Understanding the Political World : A Comparative Introduction to Political Science

by Danziger, James N.

• ISBN13: 9780321216106
• ISBN10: 0321216105
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Introducing the reader to politics, Danziger's rich, comparative perspective illuminates how politics works in countries across the world. Politics and Knowledge; Political Beliefs; Political Actions; Influences on Beliefs and Actions; States and Nations; Political Institutions; Political Economy; Politics and Knowledge; Change and Political Development; Political Violence; Politics Between States; The More Developed Countries; The Developing Countries; How to Do Political Analysis. Anyone interested in understanding how government and politics works across the world.

Table of Contents

Boxed Features	xvi
Preface	xviii
To the Reader	xxiii
About the Author	xxiv
PART ONE On Knowing the Political World
Politics and Knowledge	3	(22)
On Politics	3	(1)
Types of Political Knowledge	4	(4)
Description	7	(1)
Explanation	8	(1)
Prescription	8	(1)
Sources of Political Knowledge	8	(5)
Authority	8	(4)
Personal Thought	12	(1)
Science	13	(1)
Political Science	13	(4)
Political ``Science''?	17	(3)
Criticisms of Political Science as a ``Science''	17	(3)
Political Science as a Means of Understanding the Political World	20	(1)
Where Is this Book Going?	20	(1)
Key Concepts	21	(1)
For Further Consideration	21	(1)
For Further Reading	22	(1)
On the Web	22	(3)
PART TWO Political Behavior
Political Beliefs	25	(26)
Individual Political Beliefs	25	(3)
Belief Systems	28	(3)
Belief Systems among Mass Publics	28	(2)
Belief Systems among Elites	30	(1)
Political Culture	31	(4)
National Character Studies	31	(1)
Survey Research	32	(3)
Political Ideology	35	(11)
Key Issues	35	(3)
Conservatism	38	(1)
Classical Liberalism	39	(1)
Socialism	40	(4)
Some Further Points about ``Isms''	44	(2)
Looking Ahead	46	(1)
Key Concepts	46	(1)
For Further Consideration	46	(1)
For Further Reading	47	(1)
On the Web	48	(3)
Political Actions	51	(28)
Individual Political Actions	52	(8)
Modes of Political Activity	52	(2)
Political Activists	54	(1)
Political Participation Studies	55	(5)
Group Political Actions	60	(1)
Political Interest Groups	61	(6)
Activities of Political Interest Groups	61	(3)
Constraints on a Group's Behavior	64	(1)
Types of Interest Groups	65	(2)
Political Parties	67	(4)
Activities of Political Parties	67	(4)
Doing Politics	71	(4)
Key Concepts	75	(1)
For Further Consideration	75	(1)
For Further Reading	75	(2)
On the Web	77	(2)
Influences on Beliefs and Actions	79	(30)
The Environment	80	(2)
Agents of Political Socialization	82	(11)
The Family	83	(1)
The Schools	84	(2)
Peer Groups	86	(2)
The Media and Culture	88	(4)
Events	92	(1)
Personal Characteristics	93	(5)
Political ``Personality''	98	(5)
Personality	99	(3)
Human Nature	102	(1)
Concluding Observations	103	(1)
Key Concepts	103	(2)
For Further Consideration	105	(1)
For Further Reading	105	(1)
On the Web	106	(3)
PART THREE Political Systems
States and Nations	109	(28)
The State	109	(7)
A Legal Definition	110	(3)
A Structural-Functional Definition	113	(1)
The Domain of State Action	114	(2)
The Nation	116	(4)
The Political System	120	(12)
Systems in General	120	(1)
The Political System Defined	121	(3)
Conceptualization of the Political System	124	(4)
System Persistence	128	(1)
The Utility of the Political Systems Approach	129	(3)
Three Major Concepts: A Reprise	132	(1)
Key Concepts	132	(1)
For Further Consideration	132	(1)
For Further Reading	133	(1)
On the Web	134	(3)
Political Institutions I: Structures	137	(26)
The Legislature	138	(8)
Roles of the Legislature	138	(3)
Structural Arrangements	141	(1)
The Decline of Legislatures	142	(4)
Executives	146	(4)
Roles of Executives	146	(1)
Structural Arrangements	147	(3)
The Age of the Executive?	150	(1)
The Administration	150	(3)
Bureaucracy as One Form of Administration	150	(1)
Administrative Functions and Power	151	(2)
The Judiciary	153	(4)
Aspects of Adjudication	154	(1)
Judicial Structures	155	(2)
Concluding Observations	157	(1)
Key Concepts	158	(1)
For Further Consideration	158	(1)
For Further Reading	159	(1)
On the Web	160	(3)
Political Institutions II: Institutional Arrangements	163	(36)
Broad Taxonomies	164	(1)
Democracies and Nondemocracies	164	(12)
Defining Democracy	166	(5)
Defining Nondemocracies	171	(2)
A Democracy--Nondemocracy Continuum	173	(3)
Constitutional and Nonconstitutional Regimes	176	(4)
Constitutions	176	(2)
Constitutional Regimes	178	(1)
Nonconstitutional Regimes	179	(1)
Areal Distribution of Power	180	(2)
Unitary State	180	(1)
Federation	180	(1)
Confederation	181	(1)
Forms of Executive-Legislative Relations	182	(7)
Presidential Government	183	(1)
Parliamentary (Cabinet) Government	184	(1)
Hybrid Systems	185	(2)
Council Systems	187	(1)
Assembly Systems	188	(1)
Which Form Is Optimal?	188	(1)
Political Party Systems	189	(5)
Two-Party Systems	189	(1)
Multiparty Systems	189	(3)
Dominant-Party Systems	192	(1)
One-Party Systems	193	(1)
No-Party Systems	193	(1)
Classification and Clarity	194	(1)
Key Concepts	195	(1)
For Further Consideration	195	(1)
For Further Reading	195	(1)
On the Web	196	(3)
Political Economy	199	(26)
Politics and Economics	199	(1)
A Political-Economic Framework	200	(12)
Factors, Firms, and Households/Consumers	200	(2)
Getting and Spending	202	(2)
The State (and the World) Join In	204	(4)
Two Ideal-Type Political Economies	208	(1)
The Market Economy: Total Private Control	208	(3)
The Command Economy: Total State Control	211	(1)
Key Problems for Each Ideal-Type Political Economy	212	(4)
Market Economy	212	(2)
Command Economy	214	(1)
The Mixed Economy	215	(1)
Politics Plus Political Economy: The Other ``Isms''	216	(4)
The Three ``Isms''	216	(2)
The Real World	218	(2)
Concluding Observations	220	(1)
Key Concepts	221	(1)
For Further Consideration	222	(1)
For Further Reading	222	(1)
On the Web	223	(2)
PART FOUR Political Processes
Politics as a Value Allocation Process	225	(20)
The Elite Approach	226	(4)
Key Concepts	226	(1)
Major Theorists	226	(2)
The Value Allocation Process	228	(1)
The Prevalence of Elite-Based Political Systems	228	(2)
The Class Approach	230	(4)
The Group Approach	234	(4)
The Three Approaches Compared	238	(3)
Which Approach Is Correct?	238	(2)
Essential Similarities and Differences	240	(1)
Key Concepts	241	(1)
For Further Consideration	241	(1)
For Further Reading	242	(1)
On the Web	243	(2)
Change and Political Development	245	(30)
Change	246	(1)
Development	247	(14)
Characteristics of ``More Developed'' Social Systems	247	(1)
The Process of Development	248	(6)
The Dynamics of Economic Development	254	(7)
Political Development	261	(7)
Characteristics of Political Development	261	(1)
The Process of Political Development	262	(1)
Political Development as Democratization	263	(4)
Political Institutionalization and Political Decay	267	(1)
Achieving Political Development	268	(1)
World of Changes	269	(2)
Key Concepts	271	(1)
For Further Consideration	271	(1)
For Further Reading	272	(1)
On the Web	273	(2)
Politics Across Borders	275	(32)
The Goals of States	276	(3)
Realist and Idealist Perspectives on the State's ``Motives''	276	(1)
Major Goals	277	(2)
Mechanisms of Cooperation Between States	279	(11)
Diplomacy and Interstate Agreements	279	(3)
International Law	282	(2)
International Organizations	284	(6)
Competition Among States	290	(12)
Balance of Power	290	(2)
Balance of Terror	292	(1)
Domination and Dependence	293	(5)
Globalization?	298	(2)
Competition in the Globalized, Post--Cold War World	300	(2)
Key Concepts	302	(1)
For Further Consideration	302	(1)
For Further Reading	303	(1)
On the Web	304	(3)
Political Violence	307	(36)
Violence	308	(1)
Political Society	309	(1)
Types of Political Violence	309	(26)
State Violence against Individuals or Groups	309	(3)
Individual Violence against an Individual	312	(1)
Group Violence against an Individual	312	(5)
Group Violence against a Group	317	(1)
Individual or Group Violence against the State	318	(9)
Use of Force between States	327	(1)
War	328	(4)
What Causes War?	332	(3)
Evaluating Political Violence: Means and Ends	335	(2)
Key Concepts	337	(1)
For Further Consideration	338	(1)
For Further Reading	338	(2)
On the Web	340	(3)
PART FIVE Politics among States
The Developed Countries	343	(36)
An Introduction to the Next Three Chapters: Grouping the States in the Contemporary World	343	(4)
The Developed Countries	344	(1)
The Developing Countries	345	(1)
The Transitional Developed Countries	345	(2)
Images of the Developed Countries	347	(2)
Political Culture	349	(2)
Goal: Prosperity	351	(9)
Mixed Economy	351	(3)
Performance	354	(2)
Challenges	356	(4)
Goal: Stability	360	(10)
Political Institutionalization	362	(1)
Order Maintenance	362	(2)
Challenges to Stability	364	(6)
Goal: Security	370	(3)
The Era of Colonialism	371	(1)
The Cold War Period	371	(1)
Challenges to Security in the Post--Cold War Period	372	(1)
The Developed Countries Overall	373	(2)
Key Concepts	375	(1)
For Further Consideration	375	(1)
For Further Reading	375	(2)
On the Web	377	(2)
The Developing Countries	379	(50)
Images of the Developing World	379	(5)
Developmental Classification	379	(1)
Regional Classification	380	(4)
Goal: Prosperity	384	(20)
Obstacles to Prosperity	386	(4)
The Quest for Prosperity: Strategic Choices	390	(6)
Current Outcomes	396	(8)
Prognosis	404	(1)
Goal: Security	404	(5)
Interstate Violence	404	(4)
Economic Security	408	(1)
Goal: Stability	409	(14)
Challenges to Political System Effectiveness	409	(2)
The Decline of Political Order	411	(3)
Democratization	414	(3)
Political Approaches	417	(6)
Concluding Observations: It's Getting Better All the Time(?)	423	(1)
Key Concepts	424	(1)
For Further Consideration	424	(1)
For Further Reading	425	(1)
On the Web	426	(3)
The Transitional Developed Countries	429	(38)
The Post-Communist Developed Countries	429	(2)
Political Culture	431	(1)
Under Communism	431	(1)
Post-Communism	432	(1)
Goal: Prosperity	432	(8)
Under Communism	432	(1)
Post-Communism	433	(7)
Goal: Stability	440	(9)
Under Communism	440	(3)
Post-Communism	443	(6)
Goal: Security	449	(2)
Under Communism	449	(1)
Post-Communism	450	(1)
The Newly Industrializing Countries	451	(1)
Political Culture	451	(2)
Goal: Prosperity	453	(3)
Goal: Stability	456	(4)
Goal: Security	460	(1)
The Future of the Transitional Developed Countries	461	(2)
The Post-Communist Developed Countries	461	(1)
The NIC	462	(1)
Key Concepts	463	(1)
For Further Consideration	463	(1)
For Further Reading	463	(1)
On the Web	464	(3)
The Last Chapter: Looking Backward, Looking Forward	467	(14)
Political Outputs	468	(1)
Political Structures	469	(1)
Political Processes	469	(1)
Political Change	470	(1)
Direction	470	(1)
Rate	470	(1)
Controllability	471	(1)
Into the Twenty-First Century: Understanding and Action	471	(7)
Challenge 1: The Quest for Harmony with Our Technology	472	(4)
Challenge 2: The Quest for Harmony with Planet Earth	476	(1)
Challenge 3: The Quest for Harmony with One Another	477	(1)
Choosing a Future	478	(3)
Appendix: Political Analysis	481	(14)
Glossary	495	(8)
References	503	(12)
Credits	515	(1)
Index	516