AUTHORITARIAN POLITICS AND INSTITUTIONS

POLISCI 324

Examine three questions about Chinese politics through a comparative perspective. First, what functions do formal institutions such as the political party, legislature, courts, and bureaucracy serve in an authoritarian regime? Second, what are the political forces that lay a good foundation for China to successfully transition from a planning economy to a robust market economy and sustain high-speed growth for more than four decades? Finally, how does the Chinese government deal with pressing social problems and threats to its authoritarian leadership in this new era?

POLISCI 120

Introduction to Comparative Politics, one of the four sub-fields in Political Science, which involves the comparative analysis of political institutions, processes, and outcomes at the national level. Examines how to usefully compare politics in a variety of countries and makes comparisons explicit and systematic in order to determine how governments work, how power is organized and contested at the national level, and how regular people can participate and pursue their interests in different political settings. Includes key concepts, theories, methods, issues, and language.

POLISCI 336

Democracy has come under stress, both at home and across the world. The global decline of democracy has accelerated over the past decade, and levels of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen today are down to levels last found around 1990. The promise of democracy's inevitable ascent and dominance after the end of the Cold War has proven shortlived. Examines the state and future of a political system we tend to take for granted but should not. Starts with a brief overview of the evolution of the concept of democracy over time. Examines the relationship between democracy and economic development, culture, identity, and religion. Considers and compares core democratic institutions. Investigates current challenges to democracy and democratization and offers an overview of the state of democracy across different world regions.

POLISCI 853

Comparative theoretical and empirical analysis of political institutions, including electoral systems, legislatures, executives, executive-legislative relationships, political parties, party systems, federalism, economic governance, and link between institutions and internationalization.

POLISCI 339

Studies the varieties and characteristics of non-democratic regimes from around the world: how they form, why they endure, and when they collapse, engaging along the way with theories of electoral behavior, political psychology, political violence, popular mobilization, and democratization.