Final Exam

Comparative Politics

the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries

Descriptive/Empirical

describes what is happening in other countries

Causal/Positive

explains why a particular event happened in a particular time and place

State

the totality of a country's government institutions and organizations that generate and carry out policy

Sovereignty

state ability to carry out actions within its borders independently from external rivals

Legitimacy

the right to rule, exists when people believe that their rulers have the right to rule

Capacity

state ability to fulfill basic tasks and to implement policies

Traditional legitimacy

relies on habit, custom, and tradition (monarch)

Charismatic legitimacy

relies on the force of ideas and presence of a leader (revolutionary leader)

Rational-Legal legitimacy

relies on rules and procedures that are clear and viewed as legitimate (elected president)

Ethnic Identity

sense of sameness which is primarily cultural

National identity

sense of belonging to a group combined with common political aspirations including claim to a territory

Citizenship

an individual's or group's relationship to the state; set up by states and accepted or rejected by individuals or groups

Primordialism

sleeping beauty, nations are eternal and develop into states

Constructivism

bride of Frankenstein, nations are relatively recent and a product of modernity, states precede and create nations

Newspaper article about Sudan

devolution movement has turned into an independence movement that will split Sudan

Communism

States/Governments distribute resources

Liberalism

capitalism, resources are distributed by the market

Social Democracy

Mixed economy, resources are distributed by market and state

Mercantilism

state-led industrialization, resources are distributed through states and markets

Quota

limits quantities of certain goods that can be imported/exported

Tariffs

taxes on imported goods

Non-tariff barriers

environmental, safety, health, and other such regulations

Monetary Policy

central bank, national interest rate, money supply

Fiscal Policy

income taxes (progressive/flat), consumption/production taxes (sales, VAT), tangible investments (capital, labor, infrastructure) and intangible investments (R&D, technology)

Keynes' Solution to Recession

Spend! gov injects money into economy, people get cash and spend it which boosts private businesses, then gov uses taxes to offset its initial spending

Neo-Liberalism

economic reform of privatization, liberalization, and stabilization

Privatization

moving property to private control from state control

Liberalization

lower taxes, more free trade, reduce regulation

Stabilization

reduce gov spending, tight monetary policy to control inflation

GNP

Gross National Product, total value of goods and services produced by residents, includes income from ABROAD

GDP

Gross Domestic Product, the total market value of all goods and services produced WITHIN a country

PPP

Purchasing Power Paridy, a method for estimating GDP or GNP across countries by estimating the buying power of income in each country by comparing costs of similar products

HDI

Human Development Index, includes life expectancy, eduction, and GDP

GINI

formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a country, 0= perfect equality and 1=perfect inequality

Modernization Theory

economic development leads to democracy, all states eventually develop and become democracies

Przeworksi and Limongi

2 theories about democracy; 1. endogenous- democracy emerges as countries develop economically. 2. exogenous- democracy is established independently of development, but is more likely to survive in developed countries

Authoritarianism

a small group of people exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

Coercion

(sticks), gov promotes public obedience through fear and force

Cooptation

(carrots), gov makes people dependent on the regime for economic benefits Includes corporatism- only state sanctioned organizations are made to represent interests and clientalism-gov gives benefits to single people or small groups in exchange for support

Personality Cults

promotion of image of leaders as embodying the spirit of the nation

Slackman article about Egypt and Mubarak

Mubarak never really did anything, he kept everything too stable, he didn't keep up with changing times, he also supported corruption, terrorism, and unfair elections

Minimalist Definition of Democracy

repetitive, contestable elections

Expansive Definition of Democracy

repetitive, contestable elections, no reserve domains of power for military and other non-accountable actors, horizontal accountability across offices (checks and balances), and extensive political and civic freedom

Particularistic Party

identity group or specific issue, exclusive and may be extreme

Programmatic Party

ideological, multiple issues, moderately inclusive

Catch-All Party

vague goals, most inclusive, may be undisciplined

Majoritarian

SMD, country is divided into electoral districts equal to the number of seats in the legislature, one rep per district and candidate with most votes for that district wins the seat

Proportional Representation

translates party's share of popular vote into corresponding portion of seats, parties present lists of candidates to voters and voters vote for a party list, not for an individual candidate

Mixed Electoral System

uses both SMD and PR, voters have 2 votes one for a national party list and one for an individual in their district

AV

rank your preference of parties, the party who gets the least number 1 votes will be removed, the core principle is to help the smaller parties

Duverger's Law

plurality rule electoral system favors a two-party system

Head of State

symbolizes the people nationally and internationally, ex: monarch or president

Head of Government

deals with everyday tasks of running the state, has power and accountability ex: Prime Minister or president

Gerrymandering

redistricting in a way that favors one party over another

Imperialism

imported state institutions, constructed ethnic and national identities, dependent economic development

Colonialism

an imperial system of physically occupying a foreign territory using military force, businesses, or settlers

Integration

EU, sovereignty, monetary unit

Devolution

allowing Scotland and Wales to create their own governments even though they are still under British rule

State Strength in NICs and LDCs

limited state capacity because of limited state bureaucracy, limited autonomy because of business interests corruption and international actors, limited democratization because of weak political institutions and weak civil society

Social Identities in Advanced Democracies

post modern values which are values that are beyond material interests, focus on quality of life isues

Social Identities in NICs and LDCs

fractures national identity because of arbitrary state boundaries, economic differences across groups, and political power differences across groups, Limited rights

Post industrialism

shift from agriculture and industry to services

Import Substitution Industrialization

strong state role, mercantilist, restricts imports to promote domestic production, "hot house" economies

Export Oriented Industrialization

strong state role, mercantilist, protect domestic industries, goal is to excel at exports

Neo-Liberal Economic Reform

limited state role, encourage foreign investment

NYT debate on fair elections in Egypt

parliamentary system with PR may be best suited to address problems, will ensure representation for almost all and could increase voter confidence and participation

Marx vs. Lenin vs. Stalin vs. Mao

major differences are that the last three believe that the dictatorship of the proletariat can last indefinitely and strong state is needed, whereas Marx thought the dictatorship was temporary and the state would disappear

Communist Party and State Relations

communist party holds all political power, have secret police and military, repression against opposition, and cooptation of talented and ambitious into nomenkatura

Collapse of Communism

economic stagnation, loss of legitimacy, reformist leaders, rise in nationalism, and international pressures (both economic and military)

Triple Transition

task facing post-communist states: 1. rebuild state and political institutions 2. strengthen national identity and address multiple ethnic identities 3. reform economy to create market institutions and infrastructure

Terrorism

use of violence by non-state actors against civilians in order to achieve a political goal

Civil War

organized groups fighting for power

Guerrilla War

non-state actors vs. state

Takeyh Article about the Middle East

Democracy may stabilize the Middle East and rejuvenate its economies, but it will also create a region averse to American command

Patterns in Democracy

Free: South Africa and UK

Not Free: China and Russia

Partly Free: Mexico

Patterns in Electoral Systems

Legislative

-PR: South Africa and Russia

-SMD: UK

-Mixed: Mexico

-Single Party: China

Executive

-Direct Majoritarian: Russia and Mexico

-Indirect via legislature: South Africa, UK, and China

Patterns in Economic Systems

Liberalism: UK

Social Democracy: South Africa and Mexico

Mercantilism: Russia and China

Patterns in Democracy vs. Development

-UK is most free and most developed

-Russia is more free than China but less developed

-SA is more free than Mexico and China but has less development

Patterns in State Strength

High: Russia, UK, China

Medium: SA and Mexico

Patterns in Political Violence

Russia- civil war, terrorism, human rights violations, and high level of crime

UK-terrorism

Mexico- civl war?, terrorism, human rights violations, and high level of crime

South Africa- high level of crime

China- human rights violations

Patterns in Ethnic, Regional, and National Identity

All have significant ethnic minorities, Russia, UK and China have high strength of regional identities, whereas Mexico has medium and South Africa has low; Mexico, China, and SA have high strength of national identity, Russia and UK have medium

1917 Revolutions

4 revolutions that led to end of Czar and creation of Soviet Union, start of Bolshevik government

Lenin

creator of Soviet Communist Party and leader of 1918 October Revolution, head of Bolsheviks

Stalin

first general secretary of communist party, took over after Lenin's death

Khrushchev

took over after Stalin, responsible for partial de-Stalinizaton, backed progress of early Soviet Space Program and participated in some liberal reforms

Brezhnev

took over after Khrushchev, global influence of Soviet Union grew dramatically, beginning of economic stagnation

Fall of Soviet Union

1989 revolutions, eastern European countries overthrew Soviet communist rule

Mikhail Gorbachev

last head of state of USSR, ended the political supremacy of the communist party, attempts at reform; Glasnost' and Perestroika

Glasnost'

policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency

Perestroika

restructuring of Soviet political and economic system

Boris Yeltsin

first president of Russian Federation serving from 1991-1999, declared a free market economy, endorsed price liberalization and privatization programs, marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and large political and social problems

Shock Therapy

sudden release of price and currency controls, withdrawal of state subsidies and immediate trade liberalization

Insider Privatization

senior enterprise officials aquire the largest proportion of shares in privatized forms

Oligarchs

people who are part of a small group of people who hold the power of the govv

United Russia

largest political party in Russia, Putin

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

founded in 1991 by Vladamir Zhirinovsky, centrist, pro-reform democratic party that calls for a mixed economy

Communist Party of the Russian Federation

successor to the Communist party of the Soviet Union

Asymmetric Federalism

different constituent states possess different powers

Kasparov Article

explained why it was the prime time for Russians to revolt and demand democracy

Levitsky and Way Article

how to create a level playing field in Russia

Main Points of Russia Movie

Chernobyl nuclear disaster, environmental degradation during Yeltsin era, shock therapy and its consequences

Confucianism

preaches obedience for authority, came about during Han dynasty

Qin Dynasty

221-206 BC, unification of empire, standardization, and connection of Great WAll

Qing Dynasty

Overthrown in 1911, marked end of imperial rule in China

Mao Zedong

Communist leader of China for many years, ideas rooted in Marxism and Confucianism

Long March

military retreat of communist party at the hands of the KMT in 1934

Great Leap Forward

1958-1960, attempt to modernize China by Mao, let to major economic and humanitarian disaster and briefly sidelined Mao

Cultural Revolution

Mao called on young people (Red Guards) to challenge all authority figures, return to ideology and cult of personality, outcome was anarchy and collapse of authority

Deng Xiaoping

1978-1997, reform and opening, economic development over ideology, socialist market economy, achieved strong economic growth, improved international relations

Development Trends in China since 1978

rapid economic growth, reduction in poverty rates, increases social inequality

Hu Jintao

current Head of State of China

Wen Jiabao

current Head of Gov of China

One Child Policy and Demographic effects

limited to one child, causing shortage of women and aging population

Democracy Wall Movement

attempt at democracy from 1978-1979

Tiananmen Square Demonstrations

spring 1989, tanks set in to oppose it, clear sign that there will be no democratization or political dissent

Rule of Law in China

makes exceptions for economic areas such as abiding by property laws

Nationalism in China today

both real and constructed, collective action can be positive or negative, no toll for legitimacy

Tibet

autonomous region of China with disputed sovereignty, strategic value to China so full independence is unlikely

Main themes from China Movie

village elections, consequences of grassroots democratic election, Tibet and party rule in Tibet, family planning policy in Tibet, anti-corruption reform and how riding China of corruption is essential

NTY article about China

article about the new museum, China won't recognize its communist past, only focuses on glory of imperial rule

Ethnic Differences in Mexico

60% Mestizo, 30% indigenous, 9% white

Erosion of PRI Power

Economic Factors

-debt during oil boom, collapse of oil and recession, NAFTA, Peso Crisis

Political Factors

-electoral fraud to keep power, Chiapas assassination of PRI candidate, PRI agrees to some electoral reforms

Vincente Fox

won 2000 election, first non-PRI leader in 70 years

Felipe Calderon

current president (PAN)

Chamber of Deputies

-lower house

-500 seats

-300 elected in SMD, 200 elected in PR

Senate (Mexico)

-upper house

-single 6 year term

-128 seats

-3 senators from each of 32 federal entities and 32 elected under PR

PRI

-Institutional Revolutionary Party

-founded in 1929 and held power for 70 years

PRD

-Democratic Revolutionary Party

-founded in 1989 as a leftist faction of PRI

-strongholds in Mexico city and parts of South

PAN

-National Action Party

-Founded in 1939 by conservative defectors from PRI

-catholic conservatives and free market technocrats

-strongholds in north, center, and south

1996 Electoral Reforms

300 Rule

-no party gets more than 300 total seats and no party can have a 2/3 majority

8% Rule

-difference between votes and seats must be less than 8%

2000 Election (Mexico)

Vincente Fox (PAN) defeats PRI for first time

2006 Election (Mexico)

Felipe Calderon (PAN) becomes president

1982 Economic Crisis (Mexico)

collapse of oil and recession

1994 Peso Crisis

sudden devaluation of the Peso caused by outgoing president Zedillo's decisions, may have been necessary

NAFTA

really hurt Mexican farmers

Castaneda and Morales Article about Mexico

Mexico should introduce new institutional changes such as eliminating term limits, introducing a semi-presidential system, add a run-off to presidential elections. the main idea is that politicians will change their behavior based on electoral and institutional reforms

Diaz-Cayeros and Magaloni Article about Mexico

Mexico should create a program to get money to low-class communities and needs to rebuild some infrastructure, also talks about the advantages and limitations of the conditional cash transfer program

"Under the Volcano"

corruption of local police is root cause of drug trafficking problem, suggest increasing salary of local police, reforming prisons, and giving police more training

Magna Carta

1215, restricted certain rights of the King by law

Glorious Revolution

1688, Bill of Rights

Reform Acts (UK)

1832-1969, gradual enfranchisement of electorate

Decolonization

occurred after WWII

Falklands War

1982 fought between Argentina and the UK over the Falkland Islands, UK won, proved that the UK wasn't giving up its territory easily

Industrial Revolution

-Late 18th century to early 19th

-major technological changes- mechanization of industries, use of coal and steampower, internal combustion engine, and electric power

-trade expansion-canals, improved roads, railways, steam powered ships

-economic growth increased dramatically

Key Documents of British "Constitution"

Magna Carta, Bill of Rights, Act of Settlement, Parliamentary Acts, and Reform acts

Common Law

future decisions based on past decisions, precedents

Role of Tradition in British Politics

functions as informal political institutions

National Identity (UK)

not very strong due to immigrants

Class (UK)

-social status based on formal titles (peerages) and other attributes such as occupation, eduction level, income and power

-also external indicators such language, dress, place of residence, titles, and family background

-Relevance today: related to political party in Parliament (House of Lords) and social/economic power in society

Margaret Thatcher

-Prime Minister 1979-1990

-conservative who reduced state intervention in economy

-established privatization and poll tax

-made it harder for unions to go on strike

-opened up economy to world

Tony Blair

-Prime Minister 1997-2007

-"New Labour"

Gordon Brown

-served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007

-Labour Party politician

House of Commons

-650 seats

-3 functions; 1. pass laws. 2. provide financing via taxation. 3. review gov policy and administration

House of Lords

-792 members

-composition of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal

Labour Party

-leader is Ed Miliband

-center-left

-supported by blue-collar workers

-promote market and state intervention

-moderately favors EU

Conservative Party (UK)

-David Cameron

-center-right

-supported by white collar workers

-supports free markets

-against EU

Liberal Democrats (UK)

-Nick Clegg

-center-left

-social and market liberals

-want market with state intervention

-favors EU

Collectivist Consensus

all cabinet members need to form agreements on gov policy, unwritten rule

The Third Way

Labour party under Tony Blair also supports free markets

Relationship of Recent UK elections to Duverger's Law

-provides evidence both for and against it

-law states you shouldn't see the third party, but you do

-but still the top two parties get significantly more seats

UK Relationship with EU

-member but less closely tied than most other countries

-didn't adopt the euro

Main Arguments of two Economist Articles (UK)

looks at benefits and bad of Tony Blair era

- good: minimum wage, glow down growth of inequality

-bad: a lot of debt

Then talks about how David Cameron is trying to cut debt my cutting social programs and raising taxes

Main Arguments of Tom Gallagher (UK)

Opportunities for Scotland

-decline in Britishness

-discovery of North Sea Oil

Obstacles

-economic self sufficiency

NYT article of AV

key idea of AV is to help the third place party et more seats and to reduce the public's worry about wasting their votes on third place parties

Colonial History of South Africa

-1652 Dutch arrival at Cape of Good Hope

-1795 British capture of Capetown

-1814 British establishes control

-1835 Great Trek of Vootrekkers

-1838 Battle of Blood River

-1899-1902 Second Boer War

-1910 Union of South Africa formed

Distinction between Afrikaners and English

Afrikaners are descendents of Dutch, French, and German; English are descendents of Britain

Apartheid

-1948-1994

-goal was to raise status of Afrikaners by restricting the rights of blacks

-claimed whites were more civilized so they should control the state

Group Areas Act of 1950

-blacks made citizens of 10 tribal homelands

-forced to relocate to these segregated living areas

The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953

Prohibited people of different races from using the same public amenities

Bantu Education Act of 1953

brought all black schooling under gov control

Mines and Work Act of 1956

formalized discrimination in employment

Bantustans

the "tribal homelands" that blacks were forced to relocate to

Ethnic and National Identity (SA)

80% black, 9% white, many ethnic groups

Sharpeville Massacre

-1960

-5,000-7,000 blacks converged on police station and refused to carry passbooks

-Police shot at protestors killing at least 69 people

-consequences: outrage of international community, banning of ANC and PAC, the emergence of a militant wing of ANC

Soweto Uprising

-1976

-20,000 students go on strike

-200-600 people were killed

consequences: more protests, white students getting involved

Factors Leading to Democracy (SA)

-demographic pressure and growing unrest

-economic decline

-internal reforms

-international context

-skilled leadership

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

body that tries to get people to reveal truth about crimes from Apartheid era, purpose is to make transition from apartheid to non-apartheid smoother

Desmond Tutu

leads the truth and reconciliation commission

Key Provisions to SA Constitution

-1996

-affirmation of equality and non-discrimination

-rights to human dignity, life, privacy, etc.

-constitution is supreme law

-constitutional court created

South African Executive Branch

-president is more like a prime minister

-indirectly elected by National Assembly

-head of gov and head of state

-vote of no confidence exists

F.W. de Klerk

last president of South Africa during apartheid era, known for engineering the end of it

Nelson Mandela

first post-apartheid president

1994-1999

Thabo Mbeki

-president after Mandela

-1999-2008

Jacob Zuma

-current president

-longtime ANC leader

-Zulu who has no higher education

-economic populist in rhetoric

-charges of corruption and rape

National Assembly

-Lower house

-400 members

-5 year terms

National Council of Provinces

-Upper House

-90 members

-indirectly elected by a provincial legislature, include premier of each province

Electoral System of SA

-PR for a single nationwide district

-2 ballots, one for province and one for National Assembly

-no minimum threshold, high turnout

National Party (SA)

-mercantilist during apartheid

-import substitution for Afrikaners

ANC

-dominant party

-recent turn to liberalism

-mainly black majority

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)

-Zulu nationalism

-4th biggest party

Democratic Alliance (DA)

-liberal party

-associated with Afrikaners

Congress of the People (COPE)

-social democracy and social liberalism

-broke off from ANC

Challenges for the State (SA)

-HIV/AIDS

-crime (murder rate has decreased but is still high)

-corruption

-immigration and Xenophobia

Political Economy Challenges (SA)

-unemployment is up

-poverty (decreased interracially but increased within racial groups)

-life expectancy is very low

RDP

-1994

Reconstruction and Development Plan

Growth, Employment, and Redistribution Program (GEAR)

-1996

-opposed by COSATU

-concerns about replacement of white elite with black elite with same level of inequality

BEE

Black Economic Empowerment

COSATU

-Congress of South African Trade Unions

-1994 triple alliance with ANC and SA communist party

-against the GEAR

Main Arguments of Robert Mattes Article (SA)

-main disappointing institution is lack of accountability to public

-lower house is mainly PR which means less accountability

-dominance of ANC also leads to lack of accountability

-people can switch their party membership in the middle of their service

-lack of legislative check on executive

Main Arguments of Antoinette Handley (SA)

-post apartheid era still has a lot of problems

-problems with rule of law

-HIV/AIDS

-inequality (interracial inequality has decreased by inequality within racial groups has expanded)

Main Arguments of Jeffery Herbst (SA)

-about the way that politics are changing

-worried about trends being caused by Jacob Zuma

-believes Zuma is an unreliable populist leader

-believes he is problematic and may lead to less democracy

Main Arguments of Friedman (SA)

-about the way politics are changing

-less worried than Herbst about the changing politics

-thinks Zuma may be a good thing

NYT Article on South Africa

-internal corruption

-international image has been boosted but there are still a lot of issues

-reveals corruption of ANC and inequality

NYT Article about Zimbabwe

-Thabo Mbeki supported dictatorship of Mgabi in Zimbabwe

-mainly for economic reasons but still created problems

Final Exam

Political Science 106 with Herrera at University of Wisconsin - Madison

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