Lesson 1 - 2024 Comparative Political Institutions PDF

COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTION Who I am [email protected] (ENGLISH PLEASE) Ad impossibilia nemo tenetur Date 1 & 2 14/02/2024 21/02/2024 Start End Chapter Topics 1. Introduction to the course, What to expect from the course, Ch. Introduction, The exam 1, 2 & 3 2. What we mean with “comparative...

COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTION Who I am [email protected] (ENGLISH PLEASE) Ad impossibilia nemo tenetur Date 1 & 2 14/02/2024 21/02/2024 Start End Chapter Topics 1. Introduction to the course, What to expect from the course, Ch. Introduction, The exam 1, 2 & 3 2. What we mean with “comparative political institution”; approaches to political science 13:00 16:00 3. What are concepts (in social science)? 4. Comparing and Miscomparing 5. The qualitative & the quantitative approaches 6 Methodology (21/02) 1. Democrac(ies)? Ch. 5, 12 & 25 2. Defining democracies and its features 3. Waves of democratization 3 28/02/2024 13:00 16:00 4. The qualities of democracy 5. V-DEM and the different conceptions of democracy Exercise in class: V-DEM and the different aspects of democracy 1. Democratic backsliding 2. Hybrid regimes 4 06/03/2024 13:00 16:00 3. Authoritarian regimes &Totalitarian regimes Exercise in class: V-DEM and the different aspects of Ch. 6 Date Start End Topics 1. Legislatures Chapter Ch. 7, 8 & 9 2. The agents in the legislature 5 13/03/2024 13:00 16:00 3. Types of governments: parliamentary and presidential systems 1. Comparing European political systems: exercise in class. 6 20/03/2024 13:00 16:00 2. Types of political systems: presentations. Ch. 13 1. What is a political party? 2. The origin of political parties 3. The function of the parties 7 27/03/2024 13:00 16:00 4. Types of parties (organization) 5. Party ideology 6. Exercise in class: comparing political parties ideology Date Start End Topics Chapter Ch. 17 and 18. 1. The origin of the public opinion 8 17/04/2024 13:00 16:00 2. Why people participate? 3. Social movements Exercise in class: political compass 1. Party systems in Western Europe Ch. 14 2. The formation of cleavages 9 24/04/2024 13:00 16:00 3. New cleavages? 4. The structure of competition in Europe 10 08/05/2023 13:00 16:00 1. Intra-party democracy 2. Candidate selection 1. Representation of women 11 15/05/2023 13:00 16:00 2. Women in parliament 3. Effects of women in parliament TO BE ASSIGNED TO BE ASSIGNED Date Start End Topics 1. Elections 2. The electoral laws 12 22/05/2023 13:00 16:00 3. Comparing electoral laws: electoral outcomes (coalitions and governments) 4. Referenda (bonus) is direct-democracy bad for democracy? Chapter Ch. 11 THE FINAL EXAM (!) THE FINAL EXAM (!) - Reading materials Participation Attendance is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged as the content of the slides will be part of the examination. During the course you will be asked to work in group (during the class): you are encouraged to send the documents you have produced to me or present them in class. For each presentation you will receive a bonus of 0.5/0.25 point in the final evaluation For each document you send you will receive a 0.3/0.15 bonus in the final evaluation. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS COURSE 1 Comparing: institutions and actors in politics 2 Knowing: the most basic and most relevant notions of political science (in Western democracies and other contexts) 3 Learning: how to interpret and critically evaluate scientific works Further readings Further readings will be sent via email upon requests from students. NOT MANDATORY FOR THE EXAM AND REMEMBER… (it’s my fault most of the time) Q&A COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: DEFINITION COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: DEFINITION COMPARATIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: DEFINITION INFORMAL POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: DEFINITION Definiton: POLITICS Aristotle – 384 BC – 322 BC WHAT MAKES A DECISION AUTHORITATIVE? Definition 2: POWER Max Weber 1864-1920 COMPARATIVE POLITICS: what do we study? Political Theory (philosophy) Comparative Politics International relations Value-laden A-normative A-normative What is good? What is bad? What makes two institutions similar/different? How does the relation between states is structured? Provide normative conception of reality Describing and making inferences about the political world Describing and (sometimes) making inferences about the political world Gramsci, Habermas, Schmitt Sartori, Mair, Lijphart Gilpin, Waltz, Mershaimer COMPARATIVE POLITICS: WHAT FOR? Describe cases: classification/typologies of institutions and actors COMPARATIVE POLITICS: WHAT FOR? Explain: formulate hypothesis, test them and make some statements about them Why in some countries radical-right parties are successful and in other they are not? Why in some countries the turnout is higher and in other countries is lower? Why in some countries the welfare state is more generous than in others? Why some authoritarian regimes turn into democracy and other do not? Roberto Michels 1876-1936 COMPARATIVE POLITICS: WHAT FOR? IRON LAW of OLIGARCHY Every organization, eventually, ends up in an oligarchy. DURVERGER LAWS: The simple-majority singleballot system favours the two-party system. Both the simple-majority system with second ballot and proportional representation favour multipartism. Maurice Duverger 1917-2014 COMPRATIVE POLITICS, LIKE HARD SCIENCE SURVEY – EXPERIMENTAL EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY BEFORE THE BEHAVIOURAL REVOLUTION “The first separate school of political science was established in 1872 in France as the École Libre des Sciences Politiques (now the Institut d’Études Politiques).” britannica.com WALTER LIPMANN (1899-1974) “The newspapers are regarded by democrats as a panacea for their own defects, whereas analysis of the nature of news and of the economic basis of journalism seems to show that the newspapers necessarily and inevitably reflect, and therefore, in greater or lesser measure, intensify, the defective organization of public opinion” (Public Opinion) THE BEHAVIOURAL REVOLUTION BEFORE AND AFTER THE BEHAVIOURAL REVOLUTION What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INSTITUTION What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INSTITUTION What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INSTITUTION What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERESTS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERESTS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERESTS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? IDEAS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? IDEAS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? IDEAS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? IDEAS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INDIVIDUALS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INDIVIDUALS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INDIVIDUALS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INDIVIDUALS What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT What are the theoretical approaches of comparative politics? INTERACTION ENOUGH FOR TODAY. SEE YOU NEXT TIME!