CHAPTER 1: What Is Politics?
I. Problems with defining politics
A. Politics is a loaded term – few
people come to politics without
preconceptions
B. It is also an essentially
contested concept, seen
variously as
1. The art of government
2. Public affairs
3. Compromise and
consensus
4. Distribution of power
and resources
II. Politics as the art of government
A. ‘Politics is not a science… but
an art’ (Chancellor Bismarck)
B. Politics is understood as that
which concerns the state
C. To study politics is to study
government – and the exercise
of authority
D. This offers a highly restrictive
view of politics – most
institutions and activities
(businesses, schools, families)
are seen as ‘non-political’
III. Politics as public affairs
A. ​Distinction between ‘the political’
and ‘the non-political’ coincides
with the division between an
essentially public sphere of life
and what can be thought of as a
private sphere
B. Traditional division between
public and private realm
conforms to division between
state and civil society
C. An alternative divide
distinguishes between ‘the
political’ and ‘the personal’
D. Politics does not and should not
infringe on personal affairs (ie.
family and domestic life)
IV. Politics as compromise and
consensus
A. Politics is seen as a means of
resolving conflict (by
compromise and negotiation
rather than through force)
B. Based on faith in the efficacy of
debate and discussion, as well
as on the belief that society is
characterized by consensus,
rather than by irreconcilable
conflict
C. A growing disenchantment with
democratic politics across much
of the developed world has
been expressed in the rise of
populism and favours conflict
over compromise and
consensus
V. Politics as power
A. This view sees politics at work
in all social activities and in
every corner of human
existence
B. Politics is, in essence, power
C. Advocates of this view include
feminists and Marxists
VI. Approaches to the study of politics
A. The philosophical tradition
B. The empirical tradition
C. Behavioralism
D. Rational-choice theory
E. New institutionalism
F. Critical approaches
VII. The prisoners’ dilemma
VIII. Tools of political analysis
 A. Concepts help us to classify
objects by recognizing that they
have similar forms or similar
properties.
B. Models include a network of
relationships that highlight the
meaning and significance of
relevant empirical data
C. Theories offer a systematic
explanation of a body of
empirical data

IX. Politics in a global age

A. A distinction has traditionally
been made between the
domestic and international
realms of politics
B. The state-based paradigm of
politics has come under
pressure as a result of recent
trends and developments,
including globalization
C. The increase in transnational
flows has expanded the
parameters and complexity of
political activity
CHAPTER 2: What Is Political Ideology? back to 1970s – born out of
I. Ideology Defined apparent failure of Keynesian
social democracy and concern
about social breakdown
D. Neoliberalism (economic strand)
E. Neoconservatism (social strand)
V. Conservatism

II. Classical Ideological Traditions:

Liberalism
A. Key ideas: individualism,
freedom, reason, equality,
toleration, consent,
constitutionalism
B. Classical liberalism: a
commitment to an extreme form
of individualism; belief in
‘negative’ liberty
C. Modern liberalism:
characterized by a more
sympathetic attitude towards
state intervention; a broader
‘positive’ liberty which is linked
to the personal development
and flourishing of the individual
III. Liberalism

IV. Classical Ideological Traditions:

Conservatism
A. Key ideas: tradition,
pragmatism, human
imperfection, organicism,
hierarchy, authority, property
B. Paternalistic conservatism: often
linked to the idea of
‘compassionate conservatism’ – VI. Classical Ideological Traditions:
consistent with ideas of Socialism
hierarchy and duty. (Disraeli’s A. Key ideas: community, fraternity,
One-Nation principle) social equality, need, social
C. The New Right: Can be traced class, common ownership
 B. Socialism developed as a regeneration
reaction to industrial capitalism G. Populism
and became associated with the 1. the idea that society is
interests of the growing working divided into two warring
classes. Its goal was to abolish groups: the ‘pure’
the capitalist market economy people and the ‘corrupt’
and replace it with a society elite.
constructed on the basis of
common ownership
C. There are many strands of
socialism, ranging from Marxism
through to social democracy
VII. Other Ideological Traditions
A. Anarchism
1. the belief that political
authority in all its forms,
and especially in the
form of the state, is both
evil and unnecessary
B. Fascism
1. struggle, leadership,
power, heroism, war
2. the image of an
organically unified
national community
C. Feminism
1. society is characterized
by sexual or gender
inequality and this
structure of male power
can, and should, be
overturned
D. Green ideology
1. reflects concern about
the damage done to the
natural world by the
increasing pace of
economic development,
and anxiety about the
declining quality of
human existence and,
ultimately, the survival
of the human species.
E. Cosmopolitanism
1. the ideological
expression of
globalization
F. Religious fundamentalism
1. religion cannot and
should not be confined
to the private sphere;
instead, it finds its
highest and proper
expression in the
politics of popular
mobilization and social
CHAPTER 3: Politics and the State growing importance of
I. Defining the state international organizations.
A. Five key features of the state: C. The retreat of the state may
1. Sovereignty have been exaggerated and, in
2. ‘Public’ character relation to security and
3. Exercise in legitimation economic development in
4. Instrument in particular, the state may be
domination reviving in importance.
5. Territorial association
B. According to Article 1 of the
Montevideo Convention, the
state has four features:
1. A defined territory
2. A permanent population
3. An effective government
4. The capacity to enter
into relations with other
states
II. Debating the state
A. The pluralist state: the state is a
‘referee’ in society
B. The capitalist state: the state
cannot be understood
separately from the economic
structure of society
C. The leviathan state: the state
pursues separate interests from
those of society
D. The patriarchal state: some
feminists question conventional
definitions of the state. Liberal
feminists have tended to
support the pluralist view of the
state. Radical feminists argue
that state power reflects a
deeper structure of oppression
in the form of patriarchy
III. Social-contract theory

IV. Eclipse of the state

A. Modern debate about the state
is dominated by talk of retreat,
decline and even collapse.
B. The decline of the state is often
explained in terms of the impact
of globalization, the rise of
non-state actors and the
CHAPTER 4: Democracy and Legitimacy such as
I. Legitimacy and political stability elections,
A. Legitimacy maintains political assembly
stability because it establishes a debates, party
regime’s right to rule. It may be competition,
based on different types of etc.
authority: 3. Feedback system
1. Traditional authority: a) Brings the
linked to hereditary ‘outputs’ of
systems of government into
2. power. Customs are line with the
regarded as legitimate ‘inputs’ or
because they’ve always pressures
been that way placed upon it
3. Charismatic authority: III. Is democracy failing to deliver?
based on the power of A. A growing number of mature
an individual’s democratic societies appear to
personality be afflicted by a sense of
4. Legal-rational authority: political disenchantment and
links authority to a disaffection
clearly and legally B. New political forces have
defined set of rules. emerged to threaten, or at least
Power is attached to an sit uneasily with, conventional
office rather than a democratic structures (e.g.
person populist parties)
II. Democratic legitimacy IV. Non-democratic legitimacy
A. Democracy can be seen to A. There are three key forms of
promote legitimacy in three key non-democratic legitimation:
ways: 1. Non-competitive or
1. Consent and ‘rigged’ elections
participation 2. Performance
a) Participation legitimation
binds a) based on the
government ability to deliver,
and the people, rising living
encouraging the standards,
latter to view public order,
the rules of the improved
political game education and
as rightful and health care, etc.
so to accept 3. Ideological legitimation
that they have a) establish
an obligation to broader goals
respect and and principles
obey those in that invest the
authority larger regime
2. Compromise, with a sense of
conciliation and rightfulness
negotiation V. Understanding democracy
a) Rival interests A. Various meanings attached to
and groups find the word democracy:
a way of living 1. a system of rule by the
together in poor and disadvantaged
relative peace, 2. a form of government in
through which the people rule
mechanisms themselves directly and
 continuously between democracy and
3. a society based on capitalism.
equal opportunity and VIII. Towards cosmopolitan democracy?
individual merit A. Growing global
4. a system of welfare and interdependence has stimulated
redistribution debate about whether
5. a system of democracy could operate at a
decision-making based global or cosmopolitan level
on the principle of B. This could involve the creation
majority rule of a world parliament or the
6. a system of rule that reform of international
secures the rights and organizations to strengthen
interests of minorities global civil society
7. a means of filling public C. There are numerous barriers to
offices through a this type of democracy
competitive struggle for
the popular vote
8. a system of government
that serves the interests
of the people regardless
of their participation in
political life
VI. Rival models of democracy
A. Classical democracy: classical
model of direct and continuous
participation in political life
B. Limited or ‘protective’
democracy: democracy seen as
a way for citizens to protect
themselves from
encroachments of government
C. Developmental democracy:
democracy viewed a means
through which citizens can
achieve a higher level of
personal development
D. People’s or ‘socialist’
democracy: refers to the
democratic models generated
by Marxist thought
VII. Democracy in practice: rival views
A. Pluralists praise the system’s
capacity to guarantee popular
responsiveness and public
accountability.
B. Elitists highlight the tendency
for political power to be
concentrated in the hands of a
privileged minority.
C. Corporatists draw attention to
the incorporation of groups into
government.
D. The New Right focuses on the
dangers of ‘democratic
overload’.
E. Marxists point to tensions