Comparative Political Parties

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obligatory courses

Comparative Political Systems (I) 2102-ANG-L-D3CPSY

It is important to have a basic knowledge of modern political systems and political processes, as well as the ideas and issues that have shaped modern politics, before starting the course. Concepts of constitutional law, constitutional theory, types of constitution. Political institutions in a comparative perspective. Main features of different models of political systems (in democratic and non-democratic regimes). Prezidentionalization of politics. Models of government. Structure of political institutions. Legislative, executive and judicial power in comparative perspective (types, models and functions of heads of state, governments, parliaments, knowledge of political processes taking place in the state). It is important to know the essence and basic idea of electoral law (electoral systems); the concept of presidentialisation of politics, the nature and differences between bicameralism and unicameralism; centralisation and decentralisation.

Classroom

Although it is said that political parties are history,it is clear that this is not the case and that "news of their death has been greatly exaggerated".During the course, students will study: the origins, evolution and organisation of political parties; the institutionalisation of political groupings and party systems;their functions as well as the legal basis and regulations concerning parties in a comparative perspective.Furthermore,they will explore financing and typologies of political parties.During the course,in addition to learning about groupings, they will analyse party systems.They will become familiar with the classification of party systems,the relationship between electoral systems and types of party systems,the new challenges facing contemporary political parties;changes in parties under the influence of social,political and institutional developments;the evolution processes and change factors of party systems,as well as their development and features in new democracies.

The Course is designed to provide students with through understanding of contemporary political parties and party systems, as well as the ideas and issues that have shaped contemporary politics. The aim of the course is to define the basic concepts of political groupings and movements, to present the theory of the political systems, to explain the main characteristics of different models of political parties; to explain the concepts of contemporary characteristic of functioning of political parties, as well as its problems and political mechanisms functioning within them. Throughout the course, comparisons with political systems in different countries will be made as a point of reference to provide the student with a framework for understanding organization of a political party and different party systems.

Class sessions will include lectures, and seminars, which means: presentations and discussions, where students are required to actively participate and contribute to these discussions. The required weekly reading will be presented by students in a seminar fashion. Students are required also to pass the final test.

Whilst students are expected to learn the fundamentals of politics in contemporary countries, this course is not only about ‘memorizing’ factual detail. Rather, they should approach this class from an “analytical” perspective. Students are also expected to keep up with current affairs in in terms of political parties and party systems in the world and in Europe by reading publications in books, journals as well as in internet sources.

CORE TEXT BOOKS:

1. Alan Ware (1996), Party Systems in Non-Liberal-Democratic regimes, [In] A. Ware, Political Parties and Party Systems, Oxford: Oxford university Press.

2. Andrzej Antoszewski (2010), Parties and party systems in the EU Member States at the Turn of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Toruń: Adam Marszałek.

3. Peter Mair (ed.) (1990; 2009), The West European Party System, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4. Katarzyna Sobolewska-Myślik, Beata Kosowska-Gąstoł, Piotr Borowiec (eds.) (2016), Organizational Structures of Political Parties in Central and Eastern European Countries. Wyd. Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Jagiellonian University Press, Kraków.

MATERIALS, SOURCES FOR CONCRETE CLASSES:

• Jean Blondel (1990), Types of Party Systems. Blondel Reading, from Peter Mair (ed.) The West European Party System, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 302-310; http://janda.org/c24/Readings/Blondel/blondel.html, December 2011.

• Richard Gunther, L. Diamond (2003), Species of Political Parties. A New Typology, “Party Politics”, Vol. 9 No 2, pp. 167-199.

• Tim Bale (2017), European Politics. A comparative Introduction, 4th edn, London: Palgrave, Macmillan, p. 143-171.

• Angelo Panebianco, (1988). Political parties: organization and power. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge University Press.

• Richard S. Katz, Peter Mair (1995), Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party, „Party Politics”, Vol. 1 no 1, pp. 5-28.

• Robert Harmel, Lars Svåsand (1993), Party Leadership and Party Institutionalisation: Three Phases of Development, „West European Politics”, Vol. 16 No 2, pp. 67-88.

• Ingrid van Biezen, Fernando Casal- Bértoa (2014), Party Regulation and Party Politics in Post-communist Europe, “East European Politics” Vol. 30 No 3, pp. 295-314.

• Ingrid C. van Biezen (2012), Models of Party Democracy: Patterns of Party Regulation in Post-War European Constitutions, “European Political Science Review” Vol. 4 No 3, pp. 327-359.

• Ingrid C. van Biezen, Fernando Casal-Bértoa (2014), Party Regulation in Post-Authoritarian Contexts: Southern Europe in Comparative Perspective, “South European Society and Politics” Vol. 19 No 1, pp. 71-87.

• Seymour Martin Lipset and Stein Rokkan (edn.), Party Systems and Voter Alignments: Cross-National Perspectives, New York: The Free Press, 1967 (selected parts).

• Susanne E. Scarrow (2015), Beyond Party Members. Changing Approaches to Partisan Mobilization, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Susanne E. Scarrow, B. Gezgor, Declining Memberships, Changing Members? European Political Party Members in a New Era, „Party Politics” 2010, nr 16(6), http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.878.4965&rep=rep1&type=pdf

• Susanne E. Scarrow (2000), Parties Without Members? Party Organization in a Changing Electoral Environment, [w:] R.J. Dalton, M. P. Wattenberg (eds.), Parties Without Partisans: Political Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 79-102.

• Lisa Young (2013), Party Members and Intra-Party Democracy [w:] The Challenge of Intra-Party Democracy, red. W.P. Cross, R.S. Katz, Oxford; Oxford University Press, pp. 65-80.

• R. J. Dalton, M. P. Wattenberg (eds.) (2002), Parties without Partisans. Political Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies, , Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Peter Mair, Ingrid C. van Biezen (2001), Party Membership in Twenty European Democracies 1980-2000, “Party Politics”, vol. 7, nr 1, p. 5-21.

- Sarah Childs (2013), Intra-Party Democracy: A Gendered Critique and a Feminist Agenda, [In:] The Challenges of Intra-party Democracy, red. W.P. Cross, R.S. Katz, Oxford: Oxford University Pres, pp. 81-99.

- Pippa Norris, Mona Lena Krook, Gender Equality in Elected Office: A Six-Step Action Plan, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), https://www.osce.org/odihr/78432?download=true, [access: January 2019].

- Mona Lena Krook, Electoral Systems and Women’s Representation [in:] The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems, eds. E.S. Herron, R. J. Pekkanen, M.S. Shugart, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 178-184.

- Mona Lena Krook, P. Norris, Beyond Quotas: Strategies to Promote Gender Equality in Elected Office, „Political Studies“ 2014, Vol. 62, pp. 2-20.

- O’Brien D.Z., Rising to the Top: Gender, Political Performance, and Party Leadership in Parliamentary Democracies, „American Journal of Political Science” 2015, no 59(4).

- Nicole Bolleyer (2012), New Party Organisation in Western Europe: Of Hierarchies, stratarchies and federations, “Party Politics” vol. 18, pp. 315-336.

- Petr Kopecký (1995), Developing Party Organizations in East-Central Europe: What Type of Party is Likely to Emerge?, “Party Politics” Vol. 1 No 4, pp. 515-534.

- Sergiu Gherghina (2015), Party Organization and Electoral Volatility in Central and Eastern Europe. Enhancing Voter Loyalty, London, New York: Routledge.

- Margit Travits, Party Organizational Strength and party unity in post-Communist Europe, “European Political Science Review” (ECPR), Vol. 4 (3), pp. 409-431.

- Susanne E. Scarrow (2005), Political Parties and Democracy in Theoretical and Practical Perspectives. Implementing Intra-party Democracy, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Washington, https://www.ndi.org/files/1951_polpart_scarrow_110105.pdf.

- - Richard S. Katz (2001), The Problem of Candidate Selection and Models of Party Democracy, „Party Politics”, vol. 7, no 3, pp. 277-296.

- Gideon Rahat (2013), What is Democratic Candidate Selection? ,[In:] The Challenges of Intra-party Democracy, red. W.P. Cross, R.S. Katz, Oxford: Oxford University Pres, pp. 136-149.

- - William P. Cross, Alan Blais, (2012), Who selects the party leader? “Party Politics”, Vol. 18, No 2, pp. 127-150.

- William P. Cross, Party Leadership Selection and Intra-Party Democracy, [In:] The Challenges of Intra-party Democracy, red. W.P. Cross, R.S. Katz, Oxford: Oxford University Pres, pp. 100-115.

- M. Radecki, Sergiu Gherghina (2015), Objective and Subjective Party Leadership Selection: Regulations, Activists, and Voters in Poland, “European Politics and Society”, vol. 16, nr 4, pp. 598-612.

- - William P. Cross, Alan Blais, (2012), Who selects the party leader? “Party Politics”, Vol. 18, No 2, pp. 127-150.

- William P. Cross, Party Leadership Selection and Intra-Party Democracy, [In:] The Challenges of Intra-party Democracy, red. W.P. Cross, R.S. Katz, Oxford: Oxford University Pres, pp. 100-115.

- M. Radecki, Sergiu Gherghina (2015), Objective and Subjective Party Leadership Selection: Regulations, Activists, and Voters in Poland, “European Politics and Society”, vol. 16, nr 4, pp. 598-612.

- Anika Gauja, (2017), Party Reform. The Causes, Challenges and Consequences of Organizational Change, Oxford: Oxford University Press (selected parts).

- Barbara Geddes, Why Parties and Elections in Authoritarian Regimes?, Revised version of a paper prepared for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington DC, 2005, Department of Political Science UCLA, Los Angeles, California.

- Barbara Geddes, Why Parties and Elections in Dictatorships?,[In:] Barbara Geddes, Joseph Wright, Erica Frantz, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 6, p.129-153.

- - Robert Harmel, Kenneth Janda (1994), An integrated theory of party goals and party change, „Journal of Theoretical Politics”, vol. 6, no 3.

- J. Hopkin, C. Paolucci, (1999), The Business Firm Party Model of Party Organisation. Cases from Spain and Italy, “European Journal of Political Research”, 35(3), pp. 307 – 339.

- R.K. Carty, 2004), Parties as Franchise Systems: The Stratarchical Organizational Imperative, “Party Politics”, 10(1), pp. 5 – 24.

- Thomas Poguntke, Paul Webb (2015), Presidentionalization and the politics of coalition: lessons from Germany and Britain, “International Political Science Review/ Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica”, vol, 45, nr 3, pp. 249-275.

- Vit Hloušek, L. Kopeček, (2017), Entrepreneurial parties: a basic conceptual framework, “Czech Journal of Political Science”, 24(2).

- Vit Holoušek (2015), Two types of presidentionalisation in the party politics of Central Eastern Europe, “International Political Science Review/ Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica”, vol, 45, nr 3, pp. 277-299.

- A.Krouwel, A. (2012). Party transformation in European democracies, New York: State University of New York Press.

- A.Krouwel, A. (2006). Party Models, [In:] Richard S.Katz, W.Crotty (red.), Handbook of Party Politics (p. 249 – 269), London: Sage.

The lecturer (tutor)reserves the right to expand the literature with additional items (to a reasonable extent).

A student will get to know and understand conditions and forms of participation in social life on its different levels and use political science knowledge for it, including conditions of the form of formation and activity of political parties (K_W03). He/she will get acquainted with historical, economic, social and cultural conditions of formation of political parties and their evolution (K_W04). Moreover, he/she will get acquainted with the principles of functioning of the party system and its elements, as well as political parties in Polish, European and world dimension (K_W06). The student will learn the essence of democracy, civil society, political culture, in terms of political parties and party systems from historical and contemporary perspectives (K_W07). Finally, the student will learn about the mechanisms of political action, governance and political decision-making, and communication processes within political parties and in the political space of party systems K_W09).

Graduate will be able to recognize the causes of formation and the course of formation of political parties and forecast the influence of factors, changing political conditions on parties and party systems; he/she will be able to study and explain the role of social, economic and cultural structures in the contemporary world for the formation, existence and evolution of political parties and formation of party systems (K_U01). A student will be able to indicate and explain principles of operation and values of a democratic state including political parties; he/she will be able to assess cultural achievements, especially political culture in functioning of political parties and party systems (K_U02). He or she will be able to use basic theoretical approaches and to use research methods and techniques in order to diagnose and forecast actions and changes taking place in parties and party systems (K_U03). Additionally, he or she will be able to indicate the assumptions of various policy concepts included in the programmes of different political parties and assess their effectiveness, as well as perceive the relations between political parties, party systems and historical, economic, social and cultural phenomena and processes (how they affect their formation and evolution of the mentioned parties and systems) (K_U04).

Upon completion of the course, the graduate will be ready to actively participate in public life, including political parties, and be an active participant in party systems; he/she will be able to think and act in an entrepreneurial manner (K_K01). And moreover, he/she will acquire the competences of observing and critically evaluating political parties and party systems of various types and perceiving their interrelations and dependencies (K_K03).

Classes will include lectures, presentations and discussions (possibly debate). Students are required to actively participate and contribute to the discussions. Assessment of activity during class. The required weekly readings will be discussed and presented by students in a seminar-like manner - presentations.

Classes are compulsory. Two absences are allowed. Credit for excess absences will be in the form of an essay.

At the end of the course (semester) students are required to pass a final written test (multiple choice MCQ and open questions) in an examination session.

None.