1. research traditions: rationality, structure, and culture
foundations of comparative politics
Timothy C. Lim
California State University, Los Angeles

2. research traditions: an introduction to rational choice
micro-level
research traditions: an introduction to rational choice

3. theory in comparative politics research traditions
rational choice perspective
what does it mean to act in a rational manner?
how does rationality help explain human behavior and larger social, political, and economic phenomena?
is the concept of rationality too simplistic?

4. theory in comparative politics research traditions
rational choice perspective
what is self-interest and why is it a central concept in rational choice?

5. theory in comparative politics research traditions
self-interest: key points
self-interest is not the same as “selfishness”
self-interest in rational choice theory is premised on the idea that all individuals have specific (“reasonable”) goals and that they behave in way that best enables them to achieve those goals
self-interest is context dependent: the goal of a politician, for example, is to win or hold on to political office; a shareholder wants to maximize short-term gains; self-interest, in other words, is based on individual preference

6. theory in comparative politics research traditions
other key concepts in rational choice
preferences and utility maximization
strategic calculation and strategic interaction
what is utility maximization and why is it important? how does it help us understand human behavior?
what is strategic calculation and interaction? what do these concepts tell us about the decision making process?

7. theory in comparative politics research traditions
summing up thus far
rational choice is much more than simply asserting people are self-interested actors
Instead, preferences, utility maximization, strategic calculation and strategic interaction makes “rational decision-making” more complex than it appears on the surface
At the same time, the key principles of rational choice dramatically “simplify” a very, very complex reality

8. theory in comparative politics research traditions
a simple exercise
rational choice tell us to begin with the assumption of rationality: we are all rational actors
yet some decisions and some actions appear irrational: for example, what was rational about saddam’s decision to stand up to the the united states prior to the 2003 invasion? wasn’t he risking certain death?
how could his actions be considered rational? discuss.
adopting a rationalist perspective helps us undercover the rationality of seemingly irrational decision. in retrospect, we can see how rational saddam really was. consider the following video …

9. video removed intentionally see coursesite

10. theory in comparative politics research traditions
a simple exercise: saddam as a rational actor
but didn’t saddam ultimately make a bad decision? doesn’t that make him an irrational actor? dicuss.
remember: rational actors don’t have perfect information. they can only base decisions on the information they have
moreover, decisions are made in particular environments (the strategic environment): environmental conditions don’t allow us to do whatever we want; we are often constrained

11. theory in comparative politics research traditions
rational choice and constraints
what are the two major types of constraints rational actors face?
why are constraints important? what do they do?

12. theory in comparative politics research traditions
rational choice analysis: key questions
who are the main actors?
how are their interests or preferences defined?
what is the nature of the interaction between or among actors?
what information is available to them?
what type of constraints do they face?
how do constraints influence their actions?
what are other elements of the strategic environment?

13. macro-level
research traditions: an introduction to structural approach

14. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the structural approach
what are structures and how do they shape human behavior?
what are the most important structures and how do they work?
is the concept of structure too deterministic or too simple to fully explain the social world?

15. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the structural approach and chess: consider the parallels

16. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the structural approach: key assumptions
structures are enduring, but not permanent (e.g., feudalism)
structures contain specific logic and dynamic
structures create particular relationships (e.g., peasant-lord, master-slave, worker-capitalist, dominant country-subordinate country)
the fates of individuals, groups and societies are largely determined by their positions within a structure

17. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the structural approach: key questions to ask
what is the overarching structure and what are the key relationships within that structure?
how does the structure work or operate? what is the internal logic and basic dynamic of the structure?
what are the key structural rules of the game, and who are they key players and what are their roles within the structure?

18. meso-level
research traditions: an introduction to cultural approach

19. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the cultural approach: key points
culture is a shared, learned, and symbolic system of values, beliefs, ideas, and attitudes that shapes and influences our perceptions and behavior
culture must be constantly transmitted and reproduced
culture is inherently and unavoidably intersubjective: it exists within our collective minds

20. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the cultural approach: key points
the intersubjective nature of culture means, to repeat, that culture has no concrete existence: culture is, to large extent, what we think it is (or want it to be)
this means culture can be manipulated, redefined or re-shaped; it can also be co-opted
Culture is here

21. theory in comparative politics research traditions
despite its intersubjective nature ..
culture has power

22. theory in comparative politics research traditions
culture has power
the ideas, beliefs, values and identities of culture have power at both the individual and collective levels
they can compel individuals and whole peoples to act and behave in certain ways, to make profound sacrifices and even give up their freedom or their very lives

23. theory in comparative politics research traditions
… suicide terrorists and peace activists, soldiers and conscientious objectors, freedom fighters and pro-democracy protestors: all represent the power of culture to motivate people and shape human society
one particularly memorable example of how ideas can motivate action individual action occurred in china in 1989 …

24. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the power of culture/the power of ideas
watch these scenes from v for vendetta: both provide very clear illustrations of the power of culture/ideas

25. theory in comparative politics research traditions
the power of culture
the power of culture gives it huge potential as a political resource or asset: the is of particular interest to students of political science
significantly, the power of an ostensibly single culture can be harnessed or co-opted by opportunistic leader and others to achieve self-serving goals: consider bosnia, rwanda, islamic terrorism
on the other hand, culture can serve as rallying cry, a force for broad-based mobilization and progressive change: people power in the philippines, poland and the ukraine; the anti-apartheid movement in south africa; the u.s. civil rights movement