POL 252 SP 2015 Intro Comp Pols

1. POL 252-01
Spring 2015

4. What words, concepts, ideas, etc. come to mind
when you see the following words?
“politics”
“power”
“comparative politics”

5.  Politics: “Who gets what, when and how”
(Lasswell)
 Politics: Struggle for power; emphasis on
decision-making
 Political scientists study leadership in
political community
 Political party, legislature, city, region, country

6.  Power:
 Ability to influence others or impose will on them
 How do you know if you have power?
 Get someone to do something they would not do
 Prevent someone from doing something they
would do
 Influence how people think
▪ Examples: Campaign Commercials

9.  Subfield of political science that compares
the pursuit of power across countries
 Examples of Power Imbalances:
 State Control vs. Individual Freedom
 Plutocracy vs. Egalitarianism

12.  Based on simple
questions:
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?

14. INSTRUCTIONS:
Just like Jeopardy!, come up with a topic of your choice
(does NOT have to be political—can be movies, music, etc.)
Write questions and answers using the FourW’s
Can use phones, laptops, etc. to find answers
Example:The American Presidency
WHO was our thirty-second president? (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
WHAT did he do while in office? (Began “New Deal” program)
WHEN did he serve? (1933-1945)
WHERE did he die? (Warm Springs, Georgia)

15.  Knowing the four W’s can answer a lot of
interesting questions.
 In FDR example, “Why?” question might be:
 Why was FDR such a great orator?

17. INSTRUCTIONS:
Return to your group and come up with a few
“Why?” questions related to your original topic.

21.  Why are some countries democratic and others are not?
 Why are some countries rich and others poor?
 Why do countries have different institutions and forms
of government?
 Why do countries have different public policies?
 Why are some social revolutions and others fail?
 Why do countries go to war?

22. GENERAL QUESTION
 Why do countries
go to war?
SPECIFIC QUESTION
 Why did Britain support
U.S. involvement in the
IraqWar?

24.  Institutions
 Interests
 Ideas
 Individuals
 International Environment
 Interactions

26.  Government Performance
 Unemployment and Inflation
 Constitutional Structures
(and resulting institutions)
 “Behavioral Revolution” in Political Science

28.  Lasswell Definition of Politics
 How do individuals and groups define their
interests?
 Politically
 Economically
 Socially

30.  Political Culture
 What do people think about politics?
 Opinion Polling
(e.g. Gallup Poll, WorldValues Survey, etc.)
 Equality, Loyalty, Freedom, Justice,Trust
 Impact of ideas change over time
 Why?

32. James David Barber

33. ACTIVE-PASSIVE
 How much energy does
the president invest in
their job?
POSITIVE-NEGATIVE
 How much does the
president enjoy their job?

34. Can we categorize recent presidents?
George W. Bush? Barack Obama?
Active-Positive
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt
JFK
Active-Negative
JohnAdams
LBJ
WoodrowWilson
Richard Nixon
James Madison
Ronald Reagan
William H.Taft
Passive-Positive
G GeorgeWashington
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ulysses S. Grant
Passive-Negative
Presidential
Character
Credit given to Dr. James M. Curry, GVPT 475, University of Maryland

36.  IndividualCountry Focus
 Why problematic?
 International Influences
 European Union as Case Study

38. How do EU member
states balance
individual history,
culture, etc. while part
of a large continental
organization?

43.  Individuals are rational and self-interested
with sincere preferences
 What does this mean?
 Borrowed from economics
 Example: Building a New Road in Murray
 Rep.Whitfield vs. Other Members in Congress

45.  Attitudes, values, beliefs, and symbols
 Gives people a way to understand politics
 Culture of location can change—but does
slowly—since it becomes ingrained in society
 Endures because of political socialization
 Cultural values can influence forms of power

46.  Well-defined attitudes, values, beliefs are
clearly identified within any political culture

47.  Question Modernists’ argument
 Cultures NOT fixed with set values;
subject to interpretation
 Societies have subcultures
(e.g. South and Northeast in U.S.)
 Importance of political discourse
 Example: Meaning of “family values”

48.  Beliefs on how political system should be

49.  Political structures influence & limit behavior
 Marxism and Institutionalism
 What is an institution?

51.  Who rules in the United States?
 Democratically-elected political actors
▪ Presidents, legislators, justices
 Voters
 Who rules in other countries?
 A dictator
 The military
 Something or someone else

52.  Distribution of Resources
 Social, Economic, Political
 Variation in Supply of
Resources
 Discusses power and
influence in New Haven, CT
 Will return to this during week
on democracies and
democratization

54.  Society divided into various groups and power is
dispersed so that no group has absolute power
 Common in nations with opposing parties
 Policy = Compromise
 Power and InfluenceVaries
 Example: Democrats and U.S. House

56.  Societies are ruled by elite; effective
monopoly on power
C. Wright Mills
Elite groups control
society.
Includes notable
families, celebrities,
CEO’s of companies,
stockholders, etc.

57.  Marxism
 Patriarchy
 Racial Elite

59.  Who is in formal position of power?
 Who has influence in governmental-
decision-making?
 Who benefits from decisions made?