Introduction: Politics
and Political Science
Frank H. Brooks
March 23, 2016
Introduction to Political Science
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What Is Politics?
• Assumption I: Politics is necessary because of human
selfishness, bias, and conflict
– Madison (Federalist #51): “If men were angels, no government
would be necessary.”
– Human nature makes politics a challenge
– Is this cynical? Realistic? Pragmatic?
• Assumption II: Politics can be civilizing
– Aristotle (Politics, Book III): “a state exists for the sake of a
good life and not for the sake of life only; if life only were the
object, slaves and brute animals might form a state”
– Is this idealistic? A critique of existing states and politics?
• Middle ground?
– Otto von Bismarck: politics is “the art of the possible”
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What Is Politics Really?
• Etienne de la Boetie (The Discourse of Voluntary
Servitude):
– “Plays, farces, spectacles, gladiators, strange beasts, medals,
picture, and other such opiates”
– Distractions to dominate
• Ambrose Bierce (The Devil’s Dictionary)
– Politics is “a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of
principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage”
– Hypocrisy and corruption
• Saddam Hussein
– “Politics is when you say you are going to do one thing while
intending to do another. Then you do neither what you said or
what you intended.”
– deviousness
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What Is Political Science?
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Scientific method applied to study of politics
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A set of related disciplines attempting to better understand
politics
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– Is this possible? Ethical?
– How does political science differ from physical sciences?
– Can politics be studied objectively? Should it be?
– What is the subject matter (scope)?
– Consider anatomy of discipline
• Structure of departments, requirements for majors, prominent journals
• Fields and subfields
– Little consensus on scope or methods, especially now
• Debates on conceptual and analytical framework
• Convergence of formerly distinct fields
Political science and comparative politics
– Most basic strategy of political science is comparison
– Explanatory models evaluated by focused comparison of cases
• Obviously central to field of comparative politics
• Done also in studies of public policy, international relations, even
political theory
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Course Goals
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Why study politics by comparing?
– Curiosity
– Analysis
– Critique/reform
Describe
– Appreciate similarities and differences between governments and
politics in different countries
Systematize
– Identify and categorize major political phenomena, institutions,
policies, performance, and change
Analyze and explain
– Examine how comparativists try to understand and explain these
elements of government and politics
Apply to politics
– How can we better understand (and fix?) contemporary political
phenomena and changes
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Scope of Comparative
Politics
• What is to be studied?
• States
– aka “government”
– Political scientists distinguish between state, governments, regimes
– Analytical concepts: institutions, processes, conflicts
• Society
– That which is governed
– “object” of state’s actions; “subject” which directs state
– Analytical concepts: class, religion, nationality, ethnicity, identity
• Global Context
– Not “International relations” per se, but relations between/among
states and societies
– Concepts: globalization, world systems, colonialism
• Performance
– What is actually done and accomplished
– Concepts: policies, political economy
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Scope II
• Political Systems v. Political Change
– Which is more essential: what persists or what
changes/develops?
– “metaphysics” of politics
• Systems
– “static” explanation – order, organic
– Concepts and approaches: “behavioralism” and
functions
• Change
– Cycles, decline and progress
– Examples: Modernization theory, explanations
of revolution, theories of democratization
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Methods of Comparison
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Description v. Comparison
Large “N” v. Small “N”
Can Comparative Politics be a Science?
Major methods
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Case studies
Statistical analysis
Structured, focused comparison
Regional studies
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Key Concepts
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Quick review of major definitions
Politics
State, Regime and Government
Power v. Authority
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Politics
• “the struggle in any group for power that will give one
or more persons the ability to make decisions for the
larger group” (O’Neil, p. 3)
– Binding on group members
– Size and nature of groups varies
– Could be seen as “process,” but more realistically as
“struggle”
• Narrower: “the struggle for the authority to make
decisions that will affect the public as a whole”
– Binding on “public as a whole”
– Authority and power are key concepts
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State
• Max Weber: “a human community that (successfully)
claims a monopoly of the legitimate use of physical
force within a given territory”
• “the authoritative decision-making institutions for an
entire society, to which all other groups, institutions and
persons are legally subject”
• Definitions of “state” beg definition of constituent
concepts:
– Territory (society) – where/over what does state
rule?
– Techniques – force, decisions
– Sovereignty (degree, internal v. external)
– Authority and legitimacy
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Regime v. Government
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Regime
– Often connotes illegitimate system of governing
– More neutrally, the “fundamental rules and norms of politics” (O’Neil, p.
22)
Government
– Broad definition: “A regular and settled pattern of decision-making”
• Orderly and patterned, not spontaneous
• Can apply to many organizations, e.g. universities, clubs, churches,
unions
– Narrow definition: “the leadership or elite in charge of running the state”
(O’Neil, p. 23)
Relationship of state, regime and government
– State is administration, sovereignty (basic structural unit) – the “what”
– Regime is processes for running the state – the “how”
– Government is the particular personnel and policies at a given time – the
“who”
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Power
• Not equivalent to force
• Power to v. power over
• Three forms of power (Boulding)
– The stick – “use force”
– The deal – “make deals”
– The kiss – “create commitments”
• “Invisible” power (Lukes)
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Authority
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Distinct from power
Machiavelli – creating obedience
Right to rule
Weber’s bases of authority
– Traditional
– Charismatic
– Legal-rational
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