MIDTERM

Question 1

What is the study of anything other than the study of American domestic politics?

Answer 1

Comparative politics

Question 2

When was the first “heyday” of the study of comparative politics?

Answer 2

1960s

Question 3

What was going on in the 1960s?

Answer 3

The era of decolonization, more countries gaining their independence

Question 4

What do you use the “comparative method” for?

Answer 4

To test the theory in diverse cases since it is frowned upon to generate theories based off of one case

Question 5

The falsifiable of your hypothesis

Answer 5

null hypothesis (H0)

Question 6

Many hypothesis with many variables that do not relate are called

Answer 6

kitchen sink regressions

Question 7

Correlation does not imply …

Answer 7

causation

Question 8

independent variable that is manipulated.. X or Y

Answer 8

X

Question 9

dependent variable with are the outcome.. X or Y

Answer 9

Y

Question 10

The plan by which comparativists embark upon the collect data

Answer 10

research design

Question 11

What are the three components of a research design..

Answer 11

literature review (history of the topic)
theory (what theory will be tested)
methods (how the scholar will conduct the research)

Question 12

“hard science”, what is it and examples

Answer 12

science that is less likely to change, biology, chemistry

Question 13

“soft science”, what is it and examples

Answer 13

science that is more likely to change, economics, sociology

Question 14

quantitative is more…

Answer 14

generalizable

Question 15

qualitative is more for…

Answer 15

specificity

Question 16

positivism

Answer 16

there is a scientific method to how we do research

Question 17

1960

Answer 17

Behavioral Revolution

-shift to quantitative, make behavioral science more science-y

Question 18

Weberian States and their Characteristics

Answer 18

Mark Weber, modern states are Weberian states

1. defined population
2. defined borders- must be respected by everyone
3. external sovereigty (UN recognition)
4. monopoly on the legit use of force (internal sovereignty)
   - the state are the only ones that can use force or violence. No youth groups etc

failed states lack one of more of the criteria to be a Weberian state

ex of Weberian state= United States

Question 19

Federalism and Unitary system

Answer 19

system of government where power is devolved into sub-federal units
ex. United States Federal go’vt—> Virginia gov’t—–> Richmond local government
*helps reduce ethnic conflict
oppisite is unitary system where all the power resided at the top (federal) level ex. Britian, anything with a Parliament

Question 20

Authoritarianism

Answer 20

government that governs by force, no democracy
ex. Russia, Brazil 1964-1985, Egypt 1952-2011
not all autocracies are evil, they just have no freedom or say in the governmental systems

polity 4- autocracy anything less than -6
democracy is anything greater than 6
anocracy between -6 and 6

Question 21

civil society

Answer 21

non political associations that are beneficial to a DEMOCRATIC society
ex. Girl/Boy Scouts, sports teams, etc.
no good civil societies=no good democratic life

Question 22

supranationalism

Answer 22

The bun of the sovereignty sandwich
MNCs, IGOs, NGOs, Transnational networks
-IGO ex. UN
The take away power from the state by doing jobs the state should be doing, ex. When Dr. Jones was in Nigeria and the Nigerian government was attempting to fix the area and a IGO whose base is in China came and paved a road.
-State sovereignty is under a great amount of pressure from the top and the bottom and they leach away power in multiple ways.

Question 23

subnationalism

Answer 23

The bottom of the sov. sandwich
Terrorist groups, separatist groups, ethno-nationalism
ex. Boko Haram, MEND
Elections in Nigeria pushed back because of Boko Haram’s opposition to democracy so they put civilians at risk.
State sovereignty is under a great amount of pressure from the top and the bottom and they leach away power in multiple ways.

Question 24

Methods in Discipline

Answer 24

1900s- Historical studies of war and empires
1960s-Mathmatical Formal Models of Behavior, Behavioral Revolution, quauntitative formal work
2000s- Perestoika- people were more geared toward quant. and polisci. people were upset about there not being a balance between the two: qual. and quant.

Question 25

what can you use qualitative for?

Answer 25

interviews, historical analyis, SMALL n case studies, participant observation

MICRO level

Question 26

what about quantitative?

Answer 26

mathmatical formal modeling, LARGE n case studies, surveys

MACRO level

Question 27

Failed states

Answer 27

AKA collapsed/zombie states

Missing one or more of the Weberian state characteristics

Somalia, DRC, Yemen, Jamaica,

If there is a failed state next door, you are likely to be involved ex. Central African Republic, Chad, and DRC

Civil war has become internaturalized, ex. Sierra Leone and Liberia had a period of civil wars and are now starting to get up from it but Ebola has now come into the scene and knocked them back down

Some failed states do not have recognition ex. Taiwan, Palestine, Tibet

Question 28

Oligarchy

Answer 28

only a few people (elites) who are in charge of the state
tend to involve the military
ex. Ancient Greece and Rome, Modern Thailand
type of authoriatianism

Question 29

communism

Answer 29

Karl Marx
planned economics and political systems, type of authoritarianism, ex. Stalin Russia and Cuba, Vietnam (but rided of comminist economic control after fall of Soviet Union)
only elections for one group/political party

Question 30

theocracy

Answer 30

government is headed by a religious power

ex. Vatican City and the Islam Republic of Iran

Question 31

Divided Gov’t

Answer 31

One branch of the federal government is headed by one political party and the other is by the other
ex. United states
Executive-dem, Congress-rep,

Question 32

What are the 4 key elements of constitutional designs?

Answer 32

1. unitary v. federal government
2. Separation of powers or not
3. Judicial review v. parliamentary supremacy
4. Majoritarian or proportional representation