Aims

The module aims at providing students with an in-depth understanding of how democracies and autocracies come into being, the main tools we have to study them and what are the essential criteria that help us to evaluate their performance. Thus the module will provide students with the analytical knowledge and practical skills to understand the basic pre-requirements for the functioning of democratic and autocratic regimes.

In order to achieve these goals the module will: 1) offer students a broad knowledge of the methods used in comparative politics, 2) analyse the classification of regimes as well the conditions that encourage them, 3) present the benefits of democratic regime, 4) discuss the challenges posed by democratic backsliding, democratic breakdown and authoritarian consolidation, 5) analyse the performance of democratic and autocratic governments and 6) analyse the behaviour of citizens and political elites that define modern democracies and autocracies.

Outline Of Syllabus

Topics taught will be drawn from the following:
Conceptual definition: what are democracies and autocracies
Legitimacy basis of democracies and autocracies
Varieties of authoritarian regimes
Waves of democratization and autocratization
Identifying and measuring democracies and autocracies                  
Debates on methodology


Causes of Democratization and Autocratization
(a) macro socio-economic factors and culture
(b) micro factors: elites' decisions
(c) international factors
Problems of transition and democratic (de-)consolidation


Consequences of Democracy and Autocracy: Economic performance and inequality
Consequences of Democracy and Autocracy: Gender representation
Consequences of Democracy and Autocracy: Conflict propensity
Government Performance: Accountability and Responsibility and regime survival


Public opinion in democracies and autocracies
Party, election, and voting behaviour in democracies and autocracies.
Repression in democracies and autocracies
The relations of populism with democracies and autocracies
The role of social media in democracies and autocracies
Coups

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures will provide students with an introduction to key ideas, notions, and topics in the field of Comparative politics and the study of democratic and autocratic regimes.

Seminars will provide a live, synchronous environment in which students will discuss the reading in order to acquire in-depth knowledge of the topic. They will provide students with examples that will help them understand the theoretical notions and link them with the empirical reality. Seminars are also intended to clarify the topics covered in class by allowing students to ask questions and debate amongst themselves. The starting point of each seminar will be the guided questions/tasks described in the teaching activities.

The feedback hour gives students the chance to drop in and ask questions of the ML, who may also use the time to expand on recorded lectures and clarify key themes. They will also give the student the chance to ask for further feedback on their assessments and seek guidance for the assessment.

The structured guided learning activities will provide the student with a series of questions and task that will facilitate their understanding of the required readings.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Written exercise 1 will take the form of a reaction paper that will test the degree to which students assimilate and understand the material presented in the module. The Written exercise 1 should draw on the seminar discussion and offer students the chance to engage with the recommended readings. The Reaction Paper 1 is meant to assess critical thinking, written communication argumentation and ability to understand empirical research.

The Research Proposal provides students with the opportunity to engage with specific topics that they find particularly interesting while considering the relevant literature and methodological issues around the topic. This is also an opportunity for students to consider possible dissertation topics. The choice of topic lies with the students, but it needs to be closely related to one of the topics presented in the module. The research proposal is meant to assess critical thinking, written communication and argumentation in relation to subfields of comparative politics.

The Oral Presentation allows students to work in groups and apply teaching material to current political events/case studies. The Oral Presentation during the seminar is meant to assess critical thinking, cooperative skills, communication argumentation and ability to understand empirical research.