What makes one democracy thrive while another struggles to keep its balance? And why do the United Kingdom and the United States – two long-standing democracies – interpret constitutional power so differently?
In this comprehensive study, constitutional law specialist James Michael Corbett examines the intersections of state, government, and legal systems across nations. From the balance of power between Congress and Parliament to the evolving role of Supreme Courts in protecting civil rights, this assignment explores how political culture, democratisation, and modernisation shape governance in practice.
Through a rigorous comparative framework, Corbett analyses key constitutional principles, electoral transformations, and the dynamics of political accountability – revealing how legal design shapes political reality, how nations evolve, and how democracies are tested.
A compelling read for students of political science, public law, and international governance – and for anyone intrigued by the forces that shape modern democracy.
UK Public College
Postgraduate Diploma in Public Law
An Analysis of Comparative Politics in Constitutional Law
An Examination of the Differences between Political Systems, State, Government, and Legal Systems across Different Nations
James Michael Corbett
Specialist in Constitutional Law
Contents
1 The Discipline of Comparative Politics
The discipline of comparative politics and the three political elements
How the UK and US constitutions promote separation of powers and checks and balances
The differences in the powers of the US President and the UK Prime Minister
Where sovereignty lies within the UK and US constitutions
The differences in the power of Congress and Parliament to scrutinise the executive branch
How the US and UK Supreme Courts can provide scrutiny of the executive branch
The Supreme Court of the United States does not adequately protect civil rights
2 Political Culture and Democratization
State Democratisation in Practice
The Impact Pressure Groups are able to have in the US and the UK
The Gary McKinnon Case (Extradition Watch)
3 Value Change and Modernization
Electoral change and the media
The application of contingency in politics
7 Objectivity and Scientific Status
1 The Discipline of Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is the systematic study and comparison of the diverse political systems across the world. Comparative politics analyses differences in political regimes, governance structures, electoral systems, policy outcomes, and public administration across countries, regions and time periods. It is a field in political science that’s characterised either by the use of the comparative method or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. This can include questions relating to political institutions, political behaviour, conflict, and the causes and consequences of economic development. When applied to specific fields of study, comparative politics may also be referred to as comparative government (the comparative study of forms of government). So, for example, the Canadian government, as compared with the Mexican government.
Comparative politics is about understanding the politics of other states. It involves an examination of an analysis of other constitutional matters in different countries. Which includes observing other constitutions from around the world. Looking at state legislatures and different political systems from other states alongside an understanding of other governments from different states. So for example, the politics of the US is going to be very different to the political system in the UK not just because the constitution of the United States is written compared with the UK’s unwritten constitution but because the US is a federal state whereas the UK is a unitary state. They are both two very different states who respect each other's political systems nationally.
The discipline of comparative politics and the three political elements
Comparative politics is constituted by three related elements. The first, and most simple element is the study of foreign countries, often in isolation from one another. The second element is the systematic comparison between countries, with the intention of identifying, and eventually explaining, the differences or similarities between them with respect to the particular phenomenon which is being analysed. Rather than placing a premium on the information which may be derived about these countries, therefore, the emphasis here is on theory-building and theory-testing, with the countries themselves acting as cases. Such an approach clearly constitutes a major component of political science research more generally and it has been the source of some of the most important landmark texts in the discipline as a whole (Almond and Coleman 1960; Almond and Verba 1965; Lipset and Rokkan 1967; Lijphart 1977).
- Quote paper
- James Michael Corbett (Author), 2024, An Analysis of Comparative Politics in Constitutional Law, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1661802
