Programme

Are presidential systems more stable and effective than parliamentary systems? Does economic modernization lead to democratization? How can we explain the recent surge of far right populist parties in Europe? Questions such as these are at the core of the discipline of comparative politics, one of the major sub-disciplines in political science. In comparative politics, the main emphasis is on how and why political phenomena might be compared, and which lessons can be learned from these comparisons. Comparative politics has a strong international component. At the centre is the systematic comparison of political actors and institutions in different countries using common concepts, with the intention of identifying how, and explaining why, politics is similar or dissimilar in other places.

Comparative studies range from analyses of a small number of countries to large-scale global comparisons. It addresses topics as diverse as the recent prominence and extensiveness of democratization processes, the growing public disillusionment with conventional party politics, issues of nationalism and ethnic conflict, and globalization and governance in the twenty-first century. For the comparative political scientist, the real world of government is the laboratory to observe how processes and institutions operate and to demonstrate important theoretical and empirical relationships between political phenomena.

Comparative analysis can play an important role in encouraging students to think about political behaviour and political events in their own country in comparison to others. Comparative politics also has a clear practical relevance. It provides politicians and citizens with experiences to appreciate the conditions for policy-making failures and successes, in areas as varied as electoral and institutional reform, the restructuring of the welfare state, or the dynamics of European integration. Comparative politics can make examples available to inform policy agendas and to critically examine the available repertoire of action.

More information on Comparative Politics courses and time-tables can be found in the e-Prospectus.
Please note that the courses shown are for the current year and serve only as an example of the type of courses you will be able to follow.