81771 - Democracy and Populism in Europe

Learning outcomes

The course aims to give a thorough understanding of the changing nature of democracy in Europe, mainly as a consequence of the rise of populism, in its various forms. At the end of the course, students will be able to grasp the correct use of the concept of populism, as well as to understand the meaning of the rise of euroscepticism

Course contents

The course is articulated in two main parts. The first part analyses the changing nature of democracy at the nation-state level and at the EU level, also with the contribution of guest speakers on several prominent examples. Each student will also make a short presentation as part of a work in a small group on selected topics. An intermediate written exame will be held in week 6. In the second part, attending students will present their essays on selected topics, as agreed with the teacher at the beginning of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

PRELIMINARY READING

Students who have no previous knowledge of European politics should read:

1) T. Bale, European Politics. A comparative introduction, Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2014, ch. 4-7

2) E. Jones, et al. Developments in European Politics 2, Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2011, ch. 4-7

Most of the key reading for the first part of the class (weeks 1-5) can be found in the

• Oxford Handbook of Populism, (edited by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy, Oxf. University Press; OHP henceforth, available online, https://www-oxfordhandbooks-com.ezproxy.unibo.it/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198803560.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780198803560 and in print copies in the Library, OHP henceforth).
• And in the ‘Journal of Democracy’ (JoD, henceforth), also available online (https://muse-jhu-edu.ezproxy.unibo.it/journal/98 ), and in print copy in the Library

Weeks 1/2

JoD:

W. Galston The Populist Challenge to Liberal Democracy, 2018

N. Schenkkan, S. Repucci, The Freedom House Survey for 2018: Democracy in Retreat, 2019

OHP:

C. Mudde, Populism: an ideational approach

S. Rummens, Populism as a threat to Liberal Democracy

W. Muller, Populism and Constitutionalism

Additional reading to be used also in following weeks (all journals available online)

H. Kriesi, The populist challenge, in West European Politics, 2014, vol. 37, 2, pp. 361-378.

P.Corduwener, Integrating contemporary populism with the history of democracy in Western Europe, European Political Science, vol. 16, 2017, pp. 206-216

Weeks 3-4

Populism and the media

OHP

L. Manucci, Populism and the media, OHP

[see also: B. Moffitt, How to Perform Crisis: A Model for Understanding the Key Role of Crisis in Contemporary Populism, Government and Opposition, 2015]

Populism West & East

OHP:

P. Taggart, Populism in Western Europe, B. Stanley, Populism in Eastern Europe

JoD:

J. Rupnik, The Specter Hunting Europe: Surging Illiberalism in the East, 2016

__The Crisis of Liberalism, 2018;

Debate section: articles from Journal of Democracy (also group discussion in class)

1. Democratic deconsolidation?

Foa-Mounk vs.Inglehart 2016

      2. Populism and nativism

Pappas vs. Marguiles 2018

Week 5: Populism and Euroscepticism

M. Rooduijn, S. van Kessel Populism and Euroskepticism in the European Union, OXFORD RESEARCH ENCYCLOPEDIA, POLITICS, August 2019

A. Pirro, P. Taggart, The populist politics of Euroscepticism in times of crisis: A framework for analysis, Politics, 2018

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Reading for essays:

Populism & technocracy

C. Bickerton, C. Invernizzi-Accetti, Populism and technocracy, in OHP

Caramani, D. (2017) ‘Will vs. Reason: The Populist and Technocratic Forms of Political

Representation and Their Critique to Party Government’, American Political Science

Review, 111, 54–67.

Other reading on national case studies from:

H. Kriesi and T. Pappas (eds), European Populism in the Shadow of the Great Recession, Ecpr Press, 2015

Wolinetz-Zaslove, Absorbing the blow, Colchester, Ecpr Press, 2018

And other resources indicated in class

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Students deciding not to attend cannot attend the intermediate exam, nor present a paper. This means they have to pass both a written and an oral exam (to be held consecutively in one of the final ‘appelli’, which start from January 2020). While ALL the material indicated above serves to prepare the written test, for the oral part they also have to study the following book:

T. Pappas, POPULISM AND LIBERAL DEMOCRACY. A COMPARATIVE AND THEORETICAL ANALYSIS, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019.

Teaching methods

Lectures and group discussion in the first part of the course; also with two guest lecturers on relevant case studies.

Students' short presentations in first part of the class (5 mins. each) as part of a work in small groups.

Presentations will be longer (15mins) and based on papers written and presented individually in the second part of the class

Assessment methods

Students attending at least 80% of the classes  will write a mid-term exam at the end of week 5, which consists in 4 multiple choice, and 4 open-ended questions. The final assessment will consider the mark obtained in the intermediate exam (40%), the Essay and its class presentation (40%), and the individual participation during the course as assessed also in the first presentation (20%)

Non-attending students will also write a final exam, also with 4 multiple choice, and 4 open-ended questions, but they will also have to attend an oral exam on the book by Pappas (see indications above in the final part of the programme).

Teaching tools

Group discussion

Powerpoint presentations

Office hours

See the website of Gianfranco Baldini