POSC 120: Democracy and Dictatorship Carleton College, Winter 2016 Professor Devashree Gupta Office: Willis 404 Email: [email protected] Phone: x4681 Skype: devashree.gupta1 Winter Office Hours: Mondays, 12:30pm-­‐2:00pm Wednesdays, 12:30pm-­‐2:00pm Fridays, 9:30am-­‐11:30am And Skype by appointment “What do they know of England who only England know?” Rudyard Kipling “Every hundred feet the world changes.” Roberto Bolaño COURSE OVERVIEW This class serves as an introduction to comparative politics, the area of political science that investigates the political dynamics of other countries. There are almost 200 independent states in the world, and within this group of countries, there is dazzling variety in institutional types, policies, political attitudes, levels of citizen participation, and economic performance. It is the starting premise of this class that no single model of political governance outperforms all others across the board. Instead, the beauty – and the complexity – of studying comparative politics involves grappling with how and why this diversity exists, and what the implications are for the people living in different societies. Some of the questions that we will consider this term include: • How do we explain the existence of democratic and authoritarian countries? What makes a country more likely to be one or the other? • How do different societies embed their particular values and social norms in their political “rules of the game,” and what consequences do these choices have for ordinary citizens who live in those countries? • How do different institutional configurations affect economic, social, and political performance, including economic growth, quality of life, corruption, and happiness? To unravel some of these issues, the class will explore some of the “greatest hits” of comparative politics and use these theories to understand the dynamics of case studies and contemporary events from around the world. 1 COURSE MATERIALS Hooray! You do not need to buy any books for this class! All the course material will be available on Moodle. You are expected to do all the assigned readings, watch assigned videos, and complete required activities before coming to class unless otherwise noted on the syllabus. You should also plan to bring with you a copy of assigned readings to class or thorough notes on the readings to facilitate class discussions. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Your grade in this course will be based on the following six elements, which will be weighed as follows: 1. Participation 10% 2. Final exam 25% 3. Quizzes and assignments 15% 4. Simulation analysis 20% 5. Response papers (2) 20% 6. In-­‐class data presentation 10% Participation (10%) Your grade for this component is based on two parts: your active engagement with the course material and your overall “citizenship” in the classroom. Active engagement takes many forms, including close attention to the discussion/lectures, asking clarifying questions about the lecture, bringing up interesting examples and counterexamples of the phenomena we are studying, presenting opposing arguments, challenging assumptions or conclusions, reporting back to the class on small-­‐group discussions, coming to office hours to discuss the material, etc. Throughout the term, we will experiment with many different ways to structure discussion. You should figure out what makes you feel most comfortable and use that channel to add your voice to the class deliberations. It is important that you find some way to be actively involved in the class and add your own reflections and ideas to the larger discussion. Students who simply come to class and listen attentively—but do nothing more—will be unlikely to earn anything above a B-­‐ for this component. Why does participation — actively contributing to the class — matter at all? It’s because our class is a small epistemic community; we are collectively working towards enhancing and expanding our knowledge, and we each bring different information resources to this common goal. Epistemic communities only work if every member is committed to sharing the information and knowledge they have, and doing so generously and without fear. Because a positive and supportive environment is needed for our epistemic community to flourish, citizenship also matters for participation. Behaviors that will negatively affect your grade include: repeated tardiness, unexplained absences, not paying attention in class to me or your peers (by texting, using the internet, engaging in side conversations with your neighbors, etc.), and engaging in disruptive or disrespectful behavior during lecture, discussions, or presentations. 2 Final exam (25%) The final exam will cover material from the entire course, including readings and lectures. It will consist of several short-­‐answer/ID questions and essay questions. It is closed-­‐book, closed-­‐note, and self-­‐scheduled. Quizzes and assignments (15%) There will be occasional quizzes (both on Moodle and unannounced in-­‐class) designed to check that you have done the required work and readings for the class. These quizzes will be multiple-­‐
choice. There will be between three and ten quizzes during the term, and the lowest quiz score will be dropped in calculating this component. If you miss a quiz because of illness, you can make it up provided that (1) you notify me before the start of class that you will be absent due to illness and (2) you proactively make arrangements with me about scheduling a make-­‐up quiz outside of class time. You are only allowed to make up one quiz; thereafter – barring documented evidence of an unavoidable emergency or serious, ongoing medical issues – you will not be allowed to make up missed quizzes. In addition, there will be periodic assignments that you will be required to complete before coming to class, usually in response to an assigned reading or video and intended to facilitate better, richer conversations in class. Moodle assignments cannot be turned in late (barring a documented emergency). If you miss a deadline, you forfeit the grade for that assignment. Simulation analysis (20%) We will spend two days on an extended simulation about regime transitions. Prior to the start of the simulation, you will submit a short (2-­‐3 page, double spaced) strategy brief in which you outline how you will bargain and negotiate during the simulation. Following the simulation, you will submit a longer (5-­‐6 page, double-­‐spaced) paper in which you evaluate the dynamics of the simulation, assess the success (or failure) of your initial strategy, and contrast the events of the simulation with class readings on how regime transitions unfold. The pre-­‐simulation brief is worth 5% of your grade; the post-­‐brief analysis is worth 15%. Response papers (20%) You will write two short papers that respond to posted prompts. I will post several of these prompts at the beginning of week three; you will pick one of these prompts and write a short, 3-­‐
4 page (double-­‐spaced) response that draws substantially on assigned class texts. This paper will help me identify areas where you might improve in your writing. This paper is worth 5% of your grade. The second short paper will be in response to a prompt of your choice from a list I will post at the end of week eight. This paper will be slightly longer (5-­‐6 double-­‐spaced paged) and will require you to integrate class readings but also some additional outside research. This paper is worth 15% of your grade. In-­‐class data presentation (10%) During week four, we will spend one class session investigating the correlation between regime type and performance indicators, like economic growth, political stability, corruption, and health. To facilitate this examination, you will be divided into small groups of 3-­‐4 people, each of which will be responsible for one indicator. Your group will be responsible for thinking about how best to measure this indicator, explore different datasets that are available, pick one, and collect data to add to a collective class dataset. For the presentation, each group will have 4-­‐5 3 minutes to present how they chose to operationalize the indicator, what datasets they considered, why they picked the dataset they did, and present the results of their correlation. You are encouraged to consult with Danya Leebaw, the social sciences reference librarian, as you work through this assignment. FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL PAPERS •
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Papers should only be in Times New Roman 12pt font. Margins should be no smaller than 1” on all sides, and no bigger than 1.25” on all sides. The right margin should be left jagged, not justified. Papers should always include page numbers. Papers will be turned in on Moodle unless otherwise specified. Papers are due by 7pm on the indicated date. Submissions are time stamped, and no grace period is given, so be mindful of the time! Papers should always be in PDF format. Only papers in PDF format will be considered “turned in.” When using scholarly sources, use the Chicago author-­‐date citation system only. Your bibliography must also be formatted according to the author-­‐date system. Bibliographies never count towards the page limit. Use footnotes sparingly and do not use endnotes. Always include your name on your paper. Cover sheets are not necessary. Spell check and proofread. While homonym errors are understandable (in moderation), spelling mistakes that are clearly not words and that would certainly be caught by spell check are disgraceful and cast doubt on your credibility as an author. COURSE POLICIES Attendance Your presence in class is mandatory, and you are expected to come to class regularly and on time. If you are unable to attend due to illness or an emergency, you should notify me by email as soon as possible (and preferably in advance). If you are forced to miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from a classmate and to come see me during office hours to clarify any questions you have. If you miss class without explanation, it will count as an unexcused absence. After two unexcused absences, your participation grade will automatically be lowered by one letter grade (e.g., from a B to a C). After four unexcused absences, you are in danger of receiving a zero for your participation grade. After six unexcused absences, you are in danger of failing the class outright. Grading All grades are awarded on a letter grade basis, which correspond to the following numerical grades: A (100-­‐94) C (76-­‐73) A-­‐ (93-­‐90) C-­‐ (72-­‐70) B+ (89-­‐87) D+ (69-­‐67) B (86-­‐83) D (66-­‐63) B-­‐ (82-­‐80) D-­‐ (62-­‐60) C+ (79-­‐77) F (59-­‐0) 4 To get an “A” on a paper, you must present a clear, focused, concrete, thorough, original, and compelling analysis of the topic. Such papers will be well grounded in evidence and the scholarly literature (specifically the assigned readings). The writing will be crisp, logically organized, and free of technical errors. Such papers are uncommon as an “A” indicates truly exceptional work. Papers that receive a “B” will involve a sound and reasonable consideration of the topic that indicates the writer has a good overall grasp of the material, but will fall short of an “A” paper in the quality or depth of the analysis, the strength of evidentiary support, and/or technical clarity in writing. Papers that receive a “C” will tend to be vaguely written, weak in argumentation, may contain factual errors, or misunderstandings of the material. Papers receiving less than a “C” will contain serious flaws and typically will not fulfill the requirements of the assignment in some fashion. Late work Assignments are due by 7pm on the indicated deadline. Anything handed in after that – barring illness or other extenuating circumstances – will automatically be penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade Technological difficulties do not excuse late work unless they are system-­‐wide. Please be advised: Moodle time-­‐stamps your submissions down to the minute. Do not lose track of time, and please don’t cut things too close. Extensions Please do not ask for an extension without having a compelling reason involving unforeseen complications or obstacles to completing your work on time. Simply having a lot of work in a given week is not sufficient grounds for an extension. Real life involves few deadline extensions, so it is good to get in the habit now of getting things done and turned in on time. Plagiarism and academic dishonesty If you are not familiar with Carleton’s policy and standards on academic dishonesty, please go to https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/doc/integrity/ and familiarize yourself with information. If you have questions or uncertainties about when or where or how to attribute information correctly, please come see me or consult with a reference librarian. Anyone caught cheating, plagiarizing, or otherwise violating the rules of academic honest at Carleton will automatically receive a zero for the assignment and will have the case referred to the Dean’s office for further investigation and possible disciplinary action. In addition, offenders may receive a failing grade for the course at the discretion of the professor. Special needs If you require special accommodation due to a documented physical or learning disability, please come see me during the first week of class to discuss how I can best help you get the most out of the term. Computers, phones, tablets I strongly prefer that students refrain from using electronic devices in class. However, since some of you may have electronic versions of readings or prefer to take notes on a laptop, I will allow their use provided that you do not use them for anything other than class-­‐related tasks. That means ABSOLUTELY NO email, social media, games, internet browsing or anything else apart from (1) class readings and (2) note-­‐taking applications. The minute you open your computer or tablet, log off other applications and disable the Wi-­‐Fi to keep yourself from being 5 tempted. If I spot anyone abusing this policy, they will be banned permanently for the rest of the term for everyone. SCHEDULE OF READINGS The readings from this course come from a variety of sources, some of which are intended for a general audience of non-­‐specialists and some for a more specialized, knowledgeable, and scholarly audience of political scientists. Depending on your background and prior experience with the social sciences, you may find some of these readings to be fairly straightforward. Others may be tougher going and will require more time and effort on your part. Regardless, it is your responsibility to read each piece with care. Please engage in active, not passive reading: summarize main points for yourself as you go along, flag points that are unclear, write down questions that come to mind, note points where you agree and disagree with the author, assess whether the author has provided sufficient credible evidence to substantiate the argument, etc. The more work you put in ahead of time, the more productive class time will be. Remember: all readings and assignments are due for the day listed unless otherwise noted. All readings, podcasts, assignments, and scheduled quizzes are available on Moodle. COMPARATIVE POLITICS: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW January 4 Topic What is comparative politics? Introduction to the course January 6 Practical and philosophical foundations of comparative politics Readings • Look through the Moodle site, syllabus, and course policies By the end of the week, complete the (ungraded) syllabus quiz. Students scoring 10/10 will receive an extra credit point applicable to their first quiz. • Shively, W. Phillips. 2012. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science. New York: McGraw Hill, ch. 1-­‐2. Do the Moodle quiz before coming to class BUILDING BLOCKS OF COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS: STATES AND NATIONS January 8 Origin and evolution of states January 11 Origin and evolution of states (continued) January 13 The state and the nation January 15 States and nations outside of Europe • Tilly, Charles. 1992. Capital, Coercion, and European States, AD 990-­‐1992. Blackwell: Malden, MA, ch. 1-­‐3. Do the Moodle quiz before coming to class • Schwarz, Rolf. 2008. “The Political Economy of State Formation in the Arab Middle East: Rentier States, Economic Reform, and Democratization.” Review of International Political Economy, 15(4): 599-­‐621. • Hobsbawm, Eric. 1990. Nations and Nationalism since 1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 2-­‐4. • Leander, Anna. 2002. “Wars and the Un-­‐Making of States: Taking Tilly Seriously in the Contemporary World.” In S. Guzzini and D. Jung, Copenhagen Peace Research : Conceptual Innovations and Contemporary Security Analysis. London: Routledge. 6 January 18 paper prompts posted by 7pm January 20 New models of governance: the European Union A closer look: the European Union and the Eurozone crisis • McCormick, John. 2011. Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, ch. 1, 3, 4 • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0diZ48_q7U Do Moodle quiz before coming to class • News clippings on Eurozone crisis • Lane, Philip R. 2012. “The European Sovereign Debt Crisis.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(3): 49-­‐68. • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1LCBp0twLE REGIME TYPES: WHO GETS TO RULE? January 22 Democratic regimes January 25 Authoritarian regimes January 27 In-­‐class writing conference A closer look: regime types and government performance January 29 • Dahl, Robert. 1998. On Democracy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, ch. 2, 4, 8, 12. • Linz, Juan J. 2000. Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes. Boulder, CO and London: Lynne Rienner, ch. 2. • Levitsky, Steven and Lucan A. Way. 2002. “The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism.” Journal of Democracy, 13(2): 51-­‐65. First short paper (draft) due by 7pm on Moodle (PDF only!) • Video lectures on writing • Peer review paper for writing conference • In-­‐class presentations on data REGIME CHANGE: HOW DO TRANSITIONS AND BREAKDOWNS HAPPEN? February 1 Regime transitions February 3 Regime transitions, continued February 5 Democratic consolidation and breakdown February 8 Midterm break • Video lecture on democratic waves • O’Donnell, Guillermo and Phillippe Schmitter. 1986. Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, ch. 1-­‐5. • Stepan, Alfred and Juan J. Linz. 2013. “Democratization Theory and the ‘Arab Spring’.” Journal of Democracy, 24(2): 15-­‐30. • Carnegie, Paul J. 2012. “Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind: Challenges of Transition for the Arab Spring.” Europolis, 8(1): 31-­‐41. First short paper (revised) due by 7pm on Moodle (PDF only!) • Linz, Juan. 1978. The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 14-­‐32, 50-­‐
58. • Bratton, Michael and Nicolas van de Walle. 1994. “Neopatrimonial Regimes and Political Transitions in Africa.” World Politics, 46(4): 453-­‐489. • No reading 7 February 10 In-­‐class simulation (meet in Weitz 236) • No reading Pre-­‐simulation brief due IN CLASS February 12 In-­‐class simulation • No reading INSTITUTIONAL CHOICES: HOW ARE DEMOCRACIES ORGANIZED? February 15 Presidential and parliamentary systems • Shively, Phillip. 2011. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, 13th ed. New York: McGraw-­‐Hill, ch. 14-­‐
15. February 17 Comparative electoral systems February 19 A closer look: electoral design February 22 Political parties and party systems • Shively, Phillip. 2011. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, 13th ed. New York: McGraw-­‐Hill, ch. 10 (pp. 225-­‐243).
• Boix, Carles. 1999. “Setting the Rules of the Game: the Choice of Electoral Systems in Advanced Democracies.” The American Political Science Review, 93(3): 609-­‐624.
• No reading Post-­‐simulation brief due by 7pm on Moodle (PDF only!) • Shively, Phillip. 2011. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, 13th ed. New York: McGraw-­‐Hill, ch. 11 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: WHO GETS RICH? February 24 Import-­‐substitution industrialization February 26 Export-­‐led strategies and human development February 29 ISI vs. EOI, continued March 2 Exploring persistent underdevelopment Paper prompts posted by 7pm • Video lecture on economic development strategies • Franko, Patrice. 2007. The Puzzle of Latin American Development. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, ch. 3-­‐
5. • Van Dijck, Pitou and Harmen Verbruggen. 1987. “The Case of Singapore.” In Export Oriented Industrialization in Developing Countries, H. Linnemann, ed. Manila: Council for Asian Manpower Studies. • Lee, Jong-­‐Wha. 2003. “Economic Growth and Human Development in the Republic of Korea, 1945-­‐1992.” Occasional Papers, #24, Human Development Office, United Nations Development Programme. • No reading • Collier, Paul and Jan Willem Gunning. 1999. “Why Has Africa Grown Slowly?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13(3): 3-­‐22. • Montes, Manuel F. 2014. “Obstacles to Development in the Global Economic System.” Research Paper #51. Geneva: South Centre. STATE AND SOCIETY: WHAT ABOUT CITIZENS? March 4 Civil society and social capital • Stolle, Dietlind. 2003. “The Sources of Social Capital.” In M. Hooghe and D. Stolle, eds. Social Capital: Civil Society and Institutions in Comparative Perspective. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave, pp. 19-­‐42. 8 March 7 March 9 Civil society and conflict Conclusion & wrap-­‐up Do Moodle assignment before coming to class Short paper #2 due by 7pm on Moodle (PDFs only!) • Varshney, Ashutosh. 2001. “Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society: India and Beyond.” World Politics, 53(3): 362-­‐398. • No reading 9