A text that emphasizes the importance of case studies in social science scholarship and shows how to make case study practices more rigorous.

Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences

It is increasingly common for social scientists to describe political processes as “path dependent.” The concept, however, is often employed without careful elaboration. This article conceptualizes path dependence as a social process grounded in a dynamic of “increasing returns.” Reviewing recent literature in economics and suggesting extensions to the world of politics, the article demonstrates that increasing returns processes are likely to be prevalent, and that good analytical foundations exist for exploring their causes and consequences. The investigation of increasing returns can provide a more rigorous framework for developing some of the key claims of recent scholarship in historical institutionalism: Specific patterns of timing and sequence matter; a wide range of social outcomes may be possible; large consequences may result from relatively small or contingent events; particular courses of action, once introduced, can be almost impossible to reverse; and consequently, political development is punctuated by critical moments or junctures that shape the basic contours of social life.

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Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics

Drawing upon philosophy and social theory, Social Theory of International Politics develops a theory of the international system as a social construction. Alexander Wendt clarifies the central claims of the constructivist approach, presenting a structural and idealist worldview which contrasts with the individualism and materialism which underpins much mainstream international relations theory. He builds a cultural theory of international politics, which takes whether states view each other as enemies, rivals or friends as a fundamental determinant. Wendt characterises these roles as 'cultures of anarchy', described as Hobbesian, Lockean and Kantian respectively. These cultures are shared ideas which help shape state interests and capabilities, and generate tendencies in the international system. The book describes four factors which can drive structural change from one culture to another - interdependence, common fate, homogenization, and self-restraint - and examines the effects of capitalism and democracy in the emergence of a Kantian culture in the West.

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Social Theory of International Politics

This book proposes a framework for comparative analysis of the relation between the media and the political system Building on a survey of media institutions in eighteen West European and North American democracies, Hallin and Mancini identify the principal dimensions of variation in media systems and the political variables that have shaped their evolution They go on to identify three major models of media system development, the Polarized Pluralist, Democratic Corporatist, and Liberal models; to explain why the media have played a different role in politics in each of these systems; and to explore the force of change that are currently transforming them It provides a key theoretical statement about the relation between media and political systems, a key statement about the methodology of comparative analysis in political communication, and a clear overview of the variety of media institutions that have developed in the West, understood within their political and historical context

Comparing Media Systems: three models of media and politics

List of Figures ix List of Tables xi Preface and Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 PART I: VETO PLAYERS THEORY 17 One: Individual Veto Players 19 Two: Collective Veto Players 38 PART II: VETO PLAYERS AND INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS 65 Three: Regimes: Nondemocratic, Presidential, and Parliamentary 67 Four: Governments and Parliaments 91 Five: Referendums 116 Six: Federalism, Bicameralism, and Qualified Majorities 136 PART III: POLICY EFFECTS OF VETO PLAYERS 161 Seven: Legislation 165 Eight: Macroeconomic Policies 187 PART IV: SYSTEMIC EFFECTS OF VETO PLAYERS 207 Nine: Government Stability 209 Ten: Judiciary and Bureaucracies 222 Eleven: Veto Players Analysis of European Union Institutions 248 Conclusion 283 Bibliography 291 Index 309

Veto Players: How Political Institutions Work

Carl Schmitt is currently considered, across continental Europe, one of the major political theorists of our century, but is still largely ignored in England and the United States. Even though Schmitt has been a very prolific author with wide-ranging interests, his best-known work remains the one on the nature of politics - which is the focus of this article. Sartori maintains that the friend-enemy opposition in conjunction with an intensity criterion does not suffice to seize the `essence' of the political. After Hobbes, it is Schmitt that best presents the case of politics-as-war. But this is only to deploy one of the modalities of the political; and Schmitt cannot cancel out of existence the alternative mode of politics, i.e. peace-like politics, by simply calling it non-politics.

The Essence of the Political in Carl Schmitt

Sartori, Giovanni "Homo Videns.  La sociedad teledirigida" Titulo original: "Homo videns", Gius. Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma -Bari, 1997. Editorial Taurus, 1998. Trad. Ana Diaz Soler. El nudo central de la obra de Sartori estriba en el examen del destronamiento por la imagen televisiva de la cultura escrita, y la transformacion que ella esta ocasionando en la naturaleza humana, que deviene del homo sapiens al homo videns, con especial enfasis en sus efectos en la politica, en la formacion de la opinion publica, en los procesos eleccionarios y en las formas de gobierno. En la primera parte, el autor parte del supuesto de que el homo sapiens es esencialmente un animal simbolico, con lo que procura acentuar todas las formas de vida cultural del hombre, cuya distincion radica en el empleo del lenguaje-palabra. Frente a ello, los medios han obrado como portadores de comunicacion linguistica, hasta la irrupcion de la television y, merced al progreso tecnologico, el computador, que han trasladado el contexto comunicacional desde la palabra a la imagen, y consecuencialmente desde la comprension a la simple representacion visual. Lo precedente, ha importado una ampliacion cuantitativa la cobertura cultural, mas, repara Sartori, en caso alguno un progreso sustancial, sino muy por el contrario, una regresion fundamental: el empobrecimiento de la capacidad de entender, desde que la supresion de los conceptos, junto a su caudal connotativo, y la abundancia de imagenes atrofia nuestra capacidad de abstraccion. Enseguida, pasa el autor a considerar comparativamente la television con internet, en cuanto a sus usos y contenidos, para atribuir a este ultimo medio, a juzgar por las previsiones del negropontismo, un modesto aporte cultural.

homo videns la sociedad teledirigida

En un afan de ofrecer una metodologia esencial de las ciencias sociales, Sartori diserta sobre la terminologia propia de esta disciplina y sobre la contraposicion de su metodo con el de las ciencias naturales, la diferencia entre filosofia, teoria y ciencia, y la definicion de politica y de su caracter cientifico.

La política: lógica y método en las ciencias sociales

Democrazia e definizioni

In un certo senso e vero che tutta la scienza politica sottintende, per quanto implicitamente, un quadro di riferimento comparato. Anche il politologo che esamina un caso singolo deve tener presente il cosiddetto contesto generale, o quantomeno dovrebbe tener presente altri casi. Altrimenti la sua analisi del caso singolo « esce di proporzione ». Senza dubbio e cosi. Ma questa e soltanto una verita banale.

Giovanni Sartori

Papers

The Essence of the Political in Carl Schmitt

homo videns la sociedad teledirigida

La política: lógica y método en las ciencias sociales

Democrazia e definizioni

La politica comparata: premesse e problemi