AP Comparative Government

1. AP Comparative Government Core Countries: The Basics

2. Industrialized Democracies Communist and Former Communist Regimes Less Developed Countries

3. Great Britain

4. The Basics • The Kingdoms • One of world’s most densely populated countries • No longer an “all white” country • Welfare state is still strong

5. Political Parties • Conservative • Thatcher • Elitist and effective party organization • Opening organization to more democratic processes led to Thatcher’s election • Since Thatcher, party has struggled to find success • Labour • Began as alliance of unions, socialists, and cooperative associations in the early 20th century • New Labour, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and younger, more moderate leaders took over in mid-1990s

7. Political Culture • Identification with the UK has declined in past 40 years • Resurgence of support for regional parties in Scotland and Wales • Devolution (regional parliaments) • Monarchy’s loss of influence and prestige • Increasing racial diversity (most born in the UK) • Growing importance of the EU

8. Political Participation • Interest groups • Trades Union Council and Confederation of British Industries are dominant peak associations • Lobbying must be done at highest levels where bills are drafted

9. The British State: Enduring Myths and Changing Realities • The Monarchy and the Lords: visible but powerless • Parliamentary sovereignty, sort of • Real power lies with leadership of majority party • Collective responsibility is key to power

10. Mexico

11. The Basics • Poverty • Slow economic growth • High unemployment • Massive national debt • Northward emigration – remittances

12. Diversity • Geographic and climatic variations • Variety of ethnic heritages • Linguistic and cultural diversity

13. U.S. – Mexican relationship • Economic interdependence • Mexican immigration to the U.S. • Cross border drug traffic

14. Political Culture • Parochials: Indians not well integrated into Mexican system • Subjects: majority who tolerate the system (elderly, poor, women, peasant farmers) • PRI participants: beneficiaries of the party and its dominance • Anti-PRI participants: opposition based on policy differences

16. The federal system • Most state and local governments still dominated by PRI • PAN and PRD have won more and more elections in last decade • The military • Non-political military for past 60 years • Corruption and drug trade threaten military’s reputation and effectiveness

17. Public Policy Debt and Development Crisis of the 1980s oil prices Privatization Opening up the economy U.S.- Mexico relationship Immigration Drugs

18. Iran

19. The Basics • Persia vs. Iran • some reformers (like the Pahlevis) emphasized Persian roots and traditions • others emphasized Shiite values and traditions • ethnic diversity complicates simplistic divisions

20. The Basics • Shiite vs. Sunni • Shiite dominance in Iran • established clergy and theological training • tradition of theological debate to reach truth • before Islamic revolution, most clergy shunned politics

21. Persia vs. Shiism: two powerful traditions • Social and economic conditions • huge oil reserves • income and wealth distribution is highly unequal • brain drain since 1979 • challenges of the very young population

22. The Status of Women • Islamic debate about roles of women • women suffered from Islamic revolution changes

23. People and Politics • Political Culture • no homogeneous political culture • cleavages within Shiism • division between rural and urban poor and urban middle class and wealthy • unpredictable evolution of huge youth cohort

24. Iranian State • Unelected elements • Supreme Leader: controls military, media, judiciary, and clerical hierarchy • Guardian Council: approves all candidates and legislation • Expediency Council: mediates between majlis and Guardian Council • judiciary

25. Elected Institutions • President • Assembly of Experts • Majlis

26. Supreme Leader Leadership Council Assembly of Religious Experts Guardian Council Islamic Majlies (Legislative) President (Executive) Chief Judge (Judiciary) Cabinet Electorate

27. Public Policy • Faith and gender • theocracy • treatment of women is a telling sign of state of affairs • The Economy • average wealth equal to Mexico or Russia • dependence on export of oil • poverty, inflation, and unemployment of youth are unsolved problems • bonyads, created from seized property of former regime leaders and powerful economic influence

28. Russia

29. The Basics • Geography: a huge country at high northern latitudes • Diversity: dozens of cultural and ethnic identities preserved into the 21st century • Poverty: a poor country that got poorer after 1989 until oil prices began rising • The Environment: pollution and the health problems it causes are endemic all across the country

31. The Russian State • Party State • Democratic Centralism • Nomenklatura: maintaining loyalty and choosing successors

32. Reform • Glasnost: greater transparency in Party and government operation • Democratization: strengthening of government powers and the election of a legislature • Peristroika: economic restructuring and introduction of market mechanisms • Small-scale private ownership • Agricultural reform • Facilitation of joint ventures with foreign investors

33. Putin • Named PM and acting president • Elected president and consolidated power • Since 2000, Putin has centralized power more and more on presidency (or is it on Putin?)

34. Political Participation • Having relied on force, regimes lack legitimacy • People expect an authoritarian system • Weak and small civil society

35. Political Participation • Putin’s manipulation of parties has caused a lack of legitimacy • Elections • Low Participation • Changing parties and rules reduces legitimacy

36. The Russian State

37. Public Policy • Economy • Largely privatized but economy still shrinking • Most Russians are still poor • Media • Open since the 90s but Putin has been consolidating to loyal oligarchs since 2000

38. Putin’s Plan Watch Putin’s Plan here.

39. China

40. The Basics • The world’s most populous country • Relative ethnic homogeneity • Great linguistic differences within one language • Poverty deep and widespread • Great growth of middle class

41. The Chinese State • Mao thought people were “poor and blank” and could easily be taught a new political and economic culture • Cultural change the primary priority for Maoists • Collectivism • Struggle and activism • Egalitarianism and populism • Self-reliance • State domination of all agents of socialization • Cultural change has become a much less important goal since ‘76

42. The Chinese State • Participation from the top down • CCP determines what people should do and organizes their participation • More than 70 million Party members engage in implementation of policy decided by leadership • Less top-down activity as more people are involved in enterprises not directly controlled by the Party and government

44. Public Policy • Foreign Policy • 2008 Olympics • North Korea • Agriculture • Most peasants still very poor • People leave countryside for urban opportunities at every chance • Media • Tightly controlled by the CCP

45. Nigeria

46. The Basics • Huge population • Fertile soil • Well-educated elite • Vast oil and gas reserves • Poverty

47. The Basics • Ethnic Diversity • 400 ethnic groups • Multiplicity of languages

48. The Nigerian State History of colonialism Cycle of military rule and republic

49. The Nigerian State • Mass political culture • People dissatisfied with political system • People prefer democracy to other regimes • Fragmented and polarized populace • Ethnically • Religiously • Regionally • Economically

50. Brain Drain