Midterm Flashcards
1
Q
Which of these hypotheses does our data support?
- The USA has a higher GDP, per capita, than the UK or South Africa.
- Having a Monarchy makes countries less wealthy per capita.
- Having a President makes countries more wealthy per capita.
- When Prof. de Kadt lives somewhere it becomes a democracy.
A
- The USA has a higher GDP, per capita, than the UK or South Africa.
2
Q
Consequentialism (Bentham)
A
We should look at outcomes(utility, happiness, etc.)
3
Q
Deontology (Kant)
A
We should rely on a priori rules
4
Q
Contractarianism (Rousseau)
A
We should invoke agreements and obligations
5
Q
Care-ethics (Gilligan)
A
We should show compassion for the vulnerable
6
Q
Value-ethics (Aristotle)
A
We should take actions that show virtues
7
Q
Utilitarianism (Bentham,Mill)
A
- Human happiness is the ultimate“ good”
* Take actions that maximize utility/ happiness/ welfare
8
Q
Liberalism
A
is concerned with orienting politics around freedoms
One of the most important political frameworks in human history
9
Q
Negative liberty
A
Freedom from:
Violence, fear, oppression, censorship, etc
Can be freedom from government, or from others
Th ability to act without constraint from othesrs
10
Q
Positive Liberty
A
Freedom to:
Self-actualize, take opportunities, etc
The ability to act upon your own will
11
Q
Egalitarianism
A
concerned with orienting politics around equality
An increasingly dominant modern political worldview
12
Q
Fraternity
A
Humans must be unified
13
Q
Concepts
A
Constituent units of the political world
→e.g. “State,” “Democracy,” “Wealth,” “Elections,” “Voters,” “Support”
14
Q
Hypotheses and Theories
A
How concepts fit together
→e.g. “Democracy→Wealth”
15
Q
Measures
A
The data we can observe in lieu of the concept
→e.g. “Boundaries,” “Polity IV,” “GDP,” “Dates,” “Voting Stations,” “Polls”
16
Q
Inferences
A
Conclusions we draw from our data
→e.g. “A Polity IV score of 10↑wealth by$500 GDP per capita”
17
Q
The scientific process is iterative
A
- Understand current theory [if it exists]
- Observe world
- Refine theory [if needed]
- Generate hypothesis [from theory]
- Test hypothesis [with a good test]
- Evaluate theory→Update [beliefs about] theory
- Back to step 1
18
Q
A good measure is
A
Valid (it measures the right concept)
Reliable (it repeatedly gives us consistent measures)
19
Q
A good inference is
A
Unbiased (we are not mistaken)
•Constrained (we are not going beyond the data)
•Reproducible (you would draw the same inference using the same data)
•Replicable (we can draw the same inference using new data)
20
Q
Coordination
A
Humans working together often produce better outcomes for all.
21
Q
Competition
A
Humans competing can often be beneficial to all.
22
Q
Public goods
A
Non-excludable: No one can be stopped from using the good
Non-rival: One person using a good doesn’t crowd out others
→No incentive for private individuals to invest
23
Q
Coordination and competition require:
A
- Trust
→Will others behave the way they say they will? - Enforcement
→If you cheat, will you be punished? - Leadership
→Is someone going to incur the personal cost to provide oversight?
24
Q
Life without the modern State
A
No central authority •No(agreed-upon) laws •No(agreed-upon) rights •No police force •No court system
25
The State can provide a solution to these problems:
1. Trust
→Known rules of the game help develop trust
2. Enforcement
→Established law and order create expectations about consequences
3. Leadership
→Provides a vehicle for political elites to rule
26
State
Institutional: Comprised of rules and norms(e.g. a constitution)
Complex: Has multiple organs(e.g. police, military, courts, bureaucracy)
Defined: Corresponds to a population and a territory
27
Regime
Constrained: Bound by the rules of The State
Governing: Has executive and legislative functions
Momentary: Corresponds to a set of people holding office
28
The Weberian State
Max Weber: Monopoly over the legitimate use of violence.
29
The Territorial State
Charles Tilly: Violent power over territory, defined by functions.
30
The Predatory State
Margaret Levi: Organized extraction from society.
31
The state is defined by five features:
1. Power: The state can compel compliance
2. Territory: The state has a defined territory
3. Population: The state stands over a defined population
4. Extractive: The state raises revenue from its people
5. Institutional: Exists irrespective of a particular regime/government
32
Diverging Paths
1. Capital:
Concentration:
Are economic resources concentrated to dispersed?
Accumulation: Have people stocked economic resources?
2. Coercion:
Concentration:
Is force concentrated or dispersed?
Accumulation: Is there a stock of violent means?
33
Capital-diffuse
Requires lots of coercion(“Empires”).
34
Coercive-diffuse:
Requires lots of capital(“City-States”).
35
Balance
Create sustained military forces (“ModernStates”).
36
Neither
The State cannot sustain(“Non-States”).
37
State Capacity
1. Projection of Power:
Public goods provision (what about partisan provision?)
Low levels of conflict (what about violent crime?)
Infrastructure reach (what about geographic spread?)
2. Raising Revenue:
Clear and fair tax code (what about different systems?)
Percent of projected tax raised (what if projections are wrong?)
38
State Collapse
* Violence: From within vs. outside.
* Political: Do institutional features still apply?
* Services: Failure to provide what is expected.
* Legitimacy: Eroded trust and support by citizens and elites?
39
The Origins of Collapse
• EconomicOrigins:
Conflict emerges over inequality and resources
Sudden shocks to state revenues
• PoliticalOrigins:
Social cleavages are wielded by elites Excessive predation by powerful elites
Ex:Colombia (80s), Somalia (90s), Venezuela (2017)
40
Collapse of the DRC
1. The never-established State:
→ From the beginning, the State was designed only to extract
→ Never a non-personalized bureaucracy or set of rules and norms
2. State capacity vs. State size:
→ Low capacity but huge space created vacuums
→ Poor public infrastructure limited State reach
3. Resource-rich, wealth-poor, highly unequal: → Much to be gained, but little to be lost
→ Incentives for elites were to fight
41
Monarchy
```
Definition: The leader inherits power
Authority: History, Conquest, or God
Assignment: Hereditary (the child of the previous ruler)
Measurement:
→ Presence of a set monarch/family
→ Absence of freedoms
```
42
Dictatorship
Definition: A ruler or party without formal contestation Authority: Force, Fragility
Assignment: Military might and bureaucratic capture
Measurement:
→ Absence of alternation or contestation
→ Any elections are not free and fair
→ Absence of freedoms
Ex:
Totalitarian
Authoritarian
Racial Oligarchy
Economic Oligarchy
43
Democracy
Definition: The “demos” (people) elevate or eject leaders Authority: The “will” of the people
Assignment: Direct (referenda) or representative (elections)
Measurement:
→ Regular elections
→ Separation of powers
→ Peaceful alternations in control
44
The Mass-Driven Democracy
1. People hold opinions and views
2. They express those views to elect representatives
3. Representatives go forth and represent
4. Outcomes are the “will of the people”
45
The Elite-Driven Democracy
1. Elites hold opinions and views
2. They go forth and campaign on their views
3. Elites carve up the electorate
4 . Outcomes come from “selection among elites”
46
Variation in Democracy
• Parliamentaryvs.Presidential
→ Is the executive directly elected?
• Proportional representation vs. First-past-the-post
→ How do we aggregate votes into seats?
• Federalvs.Central
→ Is power devolved to smaller political entities?
• Party-centricvs.Candidate-centric
→ Do political actors belong to larger coordinating groups?
47
The Case Against Democracy
1. Investment
→ Democracy is susceptible to non-future oriented populism.
2. Particularistic Pressures
→ Politics requires compromise, democracy requires more.
3. Technocracy
→ Non-democracies can concentrate technical expertise
48
The Case For Democracy
1 Capture
→ Democracy may be less likely to lead to personalistic capture.
2 Property rights
→ Democracies may better enshrine property rights.
3 Certainty - investment
→ Democracies may provide more stable future prospects.
49
Democratic Transitions
```
Definition: Moving from dictatorship to democratic mode. Measure: A first free and fair election.
Theories:
1. Economic Modernization
Economic wealth → democratic demands
2. Socio-Cultural Change
Culture of liberalism → social movements
3. External Pressures
International political-economic pressure → pliant elites
```
50
Democratic Consolidation
Definition: Remaining a democracy after change. Measure: A successful democratic power alternation. Theories:
1. Economic Modernization
Wealthy societies → protect what they have
2. Post-Materialist Cultures
Material and political stability → move past pure self-interest
3. External Pressures
Economic inter-connectedness → a lot to lose
51
Democratic Backsliding
Definition: Receding from democratic to dictatorship mode. Measure: A coup, a failed alternation, a cancelled election. Theories:
1. Economic Crises
Gulf between expectations and reality → opportunities for elites
2. Violent Threat
Moments of national fear → waning of civil liberties
3. Military Coups
Strong military relative to other organs → displace elected leaders
52
Hypotheses of Democracy:
1. Low inequality → no transition
2. Low costs of repression + high inequality → no transition
3. High costs of repression + high inequality → transition
53
Modernization:
Empirical regularity that high wealth countries don’t revert.
Culture:
Appear to be attitudinal changes associated with regime types.
Internationalization:
Correlation between interdependence and political systems.
Crises:
Crises do appear to set off change, good and bad.
Inequality:
Higher inequality typically associated with political instability.
correlation does not imply causation
54
Brazil
| What Happened?
1. Persistent elites:
→ Small exclusive set of (wealthy) elites
2. Powerful military:
→ Disproportionate authority and power
3. Crises, compounded:
→ Brazilian economy is susceptible to price shocks
55
Representation
Definition: Elected elites who act on voters’ behalf. Can synthesize diffuse preferences.
Can prioritise particular dimensions.
Can establish expertise or competency.
Are usually forced to compromise with others in creating law.
56
Quality of Representation
Definition: Correspondence of voters’ preferences and elites’ actions.
Which dimensions matter?
→Some argue all, others just the electoral mandate.
Which voters matter?
→Some argue everyone, others just winners.
57
Challenges to Representation
1. Absent preferences
2. Tyranny of the majority
3. Dynamic representation
4. Lobbying
58
Regime components:
Executive: A core of people who execute government’s will
{Presidents, prime ministers, cabinet, ministers, secretaries, bureaucrats}
• Legislature: A body of representatives who create law
{Speaker, members of parliament, senators, representatives, committee groups}
• Judiciary: System of legal courts for arbitration and mediation
{Constitutional courts, judges, lawyers}
• Sub-National Units: More local units of government
{Provinces, US States, municipalities, cities, towns, etc.}
59
Number of chambers
Unicameral: Single chamber of parliament Bi/tricameral: Two (or three) chambers of parliament
60
Electoral Systems
Votes: Individual eligible voters’ choices on election day Seats: Individual representatives in a legislature
Representativeness?
No. seats ÷ no. votes (à : ] → Higher, more representative Equality of seats per voter → Equality of representation?
61
Judiciary
Issue: How much power do legal courts have?
Representativeness?
Interventionist court system → less representation
Laissez faire court system → tyranny of majority
62
Sub-National Government
Moving power from larger political units to smaller units
Representativeness?
Unitary system → Less direct representation
Federal system → Tyranny of the majority (depends on geography)
63
United Kingdom
1. Parliamentary regime
→ Head of executive is Prime Minister
→ Beholden to House of Commons (lower house)
→ Head of State is a largely ceremonial Monarch
2. First-past-the-post
→ Bicameral with one elected, one quasi-inherited chamber
→ Lower house: Full FPTP
→ Upper house: Peers (some appointed, some hereditary)
64
The European Union
1. Executive
→ Essentially semi-presidential
2. Legislative
→ Bicameral system
→ Unequal and hierarchical
→ Lower house: Directly elected via varying PR systems
→ Upper house: Indirectly appointed by governments
3. Supra-national Powers
→ High economic competence, “shared” elsewhere
