Comparative politics is a scientific method used in political science to compare two or more countries and draw conclusions based on those comparisons. It involves setting dependent and independent variables to test hypotheses and establish empirical relationships between variables. This method is similar to the scientific method in the physical sciences. The best-known examples involve comparing different forms of government in different countries and their effectiveness in social or economic development. Social scientists and philosophers have used variations of the comparative method throughout history.
Comparative politics, also called comparative government, describes a method of scientific study in the field of political science. As the name suggests, comparative politics compares two or more countries and attempts to draw conclusions based on those comparisons. Political scientists can compare one or more aspects, such as economic prosperity, education attainment, and employment. The comparative method is similar to the scientific method in the physical sciences because it seeks to establish empirical relationships between variables.
The social and political sciences differ from the physical sciences in the test methods available to them. In the physical sciences, researchers may perform controlled studies in laboratories where study variables can be manipulated. In contrast, the social sciences are based on observing and interpreting available social and governmental data; no direct manipulation of the variables is possible.
Comparative politics describes the method of testing a hypothesis by setting dependent and independent variables, similar to the scientific method of the physical sciences. By looking at correlations, political scientists then attempt to confirm or rule out a cause-and-effect relationship, depending on whether the available data supports or contradicts the hypothesis. Like the physical sciences, the results of a study will often raise new hypotheses to be studied.
The best-known examples of the comparative method involve comparing different forms of government in different countries and their effectiveness in particular areas of social or economic development. For example, a scientist might want to test the hypothesis “Countries with democratic governments have more educated populations than countries with monarchies.” The scientist would compile data on two or more countries, establishing the form of government as the independent variable and the level of education among the population as the dependent variable. The hypothesis would then be evaluated and either confirmed or rejected, depending on whether the hard data supports the hypothesis or contradicts it. While this example is extremely simplistic, it illustrates the underlying scientific process of the comparative politics method.
Social scientists and philosophers have used variations of the comparative method of study throughout history. Aristotle compared and contrasted different types of government in his work called Politics. Alexis de Toqueville also employed a comparative political study in his work Democracy in America, which examined the nuances of US government at the time of its conception and compared it to British and French governments. Other social scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of comparative politics include Anthony Downs, Max Weber and Giovanni Sartori.
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