Maki's Experiment

politicalprof:

pol102:

Politicalprof put together a list of things he wishes everybody knew (or at least those interested in politics). I highly recommend looking at it. Not surprisingly, it’s heavy on American politics. Since this is a blog about comparative politics, I’d like to toss out my own short list:

• I wish people had a basic understanding of the differences between presidential and parliamentary systems. If nothing else, this would help people understand how elections in other countries (particularly in Europe) are very different from ours—particularly with the formation of coalition governments.
• I wish people understood that there are other ways to elect democratic leaders than the “first-past-the-post” system used in the United States. It would change a lot of the discussions about redistricting or electoral reform.
• I wish more people knew just what it is that high taxes in Europe “buy” in terms of universal welfare programs (i.e. free or nearly-free health insurance for everyone, free daycare, paid vacations, etc.). Thinking about how states can purchase public goods in bulk (the same way Walmart does) might transform debates about “government spending.”
• It would be wonderful if people had a working familiarity with some of the most significant revolutions of the modern era (France, Russia, Cuba, Iran). It would be especially great if they had a practical understanding of what causes revolutions, why they develop differently, and the different paths they can (or might have) taken.
• I’d love for people to have a better understanding of imperialism—including American imperialism—and its political, economic, and cultural effects. 
• It’d be wonderful if more people understood that during the 1980s and 1990s the number of democracies in the world more than doubled. It would be useful to understand why some countries have had an easier time consolidating their democracies.
• Similarly, I think it would be useful to understand why some democracies fell, if only to avoid repeating the costly lessons of other experiences. In particular, I wish more people had a deeper appreciating for the lessons of 1930s Germany.
• It would be helpful if more people understood the difference between GDP per capita, humans development index (HDI), and Gini index scores.
• It would be even more helpful to understand how modernization (both economic and cultural) can have highly disruptive effects on a country’s politics.
• I think it would be useful if more Americans knew that “liberal” meant “pro-markets” in the rest of the world. And it would be wonderful if they knew what “socialist” and “Christian democratic” parties actually stood for.

There are a lot of other things out there, but that’s a good start.

I endorse!