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Course Syllabus POL 111G

INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS AND REGIONAL STUDIES

Contact Details for Professor

Dr. Dario Cristiani Tel: +32 (0) 26148170 - Skype: med_eye E-mail: [email protected] Classes: Wednesdays 4.30 pm – 6:00 pm, Fridays 3.00 pm - 4.30 pm Office hours: To be confirmed. Ad-hoc skype sessions can be provided should students need Please do not miss classes unexcused. If you need to miss classes for a valid reason, please make sure you inform me beforehand. The use of the internet for any application!!

Course Description

The course “Introduction to Comparative Politics and Regional Studies” aims at providing students with an understanding of the key concepts and issues related to comparative politics and regional studies. Here, comparative politics is mainly understood as “politics within the State,” while through the regional studies approach students will also learn about political processes occurring at a sub- and supra-state level. In the first part of the module, students will be introduced to what comparative politics is, how to organise and design comparative research in political science, and will get a hint about the main literature debates on comparative politics methodologies. In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to the main concepts concerning the modern State, liberal democracy, and authoritarianism. At the end of the second part, the module will cover the challenges to the Modern State and the erosion of State power from within and from the outside, thus introducing the concepts of localism and regionalism. In the third part, the module will focus on analysing political developments around the world through a number of regional case studies, focusing on Europe, the United States, the Middle East, the Post-Soviet Space, Asia, and Africa.

Learning Objectives:

After this course, the student should be able to:

In terms of knowledge:

1. Acquire substantial background knowledge of the historical evolution, features and challenges associated with democracy and authoritarianism and political development in a number of regions of the world;

2. develop a clear understanding of the most important theoretical approaches and the literature debate on comparative politics, regional studies and democratisation;

3. understand the role and significance of the main concepts associated with comparative politics and how they can be applied;

4. assess the current democratic and authoritarian trends in the world critically; 5. develop a basic knowledge of the main political features of a number of

world’s regions and apply them to their future studies.

mailto:[email protected]

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In terms of skills:

1. Carry out independent research using a wide range of sources; 2. apply scholarship to understand, synthesize and analyze issues in

comparative Politics and regional studies; 3. differentiate between empirical, analytical, and normative statements 4. understand how to recognize a valuable and reliable source of information; 5. communicate effectively key research findings on core issues of comparative

politics and regional studies.

Course Assessment

The students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance as follows

Assignments Percentage of the final course grade

Class Activities 10%

Research paper/Presentation 30% (20/10)

Mid-term exam 25%

Final exam 35%

Total 100% Grading Scale of Vesalius College Vesalius College grading policy, in line with the Flemish Educational norms, is now as stated follows:

Letter grade Scale of 20 Scale of 100

A 17.0-20.0 85-100

A- 16.1-16.9 81-84

B+ 15.3-16.0 77-80

B 14.5-15.2 73-76

B- 13.7-14.4 69-72

C+ 13.1-13.6 66-68

C 12.3-13.0 62-65

C- 11.5-12.2 58-61

D+ 10.7-11.4 54-57

D 10.0-10.6 50-53

F 0-9.9 0-49

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Further description of assessment activities and Grading Criteria

1. Written mid-term and final exams (60%)

The mid-term and final exams are in-class exams. The midterm exam (25%) will be held in the mid of the semester (W7). The content of the exam will cover all the concepts you will have learnt before that date. The final exam (35%) will be held at the end of the course. It will include essay questions on the entire program that you will have learnt during the whole semester.

Rubrics for Exam

In the exams, you may find:

Multiple Choice Questions Chronologies Short/Factual Questions Long Questions Essay For the breakdown, refer to the exam sheet. Following, you can find an explanation of the criteria that I will use to assess the exams. Chronology

A B C D F

Accuracy and Completeness

The answer pertinently and succinctly addresses the question.

Overall, the answer accurately addresses the question. Some minor omissions or imprecisions

The answer sufficiently addresses the question. It meets the basic requirements for this assignment. Some imprecisions

The answer is incomplete and fails to address the question. Major flaws and imprecisions.

The answer is left in blank or fails dramatically to address the question.

Expression Language is correct; mastering of expression.

Overall, language is correct. Some minor mistakes.

Barely adequate level; some mistakes in the text.

Language is poor; several mistakes in the text; hard to read or to understand.

Language is very poor; the text is extremely hard to understand.

Evidence of reading The answer shows a good understanding of the readings.

Some flaws in the understanding of the course material.

The answer meets the basic requirements for this assignment.

Knowledge below the level required for the course.

The answer reveals no engagement with the course material.

TOTAL

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Short/Factual Questions

A B C D F


The answer pertinently and succinctly addresses the question





Expression Language is correct; advanced mastering of expression.





Structure The answer is well structured and allows the author to address the question in a pertinent and succinct manner.

The answer is overall well structured. Some minor flaws in the structure hinder the coherence of the answer.

The structure is loose and imprecise, but allows the author to address the question.

The structure is loose and imprecise and does not allow the author to address the question.

The answer is loosely structured and fails to provide most relevant information.






Long Question

A B C D F


The answer pertinently and succinctly addresses the question





Expression Language is correct; advanced mastering of expression.





Structure The answer is well structured and allows the author to address the question in a pertinent and succinct manner.

The answer is overall well structured. Some minor flaws in the structure hinder the coherence of the answer.

The structure is loose and imprecise, but allows the author to address the question.

The structure is loose and imprecise and does not allow the author to address the question.

The answer is loosely structured and fails to provide most relevant information.






5

Essay

A B C D/F

Structure of the answer and expression

The answer addresses the question in a structured, succinct and analytical manner. Excellent capacity to express and discuss complex concepts.

Overall, the essay is well structured and accurately addresses the question. Some minor omissions or imprecisions

The answer gives most relevant information, but it is loosely structured. Overall good capacity to express complex concepts and correct language.

The answer is loosely structured and fails to provide most relevant information. Expression is poor.

Evidence of reading The answer is well embedded in the literature and shows evidence of further readings.

Overall, the answer shows a consistent engagement with the reading material required for the course.

Sufficient attempt to engage with the course material

Weak engagement with the course material.

Understanding/ use of theories and definitions

All theories/concepts reviewed are presented clearly in their full complexity.

Sufficient engagement. Some flaws and oversimplification in the understanding of the concepts/theories at hands.

Some attempt to engage with theoretical frameworks and definitions

Theories or concepts are simply mentioned.

Critical thinking The answer reveals a critical understanding of concepts and theories at hand.

The answer reveals a fairly good critical understanding of the topic at hand and a good critical attitude. Some minor imprecisions and/or mistakes.

Overall, the answer shows good comprehension of reviewed concepts/theories but a scanty critical attitude towards politics.

The answer shows some major pitfalls in the comprehension of the concepts/theories at hand.

Ability to relate to a concrete political case

Excellent ability to elaborate on theories and apply them to concrete cases. Good knowledge of factual background

Overall, the examinee manages to relate the concept to concrete cases. However, some minor imprecisions and mistakes occur.

The examinee attempts to relate selected topic to an empirical case, but there are major imprecisions and the examples are under-explained

The examinee fails to apply conceptual or theoretical framework to empirical cases.

2. Class activities 10%

Class activities account for 10% of your total grade. The class is based on both lectures and seminars. Students may be required to attend the EPSS lectures/other activities consistent with the topics covered in this class. The first part of the class will be devoted to the lecture, while in the second part students may do a number of different activities, from historical and geographical quizzes to debates on current affairs, from non-graded reading tests to group presentations.

Evaluation will consist in: active engagement during the classes, active participation during the debates, capacity of thinking out of the box, performance in the historical and geographical quizzes and guess who game, questions after the frontal lectures, questions during class.

Reading and getting prepared to attend the class, therefore, a fundamental requirement of the course and one for which you will be evaluated.

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3. Research Paper/Oral Presentation (30%):

Advising the Decision Makers: The VeCo Intelligence Agency (Report 20%/Presentation 10%)

➢ You will act as an intelligence analyst who has the duty to explain to the decision-makers of your country the political trends in TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES in a five-year time framework. Thus, you will pick up two countries of your choices, will compare them and will analyse the different trajectories of political development within the next five years.

➢ You will prepare an Intelligence Report (1,800 word, references excluded). In this analysis, you will have to:

a) Concisely outline the importance of this two countries, the rationale for comparisons

b) Make historical and political references on similarities and differences among the two countries and why they matter to your policy makers;

c) Outline the future development in the next five years, stating what and why they will be relevant, based on them, you will provide a number of policy recommendations to your policy-makers.

➢ You need to consult at least four academic references (such as books and academic journals), online sources are vital to the crafting of your report.

➢ You should communicate by week 6 the two countries you would like to analyse.

HAND IN: to be confirmed You have to submit your paper using Turnitin http://www.turnitin.com/). by the deadline stated above

Written Assignment – Grading Criteria

The following criteria will be applied in assessing your written work:

0-1 point 2-3 point 4-5 point

Ability to summarize a complex factual background

Some factual information is missing or the topic is not clearly identified

Most relevant information is presented but the core analytical elements are not clearly identified

Key facts are presented in an original, succinct, and analytical manner.

Comparative Research Design and Rationale

The comparative research design is weak, loosely developed, contains significant factual imprecisions and shows poor understanding of comparative methodologies. Rationale for comparison is flawed and weak.

The comparative research design is acceptable, sufficiently developed explained, still contains factual imprecisions and shows only a sufficient understanding of comparative methodologies. Rationale for comparison is acceptable but still weak.

The comparative research design is strong, well developed explained, with little to no factual imprecisions and shows only an excellent understanding of comparative methodologies. Rationale for comparison is sound.

Critical thinking Flat and imprecise paper; flows in the analysis, no

Good use of sources, but no critical

The paper reveals a personal, original and

http://www.turnitin.com/

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critical understanding of the analyzed topic

understanding of the analyzed topic

critical understanding of the analyzed topic.

Structure, writing, bibliography and referencing

The argument is not developed in a coherent way; Language is poor. References are incomplete and the quoting system is not coherent. Less than 2 good references (and

papers taken from the syllabus does not count for this)

Some important conceptual and analytical pitfalls in the development of the argument; the writing is hard to read. At least 3 good

references

The argument is developed in a coherent and appropriate way; Language is overall correct; At least 4 good references covering factual background and theories.

Total 20 points

System of bibliographic referencing

There are many systems for the citation of references. For this course, I expect you to use the Harvard style of referencing. In the Harvard system, the author's surname and year of publication are cited in the text. The full details of the book are included in a reference list at the end of the assignment. Students can find a detailed Harvard Guide at the following website: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htm. To learn how to acknowledge, quote and paraphrase consulted material, please, also consult the following short guide for “Acknowledging, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Sources”: writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Acknowledging_Sources.pdf .

Harvard style of referencing - Examples:

In-text citation:

The first environment creates the conditions for an ‘offensive’ was and the second enables a ‘defensive war by a declining hegemon (Waltz 1979)

Thirteen of fifteen Arab state constitutions defined the nation as the Arab Nation (Ayubi 1995:146)

In your reference list:

How to quote books:

Naylor P. (2015). North Africa. A History from Antiquity to the Present, Austin: University of Texas Press.

How to quote articles in edited books:

Hinnebusch, R. (2006). “The Politics of Identity in Middle East International Relations”, in Fawcett, L. (ed.), International Relations of the Middle East, Oxford: OUP, pp. 151-171.

How to quote articles:

Hoffman, B. (2013), “Al Qaeda's Uncertain Future”, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 36(8): 635-653

How to quote electronic sources:

Thatcher M (1992). Europe’s Political Architecture, Speech in the Hague delivered on the 15th May 1992, available at the Margaret Thatcher Foundation:

http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=108296, retrieved on 8 June, 2015.

http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htm

http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=108296

http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=108296

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Additional Course Policies

Late papers will not be accepted unless there are serious legitimate reasons. If you have any problem and you want to discuss that with me, get in touch as soon as you can and we will find a solution. Provision of a signed medical note is required, and notice must be given prior to the deadline. Providing a signed medical note in the week of either the mid-term or the final exam do not exempt you from performing the exam and it will be taken in different forms as soon as possible. Please do not miss classes unexcused. If you need to miss classes for a valid reason, please make sure you inform me beforehand. The use of the internet for any application!

The College considers late submissions as disruptive and disrespectful practices and strongly recommends students to work on their time management. Late papers will be assessed as follow:

•1 out of 20 point will be subtracted for each day delay.

•Works submitted after seven days delay are graded with an F (0).

•Unless an incomplete is granted, no submission is possible after two weeks delay.

In the event of exceptional circumstances which impede the delivery of assignments within the due date, a student may request prior to the assigned due date an extension without penalty. Students must accompany this request with a medical certificate or other proof of the extreme circumstance that impeded the fulfillment of the task. Professors will examine the request and decide whether an extreme circumstance exists or does not exist. ‘Extreme circumstances’ must be significant, unpredictable and serious. As follows, these include medical treatment or distress for a family crisis or loss. These do not include time management problems, technical problems with the computer, inability to find sources, attending a wedding.

Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty is NOT tolerated in this course. Academic honesty is not only an ethical issue but also the foundation of scholarship. Cheating and plagiarism are therefore serious breaches of academic integrity. Following the College policy, cheating and plagiarism cases will be communicated in writing to the Associate Dean for Students and submitted to the Student Conduct Committee for disciplinary action. If you refer to someone else’s work, appropriate references and citations must be provided. Grammar, spelling and punctuation count, so use the tools necessary to correct before handing in assignments.

TOTAL 100%

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Course schedule

Week Topic of the Lecture Activities and in class

W1

Introducing Comparative Politics: Regimes, Development & Classification

Discussion on the module, students’ introduction, explanation of the different topics.

Test to assess the level of the class. Lecture on topic of the week and Q&A session.

W2 Effectiveness and Classification

Geography & Political Regime Quiz.

Lecture on topic of the week and Q&A session.

W3

Democracies

Non-graded reading test. Debate on the reading assignments, Guess who!? (game on World leaders).


W4

Autocracies

Debate on Tilly’s Paper. Introduction to Governance indicators.


W5

Transitions, Consolidation and Breakdowns

Non-Graded reading test. Lecture on topic of the week and Q&A session.

. Review of the first part of the class. Communication of the issue you want to choose for the paper.

W6

Reading Weak

W7 Mid-term Exam

Themes in Regional Studies and Comparative Politics

W8

The Crisis of Western Democracies

Analysis of the Exam


W9

Reverse Waves in the Post-Soviet Space Lecture on the first topic of the week and Q&A session.

Middle East & North Africa: The Arab Spring Illusion

Lecture on the second topic of the week and Q&A session.

W10

Asia: Varieties of Developmental State Lecture on the first topic of the week and Q&A session.

The state of the State in Africa Lecture on the second topic of the week and Q&A session.

W11

Conclusion: review of the class

Debate on Huntington’s Paper and Fukuyama’s paper. Review of the Class, Final Q&A session.

Students Presentations

W12




W13 Students Presentations



W14 Reading week

W15 Final Exam

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Core Topics & Reading Material

Textbook:

The textbook for this module is:

Alan Siaroff (2013), Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, University of Toronto Press, 2013

The Great Debates

These papers will not be part of the mid-term/final exams, but I want you to read and discuss them during our classes as they represent key articles that covers specific aspects of what we will be covering during this module and will be extremely important for your intellectual growth. In addition, it will also give you a hint of the wider debate, and the most important historical articles, in the area of comparative politics and regional studies.

Charles Tilly (1985), “War Making and State Making as Organized Crime”, Peter Evans, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and Theda Skocpol (eds.) in Bringing the State Back In (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985)

Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?”, The National Interests.

Samuel P. Huntington, “American Ideals versus American Institutions”, Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 97, No. 1 (Spring, 1982), pp. 1-37

W1 – Introducing Comparative Politics: Regimes, Development & Classification

Main readings:

Alan Siaroff (2013), Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, University of Toronto Press, pp. 1-48

Suggested readings (non-compulsory)

Giovanni Sartori (1970), “Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics”, The American Political Science Review, 64:4, pp. 1033-1053

Arend Lijphart (1971), “Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method”, The American Political Science Review, 65:3, pp. 682-693

James Mahoney (2007), “Qualitative Methodology and Comparative Politics”, Comparative Political Studies, 40:2, 122-144

Adam Przeworski “Is the Science of Comparative Politics Possible?” in Carles Boix and Susan C. Stokes, (eds.), The Oxford Handbooks of Comparative Politics, Oxford: OUP

Todd Landaman (2008), “Why, how and the problems of Comparison”: in Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics: An Introduction, pp.1-22

Questions:

What does comparative politics mean? What is a political regime? a sovereign state? Has the number of sovereign states increased over time? how development (or modernization) has cultural, economic, and political aspects? Define civil-military relations how this continuum relates to (liberal) democracy; what is meant by political development?

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W2 – Effectiveness and Classifications

Main readings: Alan Siaroff (2013), Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, University of Toronto Press, pp. 49-100


Vivien Schmidt (2009), Putting the Political Back into Political Economy by Bringing the State back in yet again, World Politics 61, No.3, July 2009, 516-546 Robin Theobald (1982), “Patrimonialism”, World Politics, 34:04, 548-559 Michael Mann (1997): Has globalization ended the rise and rise of the nation-state?, Review of International Political Economy, 4:3, 472-496

W3 – Democracies

Main readings:


Suggested Readings

John T. Ishiyama (2012), “Democracy and Democratization in Historical Perspective”, Comparative Politics. Principles of Democracy and Democratization

David Andersen, Jørgen Møller & Svend-Erik Skaaning (2014) “The State -Democracy Nexus: Conceptual Distinctions, Theoretical Perspectives, and Comparative Approaches”, Democratization, 21:7, 1203-1220

Guillermo O’Donnell (1994), “Delegative Democracy,” Journal of Democracy 5, 55–69

Gaoussou Diarra & Patrick Plane (2014) “Assessing the World Bank's Influence on the Good Governance Paradigm”, Oxford Development Studies, 42:4, 473-487

Thomas G Weiss (2000) “Governance, good governance and global governance: Conceptual and actual challenges”, Third World Quarterly, 21:5, 795-81

Questions:

What are the minimal factors needed for an electoral democracy? What the “fallacy of electoralism” mean? List the five specific aspects of liberal democracy are, and how these developed historically; Define: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, semi liberal autocracy, and closed autocracy; what are the factors that facilitate democracy?.

W4 – Autocracies.

Main readings:


Fareed Zakaria (1997), “The Rise of Illiberal Democracy,” Foreign Affairs 76 (November-December 1997): 22–41

Suggested Readings

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Lucan Way e Steven Levitsky (2002), “The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism”, Journal of Democracy, vol. 13, n. 2

Norman Schofield and Micah Levinson (2007), Modeling authoritarian regimes, Politics, Philosophy & Economics 7(3)

Jennifer Gandhi and Adam Przeworski (2007), Authoritarian Institutions and the Survival of Autocrats, Comparative Political Studies 2007; 40; 1279

Steven Fish (2002), Islam and Authoritarianism, World Politics 55,4–37

Questions:

Can you explain what a totalitarian regime is? how does full totalitarianism differ from incomplete or pre-totalitarianism and from post-totalitarianism? what is a sultanistic regime?

W5 – Transitions, Consolidation and Breakdowns

Alan Siaroff (2013), Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, University of Toronto Press, pp.251-286

Suggested Readings

Samuel Huntington (1991), “Democracy’s Third Wave”, Journal of Democracy, 2:2, 12-34

David Collier and Steven Levitsky, (1997) “Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research”, World Politics, 49, pp. 430-45

Mohamed Omar Hashi, (2015) "The Failed-State Paradigm and Implications for Politics and Practices of International Security," Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies: 14:8., 78-94

Branwen Gruffydd Jones (2008) “The global political economy of social crisis: Towards a critique of the ‘failed state’ ideology”, Review of International Political Economy, 15:2, 180-205

Robert I. Rotberg (2002) The new nature of nation‐state failure, The Washington Quarterly, 25:3, 83-96

Questions:

What are democratic transitions and democratic breakdowns? What is a wave of democratization? where and why have such waves have occurred? What the four different processes of democratization are? and the three components and the three main challenges of democratic consolidation? how, why, and when democracies break down?

W 6 – Reading Week

W7 – Mid-term exam

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W8 - The Crisis of Western Democracies

Main Readings:

Cas Mudde (2013), “Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what? European Journal of Political Research 52: 1–19, 2013

Fareed Zakaria (2013), “Can America Be Fixed: The New Crisis of Democracy”, Foreign Affairs, 92/22

Charles Kupchan (2012), The Governance Gap: Globalization and the Crisis of Democracy in the West, RSCAS Policy Paper, European University Institute


Questions:

What are the main features of Western democracies? Why are they in “crisis”? What is populism? What are the factors that nurture the rise of radical right parties? Is globalisation a factor in explaining the crisis of democracy in the Western world?

W9 - Reverse Waves in the Post-Soviet Space

Main readings:

Andrew Monaghan (2012), The Vertikal: power and authority in Russia, International Affairs, Volume 88, Issue 1, pp. 1–16

Vladimir Shlapentokh (2013), Corruption, the power of state and big business in Soviet and post-Soviet regimes, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 147–158

Sean P. Roberts, (2015) Converging party systems in Russia and Central Asia: A case of authoritarian norm diffusion?, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Volume 48, Issues 2–3, pp. 147–157

Kathleen Collins (2002), “Clans, Pacts, And Politics in Central Asia” Journal of Democracy, Volume 13, Number 3

Suggested Readings (Non-compulsory)

Vladimir Shlapentokh, “Hobbes and Locke at Odds in Putin’s Russia”, Europe-Asia Studies, vol. 55, n. 7, 2003

David Lane (2000), “What Kind of Capitalism for Russia? A Comparative Analysis”, Communist and Post-communist Studies, vol. 33, n. 4, 2000

Anna Matveeva, “Democratization, Legitimacy and Political Change in Central Asia” International Affairs, Vol. 75, No. 1 (Jan., 1999), pp. 23-44

Thomas Carothers, “The End of the Transition Paradigm”, Journal of Democracy, vol. 13, n. 1, 2002

Questions:

What are the main features of post-Soviet regimes? What is the vertical of power? How did Putin rebuild it? What are the main features of clan politics in Central Asia? Is corruption endemic in the post-soviet region? Why did democratisation stop in Russia? Is authoritarianism spreading again in the area?

Middle East & North Africa: The Arab Spring Illusion

Main Readings:

Eva Bellin (2012), Reconsidering the Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Lessons from the Arab Spring, Comparative Politics, 44:2, pp. 127-149

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Mehran Kamrava, (2015), “The Rise and the Fall of Ruling Bargains in the Middle East, “in Mehran Kamrava (ed.), Beyond the Arab Spring. The Evolving Ruling Bargain in the Middle East, 17-45

Robert Springborg (2011), The Political Economy of the Arab Spring, Mediterranean Politics, 16:3, 427-433

Suggested Readings (non-compulsory)

Frédéric Volpi (2013) Explaining (and re-explaining) political change in the Middle East during the Arab Spring: trajectories of democratization and of authoritarianism in the Maghreb, Democratization, 20:6, 969-990

Hinnebusch, Raymond (2006)'Authoritarian persistence, democratization theory and the Middle East: An overview and critique', Democratization,13:3,373 — 395

Eva Bellin (2004), “The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Exceptionalism in Comparative Perspective”, Comparative Politics, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Jan., 2004), pp. 139-15

Igor Cherstich (2014): “When Tribesmen do not act Tribal: Libyan Tribalism as Ideology (not as Schizophrenia)”, Middle East Critique, 23:4, 2-17

Questions:

Was the Arab Spring a success or a failure? Was it a real democratic movement or was it just a violent change of elites? What was the political economy of the Arab Spring? What was the social contract underpinning the stability of Middle Eastern regime? Is there a new social contract in the area? Is tribalism still an issue in Middle Eastern politics? Were the Arab Spring revolutions all similar?

W10 - Asia: Varieties of Developmental State

Main readings:

Bruce Gilley (2014), The Nature of Asian Politics, (Cambridge University Press, 2014), 89-141

Suggested Readings

Joseph Wong (2004), After the Developmental State in East Asia?, Journal of East Asian Studies, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 345-362

Doh Chill Shin and Rollin F. Tusalem, “East Asia”, in Democratisation (Oxford, OUP), pp. 356-373

K.C. Suri, Carolyn Elliott and David Hund, “Democracy, Governance and Political Parties in India: An Introduction”, Studies in Indian Politics 4(1), 1–7

James Manor, “India’s States: The Struggle to Govern”, Studies in Indian Politics 4(1), 8–21

Questions:

How much cultural features have affected political developments in Asia? Is the Chinese model sustainable? What are the possible outcomes of democracy in Japan? What are the main features of the developmental state approach? Is the presence of hybrid regimes the future of political trends in the region?

The state of the State in Africa

Goran Hyden (2006), "The Problematic State" in African Politics in Comparative Perspective, 50-71

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Alex Thomson (2016), “Legitimacy: neo-patrimonialism, personal rule and the centralisation of the African state”, in Introduction to African Politics,

Suggested readings

Jeffrey Herbst (2000). States and Power in Africa. Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control. Princeton University Press, Chapter 2, 33-57

Bruce Berman (1998) Ethnicity, Patronage and The African State: The Politics Of Uncivil Nationalism, African Affairs, 9, 305-34

Crawford Young (2004), The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics, African Affairs 103 (410): 23-491

Edmond Keller (1991) "The State in Contemporary Africa. A Critical Assessment of Theory and Practice" in D. Rustow and K. Etickson (eds.) Comparative Political Dynamics.

Questions:

What is the State of State in Africa? How the continent has adapted an external model to its needs? What are the sources of political legitimacy in Africa? Is patrimonialism still a problem in many African polities? How the dynamics of political power have changed over the past 20 years? Is the emergence of Africa as a many economic and investment hub for the future an element that will also have an impact on the features of many African states?

W11 – 12 – 13: Students presentations

W14 – Reading Week

Time to study for the final exam. A further reviewing session is offered if needed.

W15 – Final exam

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Active Learning Learning should be an active experience. Students who passively listen to lectures, copy someone else’s notes, and limit their readings to required articles are unlikely to develop their critical thinking and expand their personal knowledge system. At the exam, these students often fail to demonstrate a critical approach on European peace and security.

Students are strongly recommended to have an updated understanding of current international events. Active learning will turn out to be enriching to the overall course and class discussions. Students are invited to deepen their understanding of both theoretical and current issues from a variety of sources. Find below a (concise!) list of suggestions.

Current affairs For current global affairs awareness, you are required to keep yourself up-to-date through a number of media sources: The Economist, Financial Times, the Guardian, EU Observer, Le Monde, el Pais websites. For a more in-depth coverage, access the electronic version of Foreign Affairs through your electronic account. Periodical References (Academic journals) Journal of Common Market Studies, European Foreign Affairs Review, European Security, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Journal of European

Integration, Journal of European Public Policy, European Political Science Review, European Review, European Journal of International Relations; European Journal of Political Research, Foreign Affairs; International Affairs; International Spectator; International Organization; Cooperation and Conflict; World Politics; Journal of Conflict Resolution; International Studies Quarterly; Brown Journal of World Affairs, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Global Change, Peace & Security, International Security, Mediterranean Politics, Terrorism and Political Violence, Review of International Studies, Security Dialogue, Security Studies, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Survival, World Affairs, World Politic

Follow Comparative Politics and Regional Studies on Twitter!

Twitter allows you to follow first hand news on world politics. Create your own portfolio of contacts, drawing upon your major interest, e.g. in terms of geographical area; issue areas; topics. Build up a network which includes high-level politicians, analysts, journalists and journal correspondents.

➢ European Commission: http://twitter.com/#!/EU_Commission

➢ EU Council Press: http://twitter.com/#!/EUCouncilPress

➢ Donald Tusk, President of the European Council: https://twitter.com/eucopresident

➢ Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and

Security Policy. Vice President of the EU Commission: https://twitter.com/FedericaMog

➢ EEAS: http://twitter.com/#!/eu_eeas

➢ EU Neighboorhodd info: https://twitter.com/enpi_info

➢ European Geostrategy: https://twitter.com/EuroGeostrategy

➢ Carnegie Europe: https://twitter.com/Carnegie_Europe

➢ European Policy Centre: https://twitter.com/epc_eu

➢ Friends of Europe: https://twitter.com/FriendsofEurope

➢ EUISS: https://twitter.com/EU_ISS

➢ NATO ACT: https://twitter.com/NATO_ACT

http://twitter.com/#!/EU_Commission

http://twitter.com/#!/EUCouncilPress

https://twitter.com/eucopresident

https://twitter.com/FedericaMog

http://twitter.com/#!/eu_eeas

https://twitter.com/enpi_info

https://twitter.com/EuroGeostrategy

https://twitter.com/Carnegie_Europe

https://twitter.com/epc_eu

https://twitter.com/FriendsofEurope

https://twitter.com/EU_ISS

https://twitter.com/NATO_ACT

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➢ The Guardian: https://twitter.com/guardian

➢ The Economist: https://twitter.com/TheEconomist

➢ Chatham House: https://twitter.com/ChathamHouse

➢ IISS News: https://twitter.com/IISS_org

➢ Foreign Policy: https://twitter.com/ForeignPolicy

➢ RUSI: https://twitter.com/RUSI_org

➢ Financial Times: https://twitter.com/FT

➢ Reuters Top News: https://twitter.com/Reuters

Scholars

➢ Joachim Koops: https://twitter.com/JoeKoops

➢ Svitlana Kobzar: https://twitter.com/skobzar

➢ Caterina Carta: https://twitter.com/CaterinaCarta

➢ Christopher Hill: https://twitter.com/Cjh68Hill

➢ Anand Menon: https://twitter.com/anandMenon1

➢ Richard Withman: https://twitter.com/Monnet_musings

➢ David J. Galbreath: https://twitter.com/DJGalbreath

➢ Marcin Zaborowski : https://twitter.com/MaZaborowski

➢ Daniel Fiott: https://twitter.com/DanielFiott

➢ Charles Grant: https://twitter.com/CER_Grant

➢ Daniel Keohane : https://twitter.com/keohanedan

➢ Richard Youngs: https://twitter.com/YoungsRichard

➢ Nathalie Tocci: https://twitter.com/NathalieTocci

... And all those you can find!

Online sources of information include think tanks, such as:

Carnegie Europe: http://www.carnegieeurope.eu/

Center for Applied Policy Research: http://www.cap-lmu.de/

Centre for European Reform: http://www.cer.org.uk/

Centre for European Policy Studieshttp://www.ceps.be/

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): http://csis.org/

Centre for the New Europe: http://www.cne.org/

Centro de Información y Documentación Internacionales: http://www.cidob.org/

Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk

European Council on Foreign Relations: http://www.ecfr.eu/

European Institute for Asian Studies: http://www.eias.org/

European Institute of Public Administration: http://www.eipa.nl/

European Policy Centre: http://www.epc.eu/

European Policy Forum: http://www.epfltd.org/

European Stability Initiative: http://www.esiweb.org/

European Union Institute for Security Studies: http://www.iss.europa.eu/

FRIDE: http://www.fride.org/

Friends of Europe: http://www.friendsofeurope.org/

German Council on Foreign Relations: http://www.dgap.org/

German Development Institute: http://www.die-gdi.de

German Institute for International and Security Affairs: http://www.swp-berlin.org/

Global Governance Institute: http://www.globalgovernance.eu/

Hague Centre for Strategic Studies: http://www.hcss.nl/

https://twitter.com/guardian

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist

https://twitter.com/ChathamHouse

https://twitter.com/IISS_org

https://twitter.com/ForeignPolicy

https://twitter.com/RUSI_org

https://twitter.com/FT

https://twitter.com/Reuters

https://twitter.com/JoeKoops

https://twitter.com/skobzar

https://twitter.com/CaterinaCarta

https://twitter.com/Cjh68Hill

https://twitter.com/anandMenon1

https://twitter.com/Monnet_musings

https://twitter.com/DJGalbreath

https://twitter.com/MaZaborowski

https://twitter.com/DanielFiott

https://twitter.com/CER_Grant

https://twitter.com/keohanedan

https://twitter.com/YoungsRichard

https://twitter.com/NathalieTocci

http://csis.org/

18

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy: http://www.eliamep.gr/

Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/

Istituto Affari Internazionali: http://www.iai.it/

Istituto per gli studi di Politica Internazionale: http://www.ispionline.it/

Institut français des relations internationales: http://www.ifri.org/

Institute for Security and Development Policy: http://www.isdp.eu/

Institute for Strategic Dialogue: http://www.strategicdialogue.org/

International Centre for Black Sea Studies: http://icbss.org/

International Peace Institute: http://www.ipinst.org/

Istanbul Policy Center: http://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/eng/

International Crisis Group: http://www.crisisgroup.org/

International Security Information Service Europe: http://www.isis-europe.org/

Madariaga – College of Europe Foundation: http://www.madariaga.org/

Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael': http://www.clingendael.nl/

Notre Europe: http://www.notre-europe.asso.fr/sommaire.php3?lang=fr

Overseas Development Institute: http://www.odi.org.uk/

Oxford Council on Good Governancs: http://www.oxfordgovernance.org/

Policy Network: http://www.policy-network.net/

Polish Institute of International Affairs: http://www.pism.pl/home

RAND Corporation: http://www.rand.org/

Real Instituto Elcano: http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/

Stratfor – Global Intelligence: http://www.stratfor.com/

The Global Policy Institute: http://www.global-policy.com/

The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies: http://www.iue.it/RSCAS/

The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation: http://www.tesev.org.tr/

http://www.hrw.org/

http://www.odi.org.uk/

http://www.oxfordgovernance.org/

http://www.policy-network.net/

http://www.pism.pl/home

http://www.rand.org/

http://www.stratfor.com/

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