The table below features the readings for the lectures as well as the recitation section for this course. They are listed in the session by which they are required. There is a logic to the order in which they are listed.
| SES # | TOPICS / ACTIVITIES | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| I: Introduction | ||
| 1 | Introduction and review of syllabus | No readings required |
| II. The State and Regime Type | ||
| 2 | What is a state, and why have one? Process of state-building. |
Hobbes, Thomas. "Of the Natural Condition of Mankind as Concerning their Felicity and Misery." Chapter 13 in Leviathan. Renaissance Books, 2013. ISBN: 9781619491700. ———. "Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition of a Commonwealth." Chapter 17 in Leviathan. Renaissance Books, 2013. ISBN: 9781619491700. Hume, David. "Of the Origin of Government." Part 1, Essay V in Essays, Moral, Political and Literary. econlib.org. Tilly, Charles. "States and their Citizens." Chapter 4 in Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990–1990. Wiley-Blackwell, 1992, pp. 96–107. ISBN: 9781557863683. In RecitationAristotle. "The Politics." In Aristotle: The Politics and Constitution of Athens. Edited by Stephen Everson. Cambridge University Press, 1996, Book III, Chapters 6–12 and Book IV, Chapters 1–2. ISBN: 9780521484008. Schmitter, Philippe C., and Terry Lynn Karl. "What Democracy is...and is Not." Journal of Democracy 2, no. 3 (1991): 75–88. de Tocqueville, Alexis. "What are the Real Advantages That American Society Gains from the Government of Democracy?" In Democracy in America. Vol. 2. Edited by Eduardo Nolla. Liberty Fund, 2012, pp. 375–84. ISBN: 9780865978409. Zakaria, Fareed, and Lee Kuan Yew. "Culture Is Destiny: A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew." Foreign Affairs 73, no. 2 (1994): 109–26. |
| 3 | Discussion of Lee Kuan Yew's remarks on democracy Brainstorming on paper topic | No readings required |
| III. Four Lenses | ||
| 4 | Social divisions (and conflict) |
Madison, James. "The Federalist No. 10: The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (continued)." constitution.org. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. "Manifesto of the Communist Party, Part I: Bourgeois and Proletarians." In The Marx-Engels Reader. 2nd ed. Edited by Robert C. Tucker. W. W. Norton, 1978. ISBN: 9780393090406. Horowitz, Donald L. Ethnic Groups in Conflict. University of California Press, 2000, pp. 51–64. ISBN: 9780520227064. |
| 5 | Culture (and corruption) | Fisman, Raymond, and Edward Miguel.  "Corruption, Norms, and Legal Enforcement: Evidence from Diplomatic Parking Tickets." Journal of Political Economy 115, no. 6 (2007): 1020–48. |
| 6 | Institutions (and government performance) |
Lijphart, Arend. "Introduction." Chapter 1 in Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Yale University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780300078930. ———. "Executive-Legislative Relations: Patterns of Dominance and Balance of Power." Chapter 7 in Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Yale University Press, 1999, pp. 116–24. ISBN: 9780300078930. ;———. "Electoral Systems: Majority and Plurality Methods Versus Proportional Representation." Chapter 8 in Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Yale University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780300078930. Stepan, Alfred. "Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S. Model." Journal of Democracy 10, no. 4 (1999): 19–34. |
| 7 | Leadership and indispensability Buzz groups on paper topic |
In RecitationSimonton, Dean Keith. "Presidential IQ, Openness, Intellectual Brilliance, and Leadership: Estimates and Correlations for 42 U.S. Chief Executives." Political Psychology 27, no. 4 (2006): 511–26. |
| IV. Democratization | ||
| 8 | Why do countries become democratic? |
Lipset, Seymour Martin. "Economic Development and Democracy." Chapter 2 in Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics. Anchor Books, 1963. ISBN: 9780385066501. Dahl, Robert A. "Why Polyarchy Developed in Some Countries and Not Others." Chapter 18 in Democracy and Its Critics. Yale University Press, 1991. ISBN: 9780300049381. "Egypt." The World Factbook. cia.gov. "Libya." The World Factbook. cia.gov. "Morocco." The World Factbook. cia.gov. "Syria." The World Factbook. cia.gov. "Tunisia." The World Factbook. cia.gov. "Yemen." The World Factbook. cia.gov. |
| 9 | Class presentations on Arab Spring | No readings required |
| V. Case Study on the Breakdown of Democracy: Inter-war Germany | ||
| 10 | Why did democracy break down in inter-war Germany? |
Hoffmann-Lange, Ursula. "Germany: Twentieth Century Turning Points." In Elites, Crises, and the Origins of Regimes. Edited by Mattei Dogan and John Higley. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1998, pp. 170–74. ISBN: 9780847690237. [Preview with Google Books] Overy, Richard. "From War to Third Reich 1918–1933." Part 1 in The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Third Reich. Penguin, 1997. ISBN: 9780140513301. Lepsius, M. Ranier. "From Fragmented Party Democracy to Government by Emergency Decree and National Socialist Takeover: Germany." Chapter 2 in The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Europe. Edited by Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan. John Hopkins University Press, 1978. ISBN: 9780801820229. Lipset, Seymour Martin. "'Fascism' – Left, Right, and Center." Chapter 5 in Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics. Anchor Books, 1963. ISBN: 9780385066501. Turner, Henry Ashby. "Prologue: The Field Marshal, the Corporal, and the General." Chapter 1 in Hitler's Thirty Days to Power: January 1933. Perseus Books, 1996, pp. 1–2. ISBN: 9780201407143. ———. "Determinacy, Contingency, and Responsibility." Chapter 7 in Hitler's Thirty Days to Power: January 1933. Perseus Books, 1996. ISBN: 9780201407143. Taylor, A. J. P. "History Unfolds, 1918–1933." In The Nazi Revolution: Germany's Guilt or Germany's Fate? Edited by John L. Snell. D. C. Heath and Company, 1966, pp. 19–26. |
| 11 | Preparation for class debate | No readings required |
| 12 | Class debate: Why did the Weimar Republic Collapse? |
In RecitationSimon, Walter B. "Democracy in the Shadow of Imposed Sovereignty: The First Republic of Austria." Chapter 3 in The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Europe. Edited by Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan. John Hopkins University Press, 1978. ISBN: 9780801820229. Stepan, Alfred. "Political Leadership and Regime Breakdown: Brazil." Chapter 4 in The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Latin America. Edited by Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan. John Hopkins University Press, 1978. ISBN: 9780801820236. |
| 13 | Discussion of Europe and Latin America | No readings required |
| VI. Political Institutions and Economic Growth | ||
| 14 | Broad theories of economic development |
North, Douglass C. "Institutions." Journal of Economic Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1991): 97–112. Rodrik, Dani, Arvind Subramanian, et al. "Institutions Rule: The Primacy of Institutions Over Geography and Integration in Economic Development." Journal of Economic Growth 9, no. 2 (2004): 131–65. de Soto, Hernando. "The Five Mysteries of Capital." Chapter 1 in The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. Basic Books, 2003. ISBN: 9780465016150. ———. "The Mystery of Missing Information." Chapter 2 in The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. Basic Books, 2003. ISBN: 9780465016150. ———. "By Way of Conclusion." Chapter 7 in The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. Basic Books, 2003, pp. 208–18. ISBN: 9780465016150. In RecitationDiscussion of analysis in Rodrik, et al. reading. Rodrik, Dani, Arvind Subramanian, et al. "Institutions Rule: The Primacy of Institutions Over Geography and Integration in Economic Development." Journal of Economic Growth 9, no. 2 (2004): 131–65. |
| 15 | Discussion of North and de Soto versus industrial policy | No readings required |
| VII. Why did Women get the Vote (and Other Rights)? | ||
| 16 | Background on women's emancipation Group meeting to identify sources and division of labor |
Alami, Aida. "Gender Inequality in Morocco Continues, Despite Amendments to Family Law," New York Times, March 16, 2014. Women's suffrage table (US) (XLS) Women's suffrage table (World) (XLS) Carter, Susan B., and Lee A. Craig. "Table Ba5091–5095: Year of passage of legislation recognizing married women's property rights and authorizing women's suffrage, by state: 1840-1920." In Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition, Volume 2: Work and Welfare. Edited by Susan B. Carter, Scott Sigmund Gartner, et al. Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780521585408. Carter, Susan B. "Table Ba5096–5119: Time spent on housework and family care, by sex, employment status, and type of activity: 1965–1985." In Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition, Volume 2: Work and Welfare. Edited by Susan B. Carter, Scott Sigmund Gartner, et al. Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780521585408. Basic information available on web and key academic studies, as identified by groups. |
| 17 | Group meetings | No readings required |
| VIII. Classical Athens | ||
| 18 | Society, politics, and the rule of law in classical Greece |
History of Athens, wikipedia.org. Aristotle. The Athenian Constitution, Parts 42–69, classics.mit.edu. Ober, Josiah. "Learning from Athens." Boston Review, March 1, 2006. Schmitter, Philippe C. |
| 19 | Presentations by breakout groups: Are there any lessons from Athens that could be applied to modern democracies? That should be applied? | No readings required |
| IX. The U.S. in Comparative Perspective | ||
| 20 |
What's right and what's wrong with the U.S.? Presentations by breakout groups: Identification of potential reforms: "Big" (presidentialism, federalism, bicameralism, and plurality-winner electoral rules) and "small" |
Liptak, Adam. "Justice Stevens Suggests Solution for 'Giant Step in the Wrong Direction'," New York Times, April 21, 2014. "What Are Justice Stevens's Proposed Six Amendments?" joshblackman.com., March 4, 2014. The Constitution of the United States of America, constitutionus.com. Dahl, Robert A. How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780300095241. Committee on the Constitutional System. "A Bicentennial Analysis of the American Political Structure." Chapter 9 in Parliamentary versus Presidential Government. Edited by Arend Lijphart. Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780198780441. Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M. "Leave the Constitution Alone." Chapter 10 in Parliamentary versus Presidential Government. Edited by Arend Lijphart. Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780198780441. RecommendedKramnick, Isaac, ed. "Editor's Introduction." The Federalist Papers. Penguin Classics, 1987. ISBN: 0051488012399. |
| 21 | Presentations by breakout groups: Discussion of foreign benchmarks and recent proposals | Readings on failed amendments, recent proposed reforms, and examples of constitutional engineering in other countries and U.S. states, as identified by breakout groups. |
| 22 | Discussion and critique of presentations by breakout groups | No readings required |
| X. State-building, Ethnic Conflict, and "Democracy" in Iraq | ||
| 23 | Attempts to impose democracy by foreign powers |
Diamond, Larry Jay. "Lessons from Iraq." Journal of Democracy 16, no. 1 (2005): 9–23. Darden, Keith, and Harris Mylonas. "The Promethean Dilemma: Third-party State-building in Occupied Territories." Ethnopolitics 11, no. 1 (2012): 85–93. |
| 24 | Show and tell on Iraq | Independent reading on Iraq |
| 25 | Discussion of "solutions" for Iraq |
Zahori, Habib, and Azam Ahmed. "Lack of Orderly Means to Distribute Aid is Latest Setback for Afghan Village," New York Times, May 5, 2014. Byman, Daniel. "An Autopsy of the Iraq Debacle: Policy Failure or Bridge Too Far?" Security Studies 17, no. 4 (2008): 599–643. Dawisha, Adeed I., and Karen Dawisha. "How to Build a Democratic Iraq." Foreign Affairs 82, no. 3 (2003): 36–50. Lawson, Chappell. "How Best to Build Democracy: Laying a Foundation for a New Iraq." Foreign Affairs 82, no. 4 (2003): 206–9. Filkins, Dexter. "Solution: Break Up Iraq; Reality: It's Not So Easy," New York Times, June 25, 2006. Bremer, L. Paul, James Dobbins, et al. "Early Days in Iraq: Decisions of the CPA." Survival 50, no. 4 (2008): 21–56. |
| 26 | Discussion of final exam | No readings required |