1. Why and How do we study comparative political regimes?

Question 1

What is comparative politics ?

Answer 1

A subfield of the political science discipline that focuses mainly on political structures and processes within nation-sates.

Question 2

3 meanings of comparative politics :

Answer 2

1) Studying the politics of a country other than your own
2) Area studies, popular in the 60s in the US, coming back
3) Study that uses a rigorous theoretical model to compare political regimes (typologies needed)

Question 3

2 goals of comparative politics

Answer 3

Explanation and prediction (but USSR, Arab Spring not predicted)

Question 4

3 levels of reasoning

Answer 4

Describing, explaining, predicting

Question 5

2 approaches of comparative politics

Answer 5

• Modern early focus (early 20th century), study of constitutions etc
• Expanded focus (course of the 20th century, inspired by other disciplines

Question 6

First comparativist

Answer 6

Aristote

Question 7

Comparativists of the Renaissance and Enlightenment ?

Answer 7

Machiavelli, Montesquieu, Hobbes, Smith

Question 8

19th century classic comparativists ?

Answer 8

Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Pareto…

Question 9

1st generation comparativists ? 20th century ?

Answer 9

Harry Eckstein, Daniel Apter, Robert Dahl