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Core Issues in Comparative Politics(PO233)
Module Director: Dr. Renske DoorenspleetAssociate Professor in Comparative Politics
director Centre for Studies in DemocratizationDepartment of Politics and International Studies
University of Warwick, UK
www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/doorenspleet/www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/csd/
e-mail: [email protected]
Basic InformationEmail: [email protected]: B0.14Tel.: Ext. 22169Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-4 PM and Wednesdays 2-3 PM
Content Lecture week 1A. Module Outline PO233
B. What is Comparative Politics?
C. Approaches in Comparative Politics
D. Contents of seminar week 2
E. Information lecture/seminar week 2
Ad A. Module Outline PO233
MODULE DESCRIPTION
MODULE AIMS
TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS
SEMINAR MEETINGS and PREPARATORY READING
Ad A. Module Outline PO233MODULE OUTLINETerm 1 What is comparative politics? How to compare countries? What is regime
change? How to explain regime change? Waves of democratizationReading weekEthnic identity and nationalism/ Civil war/ Political and civic culture/
RevolutionsTerm 2Building institutions in divided societies/ Political institutions (parties and
party systems/ electoral systems/ legislatures and executives)/ Political participation in comparative perspective
Reading weekPublic opinion and survey studies/ Good governance in comparative
perspective/ New directions/ Comparative politics in practiceTerm 3Revision Lectures
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)OR2. 50% examination (2 questions over 1.5 hours) and 50% for
assessment essay (5,000 words)
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
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
Ad A. Module Outline PO233So…WEEK 1: Tuesday: - Lecture week 1 (introduction & overview/ discussion required literature week 1)- No seminarRest 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. …
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.
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
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?
Ad B. What is Comparative Politics?
The three subfields of political science:
Comparative PoliticsInternational
Relations
• deals with normative
and theoretical questions • deals with
interactions between political systems
• deals with empirical
questions and
interactions within
political systems
Political Theory
Political Science
Ad B. What is Comparative Politics?
three different traditions (see van Biezen and Caramani 2006):
(1) Study of single countries
(2) Methodological tradition
(3) Analytical tradition
Ad B. What is Comparative Politics?
What does CP do in practice?
1) Description2) Explanation3) Prediction
Ad B. What is Comparative Politics? What is compared?
-National political systems-Sub-national regional political systems -Supra-national units -Single elements or components of the political system
Ad B. What is Comparative Politics?
What is compared?
-Political systems-Regimes -institutions -Actors -Processes-Policies
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
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“
Ad C. Approaches in Comparative Politics
The five "I"s = the five main approaches in CP (see Peters 2008)
(1) Institutions
(2) Interests
(3) Ideas
(4) Individuals
(5) International environment
Ad C. Approaches in Comparative Politics
But weaknesses of five "I"s (see Peters 2008):
- The sixth "I": Interaction- Too static approach
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’)
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)
