All notes from the book + the lectures political science. These notes helped me to get a good grade for my exam (final grade = 9,2), hope it can help you too:)
Summary Political Science + additional literature 660437-B-6
Lecture notes and book summary - Introduction to Comparative Politics - 2023 - Grade 8.5
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Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR)
Management of International Social Challenges
Political Science (ESSBSBC1070)
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POLITICAL SCIENCE
Lecture 1......................................................................................................................................................3
Three important concepts: politics, power, authority.............................................................................4
There are three clear features of politics:............................................................................................4
Three dimensions of power.................................................................................................................5
Three types of authority: Weber.........................................................................................................6
Regimes and political systems.................................................................................................................6
Different typologies.................................................................................................................................6
The spirit of the laws – Montesquieu & Secondat...............................................................................6
Three worlds system............................................................................................................................6
Quotes.................................................................................................................................................8
There are multiple forms of democratic rule:..........................................................................................8
Democracies and rights.........................................................................................................................11
The future of democratic rule................................................................................................................11
Authoritarian / hybrid regimes..............................................................................................................12
Four key control devices – Dictators......................................................................................................13
Understanding political culture.............................................................................................................13
Features of political culture.......................................................................................................13
Civic culture & post-materialism............................................................................................................13
Almond & Verba – four types of political culture..................................................................................14
Political trust..........................................................................................................................................16
Timeline – political communication.......................................................................................................19
Recent developments in political communication.............................................................................19
Transmission model;..............................................................................................................................20
Understanding the media......................................................................................................................20
Mechanisms of media impact:...........................................................................................................21
Kruikemeier (2014); use of twitter increases public support for a political candidate.......................21
Jacobs & Spierings --> relation between Twitter and populist leaders and politicians......................22
1. Centre-periphery cleavage.............................................................................................................23
2. State-church cleavage....................................................................................................................24
3. Urban-rural cleavage......................................................................................................................24
4. Class cleavage................................................................................................................................24
Socialist and radical left parties.............................................................................................................25
, Traditional cleavages and conservative parties.....................................................................................25
Traditional cleavages and liberal parties................................................................................................25
Far right parties.....................................................................................................................................25
New developments: green parties / progressive parties.......................................................................26
There are four main electoral systems used in legislative elections:.....................................................27
1. Plurality systems............................................................................................................................27
2. Proportional representation..........................................................................................................27
Thresholds:........................................................................................................................................27
3. Majority systems............................................................................................................................28
4. Mixed systems...............................................................................................................................28
Sociological model / theory...................................................................................................................29
Rational model / theory.........................................................................................................................29
Lecture 7....................................................................................................................................................31
Four main types of executives:..............................................................................................................31
Executives in democratic regimes..........................................................................................................32
There are two different dimensions of executives:............................................................................32
Presidential executives..........................................................................................................................33
Strengths and weaknesses: presidential executives..........................................................................33
Parliamentary executives.......................................................................................................................34
Executive elections................................................................................................................................36
Why a surplus majority?........................................................................................................................37
Theory of coalition formation – motives of entering government:........................................................37
Lecture 8....................................................................................................................................................38
Four elements of constitutions..........................................................................................................38
Four roles – constitutions..................................................................................................................39
Three roles of legislature...................................................................................................................41
Legislation..............................................................................................................................................41
Representation......................................................................................................................................41
Control...................................................................................................................................................42
Unicameral / bicameral.........................................................................................................................43
Three ways of electing upper chambers............................................................................................44
Different names per country – chambers..........................................................................................44
Roles of sub-national government.....................................................................................................45
, Unitary systems.....................................................................................................................................45
Federal systems.....................................................................................................................................46
Four tiers of government...................................................................................................................48
Parties per country:...............................................................................................................................49
Lecture 1
14-02-2023
Chapter 1, 5 & 6
Chapter 1
What does political science entail? It helps us understand:
- How governments work
- The role and authority of leaders and institutions
- The dynamics of processes (such as elections)
- The political behaviour of citizens
Political science is about:
- Political behaviour
- Political processes
- Political institutions
In order to understand politics, there are two perspectives:
- Empirical
- Comparative = the systematic study of government and politics in different countries, designed
to better understand them by drawing out their contrasts and similarities.
Comparison is the methodological core of the scientific study of politics (Powell).
Social science might be seen as the division of search for knowledge, where political science focuses on
knowledge about government and politics in this field.
How to define politics:
, --> Distribution of power
--> The process by which people negotiate and compete
--> The process of making and executing shared or collective decisions
Normative statement/definition that should not be used:
Three important concepts: politics, power, authority
1. Politics = the process by which people negotiate and compete in making and executing shared
or collective decisions.
There are three clear features of politics:
- It is a collective activity occurring between and among people
- It involves making decisions regarding a course of action to take or avoid, or a disagreement to
be resolved
- Once reached, political decisions become policy for the group. Binding and committing its
members even if some of them continue to resist
The three core concepts in politics
1. Power: capacity to bring about intended effects
2. Authority: right to exert power
3. Legitimacy: power and authority of a government are accepted by
those subject to its rules and by the community (other governments)
Example: NIGERIA
Recently updated from authoritarian regime to hybrid regime. Characteristics of political system:
- Presidential executive
- Multiparty system
- Hybrid regime
- Partly free country
- Low human development index rating
The government has switched multiple times between parliamentary models and presidential models.
The core economic problem is the reliance on oil, which leaves the size and health of the economy
dependent on fluctuations in prices of oil. Much of the oil wealth is squandered and stolen and which
into the corruption problem in Nigeria. The core social problems are the divisions by ethnicity and
religion, which hampers the process of gaining a national identity.
2. Power = the capacity to bring about intended effects. The term is often used as a synonym for
influence but also used more narrowly to refer to more forceful modes of influence notably,
getting one's way by threat.
At the heart of politics is the manipulation and distribution of power (potere = to be able).
Russell – the production of intended effects
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