The Comparative Approach

Definition of Terms

COMPARATIVE POLITICS
GOAL: Encompass the major political similarities and differences between countries

THE COMPARATIVE APPROACH

The strategies and techniques which advance the understanding within the field of comparative politics.
For drawing inferences about causation in any area of study For descriptions, interpretation, and explanation.

STRENGTHS OF THE COMPARATIVE APPROACH

1. Learning about other governments broadens our understanding, casting fresh light on our home. 2. Comparison improves our classifications of political processes. 3. Comparison enables us to test hypotheses about politics. 4. Comparison gives us some potential for prediction and control.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE COMPARATIVE APPROACH

1. Comparative research demands knowledge of more than one political system. 2. The same phenomenon can mean different things in different countries, creating difficulties in comparing. 3. Globalization means that countries cannot be regarded as independent of each other, thus reducing the effective number of cases available for testing theories.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE COMPARATIVE APPROACH

4. The countries selected for study may be an unrepresentative sample, limiting the significance of the studies. 5. Any pair of countries will differ in many ways, meaning that the ideal of holding all the factors constant can never be achieved.

LEVELS OF ANALYSIS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS

Comparative Politics: Adopts the country, rather than regions, as its core unit. Even countries are divided into three different levels of analysis:
Institutions Society State

INSTITUTION-CENTERED ANALYSES
Institutions a well-established body, often with a public status, whose members interact on the basis of specific roles they perform within the organization

INSTITUTION-CENTERED ANALYSES
Basis of Analyses:
The organizations of government and the relationships between them Institutions analyzed include:
Those explicitly defined in the constitution Governing institutions with a less secure constitutional basis Important political organizations which are not formally part of the government

INSTITUTION-CENTERED ANALYSES
Importance of Institutions
Roles matter more than the people who occupy them Institutions are capable of making long term commitments which are more credible than those of any single employee. Institutions can shape behavior. Institutions bring forth activity which takes place simple because it is expected, rather than because of a deeper political motive

SOCIETY-CENTERED ANALYSES
How social factors influence individual behavior in politics
Example: Eastons systems model of the political system
A more society centered approach The political system as a mechanism for converting demands from society into concrete policies

STATE-CENTERED ANALYSES
The state is the single central concern of political study.
The state as an active agent, which shapes and reshapes society. The state as the unit of analysis. The states powers are variable rather than constant.

TECHNIQUES OF COMPARISON
CASE STUDIES
A single case offers a detailed illustration of a theme of wider interest if done in a comparative perspective. Case studies are building blocks from which an understanding of the political world is built.

TECHNIQUES OF COMPARISON
CASE STUDIES FOCUSED COMPARISONS STATISTICAL ANALYSES

CASE STUDIES
A single case offers a detailed illustration of a theme of wider interest if done in a comparative perspective. Case studies are building blocks from which an understanding of the political world is built.

CASE STUDIES
Case studies aim to provide a description which is both rounded and detailed.
Representative Prototypical Deviant Archetypal

FOCUSED COMPARISONS
Concentrate on the intensive comparison of an aspect of politics in a small number of countries Remains sensitive to details of particular countries, while demanding the intellectual discipline required in the comparative enterprise Remains sensitive to history

FOCUSED COMPARISONS
How to Select Countries for Focused Comparison
Most Similar Design Most Different Design

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Based on variables rather than cases, and the object is to explore covariation between variables. Can provide precise summaries of large amounts of data using standard techniques whose use can be checked by other researchers.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
RISKS OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Strong correlations between two variables may arise simply because both depend on a third unmeasured factor. Even if a relationship is genuine, the direction of causation remains to be established.