GOVT 121 Comparative Political Systems (Fall 2008)

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, 1:15-2:30 pm, ICC Auditorium

Professor Charles King, School of Foreign Service and Department of Government
Office: ICC 658, tel. 7-5907, kingch@georgetown.edu

Discussion sections: Fridays (you were assigned to a discussion section when you registered for the course)

Teaching assistants: Beth Mercurio (eam73), Hilen Meirovich (hgm3), Luis Felipe Mantilla (lfm5), Lindsay Pettingill (lmp67), Jaclyn Kerr (jak77)

Prof. King's office hours: Mondays 10:15 am - 12:15 pm or by appointment

Please report nonperforming links on this page to kingch@georgetown.edu.

Overview

This course provides a general introduction to the concepts, methods, and substance of comparative politics. The focus will be on “doing” political science: using theories to help explain individual cases, and using cases to refine our theories of political behavior. In the first part of the course, we will discuss the nature of political science as a scholarly discipline and explore themes in comparative politics such as the relationship between ideology and political behavior, the articulation of political interests, group decision-making, and regime types. Next, we will use our knowledge of these concepts to help us understand current developments in a variety of geographical settings.

Background and Objectives

The focus throughout the course will be on understanding the core ideas in political science and applying those ideas to particular cases. You should come away from the course with both an understanding of the diversity of the world’s political systems, as well as an appreciation of the questions and concepts that inform the work of professional political scientists.

This course stresses the importance of comparison. Thinking comparatively within political science means continually asking yourself two questions:

How do “big ideas” relate to particular cases? That is, how can we use the various theoretical tools available to us to explain political behavior in particular countries and regions?

How do individual cases relate to the goal of creating broad theories of political behavior? In other words, how can we compare a number of different cases and extract their common elements in order to create general theories?

Throughout the lectures and in your own reading and writing, you should keep both these questions in mind.

The aim of this course is clearly not to turn every student into a professional academic political scientist. (There are too many of us already.) But by thinking comparatively and using the many intellectual tools that political scientists have developed over the last several decades, we can better understand the determinants of political behavior, the driving forces behind the political process, and the dynamics of policymaking.

Requirements and Grading

Five surprise quizzes (roughly 5% each). The quizzes will be in a short-answer format. They will assess how closely you have followed the required readings. The quizzes will be administered during discussion sections. An unexcused absence from a discussion section on a quiz day is a fail. If you have done the reading, the quiz should be straightforward.
Two examinations (roughly 25% each). The first examination (midterm) will cover the first half of the course and the second (final) the second half. Exams will be administered during regular class hours and at the time designated for the final examination by the registrar's office.
Attendance and participation in discussion sections (roughly 25%). The discussion sections will be directed by PhD students from the Government Department. Attendance and active participation are required. The discussion section leaders may require additional assignments beyond those given as part of the lecture portion of the course.

For more information on letter grades and standards, click here .

Discussion Sections

Attending discussion sections is required. If you cannot attend because of illness, a university-related activity or similar legitimate reasons, tell your TA ahead of time. Students without excused absences will not be allowed to make up quizzes that they have missed. Discussion sections WILL NOT meet on the Friday BEFORE a Monday holiday. The sections WILL NOT meet on the first Friday of the term, Aug. 29, but WILL meet for the first time on the second Friday, Sept. 5.

In addition to discussing the readings and lectures, TA’s may make separate assignments which will figure into your overall participation grade.

Policy on Make-Ups, Extensions, Incompletes, and Academic Integrity

In principle, deadlines cannot be changed. However, allowance will be made for cases in which genuine emergencies prevent students from completing work on time. Such emergencies might include medical treatment or bereavement. Having a heavy work load, impending deadlines for other courses or extra-curricular commitments cannot normally be considered emergencies. Each instance will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Students should let the instructor know as far in advance as possible about any potential problems.

Georgetown University is an honor-code school for undergraduates. Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be handled according to the university’s honor code.

Blackboard

A Blackboard site has been established for this course (all sections).

Texts

The following books have been ordered for the course and may be purchased at the Georgetown University Bookstore in the Leavey Center. The texts are easily available from online distributors as well.

·               Meredith, Robyn. The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us. Norton, 2008. ISBN 0393331938

·               Levitt, Stephen D., and Stephen J. Dubner. Freakonomics. New York: William Morrow, 2005. ISBN 006073132X.

·               MacLean, Iain, ed. The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0192802763

·               Migdal, Joel. Strong Societies and Weak States. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988. ISBN 0691010730

·               O'Neil, Patrick, and Ronald Rogowski. Essential Readings in Comparative Politics. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2006. ISBN 0393929507

·               Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945. Penguin, 2006. 0143037757.

·               Wright, Tony. British Politics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0192854593

The basic texts will be supplemented by required readings from other sources. All required readings will be available either via this website or on the Lauinger Library electronic reserves site.

Topics and Readings

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the readings and discussion topics during the course of the semester. Readings that are underlined below are accessible with a simple click of the mouse.

Discussion sections: The reading item marked with an asterisk below will form the core text to be addressed in the discussion sections. TA’s may make additional use of the discussion section time, however. The questions after each lecture topic provide a sample of the kinds of issues to be addressed.

Recommended readings: These readings are intended as supplements for students who wish to pursue a particular topic in more depth. They are not on reserve, but links are provided to some of them; they are also easy to find in Lauinger or through other channels. They are not required, but you should at least browse a few of these readings over the course of the semester.

Lecture slides: PDF versions of slides used in lectures will be posted to Blackboard after each lecture.

Wed., Aug. 27 Introduction to the Course

PART I CONCEPTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Mon., Sept. 1 NO CLASS--LABOR DAY

Wed., Sept. 3 How to Study Political Science

1. This syllabus--please read it carefully.
2. Charles King, "The Six Evil Geniuses of Essay Writing"
3. Charles King, "Writing a Political Science Essay"
4. Aristotle, Politics, Book I, Parts 1-2; Book III, Parts 1-7
5. Explore the website of the American Political Science Association

This would also be a good time to take the online academic integrity tutorial. If you are a new student (first-year or transfer), the tutorial is required before you can register for spring classes. It is accessible via StudentAccess+.

Discussion section: Introduction to discussion sections and to comparative politics.

Mon., Sept. 8; Wed., Sept. 10 Thinking Theoretically and Comparatively

1. Lave and March, "Observation, Speculation, and Modeling," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 7-28
*2. Max Weber, "Politics as a Vocation," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 31-37
alternative link for the Weber reading
3. Charles King, "How to Think"

4. Roy C. Macridis, “A Survey of the Field of Comparative Politics”

Recommended:
1. Ruth Lane, The Art of Comparative Politics (Allyn and Bacon, 1997)
2. Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics

Sample discussion section: What is a "theory" in political science?

Mon., Sept. 15; Wed., Sept. 17 Ideology and Culture

1. Karl Marx , The German Ideology, Vol. 1, Preface and Part I, Sections A and B
2. Marx and Engels, "Manifesto of the Communist Party," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 353-366
3. Samuel Huntington, "A Clash of Civilizations?" Foreign Affairs (Summer 1993).
4. Collier, "Ethnic Diversity: An Economic Analysis," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 83-105
5. Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (chaps 1-2: "Religious Stratification and Social Stratification" and "The Spirit of Capitalism"). Alternative link here.

Recommended:
1. Clifford Geertz, "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture" and "Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight" from his The Interpretation of Cultures (1973).
2. Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics

Sample discussion section: Do different cultures do politics differently?

Mon., Sept. 22; Wed., Sept. 24 Interests, Institutions, and Mobilization

1. North, "Institutions," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 143-155
2. Alesina, et al., "Why Doesn't the United States Have a European-Style Welfare State?" in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 155-166
*3. Richard N. Rosenfeld, "What Democracy? The Case for Abolishing the United States Senate," Harper's (May 2004): 35-44.
4. Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science (1968).

Recommended:
1. Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action (Harvard University Press, 1971).
2. John Elster, Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences (Cambridge University Press, 1989).
3. Russell Hardin, Collective Action (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982).
4. Robert Axelrod, The Evolution of Cooperation (Penguin 1984).
5. Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics

Sample discussion section: What is an "institution" and how does it work?

Mon., Sept. 29; Wed., Oct. 1 Political Parties and Electoral Systems

1. Charles King, “Electoral Systems”
*2. Lijphart, “Constitutional Choices for New Democracies,” in O’Neil and Rogowski, pp. 257-266
3. Duverger, “The Number of Parties,” in O’Neil and Rogowski, pp. 330-334
4. Benjamin Reilly, “Electoral Systems for Divided Societies,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2002): 156-170.
5. Pippa Norris, “Choosing Electoral Systems: Proportional, Majoritarian, and Mixed Systems,” International Political Science Review, Vol. 18 (1997): 297-312.

6. Richard W. Soudriette and Andrew Ellis, “Electoral Systems Today: A Global Snapshot,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2006): 78-88.

Recommended:
1. Interested in electoral systems? One of the best resources on the web is the "PR Library," the website of Prof. Douglas Amy at Mt. Holyoke.
2. Burt L. Monroe, "Understanding Electoral Systems: Beyond Plurality vs. PR," PS: Political Science and Politics (December 1994).

Mon., Oct. 6 FIRST EXAMINATION

PART 2 REGIME AND COUNTRY STUDIES

Wed., Oct. 8; Wed. Oct. 15; Mon., Oct. 20 Regime Types and Regime Change (NB: NO CLASS on Mon., Oct. 13—COLUMBUS DAY)

1. Thomas Carothers, "The End of the Transition Paradigm," Journal of Democracy, 13:1 (2002): 5-21.
2. Linz and Stepan, "Modern Nondemocratic Regimes," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 168-181
3. Diamond, "Thinking about Hybrid Regimes," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 181-192
4. Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way, "The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism," Journal of Democracy, 13.2 (2002): 51-65.
5. Lipset, "Economic Development and Democracy," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 316-329.
*6. Schmitter and Karl, "What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 247-256.
7. Fareed Zakaria, "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy," Foreign Affairs (November 1997) (from the FareedZakaria.com website)

Recommended:
1. Adrian Karatnycky, "National Income and Liberty," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 15, No. 1 (2004): 82-93.
2. Amartya Sen, "Democracy as a Universal Value," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 10, No. 3 (1999): 3-17.

Sample discussion section: What is democracy, and does it matter if you don't have it?

Wed., Oct. 22; Mon., Oct. 27; Wed., Oct. 29 The United Kingdom and the European Union

1. Judt, Postwar
2. Pinder, The European Union
3. Explore the websites of the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament
4. Explore the website of the European Union

Recommended:
1. Michael S. Teitelbaum and Philip L. Martin, "Is Turkey Ready for Europe?" Foreign Affairs (May/June 2003).
2. Jan Zielonka, "Challenges of EU Enlargement," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 15, No. 1 (2004): 22-35.

Sample discussion section: Is the UK a federation? Is the EU one?

Mon., Nov. 3; and Wed., Nov. 5 Russia and the Postcommunist World

1. Judt, Postwar, continue

Przeworski, "A Prologue: The Fall of Communism," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 366-371
2. Pierre Hassner, “Russia’s Transition to Autocracy,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 19, No. 2 (2008).
3. Explore electoral results and party websites for the Russian parliament
4. Michael McFaul, "Transitions from Postcommunism," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 16, No. 3 (July 2005).
*5. Marc Morje Howard, "The Weakness of Postcommunist Civil Society," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 13, No. 1 (2002): 157-169.

Special Guest on Wed., Nov. 5: Aleksander Kwasniewski, former president of Poland

Sample discussion section: Do the "legacies" of the Communist system matter in contemporary Russian and postcommunist politics?

Mon., Nov. 10; Wed., Nov. 12 China's Postcommunist Communism

1. Meredith, Elephant and Dragon

2. Mary Gallagher, "’Reform and Openness:’ Why China’s Economic Reforms Have Delayed Democracy,” World Politics, 54:3 (2002).
3. Buruma, "What Beijing Can Learn from Moscow," in O'Neil and Rogowski, pp. 392-399.

Sample discussion section: Are economic and political reform necessarily linked (based on the example of China)?

Mon., Nov. 17; Wed., Nov. 19, Mon., Nov. 24 Society, Development, and Disorder

1. Meredith, Elephant and Dragon, continue

*2. Migdal, Strong Societies and Weak States
3. Rogers Brubaker and David Laitin, "Ethnic and Nationalist Violence," Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24 (1998).
4. Robert Bates, "Ethnicity and Development in Africa," American Economic Review, Vol. 90 (2000).

5. Tamara Coffman Wittes, “Three Kinds of Movements,” Journal of Democracy, Vo. 19, No 3. (2008).

Recommended:

1. M. Steven Fish, "Islam and Authoritarianism," World Politics, Vol. 55 (October 2002): 4-37.
2. Alfred C. Stepan and Graeme B. Robertson, "An 'Arab' More Than a 'Muslim' Democracy Gap," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 14, No. 3 (July 2003): 30-44.

Sample discussion section: Is "civil society" always civil?

Mon., Dec. 1; Wed., Dec. 3 Final Thoughts

Discussion sections WILL meet on Friday, Dec. 5.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Friday, Dec. 12, 9am, location TBA