30487 - POLITICAL REGIMES
BIG
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
Course Director:
LIVIO DI LONARDO
LIVIO DI LONARDO
Course Objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of the main features of the different political regimes. More specifically, students become able to understand
- What democratic and authoritarian regimes have in common and where they differ.
- How the set of formal and informal institutions within a regime affect the behavior of the main actors operating within the regime.
- The different ways in which regimes change and evolve.
- The challenges associated with democratization and nation building attempts.
Course Content Summary
- Formal vs real institutions across regimes.
- Methods of selection of rulers: self-appointment, cooptation, elections.
- Accountability.
- Limits on rulers’ powers.
- Repression, Propaganda, and Censorship.
- Regime change: transitions, revolutions, and coups d’etat.
- Democratization and nation building.
Detailed Description of Assessment Methods
For attending students
Written midterm and a written final exam covering respectively the first and the second part of the course.
For non attending students
Written final exam covering the entire material taught during the course.
Textbooks
- Most of the course is based on scientific articles and/or other readings.
- A complete list of mandatory readings is provided at the beginning of the course.
Prerequisites
- No formal requirements.
- Introductory level course of Comparative Politics is suggested.
- Basic concepts from econometrics and game theory is used throughout the course.
Last change 15/06/2017 16:06