Questions tagged [political-theory]
Political theory is the study of the concepts in politics. Use this tag for questions regarding political philosophy or scientific theories.
266
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1answer
49 views
Which (subjective) measure of corruption is the best predictor for an outsider winning a major election?
There's a (somewhat vague) theory that once the electorate starts to believe the political system is corrupt, it is more likely to vote for an outsider (someone who hasn't had a long political career) ...
2
votes
1answer
240 views
Are there any proposed systems to bring more long-term planning into (democratic) government?
In much of the world, (liberal) democracy (in a broad sense) is seen as the best (or least bad) system of government, and in the 20th and 21st century, living standards have improved markedly in ...
-3
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0answers
114 views
What is considered the most fundamental principle underlying political science? [closed]
Someone from outside the field of political science asked me what is the Newton's law equivalent of political science (e.g. the basic laws governing the dynamics of the political field, like Newton's ...
0
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3answers
71 views
Have some concrete/operational definitions been proposed for the term “shadow war”?
Various commentators have said that US and Iran and/or Israel and Iran are engaged in a "shadow war". Have there been works/proposals in political science/theory literature clearly defining this "...
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2answers
167 views
Why do right-wing parties care about animals? [closed]
Donald Trump, Vlaams Belang(Belgium) and AfD(Germany) all seem to be particularly concerned with animal rights. Why is it that the right-wing cares so much about animals and does it tie into tribal ...
1
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1answer
234 views
Does any country “filter” otherwise eligible political candidates?
In Brazil, almost anyone can enter politics as long as they meet these conditions:
must have Brazilian nationality or be naturalized;
be in full exercise of political rights;
be listed in the ...
88
votes
15answers
7k views
What is the purpose of democracy?
In many modern political debates democracy is often considered an unalloyed virtue: things are good because they are democratic. Things the people have voted for are good because they represent the "...
3
votes
2answers
200 views
Are 'state religion' and 'official religion' the same things?
Are 'state religion' and 'official religion' the same things?
For example, Pakistan has state religion while Sri Lanka has official religion.
On https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religion , it ...
8
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2answers
3k views
Is the US a welfare state?
Is the US considered a welfare state? If so, where would it be classified using the Esping-Andersen's welfare classification?
8
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1answer
135 views
What is the name of a doctrine that aims to solidify state loyalty by allowing minorities to secede?
Is there a name for a doctrine that states that a nation state would be better off by allowing minorities, such as the Arabs in Israel, Kurds in Turkey, or Albanians in Macedonia, to actually secede ...
1
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2answers
135 views
How widely accepted is the semi-parliamentary classification of executive-legislative relations that was espoused in Ganghof, 2018?
In Ganghof, 2018, the author argues that Australia and Japan both have a newly classified system of government that he dubbed the 'semi-parliamentary system'. In it, the legislative branch is split ...
1
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0answers
79 views
What are some good online good-faith venues for more opinionated political discussion? [closed]
I've had a rather difficult time leveraging this site for Q&A as a significant portion of my interest in politics is targeted more at formation of my own political beliefs outside the actual ...
42
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18answers
9k views
Is Communism intrinsically authoritarian?
As a consequence of the recent developments in China, I’ve heard a lot of commentary which characterises authoritarianism as an inevitable consequence of a Communist state.
How true is this statement?...
1
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2answers
256 views
What is the name of the (atheistic) political ideology where rulers are considered the highest moral authority?
In a theocracy, God, is considered the top of the hierarchy.
Then in some monarchies the line is blurred a bit because the monarch is considered appointed by God or to even be a living-God as in ...
3
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3answers
172 views
What is the difference between 'suzerainty' and 'federalism'?
What is the difference between 'suzerainty' and 'federalism’? I’ve found the following definitions, but they sound similar in many ways. What is the main difference between these 2 forms of government?...
1
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2answers
129 views
Can influence diagrams be an effective tool to mediate political disagreements?
From Wikipedia:
An influence diagram (also called a relevance diagram, decision
diagram or a decision network) is a compact graphical and mathematical
representation of a decision situation. It ...
2
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0answers
86 views
Differences between “political theory”, “political philosophy”, and “political thought”?
What're the differences between these terms:
political theory;
political philosophy;
political thought?
I ask because these terms seem to mean the same thing in common usage.
4
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0answers
113 views
Are there well-known democracy ranking/evaluation systems that penalize the fusion of powers (between the executive and legislative)?
Basically, I want to ask how accepted is the idea that fusion of powers between the executive and legislative, present in the Westminster-inspired systems, implies a democratic deficit of some kind. (...
4
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1answer
348 views
What is the meaning of “artificial borders”?
In the political analysis of many conflicts, especially regarding Africa or the Middle East, many people explain the conflicts as being caused, in part, by "artificial borders."
There are also ...
5
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3answers
234 views
Which political philosophy takes a situational approach as to whether government or private enterprise solves a problem better?
Background
There are several political philosophies that presume that government tends to be the solution to most societal problems as a major aspect of each philosophy.
By contrast, there are also ...
-4
votes
1answer
198 views
Why Marxists Parties Keeps so Strong in England While Doesn't in USA? [closed]
As we keep reading about the subject, seems clear that marxist Parties remains very strong in England, while don't in USA, remaining as allies of Democratic Party, which rivals Republican Party, for a ...
-5
votes
1answer
167 views
Were the SPD social fascists?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Germany
Throughout the Weimar era, the KPD viewed the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) as its main adversary,[8] and the KPD referred to ...
6
votes
1answer
185 views
Are there standardized ways to quantify political division?
Political division seems to be one of the main issues of our time, with countless articles, op-eds, and studies describing how the US and other countries (the UK comes immediately to mind) are ...
3
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3answers
250 views
Conservatism and Executive Power
The Economist cites the philosopher and political theorist Michael Oakeshott to describe conservatism as "To be conservative... is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the ...
4
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3answers
695 views
Is there any study linking ignorance to political preference?
I was talking with a friend of mine and we got to a realisation that ignorant people (those uneducated) tend to look for the politicians of a specific side of the political spectrum in contrast to the ...
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1answer
114 views
Is the social contract invalid if I change jurisdiction? [closed]
Can I move to a different place and nullify the social contract (just somewhere else)?
Does this destroy the moral justification for taxes?
4
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4answers
610 views
The meaning of “right” in Italian Fascism
In laying out the foundation for fascism, Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini wrote two essays in the 1920s and 30s known as, "La Dottrina del Fascismo".
Gentile authored the first essay titled "...
0
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2answers
171 views
Is there a standard political process which a government uses to verify claims?
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/456092-top-aide-names-seven-deadly-sins-china-must-end-to-stop-trade-war
“Stop stealing our intellectual property, stop forcing technology
transfers,...
1
vote
5answers
473 views
Does a best or most optimized system exist?
People have diverse views about what they think is moral, what economic policy is the best, what legislation is good, etc. But all of these views are opinions. By sharing our opinions, (most) people ...
5
votes
3answers
327 views
What is the difference between a “nation” and a “country”?
I often see certain territories/ semi-sovereignties alternatively referred to as a "nation" or a "country".
For example, Quebec (the province in Canada) likes to be referred to as a "nation". Native ...
4
votes
1answer
216 views
Do any countries or states require citizens to pass a knowledge-based test before voting?
In Against Democracy, Georgetown University political philosopher Jason Brennan presents his case for epistocracy.
Do any countries or states require citizens to pass a knowledge-based test before ...
42
votes
3answers
10k views
Why did the World Bank set the global poverty line at $1.90?
In early 2019 Bill Gates tweeted an infographic during the 45 meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos that showed that the proportion of people living in poverty had decreased from 94% in 1820 to ...
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1answer
122 views
Who are the main interests behind a culture that Henry Giroux calls the dictatorship of Ignorance?
Henry Giroux, in an article in Salon.com writes:
The designers of a new breed of fascism increasingly dominate major political formations and other commanding political and economic institutions ...
6
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2answers
290 views
Why is the voter turnout at EU level so low compared to national elections?
The voter turnout in the European elections in Germany in 2019 for instance was only around 62%. Notable this is still much higher than it was in previous EU elections there…
Additionally the voter ...
3
votes
1answer
192 views
Are there influential theories why the Lib Dems have survived on the UK political landscape?
Generally a first-past the post FPTP electoral system favors a two-party system, aka Duverger's law.
In the UK however, the Lib Dems have managed to survive for (approximately) a century the ...
4
votes
2answers
162 views
Is the idea of governing for one's constituents at odds with good policy?
In the US legislator, the elected people govern to help their constituents. How does this work with governing for the greater good of everyone. Let’s use climate change as an example and assume it is ...
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3answers
263 views
What are some political philosophies/doctrines for deciding when violence is acceptable?
Recently some UK politicians have been getting milkshakes thrown over them. No injuries resulted, but the question of when violence, including relatively minor acts such as this, can be justified or ...
1
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1answer
533 views
Is Chinese Communism with market economy based on any Marxist theory?
Does any Marxist theory allow market economy the way the Chinese have it?
Did any Marxist author write anything on this happening in a socialist state?
Can a plan economy transform after a while, ...
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votes
4answers
303 views
What is the difference between war refugees and deserters?
To give one example, the US government reserves the right to reinstate conscription at any time. If conscription is reinstated, anyone fleeing the US territory to escape the war will become a deserter ...
1
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1answer
86 views
Do snap/early elections usually benefit those triggering them?
I'm looking for an empirical survey (that hopefully covers more than one country) addressing the issue whether snap/early elections typically benefit those calling them, either the sole party in power ...
0
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1answer
84 views
How does the possibility of snap elections provide an electoral benefit to voters?
I live in Canada, which used to have, inspired by the British system, federal elections every 5 years, plus the possibility of snap elections.
It was actually reformed to every 4 years, fixed.
My ...
asked Apr 19 '19 at 21:08
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
3,8271 gold badge10 silver badges30 bronze badges
7
votes
4answers
3k views
What is the difference between globalisation and imperialism?
It seems obvious to start by looking at the first few lines on Wikipedia:
Wikipedia on globalisation
Globalization or globalisation is the process of interaction and integration among people, ...
asked Apr 18 '19 at 20:25
JJ for Transparency and Monica
21.8k5 gold badges65 silver badges110 bronze badges
0
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2answers
84 views
Comparative Environmental Policy/ Executive Orders
For a paper, I am currently trying to compare Executive Orders by Trump within the first year of his presidency and Bush's first year of his first presidency concerning environmental issues.
My ...
15
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2answers
3k views
Who coined the term “madman theory”?
Madman theory revolves around the idea of appearing more "crazy" than one actually is.
It is actually a signaling game in its simplest form. At least nowadays such games are exemplified with a "...
10
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6answers
837 views
What's the difference between repeating elections every few years and repeating a referendum after a few years?
There's a lot of talk in the UK these days about how holding a second referendum on Brexit would be "undemocratic" and "go against the spirit of referendums". However repeating a vote doesn't seem all ...
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3answers
7k views
What exactly is ineptocracy?
I heard about some people arguing about ineptocracy as applying to the country I live in. I searched up the term and found these definitions:
The phenomenon of governance or leadership by the ...
3
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0answers
98 views
Do freedom-of-information laws increase corruption?
That's the general conclusion of a 2007 study:
It has been argued that greater transparency is needed to reduce corruption. One way of
increasing transparency is through the adoption of Freedom ...
1
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1answer
89 views
Scales or real-world ideals of deliberative democracy?
I only had a superficial contact with the literature on deliberative democracy... but it seems to me it's extremely theory-laden.
What I'd like to know if there have been empirical proposals to gauge ...
2
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3answers
463 views
Where would Geoism be placed on a political compass?
Geoism/Georgism is an economic philosophy holding that, while people should own the value they produce themselves, economic value derived from land and other natural resources should belong equally to ...
4
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2answers
131 views
Implication of governmental taxes
Are governmental taxes (federal or state) which an entity pays considered a debt [owed to its government] or is the entity merely giving the government its share? E.g. a person is taxed 30% on his ...
