Comparative Method
Frank H. Brooks
March 22, 2016
Introduction to Political Science
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Problems of Comparison
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Too many variables, too few countries
Many countries, one system
Same phenomenon, different meaning
Bias
Political Agendas of Comparativists
Is a scientific method of comparing
politics thus even possible?
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Introduction to Political Science
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Conceptual Frameworks,
Approaches, Models
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What is the focus of analysis? (scope)
– What is central to understanding politics?
– State-centered approach v. society-centered
approach
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What is the proper methodology?
– Large “n” v. small “n”
– Falsifiable hypotheses v. description
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History of comparative politics characterized
by shifts in scope and methods
– Intellectual developments
– Impact of political events
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Aristotle
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Compares “regimes” (constitutions)
– Who’s a citizen? Who’s entitled to rule?
– How many rule?
– Large n; functionalist; comparative anatomy
Also looks at “society”
– What kinds of government are most likely in
particular societies?
– Society is the foundation for the state
Also considers normative questions
- Which are good governments?
- Considering “purpose” is relevant (even
necessary) to effective analysis
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Positivism
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Focus on describing structures of governance
– “positive” because focused on “what is” not
“what should be”
– E.g. Auguste Comte in 19th century
Compare political constitutions
– The most significant differences are legal and
structural ones
– state-centered approach
– E.g. composition of legislature, executivelegislative relationships
Criticized by mid-20th century political scientists as
formalistic, superficial, conservative
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Political Sociology
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Society-centered approach
– Politics determined by social processes and structures
– Focus on power relations “below” and outside the state
– State structures are “tools” of society
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Karl Marx
– State is a “superstructure”
– Politics determined by class relations and class struggle
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Max Weber
– State is a “human community” characterized by its techniques
– Focused on religion in society, social bases of “authority”
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Robert Michels
– Elite theory focusing on social and organizational effects on parties
– American political scientists focused on “pressure groups”
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Postwar Hegemony of
Society-Centered Approach
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Roy Macridis’ critique of “traditional approach”
– Scope too limited
 Western representative democracies
 Looked at “isolated aspects of governmental process”
– Methodology unsystematic
 Descriptive rather than problem-solving, explanatory or
analytic
 Prevented elaboration of hypotheses and broader theory
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Political and Intellectual Aspects
– Rise of states outside Europe challenged state-centered
approaches
– “Behavioral revolution”
– Modernization theory
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“Bringing the State back in”
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Critique of behavioralism
– Tended to be biased against political change (new generation of
political scientists influenced by political events of 1960s)
– Emphasized methodology over knowledge, technical jargon over
clarity
Revival of “state-centered” approach
– Argued that the state is not merely set of institutions and
processes
– But, not simply a return to positivism
– “Relative autonomy” in Marxist theory
– Alfed Stepan’s studies of militaries and authoritarian
governments
– Studies of bureaucracies and bureaucrats
The state is an “actor” that shapes society
– It stands “at intersection of domestic sociopolitical orders and …
transnational orders” (Skocpol)
– Focus on state “autonomy”
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Policy-Centered Approach
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The policies implemented by the state affect
the state itself and society
Compare performance and efficacy
– Particular focus on economic performance
– Relevant to older debates on modernization and
to modern examination of democratization
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Brings “politics” back in: who gets what,
when and how
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Contemporary Approaches
(Lichbach & Zuckerman)
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Rational Choice
– Focus on deliberate choices and interests
– Abstract logic and mathematical reasoning
– Game theory (e.g. analysis of Cuban missile crisis)
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Culturalist approaches
– “thick description” – emphasis on particular and context
– “identity” gives meaning to and poses constraints on actions
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Structuralist approaches
– Focus on political and social institutions (state, class, etc.)
– “rules” imposed by structured relationships
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All three grapple with characteristic, unique themes of social
theory: “reason, rules and relations” (p. 5)
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Modeling (Lave & March)
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“Practical guide to speculation”
– “developing, elaborating, contemplating, testing,
and revising models of human behavior” (p. 7)
– Improve quality of speculation
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Necessary skills
– Abstraction from reality to a model
– Derivation of (additional) implications
– Evaluation to determine if model inappropriate
(inaccurate, immoral)
– Familiarity with common models (building on or
reacting to previous theory)
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Rules of Thumb
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Think “process”
– Not just assumptions about a state of being
– Statements of causality where Y may or may not
happen depending on presence of A, B, or C
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Develop interesting implications
– Look for “natural” variations in explanatory
factor
– Sharpens explanation
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Look for generality
– Typically, more abstract
– Applies to more situations (large “n”)
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