Comparative politics

History of the field

Harry H. Eckstein traces the history of the field of comparative politics back to Aristotle, and sees a string of thinkers from Machiavelli and Montesquieu, to Gaetano Mosca and Max Weber, Vilfredo Pareto and Robert Michels, on to James Bryce – with his Modern Democracies (1921) – and Carl Joachim Friedrich – with his Constitutional Government and Democracy (1937) – contributing to its history.

Two traditions reaching back to Aristotle and Plato

Philippe C. Schmitter argues that the "family tree" of comparative politics has two main traditions: one, invented by Aristotle, that he calls "sociological constitutionalism"; a second, that he traced back to Plato, that he calls "legal constitutionalism"".

Schmitter places various scholars under each tradition:

• 1. Sociological constitutionalism: Some classic scholars in this tradition are: "Polybius, Machiavelli, Montesquieu, Benjamin Constant, Alexis de Tocqueville, Lorenz von Stein, Karl Marx, Moisei Ostrogorski, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, Robert Michels, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Herbert Tingsten." Schmitter argues that, in the twentieth century, this tradition was known by the label of "historical political sociology" and included scholars such as "Stein Rokkan, T. H. Marshall, Reinhard Bendix, Otto Kirchheimer, Seymour Martin Lipset, Juan Linz, Hans Daalder, Mattei Dogan, Shmuel Eisenstadt, Harry H. Eckstein, and Dankwart Rustow."
• 2. Legal constitutionalism: Some classic scholars in this tradition are: "Léon Duguit, Georges Burdeau, James Bryce, A. Lawrence Lowell, and Woodrow Wilson." Schmitter argues that in the twentieth century this tradition was continued by: "Maurice Duverger, Herman Finer, Samuel Finer, Giovanni Sartori, Carl Joachim Friedrich, Samuel Beer, Jean Blondel, Ferdinand A. Hermens, and Klaus von Beyme."

Periodization as a field of political science

Gerardo L. Munck offers the following periodization for the evolution of modern comparative politics, as a field of political science - understood as an academic discipline - in the United States:

• 1. The constitution of political science as a discipline, 1880–1920
• 2. The Behavioral Revolution, 1921–1966
• 3. The Post-Behavioral Period, 1967–1988
• 4. The Second Scientific Revolution 1989–2005
• 5. Classical and early foundations (Ancient- 18th Century)
  • Comparative analysis can be traced back to Aristotle, who extensively compared various constitutions to understand political stability and governance.
  • Thinkers like Plato, Polybius, and later Montesquieu used comparison to determine and classify regimes and to study the relationship between social conditions and political organisations.
  • This era emphasises normative evaluation, putting what constitutes a just or stable government, rather than empirical testing, in the limelight.

Contemporary patterns, 2000–present

Since the turn of the century, several trends in the field have emerged.

• Decline of the dominance of rational choice theory
• Absence of a unifying metatheory
• Increased focus on causal inference and experimental methods
• Continued use of observational and qualitative methods
• Concerns about methodological dominance

Substantive areas of research

By some definitions, comparative politics can be traced back to Greek philosophy, as Plato's Republic and Aristotle's The Politics.

As a modern sub-discipline, comparative politics is constituted by research across a range of substantive areas, including the study

• Politics of democratic states
• Politics of authoritarian states
• Public goods provision and distributive politics
• Political violence
• Political identity, including ethnic and religious politics
• Democratization and regime change
• Elections and electoral and party systems
• Political economy of development

• Collective action
• Voting behavior
• Origins of the state
• Comparative political institutions
• Methodologies for comparative political research
• Quantitative politics with democracy indices

While many researchers, research regimes, and research institutions are identified according to the above categories or foci, it is not uncommon to claim geographic or country specialization as the differentiating category.

The division between comparative politics and international relations is artificial, as processes within nations shape international processes, and international processes shape processes within states. Some scholars have called for an integration of the fields. Comparative Politics does not have similar "isms" as international relations scholarship.

Super regions, regions of the world

Comparative politics examines various parts of the world. Political scientists refer to superregions and the key countries within them. Understanding which region is being referenced and what key nations the scientists are researching on is an essential part of comparative politics.

In political studies, identifying continents is crucial, as they encompass superregions within them, vast territories that share many similarities. For example, Latin America shares a common culture and language. Within super regions are smaller regions consisting of groups of individual countries that exhibit more closely related similarities.

Methodology

While the name of the subfield suggests one methodological approach (the comparative method), political scientists in comparative politics use the same diversity of social scientific methods as scientists elsewhere in the field, including experiments, comparative historical analysis, case studies, survey methodology, and ethnography. Researchers choose a methodological approach in comparative politics driven by two concerns: ontological orientation and the type of question or phenomenon of interest.

(Mill's) comparative method

• Most Similar Systems Design/Mill's Method of Difference: This method consists of comparing very similar cases which only differ in the dependent variable, on the assumption that this would make it easier to find those independent variables which explain the presence/absence of the dependent variable.
• Most Different Systems Design/Mill's Method of Similarity: This method consists in comparing very different cases, all of which however have in common the same dependent variable, so that any other circumstance which is present in all the cases can be regarded as the independent variable.

Subnational comparative analysis

Since the turn of the century, many students of comparative politics have compared units within a country. Relatedly, there has been a growing discussion of what Richard O. Snyder calls the "subnational comparative method."

More methodologies and approaches

Source:

• Qualitative methods: Case studies, interviews, ethnography.
• Quantitative methods: Statistical analysis, large-N comparisons.
• Mixed methods: Combining both for more holistic insights.
• New methodologies: Computational methods (e.g., big data analytics, network analysis).

Contemporary trends

In recent years, the field of comparative politics has evolved to address new challenges and developments in global and domestic political landscapes. Scholars have increasingly focused on the following trends:

Globalization and its political impacts

The interconnectedness of nations has transformed political systems and governance structures. Globalization has led to the diffusion of democratic norms, the rise of international organizations, and the increasing influence of transnational actors. At the same time, it has sparked debates over sovereignty and the backlash against global integration, exemplified by the rise of nationalist movements and populist leaders in various countries.

Digital technology and political change

The rapid proliferation of digital technology has revolutionized political communication, campaigning, and governance. Social media platforms have become crucial tools for political mobilization and grassroots activism. However, they have also been exploited for disinformation campaigns and cyber interference in elections, raising concerns about the impact of technology on democratic processes.

Rise of authoritarianism

While democracy has spread in many regions, there has been a concurrent resurgence of authoritarianism in others. Authoritarian regimes have employed sophisticated techniques, such as surveillance technology and media manipulation, to consolidate power. Comparative politics now examines how such regimes adapt to global pressures while maintaining domestic control.

Environmental politics

Climate change and environmental crises have become central concerns in comparative politics. Governments worldwide are addressing these issues through diverse policy approaches, ranging from international agreements such as the Paris Agreement to local initiatives. Comparative studies analyze how political systems and cultures influence the effectiveness of environmental policies.

Identity politics and social movements

Issues of identity, including race, gender, and ethnicity, have gained prominence in political discourse and policy debates. Comparative politics explores how social movements advocating for equality and justice shape political outcomes and how governments respond to them.

Role of international organizations

Institutions like the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and regional bodies such as the European Union have gained importance in shaping domestic policies. Comparative politics studies how states interact with these organizations and the implications for national sovereignty and governance.