Study PolSci Guide
SECTION A MATERIAL I) What is comparative politics? A) Studying the relations between states and other political organization in international systems B) Seeking differences and similarities with respects to patterns, processes, and regularities in their political systems II) Varieties of Comparative Politics A) Specific Research Questions Consists of one place and one region, you compare with another time in that region Examples: (a) Why did the social Dem. Party lose last election? (b) How did Hussein stay in power? (c) Why didn't a specific country develop, while looking at itself over time? B) General Research Questions Tries to collect as many examples as possible with the same event and compare them to each other. Examples (a) Why do revolutions occur? (b) Why do dictatorships turn into democracies? C) Qualitative Studies You rely on historical narrative to study a certain event or country. Study the changes over time. D) Quantitative Studies Use numerical indicators and correlate them using statistical analysis. Over years become more quantitative because more data. Appropriate conditions to use quantitative studies The data has to be available Has to be measured accurately Cost low The N-Problem If you have a lot of factors you will need a lot of cases. Sometimes you do not have sufficient cases for how many factors you are studying. E) Longitudinal Comparisons Looking at a country or something else and comparing it to itself over time. Similar to Qualitative Studies F) Latitudinal Comparisons Compare cases to each other in different nations. Similar to Quantitative Studies (a) Scopkel "States and Social Revolutions" was an example of latitudinal ovservation.
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III) Cause and Effect A) When condition A gives rise to outcome B there are two ways Necessary Condition If not A, then not B (a) There has to be an event for something to happen, not always have A then B Sufficient Condition If A, then B (a) Occurrence of A in itself B will occur IV) Variables A) Dependent variable (y), changes in response to a change in the independent variable B) Independent variable (x), causes a change in the dependent variable V) The Comparative Method/Fundamental Method A) Has to do with the N-Problem, don't have enough cases B) John Stuart Mill Liberal Totalitarian "System of Logic" Made the method of agreement and method of difference Method of agreement (a) Looks for present patterns of events that repeat overtime. (b) If not present in one, everything gets rejected. (i) Example slide 5 Method of difference (a) Compare differences on dependent variable (b) Make differences (c) Revolution vs. not revolution (d) Different conditions (e) Different outcomes (i) Example slide 6 VI) Is Comparative Politics A Science? A) Not a natural science B) Can't hold experiments like you can in a laboratory C) However we do use statistical methods D) Hard to analyze society like scientists can with natural occurrences SECTION B MATERIAL Power, State, and Domination I) Introduction A) Max Weber Most influential in PolSci Sexist. Believes power in the essence of politics Believes in 3 motivations for holding power Idealistic (a) Tries to achieve their moral vision Egoistic/self interested (a) Hold power for yourself, very narrow
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Power for Power's Sake (a) Enjoy feeling power over others II) Power A) Take your will and impose it on others; get them to act with what you say Not necessarily coercive/violent Convincing Bribery Kindness/Morals Violence occurs mostly when someone doesn't give into power III) Domination A) Different from power Power by command You can have power without domination Domination is a subset power with command IV) The State A) Form of political domination Domination is continuously organized and mandated B) Can't define a state by it's end (achievements) but it is defined by it's means (how it got to where it is) There is no particular end for all states, you have to look at it's means C) ...the state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory. State is the only one who can legitimately control force Anyone can use force however the state can only use force legitimately D) One State Per Territory THE STATE AS SOVEREIGN POWER Sovereign - having supreme rank, power, or authority. I) Two Different Views of The State Poggi A) David Easton founding father of PolSci Easton's views are often called economistic Central problem of social life (a) Scarcity (i) Overcome scarcity by allocation (who gets what), using 3 distinct allocation mechanisms. 1. Custom a. Patterns that have been long established Medieval time or earlier i. Examples: Tipping, charity, arranged marriages, holiday gift giving 2. Exchange a. Trade of one object of value for another of equal value i. Example: Command Purchases
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3. a. Some person giving an order i. Examples: Taxes, government spending Review of Easton's views Custom is barely used today Exchange needs to be someone to enforce it, contracts, rules, etc. Politics is a necessity to solve scarcity B) Carl Schmidt Carl Schmidt's view relies on state security and danger He thinks of society as being a cultural identity (a) Groups who share a cultural identity are called nations Basic problem of danger is that it has to protect it's uniqueness (a) Outsiders and other states are the threat C) Problems with Schmidt's Views and Easton's Views Schmidt Why not cooperate with states instead of hating on them (a) Has the danger of becoming a police state within a country (b) States should give people a sense of community to maintain cohesion Easton Have to establish who commands Regulate moral and legal questions Regulate the market so that certain things aren't sold to citizens like rockets. II) State and Sovereignty A) From perspective of other states Respect for territory It's internals belong to that state States need to see their survival International relations problem each state tries to solve by itself B) Moving from comparative government to comparative politics They started to look at the people not the constitutions THE EXERCISE OF POWER I) Introduction: Weber's definition of power A) Power is the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance, regardless of the basis on which this probability exists. II) Etzioni's classification of power A) Coersion Using force, a bomb etc. for fear or to stop them
B) Utilitarian
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Using bribery like money C) Symbolic Using ranks, words, rhetoric, propaganda D) Symbolic is the easiest to keep in power with. THE LEGITIMATION OF DOMINATION Weber Rulers who use Power by force are the most vulnerable. I) Legitimacy A) How strong the exercise of power by command is Domination Composing rule by force unjust/negative Group seeking obedience from another group Authority Experience worth of respect positive Examples: People who obey out of fear not legit Material self interest not legit People obey but they don't want to not legit The rulers make a claim to why they should rule and then the people being dominated accept that their domination is valid legit II) Ideal types of legitimate authority A) Legal Authority Those who are in power are under the law too. B) Traditional Authority Long held beliefs embedded into a community. There is really no other way to live. C) Charismatic Authority A person is extra-ordinary by heroism or exceptional capabilities. Exceptional sanctity (a) Jesus, Buddha, Moses Heroism (a) War leaders Exemplary Character (a) MLK Jr D) Can't expect to see pure legal, traditional, or charismatic, but only just partials. III) Legal Authority Officials get power by elections, bureaucracies. A) Laws apply to everyone in the territory 24/7 B) Laws as a body is completely specific but also abstract, laws are written C) Those who make laws are also under it D) Obedience to authority is only following the law. The powers of officials are not attached to the individuals. IV) Traditional Authority Primogeniture rule of the first born A) Those who rule are of higher status B) Almost seems natural because it is what they are used to C) Commands are legit if traditions lead the way D) Personal aspect of authority E) Not a system of bureaucrats but to the person
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F) Limits to power If the master oversteps the limits set by the people in power previously. V) Charismatic Authority A) Have to do something extra-ordinary B) Examples Heroes, people who give solutions to problems sought as impossible. C) Just as with the other authorities is doesn't matter how we see it but how the followers see it D) Respond to unusual circumstances(maybe a crisis occurred) If everything is going well there won't be a charismatic leader crisis = charismatic leader E) The response to a crisis is a revolution F) Inherently unstable It's not the personality of the leader but the crisis and response Charisma = when the revolution occurs it completely replaces the old norms Works directly on the individual G) The leader has a mission The attempt to fix the crisis H) The leader has a gift The thing that makes them worthy of being followed I) It is unstable because the leaders have to constantly prove themselves The first time the leader shows his gifts aren't working the followers will stop believing them J) Charisma fails belief disappears K) Charisma eventually putters out L) In the beginning charismatic authority doesn't want material possessions M) With success charismatic authority is diminished eventually and then moves on to another authority N) Remnants of charismatic authority after new order is established
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