LEC 1: What is Politics?
What is political power: the ability to get others to do something that they would not
otherwise do
analytical concepts: assumptions and theories that guide research
methods: ways to study and test those theories
ideals: beliefs and values about preferred outcomes
Institutions: organisations and activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own
sake. Play huge role in shaping norms and values of everyday society. Is both a result of
politics as well as impact on politics.
Power and politics go hand in hand. Politics is struggle for power that will give the ability to
make decisions for the larger group.
Comparative politics: power across countries
Inductive reasoning: from studying case to hypothesis
starts with evidence as way to uncover hypothesis
Deductive reasoning: generating a hypothesis about cause and effect to test against cases
starts with hypothesis and then seeks out evidence
Seven major struggles for comparativists:
1. Difficulty controlling the variables. Each case is different therefore difficult to compare
2. Interaction between variables. Many variables are interconnected and interact;
multicausality.
3. Limits to information (gathering). Few cases that are alike to study, number of
countries about 200. Not thousands of individuals.
4. Information is hard to access. Not many researchers have time money and skill to do
thorough research
5. Focus tends to be limited to geographic region. The regional focus is distributed
unevenly around the world.
6. Bias makes variables even harder to control. Trap of selection bias. (revolution eg)
7. Problem of cause and effect which is which; endogeneity.
Behavioral revolution?
,LEC 2: Political Philosophy (GERRITS)
Political Theory:
● empirical theory: supports description and explanation (what is?)
○ interest group theory:Look at different societal groups (military / business /
ngo’s)
○ rational choice theory: individuals are rational and selfish
○ totalitarianism: dictatorship with extras. Just one political party, important role
of ideology. Absolute control of state
○ aims to describe / analyse.
Normative political theory adds prescription to analysis
○ sovereignty: both empirical/normative. Cornerstone of global politics.
○ just war theory: criteria if a war is just or not.
○ democratic peace: democracies are not necessarily more peaceful. Yet they
do not fight each other. Therefore we should encourage democracy, leads to
more peaceful international relations.
○ oldest form of political theory
Ideally they are separate. Practically impossible to neatly distinguish.
Political Ideology:
Distinction between political attitudes (views) and ideologies (values)
Attitudes: views regarding basic scope of political and social change. From radical to liberal
etc.
Ideology: basic values about the fundamental goals of politics. Set of ideas that inspires /
guides / directs politics and policies. (conservatism, socialism etc. isms)
Political Culture: society’s norms for political activity
Different from culture in politics. Culture as a condition for politics/democracy. No
bourgeoisie, no democracy. Demands presence of middle class.
Political ideas and activities which are considered normal/proper.
E.g.: Polderen in NL; tradition of consensus and compromise
‘gosudasrstvennost’ in Russia: idea that nothing is more important than state
Culture in politics
● Creative culture in politics
● Culture as a condition / a variable of (good) politics
○ eg Huntington’s understanding of culture ‘The clash of civilisations’
● Case: the extent to which democracy and authoritarianism are determined by
socioeconomic and ‘cultural’ conditions. “No bourgeoisie, no democracy” You need
middle class to have democracy; why middle class and what do they bring?
Political Philosophy
● Oldest form of political thinking - Political Science emerged from Political Philosophy
● Critical - systematically studies, discusses and questions relevant political issues
(timeless)
Definition
, ● Normative and practical - challenges, judges and influences conventional ideas and
beliefs, practices but it also reaches for the best form of governance for ‘good
governance’
● Domain of great thinkers, great books and great ideas.
● Political philosophy offers “investigation into the nature, causes and effects of good
and bad government.”
● And where is … ‘non-western’ political thought?
About the ‘West’ in Political Science
● The ‘West’ is used in several senses: geographical, political-economic, hegemonic
(exercise of political dominance), racial (‘white’)
● ‘west’ and ‘non-west’ can be understood as westrocentric and negative
● It is a ‘homogenising’ notion, concerning both the ‘non-west’ and the ‘west’ - which is
increasingly problematic, also politically
● If used, it mostly refers to Asia, Africa, and Latin America
● earlier traditions: confucianism, taoism and buddhism
Machiavelli was the founder of the Political Science
● poet / playwright / diplomat / bureaucrat / soldier / political writer / philosopher
● italy was weak, divided in permanent state of war: 5 city-states
Why Machiavelli
● lasting reputation
○ il principe (1514); inspired by the devil
○ Probably the most famous (notorious) and influential treatise on statecraft
● bridges pre-modern and modern political thinking
○ politics and religion: politics as autonomous realm of human action with own
norms; demystification of politics. Religion as instrument of politics
○ About ‘structure’ and ‘agency’ about fortuna and virtu:
○ About what is and what should be
○ About goals and means: ethics of conviction or consequences
● Links political thinking with political practice
○ politics and morality
Political thinking and action
● monarchy or ‘republicanism’
○ a ruler who is not held in check by laws is likely to make the same mistakes
as an unruly multitude
● Machiavelli: stability and liberty is a function of law and institutions introducing a new
political order, a modern sate and a vision of a united italy
Machiavelli as protagonist of democratic governance and unity of Italy
What is political power: the ability to get others to do something that they would not
otherwise do
analytical concepts: assumptions and theories that guide research
methods: ways to study and test those theories
ideals: beliefs and values about preferred outcomes
Institutions: organisations and activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own
sake. Play huge role in shaping norms and values of everyday society. Is both a result of
politics as well as impact on politics.
Power and politics go hand in hand. Politics is struggle for power that will give the ability to
make decisions for the larger group.
Comparative politics: power across countries
Inductive reasoning: from studying case to hypothesis
starts with evidence as way to uncover hypothesis
Deductive reasoning: generating a hypothesis about cause and effect to test against cases
starts with hypothesis and then seeks out evidence
Seven major struggles for comparativists:
1. Difficulty controlling the variables. Each case is different therefore difficult to compare
2. Interaction between variables. Many variables are interconnected and interact;
multicausality.
3. Limits to information (gathering). Few cases that are alike to study, number of
countries about 200. Not thousands of individuals.
4. Information is hard to access. Not many researchers have time money and skill to do
thorough research
5. Focus tends to be limited to geographic region. The regional focus is distributed
unevenly around the world.
6. Bias makes variables even harder to control. Trap of selection bias. (revolution eg)
7. Problem of cause and effect which is which; endogeneity.
Behavioral revolution?
,LEC 2: Political Philosophy (GERRITS)
Political Theory:
● empirical theory: supports description and explanation (what is?)
○ interest group theory:Look at different societal groups (military / business /
ngo’s)
○ rational choice theory: individuals are rational and selfish
○ totalitarianism: dictatorship with extras. Just one political party, important role
of ideology. Absolute control of state
○ aims to describe / analyse.
Normative political theory adds prescription to analysis
○ sovereignty: both empirical/normative. Cornerstone of global politics.
○ just war theory: criteria if a war is just or not.
○ democratic peace: democracies are not necessarily more peaceful. Yet they
do not fight each other. Therefore we should encourage democracy, leads to
more peaceful international relations.
○ oldest form of political theory
Ideally they are separate. Practically impossible to neatly distinguish.
Political Ideology:
Distinction between political attitudes (views) and ideologies (values)
Attitudes: views regarding basic scope of political and social change. From radical to liberal
etc.
Ideology: basic values about the fundamental goals of politics. Set of ideas that inspires /
guides / directs politics and policies. (conservatism, socialism etc. isms)
Political Culture: society’s norms for political activity
Different from culture in politics. Culture as a condition for politics/democracy. No
bourgeoisie, no democracy. Demands presence of middle class.
Political ideas and activities which are considered normal/proper.
E.g.: Polderen in NL; tradition of consensus and compromise
‘gosudasrstvennost’ in Russia: idea that nothing is more important than state
Culture in politics
● Creative culture in politics
● Culture as a condition / a variable of (good) politics
○ eg Huntington’s understanding of culture ‘The clash of civilisations’
● Case: the extent to which democracy and authoritarianism are determined by
socioeconomic and ‘cultural’ conditions. “No bourgeoisie, no democracy” You need
middle class to have democracy; why middle class and what do they bring?
Political Philosophy
● Oldest form of political thinking - Political Science emerged from Political Philosophy
● Critical - systematically studies, discusses and questions relevant political issues
(timeless)
Definition
, ● Normative and practical - challenges, judges and influences conventional ideas and
beliefs, practices but it also reaches for the best form of governance for ‘good
governance’
● Domain of great thinkers, great books and great ideas.
● Political philosophy offers “investigation into the nature, causes and effects of good
and bad government.”
● And where is … ‘non-western’ political thought?
About the ‘West’ in Political Science
● The ‘West’ is used in several senses: geographical, political-economic, hegemonic
(exercise of political dominance), racial (‘white’)
● ‘west’ and ‘non-west’ can be understood as westrocentric and negative
● It is a ‘homogenising’ notion, concerning both the ‘non-west’ and the ‘west’ - which is
increasingly problematic, also politically
● If used, it mostly refers to Asia, Africa, and Latin America
● earlier traditions: confucianism, taoism and buddhism
Machiavelli was the founder of the Political Science
● poet / playwright / diplomat / bureaucrat / soldier / political writer / philosopher
● italy was weak, divided in permanent state of war: 5 city-states
Why Machiavelli
● lasting reputation
○ il principe (1514); inspired by the devil
○ Probably the most famous (notorious) and influential treatise on statecraft
● bridges pre-modern and modern political thinking
○ politics and religion: politics as autonomous realm of human action with own
norms; demystification of politics. Religion as instrument of politics
○ About ‘structure’ and ‘agency’ about fortuna and virtu:
○ About what is and what should be
○ About goals and means: ethics of conviction or consequences
● Links political thinking with political practice
○ politics and morality
Political thinking and action
● monarchy or ‘republicanism’
○ a ruler who is not held in check by laws is likely to make the same mistakes
as an unruly multitude
● Machiavelli: stability and liberty is a function of law and institutions introducing a new
political order, a modern sate and a vision of a united italy
Machiavelli as protagonist of democratic governance and unity of Italy
