Course Schedule
Lehrveranstaltungen
Nicht-Westliche Demokratien im Vergleich (Seminar)
Dozent/in: Sebastian Elischer
Termin:
wöchentlich | Mittwoch | 12:15 - 13:45 | 14.10.2013 - 31.01.2014 | C 12.112
Inhalt: Following 'democracy's third wave' numerous countries in Latin-America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa underwent democratic transition attempts. Depending on region and country these attempts were more or less successful. The seminar provides an in-depth introduction to the political systems of non-Western democracies and why some democratization attempts have been more successful than others. The main focus of the seminar will be on the different types of political regimes scholars have identified in non-Western democracies: democratic, autocratic and hybrid (i.e. mixed-types) regimes. We wil have a close look at the causes - both institutional and procedural - that account for emergence of these different regime types. The seminar covers three main sections. Section One focuses on political order; it covers the conceptual basis for the discussion of individual country cases that the seminar sessions discuss. This part spans three class periods. It starts by introducing the institutions of the modern nation state. It provides further insights into what the frequently used term “democratization” includes (and what it does not include). The focus then shifts to the emergence and the stabilization of hybrid and autocratic (i.e., non-democratic) regimes. Section Two (institutions and actors) examines the institutions and actors that have been integral to comparative politics research for decades. Problems of checks-and-balances, i.e. how state institutions scrutinize each other, will be center-stage. Another important issue concerns political parties and their role in the 21st century. The section concludes by discussing various types of democracies. Section Three covers a wider variety of “hot topics” in comparative politics. We take a detailed look at women in politics, the evolving situation in the Middle East, and constitutional design in ethnically divided societies. We also critically analyze the consequences of federalism and the ongoing debate about measuring democratization. The three main sections are supplemented by additional sessions on methodological issues (how to do comparisons) and a final session on the future of the discipline.
Westeuropäische Demokratien im Vergleich (Seminar)
Dozent/in: Esther Seha
Termin:
wöchentlich | Dienstag | 14:15 - 15:45 | 14.10.2013 - 31.01.2014 | C 12.015
Inhalt: Als formal-rechtliche Grundlage legen politische Institutionen den Handlungsspielraum fest, innerhalb dessen die politischen Akteure agieren und Politik gestalten. Während politische Institutionen mithin auf Dauer angelegt sind und auf Stabilität und Kontinuität abstellen, können die politischen Institutionen selbst zum Gegenstand politischer Reformen werden. Das Seminar greift diese Überlegung auf und bietet eine vertiefte Einführung in die politikwissenschaftliche Analyse westeuropäischer Nationalstaaten am Beispiel der Institutionenpolitik. Im Fokus stehen dabei vier Institutionenarrangements: Wahlsysteme, Regierungssysteme (horizontale Gewaltenteilung), die Staatsorganisation (vertikale Gewaltenteilung) sowie die Institutionen der direkten Demokratie. Nach der Erarbeitung der theoretischen und konzeptionellen Grundlagen der politikwissenschaftlichen Institutionenforschung wird die Reform der westeuropäischen Institutionensysteme untersucht. Das Seminar bietet zugleich einen Zugang zur qualitativ-vergleichenden Politikforschung.