Comparative Politics Methodology
Name two core challenges to conducting scientifically rigorous research in comparative politics.
- Large number of variables
- Managing multicausality interaction between variables
- Managing endogeneity
- Small number of cases
- Limited access to case details
- Uneven research focus (geographic and topical)
- Selection bias and inability to randomize cases
What term refers to the ability of a state to carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and internal rivals? Name one internal and one external threat to this ability.
Sovereignty.
Internal - organized crime, rebel movements, powerful public dissent
External - adversarial foreign states, international movements
What is the key difference between ethnicity, national identity, and citizenship?
Ethnicity - ascriptive (usually) historical/cultural identity, separate from politics
National identity - ethnicity-derived (usually) sense of belonging to a group, with political aspiration; basis for nationalism
Citizenship - relation to a state, purely political; basis for patriotism
Which of China, Iran, and Russia is the wealthiest country?
China by GDP, Russia by GDP per capita
Which case country adheres to religious fundamentalism?
Iran
A comparative politics researcher who is skeptical of the value of archival research and interviews of key figures, but strongly emphasizes statistical analysis and mathematical models, would be considered to prefer what type of research methodology?
Quantitative methods
Federalism is a system in which key governmental powers are devolved from the national level to regional and local governments.
A federal system protects local interests and provide a check (limit) on central power, which promotes democracy.
A federal system may weaken state efficiency by dispersing power among too many competing authorities, and exacerbate ethnic or regional conflict within the state.
Name two strong nation-states (one course country, one not) and two states which are not nation-states (one course country, one not).
Many possibilities...China, Russia, Iran, Mexico are fairly strong, but not pure examples due to large ethnic minority population. Nigeria, UK are multinational states.
Which case country emerged from civil war as a Communist one-party authoritarian regime?
China
Which case country is best described as having low capacity, high autonomy vis-a-vis foreign actors, and high autonomy vis-a-vis internal actors?
Iran
Why is causation often difficult to determine in comparative politics?
Many variables often shape policymaking with no way to isolate the variable producing changes.
Multicausality, endogeneity.
Make a persuasive argument that the regime of the U.S. has changed since the American Revolution.
Numerous options, but a good answer would reference a change in:
- norms and rules regarding individual freedom and collective equality, the locus of power, and the use of that power
- Expansion of executive power? Growth of the national security complex? Expansion of voting rights?
Using the concepts of nation, state, and nation-state, what conclusions might we draw about how and where a disproportionate amount of international conflict arises?
Many high-profile conflicts (Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Taiwan) arise where the borders of states and the borders of nations do not coincide. This could be a state which houses multiple distinct nations, or a nation that sprawls across multiple distinct states.
Which of Russia, China, or Iran maintains a federal system?
Russia (de jure)
Name two key sources of national power for Russia.
Cultural/historical continuity, military power, geography/natural resources, population, etc.
Freedom - An individual's ability to act independently, without fear of restriction by the state or other individuals or groups in society. Often used synonymously with "autonomy".
Equality - A standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country.
Which is more important is a subjective question, convince me!
Describe the features of a country with low capacity, low autonomy vis-a-vis foreign actors, and high autonomy vis-a-vis domestic actors. Name a country that might be described this way.
Poor functioning and unable to provide basic services, strongly influenced by more powerful foreign states, little popular influence over government.
North Korea.
Describe the four main political attitudes. Are these best depicted in a line or a circle?
Radical, liberal, conservative, reactionary.
A circular depiction may more effectively demonstrate that radicals and reactionaries share a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo and a willingness to overthrow the status quo regime.
How do the concepts of "de jure" and "de facto" relate to the governance of Russia?
Russia maintains a "de jure" constitution with many of trappings of modern democratic regimes, but "de facto" acts as a highly centralized authoritarian regime with decisionmaking concentrated in Putin.
Describing the status quo political ideology in China is very complicated. To what extent does China exhibit a combination of different political ideologies? Which ones?
Complicated class discussion...
Generally low freedom. Equality is mixed. Communist roots, but liberalizing requires much greater inequality. Some indications of growing fascism as equality undermined by growth imperative and nationalism emphasized.
Describe at least two features of political institutions. What is a downside for a country of having deeply embedded political institutions?
- Political organizations that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake.
- "Enduring, not permanent".
- Embedded in people's lives as a norm or value, not easily changed, but can evolve over time.
- Vary widely across time and place.
- Strong (stagnant) political institutions can result in path dependence.
Connect the ideas of the "state of nature" and the "social contract" to the rise of political organizations.
Political philosophers (we have discussed Hobbes and Rousseau) have different understandings of the state of nature -- "nasty, brutish, and short" v. "noble savages". Regardless, the social contract is a philosophical idea that individuals agree to sacrifice a portion of their individual rights in order to submit to a political order which will in turn provide certain collective needs.
Using the ideas of high and low freedom and equality, describe the five main political ideologies.
Anarchism - high freedom, high equality
Liberalism - high freedom, low equality
Communism - low freedom, high equality
Fascism - low freedom, low equality
Social democracy - medium freedom, medium equality
Name a group in China for which nationalism and patriotism may be difficult to reconcile.
Taiwanese, Uighurs, Mongolians, Tibetans, Hui, etc.
What type of policies might a reactionary in China promote? How about a reactionary in Iran?
Chinese reactionaries may want a more devoutly Communist/Maoist system, or even a return to the Imperial regime.
Iranian reactionaries may feel the current regime has become too secular and liberal, and want a return to the earliest, most fundamentalist days of the revolution. Alternatively, reactionaries could call for a return to the pre-revolution regime.