Description
Objective 1: This seminar introduces students to the issue of political corruption and the ways it is related to politics and international relations.
Objective 2: Students learn to analyze political science research on corruption, to identify the important empirical puzzles in its study and to use existing databases to write their own research on the issue.
Content: During the first part of the seminar we will investigate some of the conceptual and theoretical issues involved in the study of political corruption, including the definition of corruption, the distinction between corruption and other rent-seeking behavior such as clientelism and patronage, the relationships between various institutional and social factors and corruption, and ways of curbing the corrupt practices of political actors. In the second part of the course we will use the experience of several old and new democracies to illustrate this discussion and the way corruption has been used as a tool of international assistance, cooperation, and leverage by states and international organizations such as the EU and World Bank.
Methods of Instruction
Seminar discussion and presentations
Study Material
TBA, cc 800p.
Assessment
Participation (20%), Case Study Paper (50%), Reaction Papers 30%
Registration
Course
Students need to register for lectures, work group sessions and advanced courses in uSis. It is not possible to take a course without a valid registration. Please consult the “course registration website” for information on registration periods and further instructions.
Schedule
Access Requirements
Comparative Analysis of Political Systems