Graduate

Adopting a comparative perspective on bureaucracy, this course examines how and why the structures, capacities, effectiveness and accountability of bureaucracies vary significantly in different places and at different times. Why do some administrative organizations become politicized and corrupt while others establish strong meritocratic administration and effective performance? Why do some bureaucracies develop their own power base and become relatively autonomous while others are subject to elaborate political oversight and micro-management? The course will examine these questions in both the global north and the global south.
 

Why are there political parties? The origins of parties in issue cleavages, legislatures, social movements, and personal followings. Types of parties. The political machine, the ideological party, third parties, flash parties. Federalism and political parties. Intra-party competition and selection of leaders. What do parties try to maximize: votes? ideological purity? personal security of party professionals? How parties change: reform movements, issue crises, external social movements.

Historical accounts of the making of the modern world emphasize the emergence of nation states. War and geopolitics feature prominently. Economic accounts emphasize the industrial revolution and economic growth. Economic growth is then related to business activity, the pursuit of economic returns, and technological change. The best-known attempt in political economy to bridge the two spheres relies on “institutions” as commitment devices. In that view, rulers can act as predators over economic agents and rules are needed to constrain predatory behavior. In this course we examine that view, and then explore additional elements that seem to have mattered: (i) modern states that become more powerful and coercive, not less; (ii) a private sector that thrives, often in connection to violent activities of the state; and (iii) an enhanced role for finance enabling complementary private and public activities. We construe the political process and the pursuit of profit as part of a symbiotic enterprise between rulers and economic agents. This should allow us to reconcile mainstream descriptions of the rise of capitalism with revisionist views, and to shed new light on phenomena that are either more distant in history (such as ancient state formation) or more recent, such as the pursuit of industrial policies. 

Room Share with PHDBA 279PD.

This course explores how symbols, rituals, and narratives shape political behavior, public policy and state formation. Drawing on classic and contemporary political science research, we will analyze the creation and impact of political symbols in various contexts, from national identities to intergroup conflict. The course will also evaluate the strategies political actors use to leverage symbolic power to sway both public opinion and political outcomes. Additionally, the course will focus on the challenges of conceptualizing, measuring and analyzing political symbols, both quantitatively and qualitatively, so that research designs that can effectively identify and communicate the influence of symbols in politics.

This group brings together students and faculty working at the intersection of politics and identity. Our goal is to foster community among anyone studying the role of social identities in politics and society, regardless of subfield, methods involved, and identities of interest. Anyone is welcome. Participants can present research, give and receive feedback, share research best practices, and work through challenges with fellow scholars in a collegial and welcoming environment. Discussion can center around research at any stage, from fully-drafted working papers, to proposed research designs (e.g., an experiment before it is run), to early-stage ideas and brainstorming. We will meet weekly for an hour for most of the semester. Food and drinks will be served.

Tuesdays 12:30-1:30
Harris Room, Philosophy Hall
Sept 10-Nov 19

*Course was originally listed as PS292.17.