What are the crucial functions of empirical political theory in Comparative Politics?
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 EPT = abstract facts → generalisations + hypotheses → tested against evidence → gives CP its scientific character
Route 2 Popper: deductive side → proposition first → empirical research verifies against facts → functions flow from this
empirical testing of assumptions (median voter theorem) → systematic comparative analysis across countries → prediction of trends → policy evaluation → democratic processes (electoral systems/parties/voter behaviour) → institutional analysis → advanced statistical methods → Lijphart & Dahl: essential to understanding systems → replication (King, Keohane, Verba: shared goal = logical inference) → refine/build new theories
purely empirical focus can neglect the state → concept of political system left elusive
Route 1 EPT makes comparative knowledge cumulative + testable, not merely descriptive
Route 2 strength lies in replication → scientific, theory-building character is EPT’s core contribution to CP
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
