Study guide

• Comparative government and politics introduces students to various governments and political practices, emphasizing conceptual tools for comparing different political systems
• The course focuses on six core countries: Great Britain, Russia, China, Mexico, Iran, and Nigeria, to illustrate how important concepts operate similarly and differently in different political systems
• Politics is about power, including who has it, how they got it, and the challenges leaders face in keeping it
• Topics covered in comparative government and politics include the Comparative Method, Sovereignty, Authority, and Power, Political and Economic Change, Citizens, Society, and the State, Political Institutions, and Public Policy
• Social cleavages, such as social classes, ethnic and racial groups, religions, and languages, interact with the political system and impact policy-making
• Citizen/State relationships can be compared based on attitudes and beliefs of citizens, political socialization, voting behavior, and factors influencing political beliefs and behaviors
• Civil society refers to organizations outside the state that help people define and advance their interests, often strong in liberal democracies
• Policy-making in governments involves legislative votes, executive decisions, judicial rulings, interest groups, and political parties
• Common policy issues include economic performance, social welfare, civil liberties, rights, freedoms, and environmental protection
• Political institutions, like legislatures, executives, judicial systems, bureaucracies, and armies, carry out the work of governing in a political system
• Every state has multiple levels of authority, with unitary, confederal, and federal systems distributing power differently
• Supranational organizations, like NATO, the European Union, NAFTA, and OPEC, affect political systems by going beyond national boundaries
• The executive office in many countries is split into the head of state and head of government roles
• In many countries, the executive branch is split into two distinct roles: the head of state and the head of government
• The head of state symbolizes and represents the people, both nationally and internationally, and may or may not have real policymaking power
• The head of government deals with the everyday tasks of running the state and usually directs the activities of other members of the executive branch
• In the United States, the roles of head of state and head of government are combined into one position - the president
• Bureaucracies consist of agencies that generally implement government policy and are usually part of the executive branch of government
• Bureaucracies have increased in size over the 20th and early 21st centuries, partly due to government efforts to improve the health, security, and welfare of their populations
• According to Max Weber, a bureaucracy has several basic characteristics:

  • Hierarchical authority structure
  • Task specialization
  • Extensive rules
  • Clear goals
  • The merit principle
  • Impersonality
• Bureaucracies often represent an important source of stability for states
• The legislature is the branch of government charged with making laws and may be bicameral or unicameral
• Judicial review allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
• Judiciaries serve to defend democratic principles of a country against infringement by both private citizens and the government
• Linkage institutions connect the government to its citizens and include political parties, interest groups, and print and electronic media
• Political parties in democracies help bring different people and ideas together to establish the means by which the majority can rule
• Electoral systems decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
• Political elites have a disproportionate share of policy-making power and are selected by competitive elections
• Change can be categorized into three types: reform, revolution, and coup d'etats
• Attitudes toward change include radicalism, which advocates rapid, dramatic changes, and liberalism, which supports reform and gradual change
• The Union Jack flag is made up of the red cross of Saint George, the white cross of Saint Andrew, and the red cross of Saint Patrick, created in 1801 after the union of Great Britain and Ireland

  
• The United Kingdom has a long history of democracy and industrialization, with roots in English soil, influencing modern democratic institutions and industrialization worldwide

  
• Britain has lost much of its empire and slipped from the front rank of Western European economies, but remains a major player in world politics
• Britain is adjusting to its new reality as one European country among many, with a strong remaining influence in world politics
• Great Britain has the oldest democratic tradition globally, with many sources of authority and power providing stability and legitimacy
• The British government's legitimacy developed gradually, with tradition being a primary source of stability, and most citizens accepting democracy as a basic component of their government
• Important documents central to the British "constitution":

  • Magna Carta (1215): King John agreed to consult nobles before important decisions, forming the basis of limited government
  • The Bill of Rights (1688): Lists rights retained by Parliament, giving important policy-making power to Parliament, including the power of the purse
• The British political system evolved gradually and consensually, influenced by historical events like the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and the Industrial Revolution
• Geographic features shaping Britain's political culture:

  • An island with a good navy protection
  • Limited resources leading to colonization efforts
  • Short supply of fertile soil and a short growing season
  • Temperate climate with high population density
  • No major geographical barriers to hamper transportation/communication within the country
• Noblesse oblige, the duty of upper classes to take responsibility for the welfare of lower classes, is a significant tradition in British politics, reflected in the acceptance of a welfare state like the National Health Service