Comparative politics lecture notes PDF

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Lecture notes from weeks 1-10 including key concepts, China, USA, EU, Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India.
Teacher: Czeslaw...

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W1 Lecture Tutor: Czes What is politics?     

'Essentially contested concept' Not one set definition Takes place whenever and wherever power is exercised Power and politics are 'relational' Uneven distribution of power in society, how the struggle over power is conducted and its impact on the creation and distribution of resources, life chances and wellbeing

What is comparative politics?  

Subsection of political science / social science Political system: a set of institutions and rules concerned with formulating and implementing the collective goals of society

Comparative politics vs. International relations   

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Conventional approach to IR is that of a state as a 'black box' Conceals domestic processes leading to particular foreign policies Black box gets input - decision is output. Need to pay attention to what is inside the black box - more important than what's outside. Decisions reflect power struggle within the black box Eg America was different under rule of Obama compared to Trump because of what happens inside box How the international system affects states' domestic developments  Wars  Conflicts  Economic crisis  Refugees and migration  Environmental crises the virus will test Australia's political system

First comparativist  

Aristotles Politics Defined different types of political order

Normative (ethical) approach  

Attempt to identify the right kind of government (rather than simply describe a given political system) Good government rules in common interest

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Corrupt government rules in the interest

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Comparative comparativists should not be interested in normative issues

No week 2 lecture – public holiday

W3 Lecture States and Nations What is a state?     

193 in the UN Us State Dept lists 195 'independent' states DFAT lists almost 240 countries and economies Independent state: a people politically organised into a sovereign state with a definite territory Social scientific term, legal definition

How did states emerge?  

Unclear how states are formed Charles Tilly - made argument that states were formed by wars. The effort to get money from the people in peaceful way (tax collecting) - source of profiting. Based on European context - but not applicable to new developed states

Modern/ Westphalian States 

Modern state system conventionally believed to have emerged first in Europe - the Westphalian state system  The Peace of Westphalia (1648)  Invented concept of 'State sovereignty' - no interference in the domestic affairs  One could argue it only truly formed after WW2

Sovereignty 

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Denotes 'a final and absolute political authority in the political community.. And no final and absolute authority (existing) elsewhere'  Divided into two aspects - domestic authority and external (international) sovereignty Contested states - don’t recognise sovereignty - don’t recognise right to be free from external influence  Ie. China taking over Taiwan would be called an interstate war not an invasion, based on international law

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International law: a state must possess a defined territory, a population, a government and sovereignty (diplomatic recognition - recognised by other states that it is a state) Empirical statehood

Power, authority and control  

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Authority and power are 2 different concepts Authority cannot rely on power  Authority: an entity possessing a recognised right to give orders, make decision and enforce obedience Power may be a foundation of authority Authority does not equal absolute control  Significant loss of control might lead to loss of authority - ie if government doesn’t control virus

What is a nation?   

'any sufficiently large body of people whose members regard themselves as members of a nation' Group with shared identity  Common identity can be based on language, religion, culture, values The concept implies exclusion - we define ourselves against something

How did nations emerge? 

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Unclear but different theories: 1. Gellner - 'the uneven development of modernisation and industrialisation propels the emergence of nations'. Capitalism needed nations - people educated in one language etc a. Workers more willing to work hard for their own good and for the good of their nation b. Need for constant retraining - creating common past, culture and language c. Urban competition of late industrialisation, based on religio-cultural differences, led to emergence of new nations Before emergence of nations, people would be loyal to a ruler or church - worked for benefit of state not nation. Concept of nationalism - die for your country 1. Anthony Smith - Nations (and state) need 'ethnic cores' to emerge a. Modern nations are based on much older cultural groups 2. Anderson - Nation: 'an imagine political community' - ie constructed concept a. Nations are not something that just emerged but consciously built b. Nations emerged from the interaction between a system of production and production relations (capitalism), communication technology (print) and linguistic diversity c. Print-capitalism facilitated the development of national cultures

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Broad similarities: 1. Nations first emerged in Europe 2. Emergence relatively recent 3. Invention of printing and capitalism had something to do with nations emergence 4. The idea of a nation spread throughout the world via the colonial expansion

Nationalism and states 

Nationalism - states and nations must overlap  'Primarily a principle which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent' (Gellner)

What is a nation-state?  

Would only exist if nearly all the members of a single nation were organised in a singled state, without any other distinct communities being present The EU is not a nation

Key Concepts Forms of democracy:   

Direct democracy (participatory) Electoral Liberal

Liberal democracy:      

'governance by leaders' elected for a period - govern on behalf of the people for limited time: limited mandate Citizens enjoy political and civil rights It is 'technically' possible for an Australian PM to lead forever, in US only 8 years Democracy is a way of life - peoples participation Civil society - seek to improve policy decisions Liberal democracy left without engagement becomes not a liberal democracy

Non-democracies 

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Dictatorship o Ruler with absolute power and authority o No limited mandate o When dictator falls, whole system collapses Authoritarian regime o No limited mandate o Political actions of ruler not constrained o Political rights and freedoms of the citizens significantly limited

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Totalitarian regime o The governing regimes control penetrates into virtually every aspect of its peoples lives o North Korea could be an example

Democracy - non-democracy continuum  

Gradations of democracy among political systems No political system is a perfect example of democracy or its opposites

Decline of democratic appeal       

The rise of populism in Europe > migration crisis The idea of liberal democracy declined after the Cold War It is a very difficult political system Chinas model for combining political repression with economic growth Russia's challenge to liberal values and its interference in liberal democracies The US's retreat from its self-accorded role as a global champion and an exemplar of democracy Social media, mass media, real or fake news

Constitutions      

Manual for political system Set of statements describing fundamental rules of a political system, including rights and the distribution of authority Most are a single written document Always changeable (although amendments difficult to introduce) Intentionally vague Most are relatively similar

Constitutional regimes    

States attempts to fulfil the provisions of its constitution Interpretations of the constitution influenced by those in power All liberal democracies are expected to represent constitutional regimes America is considered a constitutional regime

Non-constitutional regimes 

Persistent non-enforcement of the constitutional provisions

Executive legislative relations Presidential system: 

Two separate agencies of government

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People vote separate for parliament and government President selects the cabinet Just having a president does not mean it’s a presidential system - have to look deeper at how they are elected

Parliamentary system  

People vote for parliament - vote for political party - form government India, Japan

Hybrid / semi presidential systems  

Elected legislature that selects the prime minister Double executive: President and prime minister o Example: Russia o France first to have double executive

Geographic distribution of government power  

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The areal distribution of power describes the allocation of power and functions across levels of governments National systems can be classified into 3 major types: o Unitary states o Federations o Confederations (union of sovereign states) 27 states are federal All power belongs to central governance

Federations 

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Has a constitutions division of power and functions between central government and the set of regional governments o Explicit sharing of power Five rationales for federation: o Large size o Prior existence of strong states o Attempt to create unity o Desire to disperse political power o To protect minorities Eg. The US, Russia, India

Economy GDP vs GNP 

GDP: the value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period. What is produced domestically - doesn’t matter who produced it. Not what we buy. Includes exports but not imports

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GNP: gross domestic product PLUS what we earn from foreign investments MINUS the net payment outflow to foreign assets o Eg. McDonalds income would count towards Americas GDP PPP: Purchasing power parity - GDP converted to international dollars using PPP rates o An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP as a US dollar has in the US o Exchange rate does not show the strength of an economy

United States Major junctures       

British colonisation War of independence Confederation of 13 states US Constitution, 1787 (only 27 amendments currently) Territorial expansionism and Manifest Destiny  Last states to join: Alaska and Hawaii (1959) The Civil War, 1861-65  14th amendment (1868) US became largest military power in the world

US economy   

By the 1880s, America overtook Britain as the worlds leading producer of manufactured goods The Great Depression 1929 The New Deal

Key Developments 1960-2016    

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Civil Rights Movement Vietnam war - economic recession 1970 Watergate scandal weakened the presidency, 72-74 Neo-liberal policy under Reagan, 1980s  Downsizing the workforce  Destroying/weakening trade unions  Relocating industries (China) - building knowledge economy Collapse of the Soviet Union 1991 > post-Cold War 'peace dividend' (less spent on defence and foreign aid) The US remained the technological leader and worlds largest economic power  Internet revolution and the Global Financial Crisis of 2008

Trump: 2017 

Strengthen US borders  Wall on US-Mexican border

No refugees from Muslim states America First policy  Support domestic industries, rebuild infrastructure Isolationism  Withdrawal from the TPP, Paris climate change agreement Social and economic conservatism  Appointment of numerous conservative judges to federal courts and Supreme Court War on liberal media 

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US Constitution  

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Drafted in 1787 Innovations:  Representative democracy  Federalism  Separation of powers  Checks and balances  First ten amendments - Bill of Rights 1791 First 8 articles are the most important

Federalism     

To declare war To make treaties with foreign states To coin money To regulate commerce between states (interstate commerce) Federal government cannot violate any of the first 8 amendments

States powers   

Police powers, education, public health Regulation of marriage and family laws Income and sales taxes

W4 Lecture USA Political System Congress:  

Electoral system: rules which elections are conducted Single-member plurality  Each state

Senate: Upper house: represents the state - 2 members from each state. 100 seats  1/3 changes every 2 years - whole senate changes every 6 years  Offers advice and consent on major presidential appointments  Less centralised

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Approves treaties Emphasises foreign policy issues Tries impeached officials

House of Representatives: Lower house represents the entire population  Bigger - 435 seats  Members directed elected by popular vote to serve 2 year terms  Initiates all revenue bills  Initiates impeachment procedures  Speaker of the House most powerful Main powers: legislate and oversight Appropriation of funds for government programmes Patterns of electoral competition 

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Duverger's Law  Threshold  Voter psychology  Harder on smaller parties - no representation for third parties  Plurality voting - only get to vote for one candidate (winner takes all system)  Approval voting - 'ideal candidate' - lets you vote for multiple candidates  Proportional representation - no plurality - lower threshold - smaller parties representation Median voter result  Centrist pull or convergence: both political parties compete for the median centrist voter  Spectrum - democrats and republicans o Getting the median vote of left and right o Why parties often talk about the same things

Legislative process     

President has 10 days to consider the bill Senate approves the treaties - but executives can withdraw the USA Both houses are of equal importance - all bills have to be approved by both President can veto the bill If houses disagree it goes to conference house

Composition    

Mostly white males 116th congress most diverse Record number of women and first Muslim, native Americans and Latina female 88% of law makers are Christian - virtually no atheists

Voting rights

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1840 - universal white male suffrage 1920 - extension of the vote to white women 1965 - voting rights for African Americans 1971 - voting age lowered 21 to 18 1975 - voting rights granted to remaining ethnic/racial groups Voting turnout 2015: 55%, 2018 47% Why low turnouts?  Voter registration not automatic o Only about 65% of the US voting-age population is registered to vote  Voter identification laws o Only 35 states require identification o Management of voting is left to states  Felon disenfranchisement o 48/50 states bar felons from voting in elections o Excludes millions of people - US has about 2 million people in prison system  Election day takes place on a workday

Gerrymandering (redistricting)  

To manipulate the boundaries of an electoral district so as to favour one political party The ruling party packs its opponents voters into a relatively small number of districts and crack their opponents remaining voters

The Executive   

Presidency: president and vice serve 4 year terms President doesn’t control Congress  President can effectively control his own party Congress cannot remove the president - only through impeachment, never succeeded

Electoral college        

Acts as a check on unwise choices made by the citizens 538 electors Candidate must win 270 electoral votes Electors are nominated by parties of candidates Votes are counted on the basis of states Clinton didn’t win enough states even though she got 3 million more votes than Trump Developed to stop people like Trump becoming president Trump won 30 states - 306 electoral votes (56.9%)

Presidential powers    

The commander-in-chief of the military Making senior appointments to the executive and judiciary with congressional support Making treaties Veto power (only 7% of presidential vetos overridden)

Judiciary    

Dual court system 12 regional circuits 94 federal judicial districts Marijuana can be legal by state law but you can be arrested by federal police

PART 2 Republican vs. Democratic party     

Supports states rights against big-gov, favours low taxes Interested in regulating peoples private lives Favours big government, the need for the gov to provide for the poor Favours less government in peoples private lives Supported by urban middle class

Party discipline    

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Traditionally the congressional parties lack the cohesion Campaigns are candidate centred Only leader when president ie Trump is leader for Republicans, no democrat leader Party candidates for key elected offices selected through primaries  Parties to not appoint candidates for elected office - decision is left for party members Election funding comes from private sources  To win a house seat candidates need at least 1.6 million  To win senate seat candidates raise 11.5 million

Political Action Committees  

Support political candidates with money - thousands in USA Super PACs created in 2010 after supreme court ruled that money is political speech (free speech)

Impact of weak party discipline

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Trump has demonstrated that by controlled the primaries through his core supporters, he controls the Republican members of Congress (through tweeting) Conventional explanation: there is a need to construct winning coalitions at each stage of legislative process

Divided government 

When only party controls the executive, while the other the legislature (or vice versa)  Also consider the situation when both houses are controlled by different parties  Its enough that one party controls only the presidency or the senate of house (one of the three)

Defining political culture    

A set of attitudes, beliefs and practices which give meaning to a political process and provide the assumptions and rules that govern political behaviour Culture is a way of life - unwritten confines of which you can act Certain things are acceptable and unacceptable - in politics corruption is unacceptable Belief in the US exceptionalism is big part of American culture

Political culture and socialisation       

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Melting pot or patchwork quilt? Melting pot - blends all the different cultures of immigrants into one American culture Patchwork or salad bowl - as array of languages, history, cultures, values - all respected, none dominant Competition between both groups continues today Very patriotic - 81% of population are extremely proud to be American About 60% own flag and 44% patriotic apparel Distrustful of the government - all time high for trust in gov was 1964 - declined progressively till today  Increased after 9/11 with George Bush  No generational difference Confidence in institutions  11% trust...