Core Concepts in Political Science and State Theory

Key Concepts in Political Science

Confounder: A variable that influences both the dependent and independent variables, potentially distorting the conclusion.

Theories of the State

• Weber: The state is the only entity with a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force.
• Tilly: States emerged as a byproduct of rulers fighting wars and the subsequent need for taxation.
• North: States succeed because they are the most efficient at organizing violence.
• Hobbes (Contract Theory): Life in a state of nature is chaotic; the state provides necessary order.
• Predatory View: The state functions primarily to exploit its citizens.

State Development Processes

• Consolidation: A single ruler establishes control.
• Rationalization: The development of formal rules, courts, and bureaucracy.
• Expansion: The state increases its scope, providing services like education and healthcare.

State Capacity Metrics

• Coercive: Ability to control violence.
• Extractive: Ability to collect taxes efficiently.
• Coordination: Ability to manage society effectively.
• Compliance: The degree to which citizens obey the state.
• Legibility: The state's ability to "see" society through censuses, maps, and records.

Regime Types and Leadership

Personalist: A system dominated by a single strongman.

• Selectorate (S): The group of people who choose the leader.
• Winning Coalition (W): The group whose support is essential for the leader to remain in power.
• Small W/S: Leads to strong loyalty and high corruption.
• Large W/S: Leads to weak loyalty and better provision of public goods.

Defining Democracy

• Schumpeter: Democracy is a system of competition between elites for votes.
• Dahl: Modern democracy is characterized as a polyarchy.
• Przeworski: A system where political parties can lose elections.

Governmental Systems

• Presidential: Voters elect the president directly; the president cannot dissolve the legislature (e.g., USA, Brazil).
• Parliamentary: The legislature elects the Prime Minister; the PM can dissolve parliament, and the legislature can remove the PM (e.g., UK, Spain).
• Semi-Presidential: The government is responsible to both the president and the parliament (e.g., France).

Electoral Systems and Political Behavior

• Open Lists: Voters choose specific candidates, which weakens party control.
• Closed Lists: Voters choose a party, which strengthens party control.
• Single-Member Plurality: Typically leads to a two-party system.
• Proportional Representation (PR): Typically leads to a multi-party system.

Political Dynamics

Cleavage: A long-lasting political division characterized by social differences, identity awareness, and political organization.

Median Voter Theorem: Political parties gravitate toward the center to capture the majority of voters.

Public Goods:

• Non-excludable: Individuals cannot be prevented from using the good.
• Non-rivalrous: One person's consumption does not reduce availability for others.

Voting Motivations

• Retrospective: Evaluating the government's past performance.
• Prospective: Assessing future policy promises.
• Identity: Voting based on group affiliation.
• Issue: Voting based on specific policy concerns (e.g., climate change).