02492 - Comparative Politics

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing the students with the basic knowledges about the comparative method and about concepts, models and theories for the analysis of contemporary democracies (political institutions, leadership, parties and party sysems, electoral systems, public opinion and political communication). Further, the course focuses on the functioning of some important western democracies. At the end of the course students are supposed to be able to manage political science concepts and models in order to describe and analyse the most important contemporary democracies and their transformations.

Course contents

The course is organized with a part of lectures taught in presence (20 hours) and another taught online on MS TEAMS
(20 hours). The number of students allowed in class is determined on the basis of class capacity and by the health and safety provisions that deal with the pandemic emergency. In case more students want to attend classes in presence than permitted by the rules, a system of shifts will be organized so to allow students to participate. Regardless of the health-related conditions and the specific organization of the course, students will be able to follow the lessons of the entire course remotely on MS TEAMS.

 

PART ONE

- State building

- The birth and development of democracy 

- The interwar years: the fall of democracies, the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes

- Democratic transitions 

PART TWO

- Media and politics

- The personalization of politics and the 'audience democracy'

- The populist phenomenon

Readings/Bibliography

PART ONE

1) S. Rokkan, Cittadini, elezioni e partiti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1982, Introduzione and ch. 3

or:

Stein Rokkan, The Structuring of Mass Politics in the Smaller European, in «Comparative Studies in Society and History», Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 173-210.

2) G. Sartori, Costituzione e Democrazia, in G. Sartori, Elementi di teoria politica, Bologna, il Mulino.

3) J. Linz e A. Stepan, Toward Consolidated Democracies, in «Journal of Democracy», Volume 7, Number 2, April 1996.

 

PART TWO

G. Rahat e O. Kenig, From Party Politics to Personalized Politics? Party Change and Political Personalization in Democracies, Oxford, 2018, chapters 6 and 10

B. Manin, The principles of representative government, Cambridge University Press, ch. 6.

The Oxford Handbook of Populism, Oxford University Press, 2017, Introduction and chapters 1 and 2.

Teaching methods

Teaching lessons

Assessment methods

Oral exam, until the rules due to COVID - 19 will remain in place.

Teaching tools

Power point

Office hours

See the website of Sofia Ventura