Theoretical Approaches and the Comparative Method

Question 1

Institutions

Answer 1

formal organizations with political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity (can be more or less formal)

Question 2

Institutionalization

Answer 2

the process in which organizations build stability and permanence when they possess internal complexity, follows clear rules of procedure, and is clearly distinguished from its environment

Question 3

Institutionalism

Answer 3

an approach to the study of politics and govs; focus on structures and dynamics of governing institutions

Question 4

New Institutionalism

Answer 4

examines how institutions make decisions and interests
1. Provide benefits and opportunities, shaping interests,
2. Sustained interactions encourages the emergence of an institutional culture and generate norms that shape behavior

Question 5

Logic of Appropriateness

Answer 5

actions that conform to its norms (officer attending funeral ceremony)

Question 6

Logic of Consequences

Answer 6

actions which members of an institution take on the basis of a rational calculation of altruism or self interest

Question 7

Historical Institutionalism

Answer 7

defines institutions as formal or informal procedures, routines, norms, and conventions

Question 8

Path Dependency

Answer 8

exact sequence doesn’t matter, just that it does

Question 9

Sequencing

Answer 9

one event is caused by another, caused by another like domino effect; sequence of causes and effects

Question 10

Critical Junctures

Answer 10

turning points that alter the course of evolution of some entity

Question 11

Process Tracing

Answer 11

a research method used to develop and test theories. It is generally understood as a “within-case” method to draw inferences on the basis of causal mechanisms

Question 12

Rational Choice
Institutionalism

Answer 12

Actors seek to maximize utility, instits are either consciously designed or consequential outcomes of purposive action
Researchers identify key actors, strategies, decision making sequences, and available info
Game theoretic models (rational-choice)

Question 13

Behavioralism

Answer 13

emphasizes people over institutions, studying the attitudes and behavior of individuals in search of scientific generalization
Individuals as the unit of analysis

Question 14

Rational Choice

Answer 14

based on the idea that political behavior reflects the choices made by individuals working to maximize their benefits and minimize their costs
People are “rational in the sense that , given goals and alternative strategies to choose from; they will select the one that maximizes their chance of achieving goals
Identify goals of the actors and how their objectives can be achieved in a given situation, enabling the ability to predict through modeling expected behavior
Individuals as well as larger units are analyzed

Question 15

Collective Action

Answer 15

Collective Action Problems:
Negative outcomes that happen as people free ride on the efforts of others in providing public goods

Question 16

Structuralism

Answer 16

emphasizes the relationships among groups and networks within larger systems. Interests and positions of these groups shape the overall configurations of power and provide the dynamic of political change
Groups as unit of analysis

Question 17

Marxist/Neo-Marxist
Theories

Answer 17

Marxist/Neo-Marxist Theory
Explores primacy of economic forces in explaining political and social phenomena, the central role of the production process, the character of capitalism as a global mode of production, and the importance of social or economic class
The structure of the global system is a result of the spread of global capitalism that privileges some actors and imposes constraints on others

Question 18

Critical Feminism

Answer 18

Argues that gender permeates all structures
International economic rules and institutions burden women as the current neoliberal capitalist model pressures states to reduce social spending, increasing exposure, and exploitation of minorities and poor to global spending

Question 19

Dependency Theory

Answer 19

Seeks to understand why development has benefited the rich northern states, rather than the poor southern state and why the gap is widening
Contends that terms of trade were unequal between the developing and developed world due to (neo)colonialism and the influence of multinational corporations and international banks based in the developed world
Organizations/instits were viewed as agents of penetration, linking transnational relationships with elites in developing states, linking domestic elites in both the exploiter and exploited states

Question 20

Securitization Studies

Answer 20

Arises due to concerns over the presence of military-industrial complex
Argues that states and international organizations seek to exercise increasing control over their political environment by making an issue into a matter of security

Question 21

Interpretative
Approach

Answer 21

1. There is no political reality separate from our mental constructions, and no reality which can be examined to reveal the impact of ideas upon it
2. Ideas have an independent effect, shaping how we define our interests, goals, allies, enemies, etc.
   Interpretivists consider how the meanings of behavior form, reflect, and sustain, the traditions and discourses of a social group or an entire society
   ideas/interests are socially constructed
   Role of historical narratives

Question 22

Methodology

Answer 22

The systemic analysis of the methods used in a given field of enquiry. Also used to describe the body of methods used in a discipline or its means used to reach a particular set of conclusions

Question 23

Unit of Analysis

Answer 23

The object of study in comparative politics

Question 24

Level of Analysis

Answer 24

The level of study in comparative politics, ranging from the political system level to the individual level

Question 25

Experimental
Method

Answer 25

The usage of experimental and control groups to isolate the effects of different stimuli

Question 26

Statistical Method

Answer 26

The usage of empirically observed data to tease out relationships among variables

Question 27

Comparative Method

Answer 27

Comparing a small number of cases in order to better understand their qualities and to develop and investigate hypotheses, theories, and concepts

Question 28

Case Study Method

Answer 28

involves a detailed study of a particular object as well as the context within which it exists
Seeks to identify how a range of factors interact in the context of the example being studied
The aim of a good case study is to provide a description which is both rounded and detailed; thick description

Question 29

Qualitative Method

Answer 29

A research method that typically uses a small number of cases to understand a phenomenon holistically and within its natural setting, with an emphasis on values, opinions, behavior, and context
A limited number of cases are studied in depth
Descriptive rather than predictive
An effort is made to understand the interaction of multiple variables

Question 30

Most Similar System

Answer 30

a research design based on using cases that are as similar as possible, in effect controlling for the similarities and isolating the causes of differences

Question 31

Most Different
System

Answer 31

a research design based on using cases that are as different as possible, controlling for causes of similarities

Question 32

Quantitative Method

Answer 32

A research method involving variables rather than cases, and attempting to explain political phenomena using statistics
Tries to quantify data and generalize the results to a larger population
Generates information through experiments and survey research

Question 33

Independent Variable

Answer 33

the factor or element believed to influence the dependent variable

Question 34

Dependent Variable

Answer 34

the factor or element we wish to explain

Question 35

Regression Line

Answer 35

the line of best fit in a scatter plot summarizing the relationship between two variables

Question 36

Selection Bias

Answer 36

When selected cases and variables are unrepresentative og the wider class from which they are drawn
Large-n quantitative designs reduce likelihood of selection bias, however, the type of data and variables used could additionally suffer from the bias

Question 37

Survivorship Bias

Answer 37

concentrating on entities that passed a selection process while overlooking those that did not

Question 38

Confirmation Bias

Answer 38

the tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed