The Comparative Method
- Here’s the bar chart showing the GNI per capita based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for Jordan and Nigeria in 2022.
- Jordan has a higher GNI per capita compared to Nigeria.
- Here’s the bar chart comparing the total GNI for Nigeria and Jordan in 2022.
- Nigeria has a substantially higher total GNI compared to Jordan, reflecting its larger economy and population.
- This chart complements the earlier comparison of GNI per capita, showing how the total economic output and income distribution per person can differ significantly between countries and can give to different conclusions.
- This empirical methodology allows for factual comparisons but sometimes it can mislead when we rely on one fact or two.
- In contrast, the normative approach uses these statistics to assess the wellbeing or challenges facing nations, questioning whether these figures represent positive or negative outcomes.
- A normative statement in politics expresses a value judgment about what should be rather than what is.
- It’s subjective and usually reflects beliefs about what is right, fair, or desirable.
- Here’s an example: “Government should provide healthcare to all its citizens as a fundamental right.”
- This statement is normative because it is based on the opinion that providing healthcare is a moral obligation of the government, a view that may be supported or contested by others depending on their values and political beliefs.
- Some empiricists argue that it’s not the duty of political scientists to pass such judgments, contending that without normative analysis, gathering data becomes an aimless activity.
- Both perspectives provide crucial, yet distinct, tools for the analysis and comparison of political systems.
- Like any scientific inquiry in the social sciences, the study of comparative government and politics employs scientific methods to objectively and logically analyze data.
- Here’s a table that differentiates between the Empirical Data approach and the Normative approach, This Table 1.3 shows the main contrasts between these approaches, highlighting their goals, methodologies, and areas of focus in the context of comparative government studies:
- Researchers begin by reviewing existing studies and then propose hypotheses about the relationships between various factors, known as variables.
- These variables, which can change under different conditions, might include metrics like a nation’s poverty levels, which can fluctuate over time.
- A comparative political analyst might explore why poverty rates vary across countries, aiming to pinpoint contributing factors.
- In exploring these dynamics, the researcher seeks to establish causation—how one variable might directly affect another.
- For example, a plausible hypothesis could be that higher poverty rates correlate with lower education levels.
- In this hypothesis, poverty is the dependent variable influenced by education, the independent variable.
- Establishing a correlation, which indicates a potential causal relationship, is a key step in this analysis.
- Table 1.4 that differentiates between independent and dependent variables in politics, and explains the concepts of causation and correlation:
- In this course, we examine countries categorized into three groups based on their political and economic traits: advanced democracies, communist and post-communist states, and less-developed or newly-industrializing nations.
- Each group, represented by countries such as Great Britain, Russia, China, Mexico, Iran, and Nigeria, illustrates varying degrees of political and economic development and challenges.
- The fundamental goal of comparative government and politics is to utilize these categories for insightful comparisons, emphasizing the similarities and differences among countries rather than merely describing them in isolation.