Unit Outline
 Contemporary Issues in Comparative Government
   
 

 

I.  States:  the Actors in Comparative Politics

A.  Definition:  Independent Legal Authority over a population in a particular area

B.    A State is not necessarily a Nation

C.  Growth in the number of states

II.  Geography

A.                Location

B.                 Size

C.                Environment

III.  Economics

A.                Level of Economic Development

B.                 Social Change

C.                Public Welfare

D.                Environmental Degradation

E.                 Measurements

1.                Gross Domestic Product

2.                Per Capita Income

3.                Distribution of Income

4.                Education, Welfare, and Life Expectancy

IV.              Demographics

A.                Population Growth

B.                 Ethnic Autonomy

C.                Migration

D.                Urbanization

V.                 Religion

A.                Rise of Fundamentalism

B.                 Secularism vs. Theocracy

VI.              World Trends

A.                Market Liberalization

B.                 Democratization

C.                Decentralization

D.                Regionalization

E.                 Globalization