02492 - Comparative Politics

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide essential conceptual, theoretical and methodological tools of the comparative method in the social sciences, and in particular in political analysis. Through in-depth thematic and areal studies, a further aim is to lead students to apply, and problematise, these tools of comparison not only in the European but also in non-European contexts. At the end of the course, the student: 1) will have acquired the basic theoretical and methodological knowledge of the discipline; 2) will have understood the main themes and issues debated in comparative politics today; 3) will have gained a greater awareness of the complex relationships between politics, society and institutions in the contemporary age in European and non-European areas; 4) will be able to collect data and apply, in a critical manner, the methods of analysis and the main theoretical knowledge learnt to understand, describe and interpret concrete cases; 5) will be able to identify differences and similarities in the functioning and transformation of several political-institutional systems, both democratic and non-democratic; 6) will have improved their communication skills through in-class expositions.

Course contents

The course aims to provide participants with the established knowledge of political science that is useful for understanding contemporary political systems. It is therefore conceived as an introduction to politics within nation states through the analyses, hypotheses and data produced by political science research. It provides the foundations for interpreting institutional arrangements, the processes through which representation takes shape, coalition politics, the exercise of governing roles, the legislative process, and the stability of political regimes.

The first part of the course presents the concepts, the comparative frameworks and the general hypotheses that guide this kind of analysis. In particular: the fundamental definitions and uses of the comparative method; the classification and measurement of political regimes (democracies and autocracies; presidential, parliamentary and semi-presidential forms of government; the waves of democratisation); political participation, parties and the social cleavages from which the European party systems originated, together with their recent transformations; electoral systems and their effects on party systems; parliaments, government formation and coalition politics; the majoritarian and consensual models of democracy; the political system of the European Union; the processes of democratic backsliding and the typical features of twenty-first-century authoritarianisms.

The course then examines the main national cases of countries stably governed by democratic regimes, those governed by hybrid or unstable regimes, and those stably governed by autocratic regimes. For each national case among the democratic regimes, the course studies the legacies of the past and the institutional design that currently governs the relationship between the main powers of the state, the structure of electoral competition, the way governments are formed, the structure of parliament and the legislative process, and the mechanisms of mutual checks and balances between powers. With regard to hybrid regimes and autocracies, the course examines the ideological constructions that justify the compression of pluralism, the composition and structure of the dominant coalition (that is, the group at the top of the state institutions that cannot be peacefully replaced), and the specific mechanisms of regime stabilisation put in place to guarantee that autocrats remain in power.

The analysis covers the main European countries (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary) and the major non-European countries (the United States, Brazil, India, South Africa, Turkey, Russia, China, South and North Korea, Iran).

Taken as a whole, the course thus offers a broad view of politics in the contemporary world: of what makes some political systems more similar to one another and what differentiates them, and of the recurrent mechanisms at work in many of them or the more specific syndromes that characterise them, as a result of institutional design, of the structure of the conflicts present in society and of other contextual factors.

With regard to the European countries, the course studies the “two-level game” that links the dynamics of national politics and those unfolding within the EU institutions. In particular, it examines the articulation of the political groups, the cleavages that divide them, and the coalition politics through which majorities are formed in the interaction between the three institutions that share legislative power (Commission, Council, Parliament).

Particular attention is also devoted to the growing polarisation observable in many countries (democratic and otherwise), that is, to the sharpening of conflict, along new social cleavages, between leaders and segments of the electorate holding opposing political views, and to the concurrent rise of parties and leaders with more extreme positions, capable of challenging, if not entirely displacing, the parties that had dominated the political scene in the second half of the twentieth century.

Finally, the course shows how, and to what extent, these phenomena are associated with a regressive tendency in several democratic countries (democratic backsliding) and with the growing international aggressiveness of non-democratic countries. The concluding class offers a comparative synthesis of the risks facing democratic regimes, of the factors that explain the stability of autocracies, and of the challenges posed to European democracies by the ongoing geopolitical confrontation.

Readings/Bibliography

Salvatore Vassallo (a cura di). Sistemi politici comparati. Democrazie e autocrazie. Bologna, Il Mulino, 2026 (terza edizione).

Teaching methods

The course will be organised in lectures and discussions in which participants will be invited to take an active part, having read the reference texts in advance. The outlines and figures used by the lecturer will be made available to students in the days following each class on the course materials webpage.

Assessment methods

It is very unlikely — if not altogether impossible — to pass the exam having “studied” exclusively on notes or summaries circulating online, or only on the presentations used in class and shared by the lecturer. The summaries circulating online are not only insufficient but often misleading. To pass the exam it is necessary to have read and studied the reference text. The classes and the slides make it easier to become familiar with the vocabulary and the logic of political science analysis. Attending classes is all the more useful if students come prepared for an active exchange with the lecturer, having read in advance the reference texts for each class.

All the components that contribute to the final mark take place in person, in handwritten or oral form. Attendance, although highly advisable, is not compulsory. There are no differences in the programme or in the assessment methods between attending and non-attending students. However, only attending students may take the partial tests held during the course and propose the in-class presentation described below. Students who attend at least 80% of the classes (12 out of 15) of each of the two parts into which the course is divided will be considered attending students. No justification for further absences will be considered by the lecturer; the only excused absences are those for which an authorisation has been obtained from the Unibo offices. No blended mode is available: the course can be followed exclusively in person. Only students who have obtained a specific authorisation from the Unibo offices may follow the classes remotely.

Written tests. There are two written tests, administered exclusively on paper and to be completed in pen in the classroom. Each test consists of 11 open-ended questions. The time available to complete each test is 45 minutes. Each answer is awarded +3 points if it is exhaustive and correct, +2 if it is correct but incomplete, +1 if it contains minimal correct elements, 0 if it is missing or if it combines correct and incorrect information, and -1 if it is entirely wrong. During the test the use of supporting materials such as textbooks, notes or electronic devices is not allowed; sheets and forms are provided by the lecturer. The maximum attainable score in each test is therefore 33.

The two written tests can be taken as partial tests during the course (reserved for attending students) or, fifteen minutes apart from each other, in each ordinary exam session. To take each of the partial tests, students must register through the AlmaEsami platform.

Those who, for any reason (illness, injury, delays, transport problems, insufficient preparation, overlap between tests of several courses, or anything else), did not take one of the two partial tests during the course, or withdrew during the test, or simply consider the score obtained unsatisfactory, may retake that single test in the first exam session of the summer session (the score obtained in the other partial test therefore remains valid until the first exam session of the summer session). In the event of absence from, or withdrawal from, one of the two partial tests, no justification is requested or considered. To signal the intention to reject the score obtained in one of the two partial tests while keeping the other, it is sufficient to register for the first exam session of the summer session and take only the test to be repeated.

Oral exam. Students who have obtained an average score of 18 or higher on the two written tests will be admitted to the oral exam, which completes the exam and is not optional. The final mark will be based for 50% on the average of the two written tests and for 50% on the oral exam, and may therefore also be lower than the average of the two tests. The purpose of the oral exam is to verify the student’s ability to apply the knowledge acquired and to make the necessary logical-deductive connections. Grading: preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical ability that emerges only with the lecturer’s help, expression in overall correct language → 18-19; preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and autonomous analytical ability only on purely executive questions, expression in correct language → 20-24; preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, command of the specific terminology → 25-29; essentially exhaustive preparation on the topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and connection, full command of the specific terminology and capacity for argumentation and self-reflection → 30-32.

In-class presentation (optional, reserved for attending students). Attending students may propose an in-class presentation, accompanied by a maximum of 5 slides (charts, headings, short bullet points; not text to be read aloud), on a topic related to the course contents and referring to one of the national cases considered, agreed upon with the lecturer. The presentation does not replace the other components of the exam: it allows students to obtain up to 3 additional points on top of the final mark resulting from the combination of the written tests and the oral exam. Modulation of the points: 1 point for a correct and adequate presentation; 2 points for an accurate, well-documented and well-argued presentation; 3 points only for a presentation that is original and excellent in the quality of its analysis, sources and delivery. An inadequate presentation earns no additional points.

The distinction (lode) is awarded to those who reach an overall mark, including any additional points, of 31 or higher.

Those who, after taking both written tests and the oral exam, do not pass the exam or reject the mark must retake the exam in full on the entire programme (two written tests and oral exam).

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended that they contact in good time the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en); the office will propose to the students concerned any appropriate adjustments, which must in any case be submitted, 15 days in advance, to the approval of the lecturer, who will assess their appropriateness also in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

AI may be used to support individual study, for example for further exploration, summaries and self-assessment. It may be used to support the preparation of the in-class presentation (bibliographic search; conceptual clarification; preliminary verification of factual information, to be confirmed with accredited sources), but not to generate the slides or the contents of the presentation.

Participation in exam sessions is governed by the criteria set out in the degree programme’s teaching regulations. For questions concerning the teaching regulations, please consult the relevant website or, in case of doubt, contact the teaching office.

Teaching tools

Video projector. Pc. Course materials and exercises on the "VIRTUALE" platform.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Vassallo