Comparative Politics in a Globalized World - Lecture 1

Introduction to Comparative Politics

• The course begins by addressing the fundamental question: Why do we compare?
• Comparative politics involves systematic comparison of political systems to explain differences and similarities, different from journalism which is more about reporting.
• Definitions from scholars Viarda and Lane:
  • Viarda: Focuses on systematic comparison of world political systems to find patterns.
  • Lane: Emphasizes explaining political behavior and institutions, with a possibility to influence them.
• Comparative politics is one of the main sub-disciplines of political science, along with international relations, political theory, and public policy.

Key Characteristics of Comparative Politics

• Spatiality and Temporality: Variations across space (different countries) and time are crucial.
• Focuses on interactions within political systems rather than between them (unlike IR).
• Both a field and method of inquiry: It views the world through a comparative lens and uses comparison as a method.

Importance of Comparative Politics

• Broadens horizons, opens up views beyond immediate environments (e.g., breaking stereotypes like "Africa is a country").
• Uses the comparative method to develop theories, test hypotheses, infer causality, and produce generalizations.

Purposes of Comparison

1. Description

   • Describing characteristics by placing them in context with similar objects.
   • Examples include comparing electoral systems or immigration levels.

2. Explanation

   • Understanding why variations exist by controlling for confounding factors.
   • Example: Analyzing poverty and corruption across countries.

3. Simplification

   • Abstracting from complexity, narrowing focus, and categorizing phenomena (e.g., welfare state models).

4. Evaluation

   • Assessing characteristics such as democracy, effectiveness, etc., through comparative methods.
   • Examples include Fragile State Index and PISA test scores.

5. Governance

   • Influencing behavior through regulation and resource allocation.
   • Comparison can create national pressure (e.g., climate change responsibilities).

Critical Approach to Comparative Politics

• Always question the comparability of cases and reliability of insights.
• Understand how data is generated and if it justifies policy actions.
• Future lectures will delve deeper into these critical perspectives.

Conclusion

• The lecture provides a foundation for understanding the importance and methods of comparative politics.
• Encourages critical thinking about comparison and its implications.

Next Lecture Preview:

• The next lecture will focus on the "how" and "what" of comparative politics, further exploring the methods and analysis used in the field.