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Political Behaviour

Period of duration of course
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Course info
Number of course hours
20
Number of hours of lecturers of reference
20
CFU 3
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Modalità esame

Take-home position paper: pass/fail for PhDs; 30-point scale for MA students.

Note modalità di esame

Most classes will consist of 3-hour sessions. Readings are mandatory before each session. All classes will have a theory part delivered by the instructor (lecture format) but will also have a seminar part where students will discuss assigned readings and debate (seminar format). Materials for the course will be available in a shared folder. Attendance and participation are mandatory.


Prerequisiti

Compulsory for 4th year MA students. Optional for all PhD students.

Programma

This course studies political behavior, including electoral and non-electoral participation, and the role of citizens as political actors. First, we will start by discussing normative questions around political participation: Does political participation matter? How much participation does a well-functioning democracy require? Do the voices of all citizens count the same? Second, we shall then explore the concepts of political culture and participation, its evolution, forms and levels in a comparative perspective, with a European focus. Third, we will then revise the different explanations of citizens’ behavior in representative democracy, covering the micro-, meso- and macro- levels of analysis. Finally, we will have specific sessions delving deeper into topics such as youth political engagement, the persistent gender gap in political engagement, electoral participation, protest, far right mobilization, online activism, and so on. 

Obiettivi formativi

The selection of reading materials, teaching, and discussions aim to provide students with a sound, critical perspective on the different theories and to develop the necessary skills to conduct research in political behaviour. While acknowledging the variety of factors that shape complex political processes, students should be able to analyze the behavior of political actors, patterns of mobilization and the role of citizens in contemporary democracies.

Riferimenti bibliografici

Mandatory: Teorell, J. (2006) Political participation and three theories of democracy… European Journal of Political Research, 45: 787-810

M: Easton, D. (1975). A Re-Assessment of the Concept of Political Support. British Journal of Political Science, 5(4): 435-457.

M: Magalhães, P. C. (2013) Government effectiveness and support for democracy. EJPR, 53(1): 77-97.

Optional: Held, D. (1996). Models of democracy. Polity Press. Ch. 1-4.

M: Jennings, M.K, Stoker, L. & Bowers, J. (2009) Politics across generations... The Journal of Politics, 71(03): 782-799.

M: van Deth, J.W. (2014) A conceptual map of political participation. Acta Politica, 49(3): 349-367.

M: Neundorf, A., & Smets, K. (2017). Political socialization and the making of citizens. In Oxford Handbooks Online.

O: Theocharis, Y., & van Deth, J.W. (2018). The continuous expansion of citizen participation... European Political Science Review, 10(1): 139-163.

M: Jennings Brady, H.E., Verba, S., & Schlozman, K. L. (1995) Beyond SES: A resource model of political participation. American Political Science Review, 89(2):271-294.

M: Putnam, R.D. (1995). Bowling Alone… Journal of Democracy, 6(1): 65-78.

O: Ostrom, E. (2007). Collective action theory. In Boix, Stokes (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics. Oxford UP, pp. 186-208.

O: Schussman, A., & Soule, S. A. (2005). Process and Protest. Social Forces, 84(2), 1083–1108.

M: Vráblíková, K. (2013) How context matters? Comparative Political Studies, 47(2): 203-229.

M: Anduiza, E. (2002) Individual characteristics, institutional incentives and electoral abstention in Western Europe. EJPR, 41: 643-673.

O: Kriesi, H., Koopmans, R., Duyvendak, J. W., & Giugni, M. G. (1992). New social movements and political opportunities in Western Europe. EJPR, 22(2): 219-244.

O: Dalton, R., Van Sickle, A., & Weldon, S. (2010). The Individual–Institutional Nexus of Protest Behaviour. BJPS, 40(1): 51-73.

M: Verge, T., & Tormos, R. (2012). The Persistence of Gender Differences in Political Interest. Rev Esp Inv. Soc., 138: 185-203.

M: Sloam, J. (2014). New Voice, Less Equal. CPS, 47(5): 663-688.

O: Burns, N., Schlozman, K.L. & Verba, S. (2001). The private roots of public action. Harvard UP. Pp. 1-38 & concl.

O: Fernández G-G., E., Portos, M., & Felicetti, A. (2024). Young people’s attitudes towards democracy and political participation... Gov. & Opp., 59(2): 582-604.

M: Castelli Gattinara, P., Froio, C., & Pirro, A.L.P. (2022). Far-right protest mobilisation in Europe... EJPR, https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12484.

M: Barberá, P. (2023). “Social Media, Echo Chambers, and Political Polarization”. In Persily, Tucker (eds.), Social Media and Democracy: The State of the Field. Cambridge UP.

O: Pirro, A.L.P. & Portos, M. (2021). Populism between voting and non-electoral participation. West European Politics, 44(3): 558-584.

O: Gibson, R. & Cantijoch, M. (2013) Conceptualizing and measuring participation in the age of the internet… The JOP, 75(3):701-716.

 

 

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