Lecture 1 -> power and politics

Question 1

define what politics is?

Answer 1

Politics is about the ideas, the organization (institutions) and the morality (including legitimacy) of pursuing power at the public level, in all its forms and varieties

Question 2

how does power and politics relate?

Answer 2

Politics is the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group. This group may range from a small organization to the entire world

Question 3

Explain the comparative method in politics

Answer 3

a method which can be inductively and deductively to draw conclusions form comparing cases

Question 4

what are issues from using the comparative method

Answer 4

biases, limited access to data, regional limitations

Question 5

Which thinker developed comparative politics

Answer 5

Italian Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527)

Question 6

what is the goal of comparative politics

Answer 6

The goal is to understand how and why political systems differ, what effects those differences have, and what general principles might apply across various contexts.

Question 7

what is the objective of comparative politics

Answer 7

i) identify differences & similarities across political systems

ii) To explain these differences

iii) To predict which factors may cause similar of different outcomes