To develop skills in the analysis of political systems in a comparative way and with sensitivity to the international dimensions of domestic politics. In other words, this is "open political economy" comparative politics.

Achieving a good command of methods of analysis of contemporary politics, complemented by the acquired knowledge of political macrophenomena, also through the help of example covering all main political phenomena of political change.

The course is divided into two separate parts. Following the first introductory week conducted by Professor Leonardi, Professor Tomasz Woźniakowski will take the lead during weeks 2 – 5. Professor Woźniakowski will cover cover the European Union in a comparative and historical perspective, the dynamics of the economic crises and their impact on multilevel government, and the role of institutions in comparative politics and international relations. The second part of the course taught by Professor Robert Leonardi (weeks 6 – 10) will analyse major European political systems covering the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, in addition to a discussion of the emerging reality of the European Union. Content of weeks 2 – 5: Institutions are central to politics and political science. We can think of three interrelated factors operating in both domestic and international politics: power, ideas, and institutions. Ideas frame incentives and provide roadmaps for how to pursue them. Power provides the resources to channel non-market incentives (rents!), and institutions provide the framework of rules. The basic economic model is very close to this framework. Economics thinks in terms of preferences (incentives), endowments (resources), technology (ideas), and, after Douglass North, property rights (institutions) but conspicuously downplays power. The course compares the American experience of fiscal integration which led to the creation of the federal power to tax (i.e. a fiscal union) with the European experience of fiscal regulation. The course analyzes the conditions under which a federal fiscal union is likely to emerge. What is the role of a crisis? Why is it justified to compare the modern EU and the pre-Constitution US? How does it help us to understand the nature of the multilevel government? We focus on political institutions in both domestic and international politics within the context of the European Union. Why do fiscal and regulatory institutions at the EU level differ so much from those at the national level? Countries have the resources, the ideas, and the incentives, so why don’t they create the institutions at the EU level to make it less crisis prone, institutions that are more in line with those created in domestic politics? The readings explore the role of ideas (e.g ordo-liberalism vs. Keynesianism), national incentives (e.g. on mutualization of debt), and power (e.g. between the German-led north and the southern part of the Eurozone). Content of weeks 6 – 10: Weeks 6 – 10 of part II of the course will discuss the evolution of four major countries in Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy), in order to understand the similarities and differences that exist among the four national models selected in terms of their institutions, distribution of political parties and major policies. The publication that will serve as the basis for the readings selected for the module is Donald Hancock (ed.) Politics in Europe, 7th edition, London: Sage, 2018) that presents a comparative analysis of seven European countries. Due to the time restrictions we will concentrate on four of the seven countries. However, if students are interested in the political systems of the other three countries—i.e., Russia, Poland and Sweden-- they are available in the text of the publication.

Part I of the course convened by Tomasz Woźniakowski will rely on two core textbooks: S. Fabbrini, 2019, Europe’s Future: Decoupling and Reforming, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. S. Fabbrini, 2015. Which European Union? Europe After the Euro Crisis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (both are available as e-book in the Luiss Library) T. Woźniakowski, 2022, Fiscal Unions. Economic Integration in Europe and the United States, Oxford: Oxford University Press. In order to access virtual books and articles, first you must edit the proxy configurations of your browser, and then you should open the source via the Luiss Library search engine. Part II of the course convened by Professor Robert Leonardi will largely rely on the below core textbook: Donald Hancock (ed.) Politics in Europe, 7th edition, London: Sage, 2018. The Luiss Library has a hard copy of the book on reserve. The book can be read on the spot, no overnight loan is available.

Students will benefit from both lecture and interatcive, seminar-style teaching. The course includes a 45 mins online and 1hr 15 minutes in-person lecture. In addition, 1hr interactive breakout sessions (seminar-style teaching) will be organised in group division. Please note that some lectures will be longer due to starting a week later than other first year magistrale courses. There will be no teaching on 1st November, Tuesday, which is bank holiday.

100% end of year, take-home, open book exam The exam covers the entire course, students will have to choose and answer two open-ended essay questions, which relate to the two separate sections of the course material. There will be no mid-term exams. Exam answers will be checked for plagiarism via a software called Turnitin. The use of any text not originating from the author needs to be attributed to the original source. If it is a direct quotation it should be appropriately quoted and referenced, if it is a paraphrased quote, referencing is still required.

No specific criteria, except the salience of the topic and the effective interest of the student.

No