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Calendar

CLASS # TOPICS READINGS ASSIGNMENTS
1 Introduction and review of syllabus (Lawson and Rodden)
I. Approaches to Comparative Politics
2

What is the state and why have one? (Rodden and Lawson)

What is democracy and why have one? (Lawson and Rodden)

What is the state and why have one?

  • Shively, W. Phillips. "The Modern State."
  • Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Pp. 183-188, 227-228.

What is democracy and why have one?

  • Aristotle. "The Politics." Read Book III, Chapters 6-12 (pp. 69-80), Chapter 18 (p. 91), Book IV, Chapters 1-2 (pp. 91-94).
  • Karl, Terry, and Philippe C. Schmitter. "What Democracy is... and is Not."
Class assignment: Find pictures of the Doge's Palace in Venice and read about it on-line
3 Cleavages, Preferences, and Identities (Rodden and Lawson)
  • Madison, James. "Federalist No. 10."
  • Marx, Karl, and Frederich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party: Part I. Pp. 473-83.
  • "Cleavage Structures and Electoral Change."
  • Weber, Max. "Class, Status, and Party." Pp. 180-186.
4 Culture and Beliefs (Rodden and Lawson)
  • Inglehart, Ronald, and Marita Carballo. "Does Latin America Exist? (And is There a Confucian Culture?): A Global Analysis of Cross-Cultural Differences."
  • Eckstein, Harry. "A Cultural Approach to Political Change."
5 Institutions I: Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and the U.S. in Comparative Perspective (Rodden)
  • Hertzberg, Hendrik. "Framed Up: What the Constitution Gets Wrong."
  • Lijphart, Arend, ed. Parliamentary versus Presidential Government. Introduction and Chap. 1, 2, 6-8, 14, 29-32.
6 Institutions 2: Proportional versus Majoritarian Electoral Rules (Rodden)
  • Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Chap. 8.
  • "Elections, Electoral Systems, and Referendums."
7 Institutions 3: Federalism and Decentralization (Rodden)
  • Stepan, Alfred. "Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S. Model."
  • Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Chap. 10.
  • Rodden, Jonathan. "Federalism and Decentralization: On Meaning and Measurement."
Short Essay due
II. Processes
8 Transitions to Democracy (Lawson)
  • Diamond, Larry. "Is the Third Wave Over?"
  • Dahl, Robert. Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. Pp. 1-16.
  • Moore, Barrington. Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Chapter 7 (pp. 413-432).
9 Does Economic Growth Cause Democracy? Modernization Theory (Lawson)
  • Lipset, Seymour Martin. "Economic Development and Democracy."
  • Przeworski, Adam, and Fernando Limongi. "Modernization: Theories and Facts."
  • Fukuyama, Francis. "The End of History?"
10 Or Does Democracy Cause Economic Growth?(Rodden)
  • Przeworski, Adam, and Fernando Limongi. "Political Regimes and Economic Growth."
  • Olson, Mancur. "Big Bills Left on the Sidewalk: Why Some Nations are Rich, and Others Poor."
  • Sen, Amartya. "Democracy as a Universal Value."
  • Weingast, Barry. "The Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Development."
11-12 Democracy, Macroeconomic Crisis and Reform in Latin America (Rodden and Lawson)

Background

  • Pastor, Manuel, and Carol Wise. "The Politics of Second-Generation Reform."
  • Mainwaring, Scott. "Presidentialism in Latin America."

Brazil

  • Lopes, Juarez Brandão. "Obstacles to Economic Reform in Brazil."
  • The Economist. "Country Survey of Brazil." March 27-April 2, 1999;
    "The Devaluing of a Presidency." Pp. 3-5;
    "Democracy's Difficulties." Pp. 7-9;
    "A Sorry State." Pp. 9-12;
    "A Federation in Dispute." Pp. 13-18.

Argentina

  • Schamis, Hector. "Argentina: Crisis and Democratic Consolidation."
  • Collection of newspaper articles (to be handed out in class).
13-14 Why Does Democracy Break Down? Weimar Germany (Lawson and Rodden)
  • Hoffmann-Lange, Ursula. "Germany: Twentieth Century Turning Points." (handed out in class)
  • Overy, Richard. The Historical Atlas of the Third Reich. Pp. 8-21. (handed out in class)
  • Lepsius, M. Ranier. "From Fragmented Party Democracy to Government by Emergency Decree and National Socialist Takeover: Germany."
  • Lipset, Seymour Martin. "'Fascism' - Left, Right, and Center."
  • Turner, Henry Ashby. Hitler's Thirty Days to Power: January 1933. Pp. 1-2, 163-183.
  • Taylor, A. J. P. "History Unfolds, 1918-1933."
Class Debate in class #14
III. Student Presentations
15-20 Paper Presentations Papers due in class #15
IV. Comparative Case Studies
21-22 Corruption in Mexico (Lawson)
  • Morris, Stephen D. "Corruption and the Mexican Political System: Continuity and Change."
  • Oppenheimer, Andres. Bordering on Chaos. Pp. 289-94.
  • Almond, Gabriel, and Sidney Verba. "Mexico: Alienation and Aspiration."
  • de Soto, Hernando. The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World. Pp. 131-55.
  • Treisman, Daniel. "The Causes of Corruption: A Cross-National Study."
23-24 Economic Development and Democracy in Italy: History, Social Capital and Institutions (Lawson and Rodden)
  • Putnam, Robert. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy.
25-26 Will Iraq become a democracy? (Lawson) Class assignment: Independent research on Iraq