Comparative Political Systems

Question 1

International Relations

Answer 1

International relations is the study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest groups). It is related to a number of other academic disciplines, including political science, geography, history, economics, law, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.

Question 2

International Relations Theory - Realism

Answer 2

The oldest theory in IR, Realism argues that politics should viewed as it currently exists, and not how one would wish the world were. And when looking at the political system, or more specifically, the international system, realists focus their ideas about how international relations work based upon the concepts of power and security. Realists view anarchy as a condition that leads to state competition for resources, security, and power and are constrained by the “negatives” of an anarchical international system.

Question 3

International Relations Theory - Liberalism

Answer 3

Originating from the Age of Enlightenment (1685-1815), Liberalism is set on the idea that actors in the international system could reach a ‘peaceful world order’ and not one of violence and insecurity that the realists argue. Thus, humans are not naturally violent-prone with one another, that instead, peace is actually quite possible. In their view, international institutions, such as the UN, WTO, and WHO, can be used to secure peace between nations. Liberalists argue that cooperation through International organizations is possible under an anarchical system and help bring about positive gains for state and non-state actors; they are not constrained by the “negatives” of an anarchical international system.

Question 4

International Relations Theory - Constructivism

Answer 4

The newest theory in IR, Constructivism is the claim that significant aspects of international relations are historically and socially constructed (sociopolitical constructs and norms) and are incorporated into human identity, rather than inevitable consequences of human nature or other essential characteristics of world politics. In contrast with Realism and Liberalism, it does not believe anarchy is a default state of human nature, but rather can be socially constructed itself. Constructivism can also be further developed into Realist Constructivism and Liberal Constructivism.

Question 5

International Relations - Marxism

Answer 5

Marxism, in international relations theory, examines how those in economic control use and exploit the worker (who is making the product). They often focus on how economic elites usually obtain the vast majority of the financial benefits from the sale of products workers produce. Furthermore, Marxists believe that there have been numerous cases, throughout the centuries, of imbalances of economic power between economic elites and workers that have led to conflict in societies.

Question 6

International Relations Theory - Feminism

Answer 6

Feminism is a broad term given to works of those scholars who have sought to bring gender concerns into the academic study of international politics and who have used feminist theory and sometimes queer theory to better understand global politics and international relations.

Question 7

International Relations Theory - Tribalism

Answer 7

Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Human evolution has primarily occurred in small groups, as opposed to mass societies, and humans naturally maintain a social network. In popular culture, tribalism may also refer to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are loyal to their social group above all else, or, derogatorily, a type of discrimination or animosity based upon group differences.

Question 8

International Relations Theory - Green Theory

Answer 8

Green theory in international relations is a sub-field of international relations theory which concerns international environmental cooperation. It might examine the international political economy, how liberal institutions resolve international environmental dilemmas, bioregionalism in geopolitics, and environmental security which involves the ‘securitization’ of environmental threats.

Question 9

Comparative Politics

Answer 9

Comparative politics focuses on the differences between countries in order to better understand the societies at play. In order to do this, comparative political scientists examine the structure of a government, the function of a government, and the political culture of a government.

Question 10

Comparative Politics - Structure

Answer 10

The structure of a government refers to the actual setup of a given system. It means institutions. Every political system has several institutions, such as political party, legislature, executive, judiciary, etc. Structural functionalists argue that all political systems, including Third World systems, can most fruitfully be studied and compared on the basis of how differing structures perform functions in various political systems.

Question 11

Comparative Politics - Function

Answer 11

The function of a government refers to any special ways of doing things within that structure. On the input side, functions can be listed as: political socialization, political interest articulation, political interest aggregation, and political communication. Listed as outputs, are rule-making, rule implementation, and rule adjudication. Other basic functions of all political systems include the conversion process, basic pattern maintenance, and various capabilities (distributive, symbolic, etc.). Structural functionalists argue that all political systems, including Third World systems, can most fruitfully be studied and compared on the basis of how differing structures perform these functions in various political systems.

Question 12

Comparative Politics - Political Culture

Answer 12

Political culture is defined by the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences as the “set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system”. It encompasses both the political ideals and operating norms of a polity. Political culture is thus the manifestation of the psychological and subjective dimensions of politics. A political culture is the product of both the history of a political system and the histories of the members. Thus, it is rooted equally in public events and private experience.

Question 13

Monarchy

Answer 13

In a monarchy, a king or queen holds supreme power over his or her nation. A monarch can be either absolute, with full power, or constitutional, with limited power.

Question 14

Theocracy

Answer 14

A theocracy is a type of government ruled by a deity, whose representatives claim divine inspiration and interpret the laws found in the nation’s holy texts.

Question 15

Oligarchy

Answer 15

An oligarchy is controlled by a group of wealthy and powerful aristocrats.

Question 16

Dictatorship

Answer 16

In a dictatorship, one leader rules with absolute power, little restraint, and often violence. A dictator usually does not inherit his position nor is he elected to it.

Question 17

Representative Government

Answer 17

In a representative government, leaders are elected by citizens who actively participate in the political process.

Question 18

Socialism

Answer 18

Socialism is a social and economic philosophy that attempts to reduce inequality among different social classes of people through creating a more equal distribution of resources. One approach is the collective ownership of the means of production, which are the resources used to produce things such as land, capital and tools. Another approach is to provide comprehensive social welfare services funded through taxation.

Question 19

Command Economy

Answer 19

In a command economy, pretty much all business enterprises and farming is owned and controlled by the state. All decisions regarding the production and distribution of goods and services are made by a central planning authority in the government.

Question 20

Communism

Answer 20

Communism is a social and economic philosophy that is based on the elimination of all private property ownership to create complete equality. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels provide the most common explanation of communism in their 1848 book, The Communist Manifesto.

Question 21

Parliamentary System

Answer 21

In a parliamentary system all real legislative power resides in the legislative body. The de facto head of state is often the leader of the parliament’s largest party (the executive-monarchy is largely symbolic), referred to as the prime minister. The prime minister fills the rest of his executive with other members of Parliament, who become the de facto executive body.

Question 22

European Parliament

Answer 22

The European Parliament (EP) is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU. It is composed of 751 members. It legislates in areas such as agriculture, immigration, environmental protection, consumer rights, and energy. However, it is required to ensure that any legislation it chooses to make cannot be better instituted by local, regional, or national authorities. One of its other main duties is to supervise the rest of the EU’s legislative bodies on behalf of the citizens of EU countries.

Question 23

Constitutional Governments

Answer 23

Constitutional governments are governments that establish documented rules or principles about the legal limits of the government. These norms help determine how power will be distributed in the nation and who gets to make what decisions.

Question 24

Constitutional Governments - Unitary

Answer 24

A unitary approach concentrates more power at a national level. Decision-making occurs at a national level, and states and regions carry out these laws.

Question 25

Constitutional Governments - Federal

Answer 25

If a government is more federal in style, power is less concentrated at the national level, and there is a balance between decision-making at a regional level and at a national level.

Question 26

The “rules” of American politics.

Answer 26

Democracy, Constitutionalism, and Capitalism.

Question 27

Democracies Spread - Africa

Answer 27

Across Africa, European empires established firm colonial control, denying any democratic aspirations. Borders incongruent with languages and cultures and a long history of suppression has made transition difficult.

Question 28

Democracies Spread - Asia

Answer 28

Major Asian empires spent the end of the 19th century trying to industrialize and emulate European economies and militaries. The Japanese Empire went one step further and implemented a constitution and representative legislature (Meiji Constitution and Diet), although with firm imperial control they were far from a true democracy.

Question 30

Democracies Spread - Latin America

Answer 30

Latin American nations were able to overthrow the Spanish Empire and declare independence early in the 1800s. While most of these nations established themselves as democratic republics, the independence wars left them fractured, leading to a rise in military dictators across the hemisphere. Benito Juárez and la Reforma (1855-1872) attempted to fix Mexico’s democracy, but in 1876 Porfirio Díaz overthrew the government established himself as a dictator.

Question 30

The Three Waves of Democracy in the 20th Century

Answer 30

The first wave of new democratic governments came in the early part of the century, following the end of World War I. The second wave is attributed to World War II and the end of colonialism throughout the developing world. The third wave is commonly associated with the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism.