sosc 3520: understanding comparative … and explain the similarities and differences in politics...
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Division of Social Science
SOSC 3520: UNDERSTANDING COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Spring, 2014-2015
Room 2407 (lifts 17-18)
Monday, 1:30 – 2:50pm; Friday, 9:00 – 10:20am
Lecturer: Dr. James K. WONG
Room 3002 (lift 4)
E-mail: jameskalei@ust.hk
Office hours: By e-mail appointment
Teaching Assistant: Miss Xiaoxiao SHEN
Room 3001 (lift 4)
E-mail: xshenac@ust.hk
Office hours: By e-mail appointment
Course Description
This course analyzes politics from a comparative perspective. The overarching theme is to
understand and explain the similarities and differences in politics across a variety of democratic
countries. The first part of the course introduces the foundations and methods for comparative
political science. The second part examines a number of substantive topics in political behaviour,
institutions and outcomes. Students benefit from the perspectives into cross-national comparison as
well as the analytical knowledge and skills for developing any successful careers.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be better equipped to:
1. Knowledge: (a) Explain and discuss key concepts and theories in comparative politics.
(b) Analyze the similarities and differences in politics across a variety of
democratic countries.
(c) Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different political systems.
2. Skills: (a) Collect and integrate evidence of political phenomena.
(b) Apply conceptual/theoretical tools to compare and analyze political
phenomena.
(c) Communicate ideas, claims and arguments effectively.
3. Attitude: (a) Exercise independent and critical judgments in political analysis.
(b) Recognize the significance of concepts and theories in understanding
real-life politics.
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Pre-requisites
There are no pre-requisites for this course. However, an introductory knowledge of political science
would be useful. For a review of basic concepts and methods of political science, you may wish to
consult Michael Roskin et al. (2010) Political Science: An Introduction (11th
edition), Boston:
Pearson Longman. [JA71 .P623 2010]
Teaching
Three hours of lecture per week. Starting from March, there are slots dedicated to students’ delivery
of their group reports (details as below). Satisfactory attendance at lectures is expected.
Requirements and Grading
Group report (verbal OR written delivery) 25%
Mid-term test 25%
Final individual paper 40%
Class participation 10%
IMPORTANT: Failure to complete any of the first THREE tasks (i.e., group report, mid-term test
or final individual paper) may result in a failure grade for this course. ALL students in a group are
expected to contribute reasonably to the group assignment. Any forms of ‘free-riding’ are strictly
unacceptable.
1. Group Report (25%) [ILOs #1(a), 1(b), 2(a), 2(b), 2(c), 3(a) & 3(b)]
Students will form into groups of 3 to 4 (NB: Group size depending on enrollment). Each
group will work on one of the 8 thematic questions (see pages 11-12 of this prospectus) by
incorporating analysis of at least TWO country cases. Students are expected to demonstrate
the skills in selecting and presenting evidence as well as applying relevant concepts and
theories in the analysis.
Subject to quota constraints, each group may choose EITHER of the following ways to deliver
their group report:
OPTION 1 Verbal delivery only: A 20-minute presentation of the report plus a
question-and-answer session (Quota: 6 for Questions 1-4; 6 for
Questions 5-8)
OPTION 2 Written delivery only: A written report of about 10-15 pages (No quota
constraint)
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For Option 1, students need NOT submit written reports. The dates for presentations depend on
the questions worked on:
Questions 1-4 March 20 (Friday) OR March 23 (Monday)
Questions 5-8 May 4 (Monday) OR May 8 (Friday)
For Option 2, depending on the questions worked on, students must submit their reports on or
before the following deadlines (one hard copy in class plus a soft copy to LMES):
Questions 1-4 March 20 (Friday)
Questions 5-8 May 4 (Monday)
For example, a group that works on Question 1 must submit their report by March 20 (Friday),
while a group that works on Question 5 must submit their report by May 4 (Monday). Marks
will be deducted for late submission at 3% per day.
Grouping will be finalized by February 16 (Monday). A lot-drawing session will be arranged
on February 23 (Monday) to determine the order of priority in choosing the slots for
presentations.
All group reports will be graded on the basis of: (i) interpretation of the question; (ii) quality of
argument; (iii) quality of evidence; (iv) application of relevant concepts and theories; and
(v) structure, clarity and appropriate use of language. Students are reminded of an important
principle: quality, rather than quantity, matters the most.
2. Mid-term Test (25%) [ILOs #1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 2(b), 2(c), 3(a) & 3(b)]
A closed-book test will take place on March 30 (Monday). The test aims to assess students’
understanding of the concepts and theories discussed from Topic 1 (‘Introduction’) to Topic 6
(‘Presidential vs. Parliamentary Regimes’). It contains questions that require short answers.
3. Final Individual Paper (40%) [ILOs #1(a), 1(b), 2(a), 2(b), 2(c), 3(a) & 3(b)]
Students are required to produce ONE individual paper in no more than 2,500 words
(excluding footnotes, appendix and bibliography). They may choose from a list of thematic
questions on pages 11-12 of this prospectus or formulate their own topics. However, students
must NOT choose the same topics as those for their own presentations.
Similar to the group report, students should incorporate, in the paper, analysis of at least
TWO country cases; they are also expected to demonstrate the knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories as well as the skills in selecting and presenting data and information.
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The paper is due on May 18 (Monday). Marks will be deducted for late submission at 3% per
day (one hard copy to TA plus a soft copy to LMES). Marks will be deducted for late
submission at 3% per day. Papers submitted 7 days after the deadline will NOT be graded. The
paper will be graded based on the same set of criteria as that for the group report.
4. Class Participation (10%) [ILOs #1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 2(b), 2(c), 3(a) & 3(b)]
Students are expected to participate actively in all class activities and discussions. Again,
quality matters more than quantity. Attendance is a pre-condition for participation. To score
well for participation, students must be able to show good attendance records.
* Note: To prepare for the writing assignment(s), students are strongly encouraged to attend the
research and writing tutorial sessions organized by the School of Humanities and Social Science.
Details TBA.
Course Communication
All announcements will be made through the course website in the LMES (http://lmes2.ust.hk).
Supplementary course materials and other learning resources will also be posted on the website. In
addition, students may make use of the discussion platform for further participation.
Policy on Plagiarism and Cheating
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offences, and are taken very seriously by the University.
Students are reminded of the consequences for violating University’s regulations governing
academic integrity and honesty. For details of the regulations, please visit the following website:
http://tl.ust.hk/integrity/student-1.html.
Policy on Make-up Arrangements
Under most circumstances, NO make-up test will be arranged. In case students miss the test due to
medical or family emergency, they must contact the Lecture or TA within 7 days, and present
appropriate evidence (e.g., medical documentation from a registered practitioner) in order to request
for a make-up test. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. The format of the make-up test,
if any, may differ from that of the original one.
Useful Texts
William R. Clark, Matt Golder and Sona N. Golder (2013) Principles of Comparative Politics
(2nd
edition), Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. [JF51 .C53 2013]
Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013) Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction
(9th
edition), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [JF51 .H28 2013]
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Other Texts for Reference
G. Bingham Powell, Russell J. Dalton and Kaare Strom (eds.) (2014) Comparative Politics
Today: A World View (11th
edition), New York: Pearson. [older edition: JF51. C62 1996]
Charles Hauss (2015) Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges
(9th
edition), Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. [JF51 .H33 2015]
Michael G. Roskin (2013) Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture (12th
edition),
New York: Pearson. [JF51 .R54 2013]
Daniele Caramani (ed.) (2014) Comparative Politics (3rd
edition), Oxford/New York: Oxford
University Press. [JA86 .C526 2014]
Useful Websites
Asian Barometer: http://www.asianbarometer.org
CIA – The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
CIA – World Leaders: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/
Constitution Finder: http://confinder.richmond.edu
Freedom House: http://www.freedomhouse.org
Global Barometer: http://www.jdsurvey.net/gbs/gbs.jsp
Parties and Elections in Europe: http://www.parties-and-elections.eu
Polity IV Project: http://www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm
Reporters without Frontiers: http://www.rsf.org
World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org
World Values Survey: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org
Class Schedule and Readings
Feb 2 (Mon) Topic 1: Introduction
Essential reading:
William R. Clark, Matt Golder and Sona N. Golder (2013) Principles of
Comparative Politics (2nd
edition), Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, Chapter 1
(‘Introduction’), pp. 1-8, 13-18.
Feb 6 (Fri) &
Feb 9 (Mon)
Topic 2: Doing Comparative Politics
Essential readings
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 2 (‘What is Science?’), pp. 19-44.
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013) Comparative Government and
Politics: An Introduction (9th
edition), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,
Chapter 19 (‘Comparative Methods’), pp. 361-374.
Supplementary readings
G. Bingham Powell, Russell J. Dalton and Kaare Strom (eds.) (2014)
Comparative Politics Today: A World View (11th
edition), New York:
Pearson, Chapter 2 (‘Comparing Political Systems’).
David Collier (1993) The Comparative Method, in A. Finifter (ed.) Political
Science: The State of the Discipline II, Washington D.C.: American
Political Science Association, pp. 105-119.
Lucian W. Pye (2001) Political Science, in Joel Krieger (ed.) The Oxford
Companion to the Politics of the World (2nd
edition), Oxford: Oxford
University Press, pp. 674-709.
I. Understanding and Explaining Political Behaviour
Feb 13 (Fri) &
Feb 23 (Mon)
Topic 3: Political Preferences and Voting Behaviour
Essential readings
Russell J. Dalton (2011) Left-right Orientations, Context and Voting
Choice, in Russell J. Dalton and Christopher J. Anderson (eds.) Citizens,
Context and Choice: How Context Shapes Citizens’ Electoral Choices,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 103-125.
Russell J. Dalton (2002) Political Cleavages, Issues, and Electoral Change,
in Lawrence LeDuc, Richard G. Niemi and Pippa Norris (eds.) Comparing
Democracies 2: New Challenges in the Study of Elections and Voting.
London: Sage, pp. 189-209.
Supplementary readings
Russell J. Dalton (2006) Social Modernization and the End of Ideology
Debate: Patterns of Ideological Polarization, Japanese Journal of Political
Science, 7(1): 1-22.
Kenneth Benoit and Michael Laver (2006) Party Policy in Modern
Democracies, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Chapter 6 (‘Left and Right in
Comparative Context’), pp. 129-148.
Geoffrey Evans (2000) The Continued Significance of Class Voting, Annual
Review of Political Science, 3: 401-417.
Seymour M. Lipset and Stein Rokkan (1990) Cleavage Structures, Party
Systems, and Voter Alignments, in Peter Mair (ed.) The West European
Party System, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 91-138.
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Feb 16 (Mon) ** NO MEETING – Class rescheduled for Apr 29 **
Feb 20 (Fri) ** NO MEETING – Lunar New Year Break **
Feb 23 (Mon) * Readings ditto *
Feb 27 (Fri) &
Mar 2 (Mon)
Topic 4: Political Parties and Electoral Competition
Essential readings
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 14 (‘Social Cleavages and Party
Systems’), pp. 603-641.
Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013), Chapter 10 (‘Political Parties’), pp.
169-189.
Supplementary readings
Anthony Downs (1957) An Economic Theory of Political Action in a
Democracy, Journal of Political Economy, 65(2): 135-150.
Robin Best and Michael D. McDonald (2011) The Role of Party Policy
Positions in the Operation of Democracy, in Russell J. Dalton and
Christopher J. Anderson (eds.) Citizens, Context and Choice: How Context
Shapes Citizens’ Electoral Choices, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.
79-102.
Lawrence Ezrow, Catherine de Vries, Marco Steenbergen and Erica
Edwards (2011) Mean Voter Representation and Partisan Constituency
Representation: Do Parties Respond to the Mean Voter Position or to Their
Supporters? Party Politics, 17(3): 275-301.
Scott Mainwaring and Edurne Zoco (2007) Political Sequences and the
Stabilization of Interparty Competition: Electoral Volatility in Old and New
Democracies, Party Politics, 13(2): 155-178.
Mar 6 (Fri) &
Mar 9 (Mon)
Topic 5: Collective Action and Interest Groups
Essential readings
Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013), Chapter 9 (‘Interest Groups’), pp.
150-168.
Cameron G. Thies and Schuyler Porche (2007) The Political Economy of
Agricultural Protection, Journal of Politics, 9(1): 116-127.
Supplementary readings
Frank R. Baumgartner and Beth L. Leech (1996) The Multiple Ambiguities
of ‘Counteractive Lobbying’, American Journal of Political Science, 40(2):
521-542.
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Mancur Olson (1965) The Logic of Collective Action, Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press, Chapter 1 (‘A Theory of Groups and
Organisations’), pp. 5-52.
Jonathan Unger and Anita Chan (1995) China, Corporatism, and the East
Asian Model, The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, 33: 29-53.
Philippe C. Schmitter (1974) Still the Century of Corporatism? The Review
of Politics, 36: 85-131.
Larry Diamond (1994) Rethinking Civil Society: Toward Democratic
Consolidation, Journal of Democracy, 5(3): 4-17.
II. Understanding and Explaining Political Institutions
Mar 13 (Fri) &
Mar 16 (Mon)
Topic 6: Presidential vs. Parliamentary Regimes
Essential readings
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 12 (‘Parliamentary, Presidential,
and Semi-Presidential Democracies’), pp. 457-506.
Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013), Chapter 16 (‘The Political
Executive’), pp. 298-321.
Supplementary readings
José A. Cheibub and Fernando Limongi (2002) Democratic Institutions and
Regime Survival: Parliamentary and Presidential Democracies
Reconsidered, Annual Review of Political Science, 5: 151-179.
George Tsebelis (2002) Veto Players: How Political Institutions Work,
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, Part I (‘Veto Players Theory’),
pp. 17-64.
George Tsebelis (1999) Veto Players and Law Production in Parliamentary
Democracies: An Empirical Analysis, American Political Science Review,
93(3): 591-608.
Donald Horowitz (1990) Comparing Democratic Systems, Journal of
Democracy, 1(4): 73-79.
Juan J. Linz (1990) The Perils of Presidentialism, Journal of Democracy,
1(1): 51-69.
Mar 20 (Fri)
Mar 23 (Mon)
Students’ Presentations: Questions 1-4
No reading
Mar 27 (Fri) &
Apr 10 (Fri)
Topic 7: Centralized vs. Decentralized Regimes
Essential readings
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 15 (‘Institutional Veto Players’),
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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pp. 673-691.
Rod Hague and Martin Harrop (2013), Chapter 14 (‘Multilevel
governance’), pp.253-265.
Supplementary readings
Wallace Oates (1999) An Essay on Fiscal Federalism, Journal of Economic
Literature, 37(3): 1120-1149.
Daniel J. Elazar (1997) Contrasting Unitary and Federal Systems,
International Political Science Review, 18(3): 237-251.
Ronald Watts (2001) Models of Federal Power Sharing, International
Social Science Journal, 53(167): 23-32.
Jenna Bednar (2005) Federalism as a Public Good, Constitutional Political
Economy, 16(2): 189-205.
Jonathan Rodden (2006) Federalism, in Barry Weingast and Donald
Wittman (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Political Economy, Oxford: Oxford
University Press, pp. 357-372.
Mar 30 (Mon) ** Mid-term Test **
Apr 3 (Fri) &
Apr 6 (Mon) ** NO MEETINGS – Easter Break **
Apr 10 (Fri) * Readings ditto *
III. Understanding and Explaining Political Outcomes
Apr 13 (Mon) &
Apr 17 (Fri)
Topic 8: Democracy and Conflict Management
Essential readings
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 16 (‘Consequences of Democratic
Institutions’), pp. 788-805.
Arend Lijphart (2004) Constitutional Design for Divided Societies, Journal
of Democracy, 15(2): 96-109.
Supplementary readings
Donald L. Horowitz (1993) Democracy in Divided Societies, Journal of
Democracy, 4(4): 18-38.
Donald L. Horowitz (2002) Constitutional Design: Proposals versus
Processes, in Andrew Reynolds (ed.) The Architecture of Democracy:
Constitutional Design, Conflict Management, and Democracy, Oxford:
Oxford University Press, pp. 15-36.
Benjamin Reilly (2002) Electoral Systems for Divided Societies, Journal of
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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Democracy, 13(2): 156-170.
John D. Huber (2012) Measuring Ethnic Voting: Do Proportional Electoral
Laws Politicize Ethnicity? American Journal of Political Science, 56(4),
986-1001.
Apr 20 (Mon) &
Apr 24 (Fri)
Topic 9: Politics and Economic Performance
Essential reading
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 9 (‘Democracy or Dictatorship: Does
it Make a Difference?’), pp. 325-346.
Supplementary readings
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, James D. Morrow, Randolph Siverson and
Alistair Smith (2001) Political Competition and Economic Growth, Journal
of Democracy, 12(1): 58-72.
Michael L. Ross (1999) The Political Economy of the Resource Curse,
World Politics, 51(2): 297-322.
Peter A. Hall and David Soskice (2001) An Introduction to Varieties of
Capitalism, in Peter A. Hall and David Soskice (eds.) Varieties of
Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-70.
Amartya Sen (2001) Development as Freedom, Oxford/New York: Oxford
University Press, pp. 3-34; 146-159 (‘Introduction’; ‘The Perspective of
Freedom’; ‘The Importance of Democracy’).
Apr 27 (Mon) &
Apr 29 (Wed)*
Topic 10: Determinants of Democracy
Essential reading
William R. Clark, et al. (2013), Chapter 6 (‘The Economic Determinants of
Democracy and Dictatorship’), pp. 171-212; and Chapter 7 (‘Cultural
Determinants of Democracy and Dictatorship’), pp. 213-263.
Supplementary readings
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (2006) Economic Origins of
Dictatorship and Democracy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Chapter 3 (‘What Do We Know about Democracy?’).
Michael L. Ross (2011) Will Oil Drown the Arab Spring? Democracy and
the Resource Curse, Foreign Affairs, 90(5): 2-7.
Larry Diamond (2011) The Impact of the Economic Crisis: Why
Democracies Survive? Journal of Democracy, 22(1): 17-30.
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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May 1 (Fri) ** NO MEETING – Labour Day **
May 4 (Mon) &
May 8 (Fri)
Students’ Presentations: Questions 5-8
No reading
* Make-up session
Important Dates
Feb 16 (Mon) Deadline: Grouping for group report
Feb 23 (Mon) Lot drawing for group report
Mar 20 (Fri) Deadline: Group report (Questions 1-4)
Mar 20, 23 (F/M) Presentations of group reports (Questions 1-4)
Mar 30 (Mon) Mid-term test
Apr 29 (Wed) Make-up session
May 4 Deadline: Group report (Questions 5-8)
May 4, 8 (M/F) Presentations of group reports (Questions 5-8)
May 18 (Mon) Deadline: Final individual paper
Questions for Group Report and Final Individual Paper
* Reminder: Groups that choose to work on Question 1, 2, 3 or 4 must deliver their presentations on
March 20 or March 23, OR submit their written reports by March 20.
Question 1 (Political preferences and voting behaviour)
EITHER: Why do people have different political preferences?
OR: Why do people have different motives for voting in elections?
Question 2 (Political parties and electoral competition)
Why, if at all, do political parties take up different positions on a left-right scale?
Question 3 (Collective action and interest groups)
Why, if at all, are some interest groups more powerful than others?
Question 4 (Presidential vs. parliamentary regimes)
Why, if at all, are some political systems more stable than others?
SOSC 3520 (14-15) / 22 Jan 2015
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* Reminder: Groups that choose to work on Question 5, 6, 7 or 8 must deliver their presentations on
May 4 or May 8, OR submit their written reports by May 4.
Question 5 (Centralized vs. decentralized regimes)
Why do some countries have more decentralized models of government than others?
Question 6 (Democracy and conflict management)
Why are some democratic institutions more able to manage social conflict than others?
Question 7 (Politics and economic performance)
Why do some countries have better economic performance? Explain from a political science
perspective.
Question 8 (Determinants of democracy)
Why do some countries become or remain as democracies?
Quality Assurance
Students are welcome to offer comments and suggestions on the course.
The principal concern of this course is students’ learning, and therefore, the lecturer may modify the
schedule if this will facilitate their learning.
Revised edition
22 January 2015
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