ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

 

Not available in 2018/19
GV454      Half Unit
Parties, Elections and Governments

This information is for the 2018/19 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Torun Dewan CON6.07

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in EU Politics, MSc in EU Politics (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and Sciences Po) and MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Pre-requisites

There are no formal prerequisites.

Course content

The course focuses on key topics in political science concerning voting and representation. Topics covered include:

• Party and Candidate Strategy

• The Role and Origins of Parties

• Government Formation and Termination

• Electoral Systems: Franchise, Ballot, and Allocation formulas

• Leadership

• Political Careers

• Government Accountability

Examples will be drawn from a wide range of democracies.

Teaching

20 hours of seminars in the LT.

In week 11 of LT students will sit a two hour mock exam

Formative coursework

All students are expected to submit one non-assessed essay.

Indicative reading

The course is focussed mainly on journal articles. However the following books are relevant to some of the topics covered

 

Gary Cox, Making Votes Count (1995); Gary Cox & Mathew McCubbins, Setting the Agenda (2005); George Tsebelis, Veto Players (2002); Kenneth Shepsle and Mark Boncheck, Analysing Politics (1997); Tim Besley, Principled Agents (2005); John Aldrich, Why Parties (1995); Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Alastair Smith, Randolph Siverson and James Morrow, The Logic of Political Survival (2003); Giovanni Sartori, Comparative Constitutional Engineering (1997); Michael Laver & Norman Schofield, MultiParty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe (1990).

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.

Student performance results

(2014/15 - 2016/17 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 18.4
Merit 49
Pass 30.6
Fail 2

Key facts

Department: Government

Total students 2017/18: Unavailable

Average class size 2017/18: Unavailable

Controlled access 2017/18: No

Value: Half Unit

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Problem solving
  • Communication