POL 102: Introduction to Comparative Politics

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POL 102 Introduction to Comparative Politics

• Instructor Dr. Gang Guo
• E-mail gg_at_olemiss.edu

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A Shrinking World

• Events around the world affect us all
• Globalization
• how international economic, social, cultural, and
  technological forces are affecting events inside
  individual countries.
• We live in a time of crisis
• The world is changing significantly and quickly

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Why we compare?

• Alexis de Tocqueville
• Democracy in America
• Although I very rarely spoke of France in my
  book, I did not write one page of it without
  having her, so to speak, before my eyes
• Without comparisons to make, the mind does not
  know how to proceed

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Why we compare?

• Comparison is fundamental to all human thought
• Comparison is the methodological core of
  scientific study of politics
• compare the past and present
• compare experiences of various nations
• develop explanation
• test theories

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How we compare?

• Description of political phenomena
• conceptual framework
• Explanation of political phenomena
• causal relationship
• test theories
• large numbers (large n) statistical studies
• small numbers (small n) case studies
• Prediction of political phenomena

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Politics

• public decisions
• within a community
• political system
• authoritative
• Power ability to get people or groups to do what
  they otherwise would not do
• coercive means
• force and monetary resources

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Political system

• System
• interdependent parts and boundaries
• Political system
• set of institutions and agencies
• government
• political organizations (parties, interest
  groups)
• formulate and implement collective goals of a
  society or of groups within it

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State

• State
• a particular type of political system
• has sovereignty (independent legal authority)
• night watchman state
• police state
• welfare state
• types and strength of states

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Government

• Government
• organizations of individuals
• authorized by formal documents
• make binding decisions on behalf of a particular
  community
• philosophical debates
• why government exist?
• state of nature

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Government serve functions

• community-building
• nation
• large-scale communities
• common perceived identity
• political culture
• public attitudes toward politics and their role
  within the political system
• political socialization

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Government serve functions

• providing security, law, and order
• external security
• national defense forces
• internal security
• police forces
• government monopoly
• protecting economic, social, and political rights

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Government serve functions

• promoting economic efficiency and growth
• market failures in capitalist economies
• property rights, competition, and information
• undersupply of public goods
• parks, roads, national defense, environment
• negative externalities
• environmental degradation
• natural monopolies

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social justice

• redistribute resources
• equal opportunities