COMPARING FOREIGN POLITICAL SYSTEMS

Introduction to the study of comparative politics

Topic 1 (1/11)—What will you learn in this course?

Right after our first class, please take an hour or so to review several on-line handouts that will help you to get the most out of this course:

• A handout on how your class participation grade will be assigned

• A handout on how your papers will be graded . You should also take a look at the matching grade sheet I use to give you feedback on written work.

• A handout explaining how grades on test questions and in-class essays are assigned .

• A handout explaining the citation requirements you will have for all take-home essays

• The High Point University Honor Code . Please carefully read the section on academic integrity.

Topic 2 (1/13, 1/16)—How and why do we compare countries and regions?

• What concepts, reading, and information do you need to understand well do well on your exam that will happen in a month or so? Take a look at the focus questions (i.e., the draft study guide that is in the the handouts file linked to the course homepage).

• O'Neil, Essentials, Chp. 1. Go here if your book hasn't arrived yet.

• O'Neil, Essentials, Chp. 2 "States." Go here if your book hasn't arrived yet. Skim or skip entirely the sections on "The Origins of Political Organization" and "The Rise of the Modern State."

Unit 1: How Can the Advanced Industrial Democracies Better Adapt to the Opportunities and Challenges of Globalization?

Topic 1 (1/18, 1/20, 1/23 ): What makes a country an advanced democracy and where do they differ?

• O'Neil, Essentials, Chp. 5 "Democratic Regimes" (last sample chapter that will be posted; you should have books by now). Read this chapter very closely (using your study guide as a indicator of what you need to know) except for the section on "Contemporary Democratization," which will be discussed in detail in the last course unit. What you should be primarily interested in learning about in theis chapter is how the key institutions of democracy--federalism, elections, presidential/parliamentary systems, etc.--differ.

• Terry Lynn Karl and Philippe C. Schmitter, “What Democracy Is…and Is Not ” (Journal of Democracy, 1991, 12pp). Review what the authors see as required for a nation to be considered democratic (similar ideas are in "Democratic Regimes), and carefuly examine some of the major wasy that modern democracies differ (starting on page 83).

• O’Neil, Essentials, “Developed Democracies.” Become familiar with what defines an advanced democracy. Although, we will mostly dig into these ideas on the the next topic, please pay close attention to the later parts of the chapter that examine how post-materialism, post-industrialization, globalization, and political unrest are stressing these types of political systems. You do not need to dig deeply into the material on the European Union.

Topic 2 (1/25, 1/27)— What is globalization and why is it making so many people unhappy in the advanced industrial democracies?

• O’Neil, Essentials, Chapter 11, “Globalization and the Future of Comparative Politics.” Just read the sections on what globalization is.

• The Economist, "An Open and Shut Case" (2016, 5pp)

• Roberto Stefan Foa and Yascha Mounk, "The Democratic Disconnect" (Journal of Democracy 2016, 14pp)

• "What's Gone Wrong with Democracy?" (The Economist, 2014, 12pp)

• Charles Kupchan, "The Democratic Malaise" (Foreign Affairs, 2012, 6pp).

• Optional . Read very quickly if you are interested in this article, focusing on what Pharr and Putnam see as the causes behind the issues that seem to be impacting all advanced democracies: Susan J. Pharr, Robert Putnam, and Russell Dalton, "A Quarter-Century of Declining Confidence" (Journal of Democracy, 2000, 21pp)

Topic 3 (1/30, 2/1)—How and why is power so centralized in Britain's democracy?

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “United Kingdom.” Just read the sections on British political history and the structure of its main political institutions.

• Uri Dadush, "A Tale of Two Polities" (Current History 2010, 3pp)

• Vernon Bogdanor, "The Historic Legacy of Tony Blair" (Current History, 2007, 7pp). Focus most intently on Blair's "third way" and on the first few pages of the article that outline the vast changes to Britain's "constitution" during the period in which Labour was in power.

• Optional : The Blair: Inside Story, Part One (59 min.); Part Two (59 min)

Topic 4 (2/3)—Does Great Britain need a constitutional revolution, devolution, or "independence" to better deal with today's challenges? If you want to get a jump on materials that we will be covering next week:

• The Economist, "UK RIP?" (Economist, 2014, 3pp)

• Jonathan Hopkin, "The Populist Rage Fueling the Referendum" (Foreign Affairs, 2016, 3 pp)

• The Economist, A 3-page overview of Prime Minister Theresa May (2017)

• Henry Farrell,"Disunited Kingdom" (Democracy 2017, 15pp)

Topic 5 (2/6 & 2/8)—Why did advanced democracy come so late to Germany? What's so special about its democratic choices and system?

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “Germany.”

• James L. Payne, "Did the United States Create Democracy in Germany?" (Independent Review, 2016, 13pp)

• J Maximilian Müller-Härlin, "Germany's Indecisive Election" (Contemporary Review, 2005, 6pp.). This is a tedious and outdated reading, but one that gives examples of a real problem in multi-party parliamentary democracies. You do not need to read terribly closely. Just focus on what happens in parliamentary systems if no party wins a majority in the election. What do you think about a system where voters do not have a direct say in what combination of parties will govern after an election?

Topic 6 (2/10)—Is Germany still a model for modern democracy as it deals with globalization?

• A quick summary of German social policy (focus on the measures for and descriptions of "Social Policy," "Education," "Social Inclusion," "Health Policy," and "Families." Be able to compare policy outcomes in Germany vs. the US and the UK.:
  http://www.sgi-network.org/2016/Germany/Social_Policies
  For comparison, look at:
  http://www.sgi-network.org/2016/United_Kingdom/Social_Policies
  and
  http://www.sgi-network.org/2016/United_States/Social_Policies

• https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/six-charts-to-help-americans-understand-the-upcoming-german-election/?src=obsidebar=sb_1

• Eamonn Fingleton, "Germany's Economic Engine" (The American Prospect, 3pp)

• Dirk Kurbjuweit, "Germany Enters a Dangerous New Political Era" (Der Spiegel, 2016, 5pp)

• German politics is turning into a six-party system (The Economist, 2016, 3pp)

Monday, February 13: Unit 1 Examination in class

Looking ahead: Monday, February 20 — Unit 1 Essay due electronically and in hard copy at the start of class.

After the exam, just for fun, take this test on political bias and go through the results sections and the explanation of the types of political bias (No need to give you your e-mail address when you complete the short survey):

• http://programs.clearerthinking.org/political_bias_test.html

Unit 2: The rise, evolution, and decline of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes

Reminder: Monday, February 20 — Unit 1 Essay due electronically and in hard copy at the start of class.

Topic 1 (2/17, 2/20)—How do nondemocratic regimes vary, and why is it getting harder over time for tyrants to cling to power?

• O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, Chapter 6, “Nondemocratic Regimes"

• Andreas Schedler, "Authoritarianism's Last Line of Defense" (Journal of Democracy, 2010, 12pp)

• Optional , but very interesting: James Fallows, "‘With Such a People You Can Then Do What You Please’" (The Atlantic, 2017). This article is very critical of President Trump, and because of its partisan slant, nothing in it will be on exams for the class. I have assigned it because it systematically compares what we know about authoritarin practices and the spread of antidemocratic power in other societies to the US. In short, I am assigning this optionally because it is relevant to the course and helpful in understanding why there is an unusual degree of concern among political scientists about some of President Trump's actions so far). If you find this interesting, see also "How to Build an Autocracy" , which offers a similar critique from the perspective of a Republican speech writer for Pres. GW Bush.

Topic 2 (2/22) —Why do revolutions aiming to improve life for everyday people almost always go brutally wrong?

• Howard Handleman: "Revolutionary Change" [2006, through page 208 only (i.e., print pdf pages 1-7)]

• Textbook chp. on revolutionary states and totalitarianism .

Topic 3 (2/24 and 2/27) —How and why did Karl Marx’s vision of communist equality turn into totalitarianism in most settings that adopted central command economies and a Marxist-Leninist political system?

• O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, “Communism and Post-Communism”

• The Economist, “The Strange Case of Karl and Adolf” (1999, 6pp)

Topic 4 (3/1, 3/3) —What role did Soviet communism play in leading Russia to become one of the world’s strongest states, and why has its fall been so difficult for everyday Russians?

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “Russia”

• Jeffrey Taylor, “Russia is Finished” (Atlantic Monthly, 2001, 12pp)

• Putin's Way (PBS Frontline, 2015, 55 min):
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/putins-way/ . This is for the first class back from break, but you may want to watch it over the break before this class rather than juggling it and two articles or right when we get back.

No Classes on March 6, 8, and 10: Spring Break

Topic 5 (3/13, 3/15, 3/17)—Why isn’t democracy emerging in Russia, and how do the autocrats like Vladimir Putin stay in power despite holding elections?

• What does democracy look like in Russia:
  https://freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit/2015/russia . Just read the document's main findings, which run from the start of the document up to page 533 (3 pages). When later writing your essay on this unit, you may want to dig a little deeper for more examples of how the Kremlin abuses democracy in Russia.

• Russia's completely ignored "Bill of Rights" (and it lists lots of rights, not just liberties as is mostly the case with our version of this document": http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-03.htm . What do they promise their citizens that we don't? What does this tell you about the globalization of democratic norms and how old our Constitution is?

• Lilia Shevtsova, "Forward to the Past in Russia" (Journal of Democracy, 2015, 15pp)

• Ivan Krastev and Stephen Homes, "An Autopsy of Managed Democracy" (Journal of Democracy, 2012, 13pp). This article was written at a low point of political support for Putin.

Topic 6 (3/20, 3/22)—How successful have Iranian leaders been in institutionalizing their revolutionary ideals? How does government work in a modern “theocracy”?

• A quick primer (13:40min) An engaging John Green lecture on the Iranian Revolution):
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w4Ku6l7OEI

• Laura Secor, "From Shaw to Supreme Leader," (Foreign Affairs , Jan/Feb 2014 Issue)

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “Iran.”

Topic 7 (3/24) —Iran: A model for Middle-Eastern democracy or a political dead end for reform?

• Abbas Milani, "Iran's Paradoxical Regime" (Journal of Democracy, 2015, 8pp)

• The Economist, "The Revolution is Over" (2014, 16pp)

• Karl Vick, "Is Iran Finally Ready to Change" (Time, 2015, 6pp)

• Optional : Akbar Ganji, "Who Is Ali Khamenei? The Worldview of Iran's Supreme Leader" (Foreign Affairs, 2012, 8pp)

Monday, March 27: Unit 2 Examination in class

Monday, April 3 — Unit 2 Essay due electronically and in hard copy at the start of class.

Unit 3: The challenges of development and democratization

Topic 1 (4/3, 4/5 ): Why do some countries stay poor when others do not? Domestic theories of development and underdevelopment

• Rewatch this video: 200 years of development history in a four minutes or so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

• O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, “Developing Countries”

• Measuring development: Robert Wade, “Global Inequality: Winners and Losers” (the Economist, 2001, 5pp)

• Why so many people still live in poverty?: Niall Ferguson, “The Least Among Us” (A review of Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion).

• New article to add: The Economist, "Generation Games" (2017, 3pp).
  

• How part of the "third world" has figured development out: The Economist, "Climbing Back" (2006, 4pp)

• Optional, but very interesting:
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/01/15/40-charts-that-explain-the-world/

Topic 2 (4/10, 4/12): Why do some countries become and stay democratic? What is the relationship between economic development and democratization?

• Textbook chapter on Democracy and Development, 2013 , 36pp.

• Reread an outtake from O’Neil, Essentials of Comparative Politics, “Democratic Regimes” (Only review the section on "Contemporary Democratization": pp. 143-148.)

• Joseph T. Siegle, et al., “Why Democracies Excel” (Foreign Affairs, 2004, 14pp)

• Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and George W. Downs, "Development and Democracy" (Foreign Affairs, 2005, 5pp)

Topic 3 (4/19)— How and why has Chinese socialism, totalitarianism, and authoritarianism differed from the Russian experience? How did China

s approach to economic development cahnge its politics after communism under Mao?

• As a reminder, y our last paper--the opinion essay--is due the last day of classes. The assignment instructions can be reviwed here . Please don't leave this assignment to the last minute.

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “China.”

• Watch the secon installment ("1949-1976," roughly two hours of "Born Under the Red Flag" (from a six-part documentary: China, A Century of Revolution):
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZLYKnQ8c4Q
  The film covers Mao's totalitarian rule of China. Other sections of installments of the documentary are available on YouTube if you are interested.

Topic 4 (4/21)— Can the CCP hold on to power over the long run? Will continued economic growth and more international power end up making China democratic ?

• Zhenhua Su, Hui Zhao, and Jingkai He. "Authoritarianism and Contestation" ( Journal of Democracy, 2013, 15pp)

• Andrew J. Nathan, "Foreseeing the Unforeseeable" (Journal of Democracy, 2013, 6pp)

• James Fallows, "China's Great Leap Backwards" (The Atlantic, 2016, 8pp).

• Optional : Suisheng Zhao, "Xi Jinping's Maoist Revival" (Journal of Democracy, 2016, 15pp)

Topic 5, 6 (4/24)—THIS MATERIAL IS OPTIONAL AND WILL NOT BE COVERED ON THE FINAL EXAMINATION. Making India's Democracy ; Balancing Democracy and Development in India

• O’Neil, et al. Cases, “India” (Chapter 9).

• Ashutosh Varshney, "India's Democratic Challenge" (Foreign Affairs, 2007, 6pp)

• Roberto Zagha, "India's Inequality: An Uneasy Reconciliation with Economic Growth" (Current History, 2016, 9pp)

• Optional : "Arvind Rajagopal, The Rise of Hindu Populism in India’s Public Sphere" (Current History, 2016, 7pp)

Last class day (4/26)—Course wrap up

• Your opinion essay is due. The assignment instructions can be reviewed here . Please note, to receive full credit for this assignment, you will need to upload it to a designated web folder so that it can be reviewed by members of the college's GBS committee.

Final examination: The final exam will be administered in the three-hour period designated by the university, which is 8-11 am on Wed., May 3. As noted in the syllabus, the final exam is worth one quarter of your course grade.

The test will be administered in two parts. The first, which is designed to be completed in about an hour, covers just the third course unit. Except for the graduating seniors who are taking the exam early, the format of this part of your exam will be identical to the tests you took after the first two units.

The second part of the exam, which is worth one-third of the test score, will be a long essay question. This should take you 70-90 minutes to complete. You may use a note-card to help you prepare for this part of the exam, and I have posted both the question and test preparation instruction for you (the assignment sheet is in the handouts file).