Exam 1: PP1: Introduction

Question 1

what is comparative politics #1

Answer 1

political science subfield

Question 2

what is comparative politics #2

Answer 2

set of skills and tools for comparing within and between countries

Question 3

what is comparative politics #3

Answer 3

diverse set of approaches

Question 4

what is comparative politics #4

Answer 4

normative use: make better sense of the world

Question 5

what is comparative politics #5

Answer 5

analytical use: explore trends and political processes

Question 6

definition of area studies

Answer 6

consists of being a expert in one area: would know history, politics, religion, industries, language, and culture

Question 7

definition of cross-national studies

Answer 7

consists of having knowledge in multiple countries and knowing their trends and processes and being able to compare them

Question 8

criticisms of area studies

Answer 8

overly descriptive and historical, placed too much emphasis on the unique, parochial (limited scope), atheoretical (no theory), elite focused, focused on the “good countries”

Question 9

why did comparative politics become more scientific in the 1970s

Answer 9

introduction of computers allows greater tools for analysis and allowed for greater surveying of data

Question 10

definition of post-behavioralism

Answer 10

era of politic science from the 1970s to now

Question 11

what did post-behavioralism lead to

Answer 11

protests and anti-war movements, rise of global left and anti-US citizens, search for good society, need for relevance in politics, fragmentation of comparative politics

Question 12

institutions comparative politics compares

Answer 12

executive and legislatures, courts, and bureaucracies

Question 13

critical actors in politics

Answer 13

political parties, elites, interest groups, media, militaries, informal sector, science, tech, and education sectors

Question 14

functions of regimes

Answer 14

socialization of citizens, leadership recruitment and succession, communication, interest articulation and aggregation, policy making and implementation

Question 15

types of mass politics

Answer 15

voting and election activity, social movements, protest and demonstration, political attitudes and public opinion, revolution

Question 16

advantages of case studies

Answer 16

expertise and details, generates data

Question 17

disadvantages of case studies

Answer 17

fragmentation (is it really comparative), reinforces biases, stereotypes

Question 18

most similar systems

Answer 18

finds that what varies has nothing to do with shared characteristics. compares countries in a region, certain backgrounds, or characteristics

Question 19

most different systems

Answer 19

finds out if same results are due to something other than differences

Question 20

four commandments of comparative politics

Answer 20

context matters, classification matters, comparative questions that result in hypotheses matter, generalization matter