Description
Many societal problems transcend the borders of the nation-state. Economic developments and trade, crime and terrorism, climate change, natural disasters and international monetary and financial crises are not confined to national territory. To cope with these matters, nation-states have partially delegated competencies upwards to the European Union and international bodies. The number of international and EU institutions, laws, rules and norms has, accordingly, tremendously increased over time. As a result, we face a divers and complex institutional architecture of international and European governance.
This course offers an advanced understanding of core themes in the theory and practice of the various architectures of international and European governance. We will study the interlocking organizational, and multi-level dimensions of the international and the EU's political-administrative arrangements. The course deals with theoretical and conceptual frameworks for the study of international organizations, and international and European administrations, as actors in global politics and in international policy-making in a comparative and systemic perspective. We will study these architectures from a political science and public administration perspective on institutional design and structural choice: the architectures reflect constellations of power balances between international and European organizations, national governmental actors, corporations, interest groups, social movements and/or civil society organizations. The key questions that we will address is how the various modes of international and European governance relate to each other; how each evolves, what the role of various (state and non-state) actors is, how we should evaluate these modes from a perspective of legitimacy, accountability, delegation, and representation.
Course objectives
To have an understanding of the key literatures on the design, structure, and functioning of international organizations and new modes of international and European governance
Advanced knowledge of the key mechanisms and factors through which international and European systems of governance evolve through time and are designed under various political, economic and social conditions
To systematically assess and to critically judge the capacity and capability of various international and European institutional architectures to address transboundary problems and challenges
To reflect on the relevant normative and ethical issues, particularly on issues of legitimacy, accountability, effectiveness, and democracy
Function effectively in a team, potentially with multiple disciplinary and cultural backgrounds
Ability to effectively identify and synthesize existing primary and secondary literature in order to address a question or problem at hand.
Timetable
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
The class will be taught seminar-style. This means much interaction between the instructors and students. The required texts will be intensively discussed. Students will be expected to come to class prepared and actively participate in group discussions. Regular class attendance is required. Meaningful and active contribution to class discussions is expected. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Course Load
Seminar: 21 hours ( 7 x 3 hours)
Further structured study (individual and group assignments): 19 hours
Self-study: 100 hours
Assessment method
Weekly assignments 40%
Case Study Report 20%
Individual Paper 40%
All classes are mandatory. Please study the schedule to make sure you can attend all classes. One absence may be excused per student and even then only under exceptional circumstances and by consultation with the instructor. Students who are absent without consultation with the instructor will not receive a grade for the course.
In order to pass the course, students must receive 1) a grade of 5.5 or higher on the weekly assignments; 2) a grade of 5.5 or higher on the individual paper; and 3) a grade of 5.5 or higher on all components averaged together.
Re-takes. A re-take for the assignments will be provided in the regular resit period for students who did not receive a grade of 5.5 or higher on either the individual paper or the weekly assignments or both. The grade for the case study report can be compensated by the other constituent grades.
Blackboard
The course is supported by a Blackboard site that contains all the details about the course, the (references to) assigned readings, guidelines for the assignments and additional information. Blackboard will also be used to communicate, among other things, changes in the timetable or locations.
Reading list
The readings for this course are ‘state of the art’ academic articles that address theoretical and conceptual issues for each theme. All articles can be found online through the university library or otherwise through the links provided on Blackboard. Students are encouraged to seek out additional academic articles, both theoretical and empirical, to prepare their group presentations and share with the rest of the class.
Registration
Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.