Comparative Politics Today
Political Science I
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2
What are the current political
ideologies in the US?
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US Political Culture
• Individualism is one of the most widely held
beliefs in the US
• Individualism – a belief that emphasizes the role of the
individual voter or consumer, typically associated with
the rise of democracy in the West (Hauss & Haussman,
2013)
• Supported by the perception that anything can be
achieved through hard work
• Leads many Americans to believe that there is little
need for the government to provide assistance through
social-service programs
• 35 million Americans are in poverty despite working on a
regular basis (Hauss & Haussman, 2013)
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US Political Culture (continued)
• Political apathy
• Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba identify this
concept as civic culture
• Civic culture – a culture which is characterized by trust,
legitimacy, and limited involvement, which some theorists
believe is most conducive to democracy (Hauss &
Haussman, 2013)
• Although there are plenty of avenues for political
involvement, very few Americans become political
activists
• Since the 1950s, Americans’ faith in politicians has
declined dramatically (Hauss & Haussman, 2013)
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US Political Participation
• The most common form of political
participation in the US is voting
• The US is a two-party system
• Two-party system – consists of two parties that are
highly competitive with one another and, taken
together, win almost all the votes and offices in
elections
• The Democrats and Republicans have been the two
dominant parties in the US since the 1850s
• There were notable challenges to the Republican and
Democrat candidates in the 1992 (H. Ross Perot) and
2000 (Ralph Nader) presidential elections
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US Public Policy: Economic
• Congress is responsible for appropriating
money to federal agencies (i.e. education,
defense, transportation)
• A person’s political ideology typically suggests
his or her opinion about the ideal amount of
government participation in the personal lives
of citizens
• The federal government does regulate the
private sector in some ways, such as through
taxes, bankruptcy, and anti-trust laws
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US Public Policy: Economic (continued)
• America has a laissez-faire approach to
business and the economy
• Laissez-faire – the ideology that the government
should not intervene into business affairs
• Believes that the private sector should operate
freely without major restrictions from the
government
• The private sector is responsible for the production
of all goods manufactured in the US
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US Public Policy: Social
• Politicians continually argue about the role the
federal government should play in the personal
lives of citizens
• People’s opinions about this vary because of
their political ideologies
• Social policies continue to evolve over time and
will continue to change as time progresses;
here are two examples from 2013
• The Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for
states to ban same-sex marriage
• Many states passed anti-abortion legislation
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What are the current political
ideologies of Iran?
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Iranian Political Culture
• Most political scientists have been unable to
do field research in Iran since 1979, which
caused
• Gaps in the information about Iran’s political
culture
• Many political scientists to assume that the
political culture is very polarizing
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Iranian Political Culture (continued)
• Since the overthrow of the Shah in 1979,
Iran has become very nationalistic
• Shah – the title for the monarchs of Iran prior to
the Iranian Revolution in 1979
• Most Iranians are considered Shi’ite Muslims
• In recent years, the Islamic Left has gained support
and created many reformist groups within the
country
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Iranian Political Culture (continued)
• Iran is surprisingly liberal
• Two-thirds of Iran’s population is under the age of
30, and it is becoming increasingly dissatisfied
with the Orthodox Shi’ite mentality (Hauss &
Haussman, 2013)
• Younger Iranians are more secular and may
partake in activities that are forbidden by the
government, such as
• Wearing makeup
• Watching foreign television shows and movies
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Iranian Political Participation
• Iran considers itself a strong authoritarian
regime with varying amounts of democracy
• All citizens in Iran over the age of 18 are
eligible to vote
• Election campaigns in Iran are only one
week long and candidates are allowed only
to circulate campaign literature that is four
by six inches in size
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Iranian Political Parties
• Iran has thirty-four political parties (Hauss &
Haussman, 2013)
• Iran is divided into twenty-eight different
constituencies, which are allocated seats based
on their population
• This is similar to the structure of the US House of
Representatives
• Prior to running, all candidates must submit
their names to the Guardian Council for
approval
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Iranian Political Parties (continued)
• The Guardian Council
• Is selected by the authoritative body of Iran; its members
are not elected
• Screens potential candidates
• The Constitution of Iran mandates that all
candidates meet a certain criteria
• Under the age of seventy-five
• Have a university degree
• Have a belief and commitment to the practice of Islam
• There is no dominant political party, because the
authoritarian regime has most of the political power
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Iranian Public Policy: Economic
• Economy is the most important issue to Iran’s longterm future
• The wealth of Iran comes from one industry: oil
• Iran holds seven percent of the world’s oil reserves (Hauss
& Haussman, 2013)
• When the citizens overthrew the Shah in 1979, Iran
lost one of its largest economic supporters, the US
• The private sector within Iran is almost non-existent
• Because businesses are operated by the Ayatollah,
they are opposed to outside investments or foreign
involvement
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Iranian Public Policy:
Faith and Gender
• Iran is a theocracy
• Public policy is predominantly driven by the
principles of Islam
• Many of Iran’s social policies are biased
against females
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18
What are the current political
ideologies of Russia?
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Russian Political
Culture and Participation
• Russia (previously known as the Soviet Union)
suffered under decades of Communist rule
• The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and left Russia in
a state of political despair
• The underlying political culture has not significantly
changed since the shift to a new regime
• Russian demographics are changing; younger, urban,
and well-educated citizens are beginning to support
more liberal values
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Russian Political
Culture and Participation
(continued)
• Political involvement
• The number of interest groups and political
organizations in Russia have increased in the past
several years
• These groups have little influence because they
must submit to a strenuous registration process that
delays their ability to operate legally
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Russian Political Parties:
The Party System
• Following the Communist period, Russia
instituted the Floating Party System
• Floating Party System – describes the scattered party
identification of Russian citizens
• It is very unstable, which has made the transition to a
democratic regime difficult
• Russians are not party loyal and change their
political opinions from one election to the next
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Russian Political Parties:
The Party System (continued)
• Putin forced laws that make it impossible for
smaller political parties to get on to the ballot in
elections
• Putin has reshaped the party system into one that
can be easily manipulated and controlled by the
central government
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Russian Political Parties:
United Russia
• Is a political party that was founded by
Vladimir Putin in 1999
• Is not a typical political party because it is not
defined by its stance on divisive issues
• Russians refer to United Russia as the “Party of
Power”
• It was not created to defend policy proposals or
ideologies
• It was created to promote the interests of the current
leadership
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Russian Political Parties:
United Russia (continued)
• Vladmir Putin and United Russia controlled
the Russian Presidency until 2008, when Putin
left office after serving the maximum two
terms
• Russian president – guarantor of the constitution and
the head of state in the Russian political system
• In 2008, Dmitiri Medvedev was elected
President of Russia and appointed Putin as
Prime Minister of Russia
• Prime Minister – the chief minister of a state
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Russian Public Policy: Economic
• Presents the most problematic policy issues for
Russia
• The primary challenge is the transition from a
centrally planned economy to a free market with
private ownership
• The Russian economy has increased by seven
percent in the last decade (Hauss &Haussman, 2013)
• Post-communist economic policy initially revolved
around a struggle between two groups
• The Reformers
• The Conservatives
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Russian Public Policy: Foreign
• From post-World War II until 1991, Russia
(the Soviet Union) was one of the world’s
two superpowers
• After the collapse of the Soviet Union
• Russia played a minor role in international affairs
• Fourteen independent states were developed
• It was difficult for the US and other
Western countries to adapt to postcommunist Russia
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Russian Public Policy: Foreign
(continued)
• Due to low morale and minimal funds, the
Russian government had no fighting force
beyond its own borders
• The relationship between Russia and the US
began to flounder in 2003 when the Russian
government did not support the US-led Iraqi
invasion
• Overall, Russia and the US are continuing to
build a positive political relationship but
continue to disagree about involvement in
foreign affairs
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28
What are the current political
ideologies of China?
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Chinese Political Culture and
Participation: Historical Impacts
• China was ruled primarily by dynasties for
thousands of years
• Chinese politics were reinforced by Confucian
values
• The Chinese Communist Revolution began in
1949
• The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
• Mao Zedong became the leader of the CCP and
the founding father of the People’s Republic of
China
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Chinese Political Culture and
Participation: Historical Impacts
(continued)
• The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
• Founded on the ideologies of Marxism
• Modeled aspects of its government’s structure after the
Soviet Union
• Took total control of the media, the educational
system, and the economy
• Was based on four key elements
•
•
•
•
Collectivism
Struggle and activism
Egalitarianism and populism
Self-reliance
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Chinese Political Culture and
Participation: Changing Values
• A blend of traditional and contemporary values was
evident in the Democracy Movement in 1989
• Thousands of students protested the CCP in Tiananmen
Square, demanding the creation of democratic institutions
within communist China
• Recently the CCP has allowed more political expression by
releasing some of its control of the media and education
• Even though China is expanding its socio-political values,
the CCP remains a centrally planned government that
• Bans access to certain Internet websites
• Attempts to ban social networking websites
• Lacks rights for women and laborers
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Chinese Political Parties
• The CCP
• Has dominated Chinese politics since 1949
• Has more than 70 million members (Hauss &
Haussman, 2013)
• Is a changing political party that has leaders who
are
• Working to change the party’s composition
• Attempting to modernize by recruiting citizens
regardless of class or ideological commitment
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Chinese Public Policy: Economic
• Since Mao’s death (1976)
• The Chinese economy changed drastically; many do
not consider China a socialist economy anymore
• The CCP enacted three reforms that boosted the
Chinese economy
• Private property can have a useful role in a socialist economy
• Market forces should be used to allocate goods and services,
and to determine prices
• Material incentives, including higher wages, personal profit,
and the accumulation of wealth, should be the primary means
to boost productivity and efficiency
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Chinese Public Policy: Economic
(continued)
• China is now considered a socialist market
economy
• Socialist market economy – a blend of a capitalist and
a government-controlled economy; it allows for
foreign investors, private entrepreneurs, and a stock
market but is still closely monitored by the centrally
organized government
• China’s economic growth is
• Concentrated in major urban areas
• Influenced heavily by the CCP
• Dominated by foreign investment
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Chinese Public Policy: Foreign
• China during Mao’s reign
• Was an enemy of the US that consistently attacked
capitalist powers around the world
• Supported third-world militants and radical groups
that fought against colonialism and capitalist
regimes
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Chinese Public Policy: Foreign
(continued)
• Since the 1970s
• The relationship between China and the US (and other
Western countries) has improved
• China’s foreign policy has made tremendous progress
• China became a member of the United Nations (UN) and the
World Trade Organization (WTO)
• China was a major participant in the “six party talks” that
convinced North Korea to suspend its nuclear weapons and
power program
• Overall, China has developed relationships with most
Western countries, and a war between China and other
world powers is not a current concern
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How do conflicting ideologies
affect international foreign
relations?
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Conflict and Globalization
• Since the 1970s
• Globalization – the interdependence of countries; the
volume and value of imports and exports, transfers of
capital, international communication, and the extent of
foreign travel and immigration (Hauss & Haussman, 2013)
• The nature of conflict has changed with the pace of
globalization
• Traditionally, international conflict is identity-based, concerning
issues such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and language
• Many wars and conflicts have begun as a result of identity-based
issues, including
• The role of social media has drastically changed the global
environment
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A New Era of Foreign Relations
• Peacekeeping organizations
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) works
to maintain peace in countries around the world
• The UN provides an outlet for peaceful negotiations
and compromises, even though its members have
differing ideological platforms
• Economic relationships
• A global economy has created an extensive network of
businesses that connects the world financially
• Because most of the major countries are financially
interconnected, they are less likely to engage in a
conflict or war
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Resources
• Almond, G., Dalton, R., Powell, B., &
Strom, K. (2008). Comparative politics
today. (9 ed.). New York City: Pearson
Longman.
• Hauss, C., & Haussman, M. (2013).
Comparative politics. (8 ed.). Boston:
Wadsworth Cenage.
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