Comparative Politics A summary Jennifer Bailey POL 1000 Fall 2013

Pensum – KP/CP Sodaro, Michael J. (2008), Comparative Politics: A Global Introduction, 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Kap: 1-12; 14-21. Jørgen Møller (2012), Statsdannelse, regimeforandring og økonomisk udvikling (hele boka) Heywood, Andrew (2007), Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 5th edition. Palgrave/ Macmillian. Paperback. Kap. 1-5, 7, 10, 12. 4 articles and chapters

Key Themes Covered Ideas and Ideologies – Method – The State Democracy what is the good society? (values) Method – Emprical knowledge how do we know what we know? The State the building block of comparative and international politics Democracy Our good society Where does it come from? What does it take? How do we make it work? Individual countries

Ideas and Ideologies What is an ideology? Which? How to study: Package of beliefs: How the world works, how it should work, and plan of action Which? Liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, nationalism, some on fundamentalism, anarchism How to study: Focus on package of beliefs Pure types vs «spin offs» Understand basic assumptions «Tensions between» boxes useful «isms» boxes ,

Method Boring! Hard to understand! BUT fundamental & essential Making and evaulating arguments about causality Sodero: Hypothesis making and testing Møller the comparative method with a few cases Example: how academic debate develops Bailey, Møller and Sodero: the logic of comparison and evidence The language of method (including but not limited to): Theory, cases, causes, causal mechanisms, variables, operationalization, methods of difference & agreement, MSSD & MDSD, path dependency, hypothesis/hypothesis testing

What is the state? Weber, Møller, Sodero (Knutsen, Jellinek and international law) The building block of comparative and international politics The setting for the evoltuion of democracy Møller – various theories about development of the state in Western-central Europe The importance of a state SYSTEM The importance of war-making Feudalism & free cities and the secular state Tilly, Downing, Ertman, Hui Critical to international politics and development of democracy

Democracy What is Democracy? Sodero, lectures Definitions of democracy, ancient and modern Democracies vs republics Do we have a democracy today?

Democracy: Where does it come from? Møller – theories of development of democracy and captialism in Europe Hintze, Moore, Bloch, Weber, Møller, Anderson, Møller, Skocpol, etc. Also in Sodero’s “what does it take?” (implicit) Implict in the country studies

Democracy: what does it take? Sodero & lectures Sodero’s 10 conditions Extra focus on culture and civil society The «coconut theory»: Can democracy take root just anywhere? Sodero – Afghanistan and Iraq

Translating Democracy from Ideal to practice Organization & institutions matter Reflect history Impact outcomes Constituions and vertical division of power Confederations, federations and unitary states Horizontal division of power Executives, Legislatures (electoral systems) (and Judicial branch) Civil Society & Interest groups

The readings on individual countries What is the point? Empirical knowledge of other countries Apply concepts to individual countries Source of examples and questions Yeah, I see that or That doesn’t fit!