Understanding PoliticsPOL 102

BA Course (School Core undergraduate) Fall Semester 2015

Dr. Azər Babayev School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA)

ADA University

Introduction to Political Science

Contents• Introduction• What is Politics?• What is Comparative Politics?

Introduction

• What is Political Science (PS)?– a systematic study of governance/authority

• by the application of empirical and generally scientific methods of analysis

• (Main) Fields of PS– Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International

Relations• Also: Domestic Politics, Public Administration, Public

Policy, etc.

Introduction - II

• Political Theory– dealing with classical political philosophy and

contemporary theoretical perspectives > e.g., constructivism, critical theory, and postmodernism

• Comparative Politics– focuses on politics within two and more countries

and analyzes similarities and differences between them

Introduction - III

• International Relations – studies the political relationships and interactions

between nations, and the structures influencing the policy options available to governments

• Domestic Politics– study of politics within one country (parties,

public opinion, elections, national government, and state, etc.) > e.g. Azerbaijani Politics

Introduction - IV

• Public Administration– Studies the role of bureaucracy > most oriented

toward practical applications within political science

• Public Policy– Examines the passage and implementaion of all

types of government policies > e.g. policy of health, education, economic growth, regional development, environmental protection

Associations with ‚Politics‘

What is Politics?

• Etymology– the Greek word from

which the title of Aristotele's Politika derives

– „Affairs of state/city," a book on governing and government

What is Politics? - II• An attempt to define >– The human activity of making public and

authoritative decisions • Public > they concern the whole of a society• Authoritative > they are binding and compulsory

– Politics > also the activity of acquiring (and maintaining) the power of making such decisions and of exercising this power• It is thus the conflict and competition for power and its

use

What is Politics? - III

• Important Question regarding politics – How does politics work?– Also, three specifically important questions

• What decisions are made?– E.g., the decision to increase taxation is a political decision

• How decisions are made?– E.g., in democracies, citizens are directly involved through

elections and referendums• Who makes or influences decisions?

– E.g., the decision to introduce high taxation for polluting industries is heavily influenced by lobbies and pressure groups (such as ecological activists)

Government vs Politics

What is Comparative Politics? • Comparative Politics > a science of politics– Focuses on politics within two and more countries

and analyzes their variety between them• studies internal political structures, actors, and

processes, and• analyzes them empirically by describing, explaining,

and predicting their similarities and differences across political systems• It is particularly interested in exploring patterns and

regularities among political systems

What is Comparative Politics? - II

• CP and Political Theory (PT)– Whereas PT deals with normative/ideational

questions • about equality, democracy, justice, etc.

– CP deals with empirical phenomena• CP analyzes political phenomena as they appear in the

‘real world’• E.g., not primarily whether participation is a good or

bad thing for democracy, but rather which forms of participation people choose to use and why

What is Comparative Politics? - III

• CP and International Relations (IR)– Whereas IR deals with interactions between

states/political systems • (balance of power, war, trade, etc.)

– CP deals with interactions within states/political systems• E.g., not analyzing wars between nations, but rather

which party is in government and why it has voted in favor of military intervention, what kind of electoral constituency has supported this party

What is Comparative Politics? - IV

• What does CP do in practice?– (1) Description, (2) Explanation, (3) Prediction

– (1) Description• What is to compare? > real-world similarities and

differences are described– Establishing classifications/typologies > E.g., classification of

different types of electoral systems or political regimes

What is Comparative Politics? - V

• (2) Explanation– Similarities and differences are explained > why

are there these ones?– E.g., why is there no socialist party in the US whereas they exist in

all other Western democracies?

• (3) Prediction– CP aims also at formulating (future) predictions• E.g., Change of electoral systems > Change of party

systems

Appendix: Types of CP studies• There are several different kinds of studies– (1) Studies of one country

• or a particular institution (political parties, militaries, parliaments, interest groups), political process (decision making), or public policy (e.g., labor or welfare policy) in that country

• In a single case study, it is necessary to put the study into a larger comparative framework > we should tell why the subject is important and how it fits in a larger context

– (2) Studies of two or more countries • Provides for genuine comparative studies (e.g., Comparing

political systems of Germany and Japan)

Types of CP studies - II• (3) Regional or area studies – Studies of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East,

East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Europe, or other (sub-)regions• Useful > because they involve groups of countries that

may have several things in common -- e.g., similar history, cultures, language, religion, colonial backgrounds• Regional or area studies allow you to hold common

features constant, while examining or testing for certain other (uncommon) features

Types of CP studies - III• (4) Studies across regions

– E.g., comparisons of the role of the military in Africa and the Middle East, or the quite different paths of development of East Asia and Latin America

• (5) Global comparisons – Now possible to do comparisons on a global basis > with the

improved statistical data collected by the World Bank, the UN, and other international agencies

• (6) Thematic studies – CP focuses on themes as well as countries and regions > E.g.,

themes such as dependency theory, corporatism, role of the state, process of military professionalization

Why study Comparative Politics? • Reasons for studying Comparative Politics – (1) It's fun and interesting, and one learns a lot

about other countries, regions, and the world– (2) Studying CP will help a person overcome

ethnocentrism • All peoples and countries are ethnocentric, and some

seem to be particularly afflicted – (3) We study CP because that enables us to

understand how nations change and the patterns that exist

Why study Comparative Politics? - II • (4) CP is intellectually stimulating

– Consider these questions: Why do some countries modernize and others not? Why are some countries democratic and others not?

• (5) CP has a rigorous and effective methodology– The comparative method > sophisticated tool of analysis

and one that is always open to new approaches • (6) Finally, CP is necessary for a proper understanding

of both international relations and foreign policy • Without an intimate knowledge of the other countries with

whom we conduct foreign relations, we cannot have an informed, successful foreign policy

Thank you!

• Questions & comments?

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• Political Ideas and Ideologies