Dynamics of Party System

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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 journals, such as: Party Politics, Western European Politics, International Political Science as well as Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The Economist, and daily news (all available in Internet or in the common student area – in University of Warsaw Library).

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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.

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 journals, such as: Party Politics, Western European Politics, International Political Science as well as Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The Economist, and daily news (all available in Internet or in the common student area – in University of Warsaw Library).

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. 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.

4. Arend Lijphart, Patterns of Democracy. Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1999.

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

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

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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

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

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

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

16. 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

17. Rouven Y. Hazan, Gideon Rahat (2010), Democracy within Parties: Candidate Selection Methods and Their Political Consequences, Oxford: Oxford University Press (selected parts).

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• have a thorough understanding of the different types of party systems and political parties;

• have a thorough understanding of the political parties and party system in Poland;

• become familiar with current issues/debates in contemporary party politics in European countries, Poland and in comparative perspective.

COURSE ASSESSMENT:

• The students will be evaluated based on their whole semester performance during seminars and lectures. The final grade will be based on combination of factors that include (however students cannot complete the course without passing the final exam):

• 1. Class participation 10%. This includes regular attendance as well as meaningful participation in class discussions. No more than two unexcused absences will be allowed in this course.

• 2. Gathering information on current issues concerning political systems and preparation of short notes with comments.

• 3. Introductory presentation related to the session’s topic 35% (individual or group - depending on the number of students attending this course)

• 4. Final exam (test) 55% (the exam will require to demonstrate knowledge of all material covered during the course – readings, lectures and class discussions; the structure of exam will involve a combination of multiple-choice questions and essay questions)

• Students will be dropped automatically from the class after two absences.

• FINAL EXAM due date: 27th of January 2020 - 55%

None.