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Comparative Politics: Understanding Political Systems and Decision Making

This module provides an overview of comparative politics, exploring different approaches and theories used to analyze political systems and decision making. Topics include regime change, democratization, ethnic identity, nationalism, building institutions, political participation, public opinion, and good governance.

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Comparative Politics: Understanding Political Systems and Decision Making

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  1. Core Issues in Comparative Politics(PO233)Module Director: Dr. Renske DoorenspleetAssociate Professor in Comparative Politicsdirector Centre for Studies in DemocratizationDepartment of Politics and International StudiesUniversity of Warwick, UK www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/doorenspleet/ www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/csd/ e-mail: renske.doorenspleet@warwick.ac.uk

  2. Basic Information Email: renske.doorenspleet@warwick.ac.ukOffice: B0.14 Tel.: Ext. 22169Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-4 PM and Wednesdays 2-3 PM

  3. Content Lecture week 1 • Module Outline PO233 • What is Comparative Politics? • Approaches in Comparative Politics • Contents of seminar week 2 • Information lecture/seminar week 2

  4. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 MODULE DESCRIPTION MODULE AIMS TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS SEMINAR MEETINGS and PREPARATORY READING

  5. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 MODULE OUTLINE Term 1 What is comparative politics? How to compare countries? What is regime change? How to explain regime change? Waves of democratization Reading week Ethnic identity and nationalism/ Civil war/ Political and civic culture/ Revolutions Term 2 Building institutions in divided societies/ Political institutions (parties and party systems/ electoral systems/ legislatures and executives)/ Political participation in comparative perspective Reading week Public opinion and survey studies/ Good governance in comparative perspective/ New directions/ Comparative politics in practice Term 3 Revision Lectures

  6. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 • FORMATIVE ESSAYS • LECTURE AND SEMINAR ATTENDANCE • MODULE ASSESSMENT DETAILS (distribute note on assessment!) • There are two methods of assessment for this module: • 1. 100% examination (4 questions over 3 hours) • OR • 2. 50% examination (2 questions over 1.5 hours) and 50% for assessment essay (5,000 words)

  7. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 • REQUIRED BOOKS • Caramani, Daniele (2008). Introduction to Comparative Politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press • Hague, R. and M. Harrop (2007). Comparative Government and Politics, An Introduction, London: Palgrave • Landman, T. (2008). Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics, (3rd ed), London: Routledge • Cd-rom with articles and book chapters • See module outline for full list with required and recommended literature per week

  8. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 OTHER MATERIAL Journal articles in: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science [Available electronically as The Annals], American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Democratization, Electoral Studies, Foreign Affairs, International Political Science Review, Journal of Democracy, Political Studies, World Politics

  9. Ad A. Module Outline PO233 • So… • WEEK 1: • Tuesday: • Lecture week 1 (introduction & overview/ discussion required literature week 1) • No seminar • Rest of week: • Read the required literature (see module outline week 1) • Prepare seminar for week 2 (see module outline week 1 & homework during lecture week 1) • WEEK 2: • Lecture week 2 (introduction & overview/ discussion required literature week 2) • Seminar week 2 (see module outline week 1 & homework during lecture week 1) • Rest of week: • - Read required literature (see module outline of week 2) • Prepare seminar for week 3 (see module outline week 2 & homework during lecture week 2) • ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. …

  10. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • Ad b. See Caramani (2008) • What is politics? • Father = breadwinner = capitalism • Mother = administrator = government • You (little boy) = people • Nanny = working class • Baby brother = future • Politics is.. • .. the human activity of making public and authoritative decisions. • .. the activity of acquiring the power of making such decisions. • .. the conflict or competition for power and its use.

  11. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? But there is little consensus on scope and boundaries. Definition Harold Laswell (1936): Politics is Who Gets What, When, How Definition Miller (1991): Politics is the activity by which groups reach binding collective decisions through attempting to reconcile differences among their members

  12. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? Political science deals with the following questions: Who makes political decisions? Which decisions are made? How are decisions made?

  13. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • The three subfields of political science: Political Science Political Theory Comparative Politics International Relations • deals with empirical questions and interactions within political systems • deals with normative and theoretical questions • deals with interactions between political systems

  14. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • three different traditions (see van Biezen and Caramani 2006): • (1) Study of single countries • Methodological tradition • (3) Analytical tradition

  15. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • What does CP do in practice? • Description • Explanation • Prediction

  16. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • Whatis compared? • National political systems • Sub-national regional political systems • Supra-national units • Single elements or components of the political system

  17. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • Whatis compared? • Political systems • Regimes • institutions • Actors • Processes • Policies

  18. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • Traditional CP versus “behavioural revolution“ • What triggered this revolution? • The emergence of new cases: • Breakdown of democracies and rise of new types of regimes • Stable democracies which were not of the Anglo-Saxon type

  19. Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? • consequences of the behavioural revolution for CP: • - Increase in the variety of political systems • - Study of non formal institutions • New methodology • new "language“

  20. Ad C. Approaches in Comparative Politics The five "I"s = the five main approaches in CP (see Peters 2008) (1) Institutions Interests Ideas Individuals International environment

  21. Ad C. Approaches in Comparative Politics • But weaknesses of five "I"s (see Peters 2008): • The sixth "I": Interaction • Too static approach

  22. Ad D. Contents of seminar week 1 Analysis of journals in comparative politics What are the most important journals in comparative politics? See also module document! Analyze the most recent number of a journal in comparative politics, and answer the following questions: What are the topics of the articles?Are the articles mainly empirical or normative in nature?Which countries are central in the articles? (read for more details: handout ‘seminar homework week 2’)

  23. Ad E. Information lecture/seminar week 2 Rest of week: Read the required literature (see module outline week 1) Prepare seminar for week 2 (analysis of journals, see previous slide)

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