B5262 - Political Behavior and Institutions

Learning outcomes

The course introduces students to the key concepts and themes of political science. In order to do so, the course will focus on what “politics” is, the empirical study of politics, the development and functioning of political institutions, the comparative analysis of political regimes with a focus on how democracies emerge and function. At the end of the course, students will be able to: • analyze the key features of different political institutions. • connect different approaches and concepts to analyze interpret contemporary political phenomena. • compare and contrast different paths of institutional development

Course contents

The course introduces students to the major concepts, theories and empirical findings in political science. The first section of the course discusses the main institutions and political actors of democracies and their actual functioning (political participation and its agencies, electoral systems and party systems, legislatures, executives, judiciaries).

The second section explores the foundations, development, and challenges of democracy in various political contexts. Special emphasis will be on understanding democratic backsliding, illiberalism, and populism, with case studies from around the world. Students will engage with theoretical frameworks and empirical studies to critically analyze current political phenomena and their implications for democratic governance.

Please note that not all topics covered in the assigned readings will be dealt with in class, and some of the topics dealt with in class are not covered in the assigned readings. However, all materials of the assigned readings and all materials covered in class will be part of the exam. Attendance is thus strongly recommended.

Readings/Bibliography

For the first section, the main textbook will be:

D. Caramani (ed.) Compartive Politics, Oxford University Press, Sixth Edition, 2023. Chapters: 5-7-8-9-11-13-14-15-16-18. Please note that some chapters have been added or heavily reshaped in the sixth edition. Previous editions of the same textbook will probably be inadequate.

For the second section of the course, we will mostly refer to academic articles and chapters. Limited modifications to the following reading list will be possible before the beginning of classes. All readings for the second section will be made available on Virtuale.

The reading list will be the same for attending and non-attending students.

 

Weekly schedule of classes

 

Week 1

Course presentation, What is politics, what is political participation

Readings:

• Sartori, G. (1973). What is ‘Politics’. Political Theory, 1(1), 5–26.
• Caramani, ch. 18

Week 2

The agencies of participation: Social movements, interest groups, political parties

Readings:

• Caramani, ch. 13, 15, 16

Week 3

Electoral systems and party systems

Readings:

• Caramani, ch.11, 14

Week 4

Legislatures and Executives

Readings:

• Caramani, ch. 7, 8, 5.3.1

Week 5

Constitutions and the Judiciary

Readings:

• Caramani, ch. 9

 

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Week 6

What is democracy; waves of democratizations and autocratization

Readings:

• Schmitter, P., & Karl, T.L. (1991). What Democracy Is. . . and Is Not. Journal of Democracy, 2(3), 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.1991.0033.
• Caramani, ch. 10.
• Lührmann, A., Tannenberg, M., & Lindberg, S. I. (2018). Regimes of the World (RoW): Opening New Avenues for the Comparative Study of Political Regimes. Politics and Governance, 6(1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i1.1214 (Excluding section 5)

Week 7

Autocratization old and new. Illiberalism. Populism

Readings:

• Diamond, L. (2021). Democratic regression in comparative perspective: Scope, methods, and causes. Democratization, 28(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2020.1807517
• Bermeo, N. (2016). On Democratic Backsliding. Journal of Democracy, 27(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2016.0012
• Laruelle, M. (2022). Illiberalism: A conceptual introduction. East European Politics, 38(2), 303–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2022.2037079
• Mudde, C., & Rovira Kaltwasser, C. (2013). Populism. In M. Freeden & M. Stears (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies (pp. 493–510). Oxford University Press.

Week 8

The perils of polarization. Digital media and democratic backsliding. The relevance of the international context. Does the form of government matter?

Readings:

• Svolik, M. W., Avramovska, E., Lutz, J., & Milaèiæ, F. (2023). In Europe, Democracy Erodes from the Right. Journal of Democracy, 34(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2023.0000
• Chenoweth, E. (2020). The Future of Nonviolent Resistance. Journal of Democracy, 31(3), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2020.0046
• Jackson, Dean, and Samuel Woolley. 2025. ‘AI’s Real Dangers For Democracy’. Journal of Democracy, 36 (4): 139–50. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2025.a970355.
• Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2006). Linkage versus Leverage. Rethinking the International Dimension of Regime Change. Comparative Politics, 38(4), 379-400. https://doi.org/10.2307/20434008
• Ambrosio, Thomas. 2010. ‘Constructing a Framework of Authoritarian Diffusion: Concepts, Dynamics, and Future Research’. 11 (4): 375–92.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-3585.2010.00411.x .
• Cheibub, José Antônio. 2007. Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Democracy. Cambridge University Press. Ch. 6.

Week 9

Case studies: TBA

Readings: TBA

Week 10

What future for democracy?

Readings:

• Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2024, October 24). There Are Four Anti-Trump Pathways We Failed to Take. There Is a Fifth. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/opinion/democracy-defense-us-authoritarian.html
• Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2023). Democracy’s Surprising Resilience. Journal of Democracy, 34(4), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2023.a90768
• Welzel, C. (2021). Why The Future Is Democratic. Journal of Democracy, 32(2), 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2021.0024.

 

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Assessment methods

For students who regularly attend classes:

a. Mid-term written in-class exam (50 % of the overall grade): 20 multiple choice questions and 3 open-ended questions requiring each a response of about 200 words (8-10 lines).

b. Final written in-class exam (50 % of the overall grade): 20 multiple choice questions and 3 open-ended questions requiring each a response of about 200 words (8-10 lines).

Non-attending students:

A written exam including 30 multiple choice questions and 5 questions requiring each a response of about 200 words (8-10 lines).

N.B. It will not be possible to have special arrangements on exam formats and dates; students need to adapt travel plans accordingly. International students in particular must carefully consider exam dates before enrolling in this course.

Students with disabilities and learning disorders are encouraged to contact the Service for students with disabilities and SLD at the beginning of classes to discuss possible support activities and exam adaptations.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Tronconi