1) Introduction

Question 1

What is policies?

Answer 1

The outcome of political decisions.

Question 2

What is politics?

Answer 2

The political process, which leads to an outcome.

Question 3

What is polities?

Answer 3

The political system and units.

Question 4

What is the 1st of the five I’s?

Answer 4

Institutions.

Question 5

What does institutions inclued?

Answer 5

Structure matters! They shape and constrain actors behavior.
An important concept is path dependence.

Question 6

What is the 2nd of the five I’s?

Answer 6

Interests.

Question 7

What does interests inclued?

Answer 7

Individuals are self-interested utility maximizers and engage in political action to receive benefits.

Question 8

What is the 3rd of the five I’s?

Answer 8

Ideas.

Question 9

What does ideas inclued?

Answer 9

Ideas are normative goals, which matters for the political output.

Question 10

What is the 4th of the five I’s?

Answer 10

Individuals.

Question 11

What does individuals inclued?

Answer 11

Methodological individualism: you look at why the indivdual act as it does.

Question 12

What is the 5th of the five I’s?

Answer 12

International environment.

Question 13

What does international environment inclued?

Answer 13

International factors can affect and pose new challenges to domestic policies.

Question 14

What is the 6th “I”?

Answer 14

Interactions.

Question 15

What does interactions inclued?

Answer 15

Politics depends on interactions between actors.

Question 16

Describe the method of difference

Answer 16

The method selects cases that differ on X and Y, but not in the context (Z).
Holding contextual variables constant.

Question 17

Describe the method of agreement

Answer 17

The method selects cases that differ in the context (Z), but not on X and Y.
Maximizing contextual variation.

Question 18

What is a most simular system design (MSSD)?

Answer 18

There is variation between X and Y, but the context (Z) is simular for both X and Y.

Question 19

What is a most different system design (MDSD)?

Answer 19

There is not variation between X and Y, but the context (Z) is different.

Question 20

What does the MSSD concentrates on?

Answer 20

MSSD concentrates on the variation across cases.

Question 21

What does the MDSD concentrates on?

Answer 21

MDSD concentrates on the commonalities across cases.

Question 22

Which method does the MSSD design use?

Answer 22

The method of difference.

Question 23

Does the MDSD uses the method of agreement?

Answer 23

Not always. The MDSD is related, but not identical to the method of agreement.

Question 24

What is a case study?

Answer 24

One case at one time point.

Question 25

What is a time serie study?

Answer 25

One case over time.

Question 26

What is a closed universe study?

Answer 26

Relevant cases in relevant periods.

Question 27

What is a cross-section study?

Answer 27

All cases at one time point.

Question 28

What is a pooled analysis study?

Answer 28

Maximizing cases across time and space.

Question 29

What does politics compromise?

Answer 29

…human activity of making public and authoritative decisions.

…activity of acquiring the power of making such decisions.

…conflict or competition for power and its use.

Question 30

What is (according to Caramani) comparative politics?

Answer 30

“(…)it is concerned with power relations between individuals, groups, and organisations, classes, institutions within political systems”.