Description
What are the goals of democratic systems of government and how well do advanced democracies meet these goals? This course is designed to provide students with a thorough knowledge of the representational process in advanced democracies. The course will provide a systematic examination of cross-national variations in political institutions and preferences as they relate to representation in advanced democracies. The topics we will consider trace the representational process from voters to governments: including the study of voter preferences and voting behaviour, cleavage structures, political parties and party systems, electoral systems and government formation. We will also devote attention to the political consequences of different models of democratic systems as they relate to our normative conceptions of democratic representation.
Throughout the course, students will be asked to consider how political and electoral institutions in advanced democracies affect representational outcomes and the expression of political interests.
Methods of instruction
Brief lectures, short presentations by students on readings, discussion.
Study material
Literature (approx. 1000 pp.)
Colomer, Josep. 2001. Political Institutions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
LeDuc, Lawrence, Richard G. Niemi and Pippa Norris, eds. 2002. Comparing Democracies 2. London: Sage Publications.
Powell Jr., G. Bingham. 2000. Elections as Instruments of Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Journal articles TBA.
Examination
Several short essay assignments, a final paper and presentation.
Time table
Wednesday September 3, till October 22, 11.00 a.m.-13.00 p.m. in SA23 and
Friday September 5, till October 24, 11.00 a.m. -13.00 p.m. in SA31 (except 10/10 Ch01)