languages
• Political systems cannot avoid committing themselves to
one or several languages.
• Conflicts over educational policies or language use in
government
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11. Religious Differences and
Fundamentalism
• States vary in their religious characteristics.
• Religion may be basis of national identity.
• Religion can be rallying point for political movements.
• Religion can be a source of intense disagreement:
• religious groups can coexist peacefully
• some may commit acts of violence, cruelty, terrorism
• fundamentalism has emerged in all major faiths
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12. Fostering Economic Development
• Two major forces transforming political systems and
nations
• Process of economic development
• Political democratization
• Globalization, democratization, and marketization
• HDI- Human Development Index
• Structure of the labor force
• Agriculture
• Urbanization
• Education levels
• Increased productivity requires skilled, healthy labor
force and infrastructure that supports material welfare.
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14. Problems of Economic Development
• Unequal distribution of resources and
opportunities are among the most serious
causes of political conflict.
• Large GDP may conceal significant
differences in distribution of these resources.
• Country’s politics affected by internal divisions
of income, wealth, etc.
• Economic development improves the equality
of income over time, but first stages of
industrialization may increase income
inequality.
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16. Problems of Economic Development
• Population growth:
• Population increases due to health care improvement,
increased living standards, increased life expectancy
• Rapid population growth can pose policy challenges
for developing nations.
• Environmental costs:
• Despoiled forests, depleted soils and fisheries,
polluted air and water, nuclear waste, endangered
species, and ozone questions.
• Shortages of clean water, air, and adequate
sanitation.
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17. Fostering Democracy, Human Rights,
and Civil Liberties
• Democratization:
• second major force transforming political
systems
• includes enhancement of human rights and
expansion of freedom
• Democracy:
• political system where citizens enjoy basic
civil and political rights
• political leaders are elected in free and fair
elections and are accountable under the law
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18. Fostering Democracy, Human Rights,
and Civil Liberties
• Democratic systems versus authoritarian systems
• Authoritarian: lack defining features of democracy
• Oligarchy, Dictatorship, Totalitarian
• Waves of Democratization:
• First: first half of the 20th century- Western states
• Second: 1943 -1960s: newly independent states
and defeated authoritarian powers
• Third: 1974- Southern Europe, East Asia, Latin
America, a number of African states.
• Result: democracy a common goal of the global
community
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20. The Contribution of Globalization
• Positive Effects
• Negative Effects
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21. What Governments Do?
• Community and Nation Building
• Security and Order
• Protecting Rights
• Promoting Economic Efficiency and Growth
• Public goods
• Externalities
• Social Justice
• Protecting the Weak
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22. When Does Government Become the
Problem?
• Destruction of Community
• Violations of Basic Rights
• Economic Inefficiency
• Government for Private Gain
• Vested Interests and Inertia
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24. Looking Forward
• Average child born today can look forward to a
longer, better, freer life than his parents.
• Still, problems remain and some result from
progress that is made.
• Environmental quality, changing lifestyles,
challenges of globalization and
multiculturalism.
• More affluent and better informed citizenry
may be less inclined to trust political parties,
interest groups, parliaments, political
executives.
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