Formation/Cours

Students are not required to have any background in the discipline and, in fact, the course is designed to introduce some basic concepts and approaches in comparative politics. It is however expected that you have in mind some of the basic concepts learned in your first year.

You are asked to carefully read the syllabus available on the moodle. It contains all the information you need to successfully complete the assignments.

This course provides the analytical knowledge and practical tools to understand comparative politics on a global scale. The core of comparative politics is the study of similarities and differences between political phenomena across political units and networks. Most events happening on a daily basis, including in our own country, call for a basic understanding of the politics of others – that is, of other countries and peoples. This course accordingly focuses on the public sphere of politics by presenting the tools for a systematic study and comparison of types of government and political systems. It addresses a wide range of issues such as: What are the key features of democracies and autocracies, and how can political regimes best be classified? How legislatures and executives work, and how thus the balance of powers vary across political regimes? How did nation-states emerge and how do they evolve in an age of globalization? When do democratic backsliding occur in the European Union and worldwide? How do electoral systems vary and what are their mechanical and psychological effects? The course covers these questions and many others by using the methods and techniques of comparative politics. You will learn about states and regimes worldwide – as well as deepening your understanding of your own society, with the aim to develop and cultivate your critical awareness. During the seminars, we review the leading research literature to understand the theoretical concepts and empirical findings on each topic.

One or several specific topics will be discussed in each lecture and seminar. Students should follow the order of the topics as listed in the course outline and prepare the readings accordingly. Keeping up with the readings is essential for achieving the learning objectives of this course. Students are expected to:

– have the relevant readings done before attending the seminars;

– participate actively in all classes;

– complete all set assignments.

Lecture Schedule

(12 Lectures each 2h)

Part 1: OBJECTS, TECHNIQUES AND METHODS

• Introduction: Comparing what and why?


• Methods: How to compare?

Part 2: COMPARNG STATES & POLITICAL REGIMES

• The origins of CP: Nation-State building


• Democracy: what is it, really?


• Typologies of democracy (beyond representative democracy)


• Authoritarian regimes


• (De-)democratisation: from authoritarian regimes to democracy…and back

Part 3: COMPARING POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS & PROCESSES

• Executives and legislatives


• Welfare state(s)


• Territorial politics


• Electoral systems

Seminar Schedule

(8 Seminars of 2h each, 1 reading per week)

1. Typologies of Democratic Regimes

2. Forms of Democratic Participation

3. Authoritarianisms

4. European Support for Democracy

5. Democratic Backsliding Process

6. Territorial and network politics

7. Election Systems

8. Role playing