Checking date: 19/05/2024


Course: 2024/2025

The Political Economy of Democracy
(19310)
Master in Social Sciences (Plan: 481 - Estudio: 325)
EPC


Coordinating teacher: OZEL SERBETÇI, ISIK

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Electives
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Objectives
Knowledge: K-1. Advanced knowledge and understanding of the processes of economic, social, and political change, as well as the structures that constitute societies (markets, families, institutions) from an analytical, methodological, and empirical perspective. K-4. Knowledge of comparative analysis and historical analysis applied in the major scientific contributions in Social Sciences. K-5. Knowledge of the internal logic of a scientific publication, examining the clarity of exposition, as well as the consistency between theory, analytical strategy, indicators, results, and conclusions. K-10. Advanced knowledge and understanding of the economic, social, and institutional bases of the functioning of political regimes. Skills: S-1. Ability to synthesize the main theories and empirical contributions in one or more contemporary debates from an interdisciplinary perspective. S-4. Ability to select and apply the method of comparison or historical analysis to the study of a political, economic, or social phenomenon. S-5. Skill in organizing and expressing ideas clearly and unambiguously, and in supporting theoretical arguments on a topic through critical analysis of the literature. S-10. Understand the origin of the institutions of different regimes and their effects on the functioning of the political system. Competencies: C-1. Ability to apply knowledge on existing theoretical and empirical debates in an original development of one's own ideas in a context of academic or applied research. C-4. Ability to select cases and apply the comparative method and/or historical analysis when providing an empirical response to a research question within the framework of applied or academic research. C-5. Ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of scientific publications in an area of study and to justify the advancement in the knowledge frontier that is intended to be achieved in the research project. C-10. Ability to apply theoretical knowledge and methodological advances on the subject in the development of a research paper in the area of Political Science.
Skills and learning outcomes
Description of contents: programme
1. Problems of social choice (Arrow's theorem and further developments). 2. Voter models. Economic vote. 3. Analytical approaches to political representation and accountability. 4. Models of electoral competition. 5. Parties and democracy. 6. Information problems in politics. 7. Democracy and inequality. 8. Democracy and globalization. 9. Political economy of government formation (coalitions). 10. Political economy of government survival. 11. Models of democracy.
Learning activities and methodology
AF1 - Theoretical class AF3 - Theoretical-practical class: learning of theoretical content on mathematics, statistics, and causal inference. AF5 - Tutoring: the possibility of establishing weekly meetings with the professor teaching the course. AF6 - Individual student work. Teaching Methodologies: MD1 - Lectures in class by the professor with the support of computer and audiovisual media, in which the main concepts of the subject are developed. MD2 - Critical reading of texts recommended by the subject professor: press articles, reports, manuals, and/or academic articles. MD4 - Presentation and discussion in class, under the moderation of the professor, on topics related to the content of the subject, as well as practical cases. MD5 - Preparation of papers and reports individually or in groups.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 50
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 50

Calendar of Continuous assessment


Basic Bibliography
  • Achen, Christopher H., and Larry M. Bartels. Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government.. Princeton University Press. 2017
  • Aldrich, John H. Why Parties? . University of Chicago Press. 1995
  • Bartels, Larry M. Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. Princeton University Press. 2018
  • Converse, Philip E. . The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics, . in D. Apter (ed) Ideology and Discontent (Ch.6).. 1964
  • Downs, Anthony. An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper. 1957
  • Gallego, Aina. Unequal Political Participation Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.. 2015
  • Gilens, Martin. Affluence and Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America. Princeton University Press. 2012
  • Laver, Michael and Ken Shepsle. Making and Breaking Governments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1996
  • Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1999
  • Linz, Juan. The Perils of Presidentialism. Journal of Democracy, 1(1): 55-69. 1990
  • Merrill, Samuel and Bernard Grofman. A Unified Theory of Voting. Cambridge University Press. 1999
  • Page, Benjamin & Robert Shapiro. The Rational Public. University of Chicago Press. 1992
  • Powell, G. Bingham. Elections as Instruments of Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.. 2000
  • Przeworski, Adam, Susan C. Stokes, and Bernard Manin (eds). Democracy, Accountability, and Representation. Cambridge University Press. 1999
  • Tsebelis, George. How Political Institutions Work. Princeton University Press. 2002

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.