Description
There is widespread agreement that political parties are procedurally necessary for the functioning of democracy and that they play a crucial role in linking citizens to the state. The classic empirical and theoretical literature on political parties emerged in the context of established democracies in North America and Western Europe. The third wave of democratisation (Huntington 1991) brought electoral rule – and with it the need for political parties as institutions of representation – to a variety of new settings and contexts. For political scientists, this created the need to refine their theoretical and conceptual toolkit in order to understand party politics in new democracies.
This course examines how political parties in new democracies fulfill the task of linking citizens to the state. Throughout the course we will explore the different forms that citizens’ participation in the political process can take. We will seek to understand why certain patterns of political participation appear, why some persist and others do not, and how they affect the development and consolidation of democracy. The geographical focus will be on Latin America, but the region will be approached from a comparative perspective. Latin America offers a particularly interesting setting to study the development of parties, as almost all countries in the region have transited to electoral rule, making Latin America the first region in the developing world to be governed almost wholly by democratically chosen leaders.
The course includes both historical perspectives and analyses of current trends and issues. Specific topics to be discussed include: party organisations and systems, societal organisation and non-institutionalised forms of popular protests, clientelism, populism (old and new) and the recent resurgence of the left.
Methods of instruction
Lectures and Discussion
Study material
Number of pages: approx. 1100
Articles from academic journals available via blackboard and a folder in the library
Examination
Students are assessed on the basis of weekly essays as well as active participation in class discussions.
Course requirements/recommendations
Comparative Analysis of Political Systems
Time table
maandag 1 september t/m 20 oktober, 13.00-15.00 uur, Ch08 (behalve 6 en 13 okt: geen bijeenkomst, 20/10 5B04); en
donderdag 4 september t/m 23 oktober, 9.00-11.00 uur, Ch09