introduction (unit 1) Flashcards
comparative politics
study and comparison of domestic politics across countries
international relations
study which concentrates on relations betweem countries (war, trade, foreign aid…)
institutions
organizations or activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake
formal- based on officially sanctioned rules
informal- unwritten and unofficial
politics
the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group
competition for public power
power
the ability to influence others or impose ones will on them
comparative method
way to compare cases and draw conclusions
inductive reasoning
process moving from studying a case to generating hypothesis
deductive reasoning
process moving from generating some hypothesis about cause and effect to test against a number of cases
correlation
association between certain factors or variables
causal relationship
relation between cause and effect
multicausality
many variables interact to produce particular outcomes
area studies
regional focus
selection bias
cases selected on the basis of effect not cause
our influence on research
endogeineity
variables may be either cause or effect, hard to distinguish
theory
integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions and facts
modernization theory
as societies develop they would become capitalist democracies, converging around a set of shared values and characteristics
behavorial revolution
subject shifted away from investigating of political institutions to individual political behaviour
Aristotle (4th century BC)
1st separated the study of politics from philosophy
comparative method to study greek city-states
book The Politics (empirical study of politics with a practical purpose)
Niccolo Machiavelli (15th century)
1st modern political scientist
emphasis on statecraft and empirical knowledge
book The Prince (discussed his theories)
Thomas Hobbes (16th century)
social contract- people surrender certain liberties in favor of order
book Leviathan (advocated powerful state)
John Locke (17th century)
private property is essential to individual freedom and prosperity
book Two Treatises of Government (advocated weak state)
Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (17th century)
government systems
book The Spirit of Laws (advocated the separation of powers within government)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (18th century)
citizen rights are inalienable and cannot be taken away by the state
influenced development of civil rights
book The Social Contract (discussed his ideas)
Karl Marx (19th century)
predicted the eventual collapse of capitalism and democracy
book Das Kapital (theory of economic development and inequality)
Max Weber (19th century)
bureaucracy, forms of authority, impact of culture on economic and political development
book Economy and Society (these themes)
qualitative research methods
narrowly focused, deep investigations of one or a few cases (interviews, observations, documentary research…)
quantitative research methods
wider use of cases unbound by area specialization (statistical analysis, mathematical models…)
rational choice/game theory
to study the rules and games by which politics is played and how humans act on their preferences
freedom
individuals ability to act independently, without fear of punishment by state
equality
material standard of living shared by individuals within community, society, country
