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PS106: Introduction to Comparative Politics

Fall 2009 Professor Ringe
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-2:15 Office: 201B North Hall
Humanities 3650 Email: ringe@wisc.edu

Head TA: Adam Auerbach
aauerbach@wisc.edu


Course Description:

This course is an introduction to comparative politics, one of the four sub-fields in Political Science,
which involves the comparative analysis of political institutions, processes, and outcomes at the national
level.

During this term, we will try to figure out how we can usefully compare politics in a variety of countries.
We will make comparisons explicit and systematic in order to determine how governments work, how
power is organized and contested at the national level, and how regular people can participate and pursue
their interests in different political settings.

One of the primary goals of the class will be to introduce you to the study of comparative politics,
including its key concepts, theories, methods, issues, and language. Some of these may seems quite
removed from the real world at first, which is why we will look at six countries in some details in order
to make the application of comparative politics more concrete and accessible. The group of countries we
cover in this class consists of the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, East-Central Europe (especially
Poland), China, and Mexico.



Objectives:

In this course, you will:

Learn about some basic theoretical and methodological problems in the study of politics
(concepts, theories, issues).
Learn about the "real" world and how to explain it.
Learn to identify interesting questions about politics in different countries.
Learn to identify differences and similarities, and what both tell us about what we are studying.
Learn to understand and compare different forms of democratic and non-democratic rule.
Become familiar with the language of political science.

By the end of the semester, you should be able to apply the concepts of political science to analyze (and
evaluate) political events in a variety of settings.



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Requirements:

1. Regular attendance and careful attention during lectures, including detailed note-taking.
2. Regular attendance, careful attention, and active participation in your discussion section. This
requires doing the readings and thinking about the assigned materials so that you are able to
participate in the discussion. The discussion section TAs will be evaluating you in this regard.
3. Two midterm exams.
4. A cumulative final exam.



Grading:

Class attendance and participation: 15%
Midterm Quiz #1: 25%
Midterm Quiz #2: 25%
Final Exam: 35%



A few important notes (please read very carefully):

You should make a habit (if you do not already have) of reading at least one newspaper or
periodical with substantial international coverage, such as The New York Times, The Financial
Times, The Washington Post, or The Economist. Exams will reference current events in the
countries we are studying, so it is in your best interest to stay on top of things.
Anything covered in lecture, discussion section, or readings is fair game for the exams. So just
doing the reading on the last night before the exam means an almost certain failing grade. Come
to class, come to your discussion sections, and do your readings carefully and on time. Note that
even readings that have not been explicitly addressed in lecture or discussion section may be
covered in the exams!
I allow discussion section switching only under exceptional circumstances, i.e. when you would
have to drop this class entirely if you could not switch into another section. You will have to
present documentation to this effect.
I prefer you contacting me via email. Note, however, that I will have roughly 500 students in my
two classes this semester, so getting in touch with me will never be the quickest or most
straightforward way to get an answer. Please contact your section TA before getting in touch with
either Mr. Auerbach or me. The section TAs will forward your inquiry to me if need be. If you do
have to contact me personally, please be sure that it says 106 in the subject header (otherwise,
your email may be discarded as spam). Also be advised that it may take several days for me to get
back to you, given the large number of students I am teaching this term.
If you know that you will be absent from class for religious or other reasons that can be known in
advance, tell your section TA before class. Also let your section TA know if you have to miss
class due to sickness or family emergencies.
I will not provide detailed lecture or other class notes. Actively taking notes during class time is
an important skill and learning tool. To facilitate your note-taking, however, I will upload an
outline of my lecture to our Learn@UW course website on the night before the relevant class
meeting. This outline will allow you to anticipate the topics discussed, and to fill in the
information provided in the lecture. Please note, however, that the lecture outlines are very basic
and will not in any way be a substitute for you attending lecture. If you dont come to class, you
will be missing important information that will be required knowledge on the exams.
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Re-evaluating grades (please read very carefully!): my policy on re-evaluating grades is the
following:
o You have to wait for 48 hours after the assignment has been returned before issuing any
complaints.
o You will contact your section TA with a request to re-evaluate your grade. They will take
the case to me. I will not respond to a request that comes directly from you. If you have
any concerns about your section TA handling your case, please contact Mr. Auerbach.
o You have to draft a 1-2 page double-spaced memo outlining why you deserve a better
grade. Please note that this memo has to be based entirely on the merit of your own work,
i.e., it cannot be based on comparisons with the grades of other students.
o Your grade will be fully re-evaluated. This means that the TA or I may revise the grade
downward as well as upward. So please be certain that you have a very specific and
justifiable reason before asking us to make any changes this is not a risk-free process!
The exam days are set. Clear your schedules now. There will be no make-up examinations unless
you can provide proper documentation that your absence is due to a) a genuine family emergency,
b) illness or injury, or c) travel away from Madison for university-related (!) obligations. If an
exam is missed for a valid reason, your TA will give you a substitute assignment. This will be an
essay of 10 pages based on the material covered in the exam and will be due two days after the
date of the missed exam.
Students needing special accommodations to ensure full participation in this course should
contact me as early as possible. All information will remain confidential. You also may contact
the McBurney Disability Resource Center regarding questions about campus policies and
services.
Cheating is a very serious offense that will get you in great trouble. You will receive a failing
grade for the class, and the reason for the grade will be noted in your transcript. This will make it
extremely difficult for you to gain entrance to graduate or professional schools and will
jeopardize your opportunities with a large number of employers in the future.

! There can be absolutely no exceptions to these rules! Please bear in mind that in a class
of almost 400 students, we lack a lot of the flexibility that smaller classes can afford.



Required readings:

ONeill, Patrick H. 2006. Essentials of Comparative Politics, 2
nd
Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN
0393928764.

Kesselman, Mark et al. Introduction to Comparative Politics, 5
th
Edition. New York: Houghton Miffling.
ISBN 1111005346.

NOTE: This is a custom textbook that was printed specifically for our class, meaning that you
must purchase a new copy available at the university bookstore; used copies from previous years
are not the same book!

All other readings listed in this syllabus are also required and available for download on our Learn@UW
course website. If you prefer hard copies, you can order a course reader at the Social Science Copy
Center (1180 Observatory Drive, Room 6120, 608-262-5396, soccopy@ls.admin.wisc.edu) for about
$30.00. Note that course readers are printed only on request; you have to contact the Social Science
Copy Center (via email, phone, or in person) to place your order.

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September 3: Introduction

No readings.



September 8, 10, 15: The State and Democracy

ONeill, chs. 1, 2, 3, 6

Robert Dahl. 2005. What Political Institutions Does Large-Scale Democracy Require? Political Science
Quarterly 120(2), pp. 187-197.

Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl. 1991. What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not, Journal of
Democracy 2(3), pp. 75-88.

Robert Dahl. 2001. The Constitution as a Model: An American Illusion. In: How Democratic is the
American Constitution? New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 41-72.

The Failed States Index 2009, Foreign Policy, available at:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/22/the_2009_failed_states_index
! Explore content of website carefully.



September 17, 22: Research Design

Michael J. Sodaro. 2004. Critical Thinking about Politics: Analytical Techniques of Political Science -
The Logic of Hypothesis Testing. In: Comparative Politics: A Global Introduction, 2nd Edition. Boston:
McGraw-Hill, pp. 56-95.



September 24: The Logic of Comparison

Donald L. Horowitz: 1996. Comparing Democratic Systems. In: Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner:
The Global Resurgence of Democracy. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 143-149.

The Economist Intelligence Units Index of Democracy 2008

Arend Lijphart. 1999. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six
Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press.

The Westminster Model of Democracy, pp. 9-30.

The Consensus Model of Democracy, pp. 31-47.



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September 29, October 1, 6: The United Kingdom

Kesselman et al., Britain (Chapter 2)

ONeill, ch. 7

Donley T. Studlar. 2007. British Constitutional Change. In: Christian Soe: 2008. Annual Editions,
Comparative Politics 08/09, New York: McGraw Hill, pp. 70-77.

Vernon Bogdanor. 2007. The Historic Legacy of Tony Blair, Current History, March 2007, pp. 99-105.

Selected news articles:

David Cameron: UK's Next Leader? TIME Magazine, September 11, 2008.

The riddle of Gordon Brown, The Economist, October 18, 2008.

Personnel matters: The shadow cabinet, The Economist, January 17, 2009.

Britains fallen star: The economy, The Economist, February 14, 2009.

Those exceptional British, The Economist, March 28, 2009.

Who runs Britain? The Economist, April 4, 2009.

The great shaming of Parliament: Political expenses scandal, The Economist, May 16, 2009.

Reprieved: Gordon Brown stumbles on, The Economist, June 13, 2009.

Stoppable force meets immovable object: The survival of Gordon Brown, The Economist, June
13, 2009 12.

Blowback, The Economist, June 20, 2009.

The election starts here: Gordon Brown's latest relaunch, The Economist, July 4, 2009.

And the soldier home from the hill: British forces in Afghanistan, The Economist, July 18,
2009.

Tory splits! The Economist, July 18, 2009.



October 8: MIDTERM EXAM #1



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October 13, 15, 20: Germany

Kesselman et al., Germany (Chapter 4)

Jackson Janes and Stephen Szabo. 2007. Angela Merkel's Germany, Current History, March 2007, pp.
106-111.

Selected news articles:

A party in disarray: Germanys Social Democrats, The Economist, September 6, 2008.

Bottom of the form: German education, The Economist, October 18, 2008.

Merkel counts her blessings, The Economist, December 6, 2008.

Angela Merkel's big political year, The Economist, January 17, 2009.

A strange liberal revival: Hesses election, The Economist, January 24, 2009.

How to restart the engine? The state and the economy: Germany, The Economist, March 14,
2009.

The underdogs bark: Germany's Social Democrats, The Economist, April 25, 2009.

Those selfish Germans, The Economist, May 2, 2009.

The export model sputters: Germany's economy, The Economist, May 9, 2009.

A German anniversary: The Federal Republic at 60, The Economist, May 23, 2009.

Spy Fired Shot That Changed West Germany, New York Times, May 27, 2009.

The mystery of Mrs. Merkel: Germany's inscrutable chancellor, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

Merkel is the message: Germany's chancellor, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

On shaky foundations: Germany's mediocre universities, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

Christopher S. Allen. 2007. The Case for a Multi-Party U.S. Parliament? In: Christian Soe: 2008.
Annual Editions, Comparative Politics 08/09, New York: McGraw Hill, pp. 133-141



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October 22, 27, 29: Russia

Kesselman et al., Russia (Chapter 11)

ONeill, ch. 8 pp. 189-205 only

ONeill, ch. 4

Marina Ottaway. 2003. Facing the Challenge of Semi-Authoritarian States. The Chronicle of Higher
Education 49(22), pp. 11-13

Robert Skidelsky. 2007. Putin's Patrimony. Prospect, March 2007.

Selected news articles:

Georgia offers fresh evidence on wars start, The New York Times, September 16, 2008.

Russia Cuts Gas; Europe Shivers, The Economist, January 7, 2009.

A Crossroads for Russia and America, The New York times, January 11, 2009.

A Threat to Putins Big Plans, The New York Times, February 1, 2009.

Georgia Offers Sideburns and a Disco Beat as Payback for a War, The New York Times,
February 22, 2009.

The Last Days of the Oligarchs? The New York times, March 8, 2009.

A new Moscow show trial: The Khodorkovsky case, The Economist, April 4, 2009.

Russia Claims Victory in Chechnya, Spiegel Online, April 17, 2009.

Idealism Amid the Cynicism of Russian Politics, The Washington Post, April 27, 2009.

A Puzzle Over the Intentions of Russias President, The New York Times, May 3, 2009.

A new sick man: Russias economy, The Economist, June 6, 2009.

Obamas Snub to Putin, The Washington Post, July 9, 2009.

War and peace through the bravest eyes: Natalie Estemirova on Chechnya, The Economist,
July 25, 2009.



November 3: Political Violence

ONeill, ch. 11

James Habyarimana et al. 2008. Is Ethnic Conflict Inevitable? Parting Ways Over Nationalism and
Separatism. Foreign Affairs, July/August 2008.
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November 5, 10, 12: East-Central Europe / Poland

Kesselman et al., "East-Central Europe in Transition" (Chapters 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)

ONeill, ch. 8 pp. 205-218 only

Gabriel A. Almond. 1991. Capitalism and Democracy. PS: Political Science and Politics 24(3), pp.
467-474.

George Sanford. 2001. Polands Place in the New Europe. In: George Sandford: Poland - The Conquest
of History. Amsterdam: Harwood, pp. 81-112.

Selected news articles:

Poland Risks Serious Confrontation with Russia, Spiegel Online, August 20, 2008.
Polands Power Struggle Reaches Brussels, Spiegel Online, October 15, 2008.
The tough go politicking: Poland, The Economist, December 6, 2008.

As Draft Ends, Polish Military Faces Struggle To Modernize, The New York Times, December
12, 2008.

As It Falters, East Europe Raises Risks, The New York Times, February 24, 2009.

A Crisis Is Separating Eastern Europes Strong From Its Weak, The New York Times,
February 24, 2009.

A Report Card on Post-Cold War European Integration, Spiegel Online, March 15, 2009.

As Jobs Die, Europes Migrants Head for Home, The New York Times, April 25, 2009.

As Economic Turmoil Mounts, So Do Deadly Attacks on Hungarys Gypsies, New York
Times, April 27, 2009.

Solidarity celebration showcases lack of unity, Financial Times, June 3, 2009.

Lech Walesa: refusing to leave the limelight, Financial Times, June 4, 2009.

For Poland, a Milestone in Choice for European Post, The New York Times, July 15, 2009.



November 17: MIDTERM EXAM #2



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November 19, 24, December 1: China

Kesselman et al., China (Chapter 13)

ONeill, ch. 5

Doug Guthrie. 2003. The Quiet Revolution. Harvard International Review 25(2), pp. 48-53.

Michel Oksenberg. 2001. Will China Democratize? In: Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner: The
Global Divergence of Democracies. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 348-354.

Andrew J. Nathan. 2003. Authoritarian Resilience. Journal of Democracy 14(1), pp. 6-17.

Selected news articles:

Promises, promises: Land reform in China, The Economist, October 18, 2008.

The second long march, The Economist, December 13, 2008.

Year of the ox, The Economist, December 22, 2008.

Not much of a celebration: China and Tibet, The Economist, February 28, 2009.

How China sees the world, The Economist, March 21, 2009.

The party goes on, The Economist, May 30, 2009.

Silence on the square: Twenty years after Tiananmen, The Economist, May 30, 2009.

A stab at reform: Dissent in China, The Economist, June 6, 2009.

Comrades-in-arms: Gay rights in China, The Economist, June 20, 2009.

Chinas predicament, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

Damned if you do: Chinas internet censors, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

Sorry, the offers closed, The Economist, June 27, 2009.

Spreading its bets, and its gold: Chinese aid to Africa, The Economist, July 4, 2009.

Yuan small step: China and the dollar, The Economist, July 11, 2009.

Is China fraying? The riots in Xinjiang, The Economist, July 11, 2009.

A fine balancing act: Chinas recovery, The Economist, July 18, 2009.

Open Constitution closed: China, the law and NGOs, The Economist, July 25, 2009.



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December 3, 8: Mexico

Kesselman et al., Mexico (Chapter 10)

ONeill, ch. 9

Chappell Lawson. 2007. How Did We Get Here? Mexican Democracy After the 2006 Elections. PS:
Political Science and Politics, January 2007, 44-48.

Andreas Schedler. 2000. The Democratic Revelation. Journal of Democracy 11(4), pp. 5-19.

Robert A. Pastor. 2000. Exiting the Labyrinth. Journal of Democracy 11(4), pp. 20-24.


Selected news articles:

Left behind, The Economist, August 2, 2008.

Oh rose, thou art sick, The Economist, September 6, 2008.

Spot the drug trafficker, The Economist, November 1, 2008.

The end of the American dream, The Economist, December 13, 2008.

Backroom boss, The Economist, December 20, 2008.

Fear of violence: The Mexico-US border, The Economist, April 4, 2009.

Whats hot, green, and Mexican? The Economist, April 18, 2009.

Barracks law: Mexicos army, The Economist, May 2, 2009.

The cracks opened up by the flu, The Economist, May 9, 2009.

Deeper plunge? The Economist Intelligence Unit, May 27, 2009.

Not made here, The Economist, May 30, 2009.

A turning tide? The Economist, June 28, 2009.

Rejuvenated PRI, The Economist Intelligence Unit, July 7, 2009.

Caldern's hatful of troubles, The Economist, July 11, 2009.

Taking on the unholy family: Mexicos drug gangs, The Economist July 25, 2009.



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December 10: The Future of Democracy and the State

ONeill, ch. 10

Amartya K. Sen. 1999. Democracy as a Universal Value. Journal of Democracy 10(3), pp. 3-17.

Thomas Carothers. 2004. Democracys Sobering State. Current History 103(677), pp. 412-416.

Russell J. Dalton, Susan E. Scarrow and Bruce E. Cain. 2004. Advanced Democracies and the New
Politics. Journal of Democracy, 15(1), pp. 124-138.

Stanley Fish. 2008. Against Independent Voters. New York Times, January 20, 2008.



December 15: Review Session



December 18, 7:45 am 9:45 pm: FINAL EXAM