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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.

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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]

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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’),

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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

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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.

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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?

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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