GV952-7-SP-CO:
Comparative European Politics

The details
2020/21
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Sunday 17 January 2021
Friday 26 March 2021
15
11 February 2021

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

(none)

Module description

The first part of the module will be devoted to studying the roots of party systems, party competition, electoral systems, the rise of populist and extremist parties, corruption, and linkages between citizens and politicians in West and East European countries. In the second part, we will study the institutional foundations of welfare-capitalism and examine how coordinated and liberal capitalism types responded to challenges such as globalisation and deindustrialization.

A large part of the module is devoted to studying the power-sharing arrangements in the European Union. In this context, we will analyse what the euro crisis, influx of refugees, and disintegration dynamics implies for the future of the EU. The module also provides an accessible introduction to research design and methods that political scientists have used to address these topics.

Module aims

The aim of this module is to provide a better understanding of democratic political and economic processes in Europe.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have a sound knowledge of contemporary European politics. Specifically, students will become familiar with the political and economic institutions as well as with party politics and economic policymaking in Europe. The module familiarizes students with the advantages and limitations of comparative research. Students are encouraged to critically assess the validity of conflicting theoretical claims and arguments on the basis of appropriate empirical evidence.

Module information

The module will cover the following topics:

Week 2: Methods and Concepts of Comparative Research
Week 3: Social Cleavages and Party Systems
Week 4: Dynamics of Party Competition
Week 5: Populist Parties and Linkages between Voters and Citizens
Week 6: Economic Crises and the Rise of Radical Right Parties
Week 7: Electoral Systems
Week 8: Unitary States, Federal States, Devolution, and Bicameralism
Week 9: Democracy and Social Capital
Week 10: Democratic Backsliding
Week 11: Executive-Legislative Relations
Week 16: Direct Democracy and Referendums
Week 17: Interest Groups
Week 18: Varieties of Capitalism and Skill Regimes
Week 19: The Welfare State and Welfare State Retrenchment
Week 20: Theorizing the European Union
Week 21: The Eurozone and Influx of Refugees
Week 22: Disintegration Dynamics in the EU
Week 23: The EU and Foreign Policy
Week 24: Patronage and Corruption
Week 25: Central Banks

Study on this module entails:

1. Thinking, discussing, and writing clearly and logically.
2. Linking together, and understanding the linkages between, empirical facts and abstract concepts.
3. Retrieving, synthesising, and critically evaluating information from diverse sources, using the Library and the Internet.

Learning and teaching methods

Teaching on the module will be in the form of weekly seminars (two hours). The seminar structure allows a flexible approach towards the topics provided by the module outline. The seminar will often start with a brief introductory lecture by the supervisor, leading to other seminar methods where the students are more actively involved (student presentations, group discussion, recap quiz).

Bibliography

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  • Lipset, Seymour Martin; Rokkan, Stein. (1967) Party systems and voter alignments: cross-national perspectives, New York, NY: Free Press.
  • Häusermann, Silja. (2006-02) 'Changing coalitions in social policy reforms: the politics of new social needs and demands', in Journal of European Social Policy. vol. 16 (1) , pp.5-21
  • GIGER, NATHALIE; NELSON, MOIRA. (2011-01) 'The electoral consequences of welfare state retrenchment: Blame avoidance or credit claiming in the era of permanent austerity?', in European Journal of Political Research. vol. 50 (1) , pp.1-23
  • Blauberger, Michael; Kelemen, R. Daniel. (2017-03-09) 'Can courts rescue national democracy? Judicial safeguards against democratic backsliding in the EU', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 24 (3) , pp.321-336
  • Genschel, Philipp; Jachtenfuchs, Markus. (2018-01) 'From Market Integration to Core State Powers: The Eurozone Crisis, the Refugee Crisis and Integration Theory', in JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. vol. 56 (1) , pp.178-196
  • Jackson, GregoryDeeg, Richard. (2006) How Many Varieties of Capitalism? Comparing the Comparative Institutional Analyses of Capitalist Diversity.
  • Gravey, Viviane; Jordan, Andrew. (2016-09-13) 'Does the European Union have a reverse gear? Policy dismantling in a hyperconsensual polity', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 23 (8) , pp.1180-1198
  • Thelen, Kathleen; Busemeyer, Marius R. (2011-11-01) 'Institutional Change in German Vocational Training: From Collectivism toward Segmentalism', in The Political Economy of Collective Skill Formation: Oxford University Press., pp.68-100
  • Sunstein, Cass R. (2002-06) 'The Law of Group Polarization', in Journal of Political Philosophy. vol. 10 (2) , pp.175-195
  • Waldner, David; Lust, Ellen. (2018-05-11) 'Unwelcome Change: Coming to Terms with Democratic Backsliding', in Annual Review of Political Science. vol. 21 (1) , pp.93-113
  • Bonnie M. Meguid. (2005) 'Competition between Unequals: The Role of Mainstream Party Strategy in Niche Party Success', in Competition between Unequals: The Role of Mainstream Party Strategy in Niche Party Success. vol. 99 (3) , pp.347-359
  • Schmitter, Philippe C; Karl, Terry Lynn. (1991) 'What Democracy Is. . . and Is Not', in Journal of Democracy. vol. 2 (3) , pp.75-88
  • Przeworski, Adam; Teune, Henry. (1982, c1970) The logic of comparative social inquiry, Malabar, Fla: R.E. Krieger.
  • Rydgren, Jens. (2007-08) 'The Sociology of the Radical Right', in Annual Review of Sociology. vol. 33 (1) , pp.241-262
  • Alejandro Portes. (2000) 'The Two Meanings of Social Capital', in The Two Meanings of Social Capital. vol. 15 (1) , pp.1-12
  • Anthony Downs. (1957) 'An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy', in An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy. vol. 65 (2) , pp.135-150
  • Klüver, Heike. (2013-01) 'Lobbying as a collective enterprise: winners and losers of policy formulation in the European Union', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 20 (1) , pp.59-76
  • Peter A. Hall. (1994) 'Central Bank Independence and Coordinated Wage Bargaining: Their Interaction in Germany and Europe', in German Politics & Society: Berghahn Books. (31) , pp.1-23
  • Mihály Fazekas; Jana Chvalkovska; Jiri Skuhrovec; István János Tóth; Lawrence Peter King. (2013) Are EU funds a corruption risk? The impact of EU funds on grand corruption in Central and Eastern Europe, Budapest: Corruption Research Centre Budapest., pp.2-36
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  • Pablo Fernández-Vázquez; Pablo Barberá; Gonzalo Rivero. (2016) 'Rooting Out Corruption or Rooting for Corruption? The Heterogeneous Electoral Consequences of Scandals', in Political Science Research and Methods. vol. 4 (2) , pp.379-397
  • G. Bingham Powell, Jr.Georg S. Vanberg. (2000) 'Election Laws, Disproportionality and Median Correspondence: Implications for Two Visions of Democracy', in Election Laws, Disproportionality and Median Correspondence: Implications for Two Visions of Democracy. vol. 30 (3) , pp.383-411
  • Baccini, Leonardo; Dür, Andreas. (2012-01) 'The New Regionalism and Policy Interdependence', in British Journal of Political Science. vol. 42 (1) , pp.57-79
  • Niemann, Arne; Zaun, Natascha. (2018-01) 'EU Refugee Policies and Politics in Times of Crisis: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives', in JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. vol. 56 (1) , pp.3-22
  • Jones, Erik. (2018-03-04) 'Towards a theory of disintegration', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 25 (3) , pp.440-451
  • Bryan Caplan. (2007) Introduction to The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies.
  • Marco AlifanoGiuseppe AttanasiFabio IannelliFaredj CherikhAntonio Iannelli. (2020) COVID-19 pandemic: a European perspective on health economic policies.
  • Cas Mudde. (2004) 'The Populist Zeitgeist', in The Populist Zeitgeist. vol. 39 (4) , pp.541-563
  • Harteveld, Eelco; Schaper, Joep; De Lange, Sarah L.; Van Der Brug, Wouter. (2018-01) 'Blaming Brussels? The Impact of (News about) the Refugee Crisis on Attitudes towards the EU and National Politics', in JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. vol. 56 (1) , pp.157-177
  • Schleiter, Petra; Tavits, Margit. (2016-07) 'The Electoral Benefits of Opportunistic Election Timing', in The Journal of Politics. vol. 78 (3) , pp.836-850
  • Hobolt, Sara Binzer. (2006-01) 'Direct democracy and European integration', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 13 (1) , pp.153-166
  • John Gerring. (2004) 'What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for?', in What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for?. vol. 98 (2) , pp.341-354
  • Peter Mair. (2007) 'Political Opposition and the European Union', in Political Opposition and the European Union. vol. 42 (1) , pp.1-17
  • Gherghina, Sergiu. (2017-06-07) 'Direct democracy and subjective regime legitimacy in Europe', in Democratization. vol. 24 (4) , pp.613-631
  • Gerring, John. (2007) 'Is There a (Viable) Crucial-Case Method?', in Is There a (Viable) Crucial-Case Method?. vol. 40 (2007) , pp.231-253200740
  • Ross, Fiona. (2000-04) '‘Beyond Left and Right’: The New Partisan Politics of Welfare', in Governance. vol. 13 (2) , pp.155-183
  • McGann, Anthony J.; Kitschelt, Herbert. (2005-03) 'The Radical Right in The Alps', in Party Politics. vol. 11 (2) , pp.147-171
  • Hennessy, Alexandra. (2013-09) 'Informal Governance and the Eurozone Crisis', in Journal of Contemporary European Studies. vol. 21 (3) , pp.429-446
  • Larry Diamond. (2008) 'The Democratic Rollback: The Resurgence of the Predatory State', in The Democratic Rollback: The Resurgence of the Predatory State. vol. 87 (2) , pp.36-48
  • Fabbrini, Sergio. (2003-06) 'Bringing Robert A Dahl’s Theory of Democracy to Europe', in Annual Review of Political Science. vol. 6 (1) , pp.119-137
  • Kelemen, R. Daniel. (2017-04) 'Europe’s Other Democratic Deficit: National Authoritarianism in Europe’s Democratic Union', in Government and Opposition. vol. 52 (2) , pp.211-238
  • Bonotti, Matteo; White, Jonathan; Leman Ypi, Lea; Calder, Gideon; Donovan, Mark; Roberts, Peri; Vincent, Andrew; Williams, Howard. (2018-11) 'In Defence of Political Parties: A Symposium on Jonathan White and Lea Ypi’s', in Political Studies Review. vol. 16 (4) , pp.289-305
  • Meissner, Katharina L.; McKenzie, Lachlan. (2019-09-02) 'The paradox of human rights conditionality in EU trade policy: when strategic interests drive policy outcomes', in Journal of European Public Policy. vol. 26 (9) , pp.1273-1291
  • Feldstein, Martin. (2012) The Failure of the Euro: The Little Currency That Couldn't. vol. 91 (1) , pp.105-1162012

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Short Response Paper 3    20% 
Coursework   Short Response Paper 4    20% 
Coursework   Essay and Peer Review    60% 

Additional coursework information

Assessment: This module is assessed by 100% coursework Instant Deadline Checker Assignment Title Due Date Coursework Weighting* Feedback Due Short response paper 3 Week 17 20% Week 20 Short response paper 4 Week 19 20% Week 22 Essay and peer review Week 25 60% Week 29 Assessment Marks for this module will be determined as follows: Short response papers (10% each) The writing prompts will be distributed in the first week of term. Approximately 450-550 words length each, due in weeks 4, 7, 17, and 19. Grant proposal (30%) You will write a grant proposal that is related to Comparative European Politics, on a topic of your choosing. You will have to explain why your research question is important and merits funding, and reflect on the skills you bring to a research project. You will not actually submit your application, but the purpose is to practice grant writing so that you can submit a persuasive application to the British Academy, ESRC, or other grant-making agency in the future. Approximately 1,500-2,000 words length, due in week 11. Essay and peer review (30%) Regarding the essay, you may: (a) write an analytic narrative (theory-based explanation of an event or events); or (b) offer a new theory or modify an existing one, using history, game theory, statistical analysis, or contemporary events as motivation or illustration; or (c) compare and contrast existing theories using cases; or (d) evaluate an existing theory using two or more cases. Although this list is not exhaustive, you must not write a literature review, an information dump, or a purely narrative account. You are required to submit an essay draft in week 22 to peer review. Every student will review the papers submitted by two of their class mates, and receive two sets of comments. You aren’t asked to rank or judge your peers, but provide formative feedback on the argument, research design, evidence, methodology, and paper structure, to help your colleagues improve as researchers and writers. Please note: the draft and peer review are required and part of your essay mark, but there is no need to upload them to FASER. Early in the term, I will let you know who will be reviewing whose work. Peer review comments: approximately 350-450 words length, due in week 23. Once you have received comments, please revise your paper based on the criticism and write a memo to the reviewers, explaining how you modified your paper. If you get conflicting advice, be sure to spell out why you chose to follow some suggestions but not others. Essay (final version): approximately 3,000-3,500 words length, due in week 25. Memo to reviewers: approximately 350-450 words length, due in week 25 (the memo should be the last page of your essay, and will not count towards the 3,000-3,500 word limit). Study Abroad Assessment – ZA variant Study abroad students will write two short response papers, and one grant proposal (or essay, depending on whether they attend in the autumn or spring).

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Alexandra Hennessy, email: alexandra.hennessy@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Alexandra Hennessy
Module Supervisor: Dr Alexandra Hennessy alexandra.hennessy@essex.ac.uk or Module Administrator Jamie Seakens (govpgquery@essex.ac.uk)

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
No

External examiner

Dr Nicholas Walter Vivyan
University of Durham
Senior Lecturer
Dr Damien Bol
King's College London
Senior Lecturer
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 733 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
733 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Government

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