Pflichttext Vergleichende Analyse von Politik: Caramani, Daniele (2017) PDF

Preview

Summary

Zusammenfassung des Pflichttextes Vergleichende Analyse von Politik (Prainsack) WiSe 2019 Einheit 1: Caramani, Daniele (2017). Introduction to comparative politics. Caramani, Daniele (ed.). Comparative Politics. Fourth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1-17....

Description

Vergleichende Analyse von Politik Text: Caramani – comparative politics Politics: human activity of making public authoritative decisions – may concern every aspect of a society’s life. Activity of acquiring the power of making such decisions and of exercising this power. Conflict or competition for power and its use. -

Possibility of sanctions for not complying

Questions comparative politics tries to answer: Who decides what and how? How does it affect the society? -

How are decisions made? Democracy: citizens are directly involved through elections or referendums; Protest through demonstrations, petitions, letters, vote differently

Comparative politics: one of three main subfields of political science – focus on internal political structures, actors and processes – empirical analysis by describing, explaining and predicting their variety across political systems -> empirical and value-neutral -

Concerned with power relationship between individuals, groups and organizations, classes end institutions within political systems (still does not ignore external influences)

Types of comparative politics: “How does politics work?” -

Study of single countries: looks at isolated political systems (useful purpose when put in comparative perspective) Methodological: establishing rules and standards of comparative analysis – issues of measurement and case selection Analytical: combines empirical substance and method, identification of differences and similarities between countries, their institutions, actors and processes through systematic comparisons – principal goal: explanatory; qualitative and quantitative data; aims at causal explanation

Comparative Politics in practice: -

Describing similarities and differences – classifications and typologies Explaining similarities and differences – formulation of hypotheses; causality can be inferred, generalizations produced and theories developed and improved Formulation of predictions

Comparative? Importance of explicit comparison -

Single-case studies can be comparative in an implicit way But becomes synonymous with the scientific study of politics

Substance of comparative politics: -

Non-national political systems can be compared -> sub-national (regional), supra-national (regions, empires, supra-national organizations) Types of political systems Single elements of the political system (rather than system as a whole) – parliaments, policies, etc

From institutions to functions:

-

-

Before Second WW: mainly concerned with analysis of state and its institutions (legislative, executive and juridiciary – state powers; civil administration, military bureaucracy) – formal analysis -> Normative ‘Golden Age’ of comparative politics (30s-60s): behavioural revolution shifted substance away from institutions – observing politics in practice o Emerge of communist regimes and fascist dictatorships o Patterns of decolonization Turn towards ideologies, belief systems and communication – political cultures, social capital and traditions of authority Increasing variety of political systems and role of agencies, introducing new methodology based on empirical observation and quantitative data collection Systematic functionalism was imported to comparative politics

-

 Political systems rather than states, transcultural concepts – excessive level of abstraction 1967 Counter-reaction to systemic functionalism o Shift of substantial focus (return to state and its institutions – stets of rules, procedures, social norms) o Narrowing of geographical scope o Change of methodology o Theoretical turn – rationality and strategies of actors New-institutionalism theory – institutions as most important actors with autonomy and being part of real politics; determining the opportunity structures and limits within individuals formulate preferences Mid-range theories – less ambitious theoretical abstractions, narrowing of geographical focus, stressing advantages of case-studies or in-depth analysis of few countries Case-oriented analysis – few case studies (small-N)

-

Rational choice theory – end of 1980s: based on idea that actors are rational, ability to order alternative options from most to least preferred, choice -> maximization of their preferences (utility) o Various degrees of formalization o Subject matter did not change due to lack of meta-theory specific to politics

Method of comparative Politics: -

Choice of cases depends on research question – single-case; intensive or extensive; synchronic or diachronic Diverse dimension of comparison – spatial, functional (cross-organizational/cross-process), longtitudinal Diverse units of analysis Focus on similarities (common factors) or differences -> Method of Agreement and Method of Difference – or combination of both methods

From cases to variables: -

Larger effort of data collection after ww2 – computer technology Need of comparability of indicators – quantities Development of sophisticated statistical techniques

o

Large N – multiple regression and factor analysis

And back to cases: -

Return to small-N and case-oriented research design – Agreement and Difference, John Stuart Mill’s Methods of sufficient and necessary conditions The comparative Method (Ragin): cases seen as wholes rather than being divided in isolated variables – Constellation of factors

Aggregate to individual data: -

-

Statistics – science of the state; urbanization and industrialization – need for states to monitor increasingly complex societies; Development of nation-state – welfare state; Democratization  Political statistics (e.g. annual publication of statistical yearbook) – aggregate data, available at some territorial level Changes with behavioural revolution: o Scepsis about official statistics (subject to manipulation?) o Official statistics do not include all variables of interest (individual values, opinions, attitudes and beliefs, competence and trust in political institutions, etc.)  Introduction of surveys as instrument to collect individual data o Individualization needs computerization of social sciences (1950s) o What is true on aggregated level is not necessarily true at individual level (-> ecological fallacy)

Back to aggregated data: -

Intrinsic weaknesses of individual data Aggregated data have not disappeared and sometimes provide more solid bases than individual-level data for international long-term comparison

Conclusio: -

Everything is comparable Convergence or divergence of systems? o Trends towards convergence are strong  Concerns about future of comparative politics (?))...