This seminar will examine politics in non-democratic regimes. How do non-democratic leaders gain power, hold power, or lose power? Topics covered will include economic development, quasi-democratic institutions, media and propaganda, governance, elite politics, democratic and other transitions, and foreign policy.
This course is a PhD-level seminar, intended for students planning to pursue a research career in the social sciences. As such, we will be reading and discussing research using a variety of methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative empirical methods as well as formal models. However, students who have not yet had the opportunity to get specific training in one or more of these areas are welcome and should simply engage with the material to the best of their abilities.
Undergraduates wishing to join the class should enroll on the waitlist with Telebears and send an email to the instructor at lorentzen@berkeley.edu with your full transcript, briefly outlining why you would be able to contribute to the class at a high level and your commitment to dealing with a much heavier workload than is typical of advanced undergraduate classes. You will be admitted from the wait list at the discretion of the instructor.