Advanced comparative politics

Teacher(s)

De Winter Lieven;

Language

English

Main themes

This course offers a comparative overview of the major political decision-making actors, institutions, processes and contents of European countries in the post-war period from a principal-agent theoretical framework. The following themes will be addressed: electoral behaviour and societal cleavages; electoral systems; parties and party systems; political representation and parliaments; the formation, structure, stability and decision-making methods of national governments; the policy content and forms in a variety of policy sectors.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The aims of this course in comparative analysis is to offer the students an analytical framework allowing them to understand the structure and functioning of Western political systems, their components and interactions between subsystems, and to be able to interpret processes of change. This skill will equally be useful to grasp the functioning of non-Western democratic systems. Students have to gain insight into the degree of linkage and interdependency between subsystems. He must be able to make a critical evaluation of the effects of proposals for institutional reform. Doing so, he will get acquainted with current research methods and techniques and data collection of comparative politics and be able to apply these to new political subjects of comparison.

Content

This course offers a comparative overview of the major political decision-making actors, institutions, processes and contents of European countries in the post-war period. The following themes will be addressed: electoral behaviour and societal cleavages; electoral systems; parties and party systems; political representation and parliaments; the formation, structure, stability and decision-making methods of national governments; the policy content and forms in a variety of policy sectors. The courses are given "ex cathedra" but allowing for informal interaction between student and teacher. After the presentation of the theoretical approaches of each component of the political system, is presented a substantial empirical part based on comparative research and practical examples, in order to develop the factual characteristics of political institutions, actors and processes in Western democracies.

Other information

A keen interest in the politics of other countries, and a good passive knowledge of English (reading and listening). The teacher will provide for a reading list including the most recent and relevant theoretical and empirical contributions to the different comparative politics subfields.

Bibliography

M., Laver, M., Mair, P. (2011), Representative government in Modern Europe, Mc Graw Hill; Caramani, D., (ed) 2017, Comparative Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press; Lijphart, A. (2012) Patterns of Democracy, Yale University Press, New Haven; Farrell, D. (2011): Electoral systems: A comparative introduction, Houndmills, Palgrave Macmillan; Strøm, K., Müller, W. and T. Bergman, (eds.) (2003), Delegation and Accountability in Western Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press; Strøm, K., Müller, W. and T. Bergman, (eds.) (2000) Cabinets and Coalition Bargaining. The Democratic Life Cycle in Western Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Gallagher + 2020 updates

Faculty or entity

PSAD