1) Introduction Flashcards
What is policies?
The outcome of political decisions.
What is politics?
The political process, which leads to an outcome.
What is polities?
The political system and units.
What is the 1st of the five I’s?
Institutions.
What does institutions inclued?
Structure matters! They shape and constrain actors behavior.
An important concept is path dependence.
What is the 2nd of the five I’s?
Interests.
What does interests inclued?
Individuals are self-interested utility maximizers and engage in political action to receive benefits.
What is the 3rd of the five I’s?
Ideas.
What does ideas inclued?
Ideas are normative goals, which matters for the political output.
What is the 4th of the five I’s?
Individuals.
What does individuals inclued?
Methodological individualism: you look at why the indivdual act as it does.
What is the 5th of the five I’s?
International environment.
What does international environment inclued?
International factors can affect and pose new challenges to domestic policies.
What is the 6th “I”?
Interactions.
What does interactions inclued?
Politics depends on interactions between actors.
Describe the method of difference
The method selects cases that differ on X and Y, but not in the context (Z).
Holding contextual variables constant.
Describe the method of agreement
The method selects cases that differ in the context (Z), but not on X and Y.
Maximizing contextual variation.
What is a most simular system design (MSSD)?
There is variation between X and Y, but the context (Z) is simular for both X and Y.
What is a most different system design (MDSD)?
There is not variation between X and Y, but the context (Z) is different.
What does the MSSD concentrates on?
MSSD concentrates on the variation across cases.
What does the MDSD concentrates on?
MDSD concentrates on the commonalities across cases.
Which method does the MSSD design use?
The method of difference.
Does the MDSD uses the method of agreement?
Not always. The MDSD is related, but not identical to the method of agreement.
What is a case study?
One case at one time point.
What is a time serie study?
One case over time.
What is a closed universe study?
Relevant cases in relevant periods.
What is a cross-section study?
All cases at one time point.
What is a pooled analysis study?
Maximizing cases across time and space.
What does politics compromise?
…human activity of making public and authoritative decisions.
…activity of acquiring the power of making such decisions.
…conflict or competition for power and its use.
What is (according to Caramani) comparative politics?
“(…)it is concerned with power relations between individuals, groups, and organisations, classes, institutions within political systems”.
