Comparative political Institutions by dr. Željko Poljak
Summary → Slides, classes, book + readings.
- The first part of each lecture will introduce key concepts in comparative politics, based on chapters from the
book Comparative Politics edited by Daniele Caramani. Slides will be provided prior to the class.
- The second part of the lecture will focus on mandatory weekly readings, which offer an in-depth, empirical
exploration of the concepts discussed in the first part. Students will work in groups to answer questions
related to the readings.
Evaluation
The evaluation will consist of a final exam (in June) featuring multiple-choice and open-ended questions, testing
both theoretical and applied knowledge, with 50% of the exam dedicated to multiple-choice and 50% to open-
ended questions.
1. Multiple-choice questions: The exam will include several multiple-choice questions, with half based on
Caramani’s chapters and slides, and the other half on the weekly readings.
2. Open-ended questions: The exam will include several open-ended questions, with half based on
Caramani’s chapters and slides, and the other half on the weekly readings.
Multiple-choice questions (50%)
▪ ½ Caramani + Slides
▪ ½ Weekly readings
Open-ended questions (50%)
▪ ½ Caramani + Slides
▪ ½ Weekly readings
EXAM :
For the exam, you need to be able to explain in your own words how institutions affect political
polarization. The professor won’t ask detailed factual questions but wants you to apply the
main claim: consensus democracies tend to produce less polarization than majoritarian democracies.
1
,Introduction to comparative politics
Caramani, Introduction & Chapters 2; 3
About this course
▪ We can only understand our own political context if we put it in perspective
▪ Comparing different political (1) regimes, (2) institutions and (3) actors to find differences and similarities
among them
Regimes (Titel)
- Democracy
- Autocracy
Institutions (TITEL)
- Legislature
- Governments
- Multilevel
- Judicial
- Elections
Actors
- Citizins
- Parties
- Interest groups
- Media
- Gender (guest lecture)
2
,1. What is comparative politics?
▪ Politics seen as the human activity of making public authoritative decisions
▪ That is, politics is about acquiring and maintaining power which produces conflict and competition
▪ "at the root of all politics is the universal language of conflict” - Elmer Schattschneider
▪ Important questions in comparative politics:
▪ Which decisions are made (e.g. invest in renewable energy, changing constitution, higher spending for military)
▪ How are decisions made (e.g. referendums, elections, protests, lobbying)
▪ Who makes or influences these decisions (e.g. parties, lobby groups, voters)
Aims of comparative politics TITEL
Describe
▪ Differences and similarities between political systems
▪ Classifications and typologies
▪ For example: Two-party vs. Multi- party systems
Explain
▪ Explain why these differences and similarities occur
▪ Formulating hypotheses
▪ For example: First-past-the-post electoral system leads to two-party dominance
Predict
▪ Which factors could cause such outcomes
▪ For example: Changing to a first-past- the-post system will result in two major parties
▪ Not exact
Definition of comparative politics KLEINE TITEL
▪ Comparative politics is one of the three main subfields of political science focusing on internal political structures,
actors, and processes, and analysing them empirically by describing, explaining, and predicting their variety
3
, (similarities and differences) across political systems (and over time)—be they national political systems, regional,
municipal, or even supranational systems.
▪ In short: Comparative politics studies internal politics empirically by comparing it across systems.
Comparison between… KLEINE TITEL
…national political systems predominantly.
▪ But keep in mind:
▪ Sub-national regional political systems (e.g. states in the US)
▪ Supranational units (e.g. EU)
▪ Types of system (e.g. democracy vs. autocracy)
▪ Single element of system (e.g. parliaments)
History of comparative politics (KLEINE TITEL)
State and institutions (before WW2)
▪ Focus on formal institutions and legal documents and texts
▪ Western world
▪ Normative in nature
New institutionalism
▪ Shaped by behavioral evolution
▪ Institutions shape how individual formulate preferences
Case-oriented analysis
▪ Stem from mid-range theories – focus on analysis of small number of cases
▪ Advantage for explaining phenomena that are not widely present
Behavioral evolution (30s and 60s)
▪ Focus on processes that take place within institutions (based on sociology)
▪ Cases and phenomena beyond the West (populism in Latin America; socialism in Eastern Europe)
▪ Empirical
Mid-range theories
▪ Removing abstraction in concepts (less ambitious theoretical perspectives)
▪ Narrowing geographical focus
▪ Advantage of studying few countries
Rational-choice (end of 80s)
▪ Focus on individuals (but also organizations such as parties) that are rational (maximization of preferences)
▪ Impacts how decisions are made
Comparative politics today (KLEINE TITEL
4
Summary → Slides, classes, book + readings.
- The first part of each lecture will introduce key concepts in comparative politics, based on chapters from the
book Comparative Politics edited by Daniele Caramani. Slides will be provided prior to the class.
- The second part of the lecture will focus on mandatory weekly readings, which offer an in-depth, empirical
exploration of the concepts discussed in the first part. Students will work in groups to answer questions
related to the readings.
Evaluation
The evaluation will consist of a final exam (in June) featuring multiple-choice and open-ended questions, testing
both theoretical and applied knowledge, with 50% of the exam dedicated to multiple-choice and 50% to open-
ended questions.
1. Multiple-choice questions: The exam will include several multiple-choice questions, with half based on
Caramani’s chapters and slides, and the other half on the weekly readings.
2. Open-ended questions: The exam will include several open-ended questions, with half based on
Caramani’s chapters and slides, and the other half on the weekly readings.
Multiple-choice questions (50%)
▪ ½ Caramani + Slides
▪ ½ Weekly readings
Open-ended questions (50%)
▪ ½ Caramani + Slides
▪ ½ Weekly readings
EXAM :
For the exam, you need to be able to explain in your own words how institutions affect political
polarization. The professor won’t ask detailed factual questions but wants you to apply the
main claim: consensus democracies tend to produce less polarization than majoritarian democracies.
1
,Introduction to comparative politics
Caramani, Introduction & Chapters 2; 3
About this course
▪ We can only understand our own political context if we put it in perspective
▪ Comparing different political (1) regimes, (2) institutions and (3) actors to find differences and similarities
among them
Regimes (Titel)
- Democracy
- Autocracy
Institutions (TITEL)
- Legislature
- Governments
- Multilevel
- Judicial
- Elections
Actors
- Citizins
- Parties
- Interest groups
- Media
- Gender (guest lecture)
2
,1. What is comparative politics?
▪ Politics seen as the human activity of making public authoritative decisions
▪ That is, politics is about acquiring and maintaining power which produces conflict and competition
▪ "at the root of all politics is the universal language of conflict” - Elmer Schattschneider
▪ Important questions in comparative politics:
▪ Which decisions are made (e.g. invest in renewable energy, changing constitution, higher spending for military)
▪ How are decisions made (e.g. referendums, elections, protests, lobbying)
▪ Who makes or influences these decisions (e.g. parties, lobby groups, voters)
Aims of comparative politics TITEL
Describe
▪ Differences and similarities between political systems
▪ Classifications and typologies
▪ For example: Two-party vs. Multi- party systems
Explain
▪ Explain why these differences and similarities occur
▪ Formulating hypotheses
▪ For example: First-past-the-post electoral system leads to two-party dominance
Predict
▪ Which factors could cause such outcomes
▪ For example: Changing to a first-past- the-post system will result in two major parties
▪ Not exact
Definition of comparative politics KLEINE TITEL
▪ Comparative politics is one of the three main subfields of political science focusing on internal political structures,
actors, and processes, and analysing them empirically by describing, explaining, and predicting their variety
3
, (similarities and differences) across political systems (and over time)—be they national political systems, regional,
municipal, or even supranational systems.
▪ In short: Comparative politics studies internal politics empirically by comparing it across systems.
Comparison between… KLEINE TITEL
…national political systems predominantly.
▪ But keep in mind:
▪ Sub-national regional political systems (e.g. states in the US)
▪ Supranational units (e.g. EU)
▪ Types of system (e.g. democracy vs. autocracy)
▪ Single element of system (e.g. parliaments)
History of comparative politics (KLEINE TITEL)
State and institutions (before WW2)
▪ Focus on formal institutions and legal documents and texts
▪ Western world
▪ Normative in nature
New institutionalism
▪ Shaped by behavioral evolution
▪ Institutions shape how individual formulate preferences
Case-oriented analysis
▪ Stem from mid-range theories – focus on analysis of small number of cases
▪ Advantage for explaining phenomena that are not widely present
Behavioral evolution (30s and 60s)
▪ Focus on processes that take place within institutions (based on sociology)
▪ Cases and phenomena beyond the West (populism in Latin America; socialism in Eastern Europe)
▪ Empirical
Mid-range theories
▪ Removing abstraction in concepts (less ambitious theoretical perspectives)
▪ Narrowing geographical focus
▪ Advantage of studying few countries
Rational-choice (end of 80s)
▪ Focus on individuals (but also organizations such as parties) that are rational (maximization of preferences)
▪ Impacts how decisions are made
Comparative politics today (KLEINE TITEL
4
