Methods of Analysis & Core Concepts
Mill’s Method of Agreement & Difference
Definition: Method of comparative analysis to isolate causal variables
Context: Explains why countries diverge politically.
Cases:
Agreement: outcomes are the same, so search for same cause (among other differing contexts)
Disagreement (outcomes difference, so search for things that are different among otherwise similar contexts)
Dependency Theory
Definition: Poor states depend on rich ones.
Context: Explains underdevelopment.
Case: Latin America exporting raw materials.
Competitive Authoritarianism
Definition: Elections exist, unfair.
Context: Hybrid regimes.
Case: Russia under Putin.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Definition: Hindu nationalist party.
Context: Possible challenge to India's democracy.
Case: India since 2014.
Afrikaners
Definition: White settler ethnic group.
Context: Backbone of apartheid rule.
Case: South Africa political dominance (1948–90s).
Cross-cutting cleavages
- Definition: Social divisions that overlap.
- Context: Reduce conflict risk.
- Case: India caste, religion, language.
Comparative Advantage
Definition: Specialize in what you do best.
Context: Justifies free trade.
Case: Chile copper exports.
The Guardian Council
Definition: Iran’s religious unelected authorities
Context: Prevents those who are elected from ruling and means country is not a democracy
Case: Iran vetting candidates.
Cross-cutting Cleavages
Definition: Social divisions that overlap.
Context: It creates conditions for democracy according to modernization theory
Case: India caste, religion, language.
George Washington
Definition: First U.S. president.
Context: He is an example of leadership centered theories of democratization
Case: United States early republic.
Civil society
- Definition: Organizations outside the state.
- Context: Supports democracy.
- Case: Poland Solidarity movement.
Resource Curse
Definition: Resources hinder development.
Context: Explains authoritarianism.
Case: Nigeria oil dependence.
Gazprom
Definition: Russia’s state gas industry
Context: Keeps people dependent on state, limits access to civil society and keeps country non-democratic
Case: Russia gas exports leverage.
African National Congress (ANC)
Definition: Liberation movement turned governing political party.
Context: From resistance movement to democratic governance.
Case: South Africa after 1994.
The Sharpeville Massacre (1960) & Soweto Rebellion (1976)
- Definition: State violence against protesters.
- Context: significance of international pressure and civil society in leading to democracy (Sharpville lacked these things and did not lead to democracy, whereas Soweto had them and led to democracy)
- Case: South Africa anti-apartheid movement.
Political Pacts / Political Crafting
Definition: Elite agreements during transitions.
Context: Enable stable democratization.
Case: Spain democratic transition.
Rentier State
Definition: State lives off external rents.
Context: Leads to authoritarianism
Case: Qatar oil and gas rents.
Augusto Pinochet
Definition: Military dictator ruling Chile (1973–1990).
Context: Authoritarian repression combined with market liberalization.
Case: Chile after the 1973 coup.
The National Party
Definition: White minority ruling party in apartheid South Africa.
Context: Institutionalized racial segregation and authoritarian rule.
Case: Apartheid-era South Africa.
Apartheid
Definition: Racial segregation system.
Context: Institutionalized minority rule.
Case: South Africa (1948–1994).
Monopsony
Definition: One dominant buyer.
Context: Power imbalance in markets.
Case: Tropical Africa
The Third Wave of Democratization
- Definition: Global surge in democracies (1970s–90s).
- Context: It challenges all prior theories of democratization, brings in 2 new causes – international pressure and context
- Case: Spain, Brazil, South Africa.
“Asian Values”
Definition: Ideology prioritizing order and community over liberal rights.
Context: Used to justify limits on democracy in East Asia.
Case: Singapore and South Korea during rapid development.
The Kuomintang (KMT) & Chiang Kai-Shek
Definition: Dominant nationalist party led by an authoritarian leader.
Context: Party-based authoritarianism preceding democratization.
Case: Taiwan under KMT rule.
The Estates System & the Riksdag (Sweden)
Definition: Early representative system based on social estates.
Context: Demonstrates gradual, elite-led democratization.
Case: Sweden’s transition from estates representation to modern parliament.