AP Comparative Government Theory

1.  A way to compare cases and draw conclusions.
 A way to draw comparisons and understand
trends and guide policy.

2.  Inductive reasoning- the means by which we go
from studying a specific case to generating a
hypothesis
◦ Start small and create a larger hypotheses
 Deductive reasoning- start with a puzzle or large
issue, form possible hypotheses and test them in
a number of cases.

4. Sovereignty,
Authority,
Power,
Political Institutions Citizens, Society &
State
Political and
economic Change
Public Policy
General content of each of the themes of Comp Gov
- Culture, et al
- Source of
power
- Econ type
- Beliefs
/legitimacy
- Accountability
-Levels
- branches
-- elections
--parties
-Recruitment
-Interest groups
-Bureaucracy
-Military
-judiciary
-Cleavages
-Social conflict
-Civil society
-Media
-- participation
-Social movements
-Citizenship and
representation
- Methods of change
- Trends of change
econ & political
- Relationship b/t
econ and poli change
- globalization
Common policy
issues
- econ
- social welfare
- liberties
- environment
- population
Influence, foreign
and domestic on
policy
Do now: Describe details of the US
political system utilizing the
themes of Comp Gov

5.  A significant segment of the citizenry must believe that
the state acts with some moral authority. People
believe that the state has the right to issue rules
binding for people within their borders - Kesselman
• People believe that rules should be followed voluntarily
because they are in the best interests of all citizens. – Palmer
•Legal Legitimacy
•Traditional Legitimacy
•Charismatic Legitimacy

6. Describe details of the US political system utilizing the themes
Individualists
who believe in
the constitution,
capitalism and
compromise.
Believe we can
hold government
accountable
through elections
Federal system with
3 separate branches
elected both directly
and indirectly by
FPTP in a 2 party
system. Significant
bias in recruitment.
Many powerful I.G.s
Professional but
politicized Bureaus
Professional military
Indipendent judiciary
Race, class, region
increasing religion
conflicts
Very pluralistic
participatory civil
society
Free and widespread
media
Mvmnts for: CR,
envi, minorities
No revo or coup but
war has had some
impact
Economy slowing but
still vibrant, little poli
change
Change most
affected by econ
G has had significant
impact

7. Political System – collection of institutions involved in the creation and
implementation of public policy
System-environment approach- focus on general process and
interaction between inputs, decision-making, outputs, feedback and the
environment
Structural-functional approach – focus on the process within each step
in the system - the who and how each of inputs, decisions and outputs
AND the evaluation of the effectiveness of the entire system in
maintaining the regime and providing for the satisfaction of its people
Typology approach – focus on comparing the various types of gov’t
from authoritarian to democratic. Here system theory is augmented by
categorization to better evaluate the success of various types and their
strengths and weaknesses relative to each other
Historical Approach – looking at the past to better understand where
the political system will go in the future. Probably includes study of the
political culture as it interacts with the political system

8. inputs Decision-making
outputs
Feedback

10. History and culture
inputs Decision-making
outputs
Feedback

11. aggregation
articulation
implementation
Policy making
Policy
functions
System Functions
Foreign state

12. Systems S-F History Typology
Shows the big
picture
Easy to understand
Shows specific
details for
understanding how
the system really
works.
Helps to evaluate
success of system
Connects reasons
for system’s
existence and the
beliefs of the polity
with the system
Understand trends
Focuses on
categorization and
comparison
Understand trends
and helps make
predictions
Too general
Does not highlight
specific policies or
policy makers.
Does not address
history or culture
A little too
theoretical
Too specific
Does not address
history or culture
Too little emphasis
on effect of
environment
Does not address
how the system
works in the real
world
Does not address
how the system
works in the real
world
Environment?
Does not highlight
specific policies or
policy makers.

13. Systems S-F History Typology
Shows the big
picture
Easy to understand
Shows specific
details for
understanding how
the system really
works.
Helps to evaluate
success of system
Connects reasons
for system’s
existence and the
beliefs of the polity
with the system
Understand trends
Focuses on
categorization and
comparison
Understand trends
and helps make
predictions

17.  To utilize a structural-functional systems framework to
compare political systems we need to discuss three
general concepts:
 System: suggests an object having interdependent parts, acting
within a setting or an environment
 Structure
 Function
 Political system: a set of institutions and agencies
concerned with formulating and implementing the
collective goals of a society or of groups within it

18.  Governments are the policymaking parts of political systems.
 Decisions of governments are normally backed up by legitimate coercion;
obedience may be compelled.
 A political system exists in both an international environment and a
domestic environment.
 A system receives inputs from these environments.
 International
 Exchanges among countries may vary in many ways: small to great.
 Interdependence has increased enormously in the last decades.
 Globalization
 Domestic
 Economic and social systems
 Political culture of its citizens

19. 1. Explain the two axial principals according to the author.
2. Identify and explain the four imperatives of the
McWorld.
3. What is wrong with nationalism? What are some
examples?
4. According to the Barber, why is democracy declining?
5. What are the inherent problems with McWorld?
6. How is Jihad both good and bad?
7. What will democracies look like in the future?
8. What is the only real form of democracy?
9. How will democracy really take hold?
10. What foreign policy mistakes have been made
according to his theory? Include recent events.

20.  Structures: parliaments, bureaucracies, administrative
agencies, and courts
 Structures perform functions, which in turn enable the
government to formulate, implement, and enforce its policies.
 Policies reflect the goals; the agencies provide the means.
 Six types of political structures: political parties, interest groups,
legislatures, executives, bureaucracies, and courts.
 Formal organizations engaged in political activities.
 Some structures, such as ruling military councils or governing royal families,
are found in only a few countries.
 Similar structures may have very different functions across political systems.
 Ex: China and Britain

22.  Process functions: distinctive activities necessary for policy to be
made and implemented in any kind of political system
 Interest articulation
 Involves individuals and groups expressing their needs and demands
 Interest aggregation
 Combines different demands into policy proposals backed by significant political
resources
 Policymaking
 Decides which policy proposals are to become authoritative rules
 Policy implementation
 Carries out and enforces public policies; policy adjudication settles disputes
about their application

24.  Three additional functions which are not directly involved in making
and implementing public policy - socialization, recruitment, and
communication, are fundamentally important.
 These are SYSTEM functions.
 They determine whether or not the system will be maintained or changed.
 Political socialization: involves families, schools, communications media,
churches, and all the various political structures that develop, reinforce and
transform the political culture, the attitudes of political significance in the society
 Political recruitment: refers to the selection of people for political activity and
government offices
 Political communication: refers to the flow of information through the society
and through the various structures that make up the political system

25.  Outputs = the implementations of the political process.
 Substantive impacts on the society, the economy, and the
culture
 Regulation of behavior; extraction of resources; distribution of
benefits and services
 Reflect the way way the policies interact with the domestic and
international environments
 Example of structures and functions in Russia before
and after the breakdown of communist rule in the
Soviet Union
 Approach - structural functional comparison
 Allows us to examine how the same functions are performed in
different countries, or in the same country at two different points in
time

26. Sovereignty,
Authority,
Power,
Political
Institutions
Citizens,
Society &
State
Political and
economic
Change
Public
Policy
source of power
can be limited by
constitutional
regimes
discussion of
political
culture’s effects
on system
– elites and elite
systems equates
to gov’t
structures and
electoral systems
- interest groups
– structures –
equitable
distribution builds
support
– political
participation
- interest groups
institutionalization
is a method of
system change
-change gradual
or violent is
dependent on
typology
policy affected by
political culture/
socialization

27.  The concept that the power and discretion of
government and its officials ought to be restrained by a
supreme set of neutral rules that prevent arbitrary and
unfair action by government. Also called
constitutionalism. - Magstadt
• the principle that legal rules rather than arbitrary or
personal decisions determine what happens – Hauss
• governments can take no action that has not been
authorized by law and that citizens can be punished
only for actions violating existing laws- A & P

28.  List the challenges
 Explain it
 Give a real world example

29.  FRQ: Free response Question.
 APAP: Answer the Prompt; All Parts
 Explain the two main ways the comparative
method is used in comparative politics. Give two
examples of problems that can occur when
examining political features across a country.
 Summarize the theory of Jihad vs McWorld. Give
an example how the theory has come true. Give
an example of something it got wrong.

30.  Various terms are used to compare countries
 Old Approach: Three Worlds
◦ 1 – United States and its allies
◦ 2 - Soviet Union and its allies
 Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia maintains many
relationships
◦ 3 - Third world nations
 Economically deprived and underdeveloped
 Newer Approaches
◦ Democracy vs. authoritarianism (political)
◦ Communism vs. capitalism (economic)

31.  New approaches must also take into account:
◦ Role of informal politics
◦ Importance of political change
◦ Integration of political and economic systems
 Our Approach: Countries fall into one of 3 groups:
◦ “Advanced” democracies
 UK and U.S.
◦ Communist and post-communist countries
 China and Russia
◦ Less developed and newly industrializing
 Newly industrializing – Mexico and Iran(?)
 Less developed - Nigeria

32.  Summarize Huntington’s theory of the Clash of
Civilizations.
 What is the authors critique of the theory?
 Give two quotes/examples that the author uses to
disprove the clash of civilizations.