AP Comparative Government and Politics

## What comparative political scientists do Comparative politics sets the political systems of different countries side by side so that patterns can be seen that no single country would show. Studying one country tells you how it works; comparing several tells you which features are shared, which are unusual, and which conditions seem to go with which outcomes. Six countries are compared throughout: the United Kingdom, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Iran and China. They were chosen because they differ in regime type, in how power is divided, in economic position and in history, so that almost any concept can be seen working in more than one setting. Political scientists build their conclusions from evidence. Quantitative evidence is numerical: tables, charts, graphs, maps and indices. Qualitative evidence is everything else that can be analyzed: speeches, foundational documents such as constitutions, political cartoons, commentary and news reports. Both kinds are used to make comparisons between countries and to draw inferences about how institutions and people behave. ## Empirical and normative statements An **empirical** statement is a claim about what is the case, which can in principle be checked against facts: "Russia's president is elected for a six-year term" or "Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has 500 members". A **normative** statement is a claim about what ought to be the case, and it rests on values: "executives should be limited to two terms" or "a free press is more…