Hague & Harrop: Comparative Government and Politics
Chapter 1: Key Concepts
Key concepts: an overview
Concept: an idea, term or category (e.g. democracy, power)
Conception: the manner in which something is understood or interpreted (e.g. different
interpretations of democracy for example a self-government or direct democracy,
etc.)
Social science: the study of human society and of the structured interactions among
people within society.
Better understanding the social science helps us make comparison (one of the most
basic of all human activities) and without comparison we can never comprehend
government and political processes.
Government and governance
Small groups can reach collective decisions without any special procedures (e.g. a
family) but for lager units this is impossible (e.g. cities, states).
Government: The institutions and offices through which societies are governed. Also
used to describe:
The group of people who govern (e.g. the Japanese government);
A specific administration (e.g. the Putin government);
The form of the system of rule (e.g. centralized government);
The nature and direction of the administration of a community (e.g. a good
government)
People often use the term government to refer to the highest level of political
appointments (presidents, prime ministers, legislatures, etc.). But: government consists
of all organizations charged with reaching and executing decisions for the whole
community thus the police, armed forces, public servants and judges all form part of the
government. This means that government is actually the entire community of
institutions endowed with public authority.
Thomas Hobbes: government provides us with protection from the harm that we would
otherwise inflict on each other in our quest for gain and glory (“without a ruler to keep
us in check: a war of every man against every man” ook wel: homo homini lupus)
government is an opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation. Risk: abuse of power.
Plato: who is to guard the guards themselves?
In a democracy government offers security and predictability to those who live under its
jurisdiction.
In democracies the government is influenced by wider forces political parties, media,
public opinions, etc. = a political system. This is not the case in authoritarian regimes.
1
Chapter 1: Key Concepts
Key concepts: an overview
Concept: an idea, term or category (e.g. democracy, power)
Conception: the manner in which something is understood or interpreted (e.g. different
interpretations of democracy for example a self-government or direct democracy,
etc.)
Social science: the study of human society and of the structured interactions among
people within society.
Better understanding the social science helps us make comparison (one of the most
basic of all human activities) and without comparison we can never comprehend
government and political processes.
Government and governance
Small groups can reach collective decisions without any special procedures (e.g. a
family) but for lager units this is impossible (e.g. cities, states).
Government: The institutions and offices through which societies are governed. Also
used to describe:
The group of people who govern (e.g. the Japanese government);
A specific administration (e.g. the Putin government);
The form of the system of rule (e.g. centralized government);
The nature and direction of the administration of a community (e.g. a good
government)
People often use the term government to refer to the highest level of political
appointments (presidents, prime ministers, legislatures, etc.). But: government consists
of all organizations charged with reaching and executing decisions for the whole
community thus the police, armed forces, public servants and judges all form part of the
government. This means that government is actually the entire community of
institutions endowed with public authority.
Thomas Hobbes: government provides us with protection from the harm that we would
otherwise inflict on each other in our quest for gain and glory (“without a ruler to keep
us in check: a war of every man against every man” ook wel: homo homini lupus)
government is an opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation. Risk: abuse of power.
Plato: who is to guard the guards themselves?
In a democracy government offers security and predictability to those who live under its
jurisdiction.
In democracies the government is influenced by wider forces political parties, media,
public opinions, etc. = a political system. This is not the case in authoritarian regimes.
1
