Political Systems
Code
711071033
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Estudos Políticos
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Catherine Moury, Marco Lisi
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) To study different types of political systems, combining an historical analysis with an empirical approach.
b) To identify the variation of institutional configuration of democratic regimes and non democratic political systems.
c) To analyze recent trends of political system change and, in particular, to discuss problems and challenges of contemporary democratic regimes.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
1. Political Systems: form and organization of power
2. Institutions and Political Systems
3. Non-democratic Political Systems: Totalitarian and post-totalitarian regimes, Authoritarian Regimes, Hybrid Regimes
4. Democratic Political Systems: Presidencialism, Semi-presidentialism and Parliamentarism
5. Instruments of Direct Democracy
6. Recent trends in contemporary democratic political systems
7. International Organizations
8. The political system of the European Union
9. Attitudes towards democratic political systems
Bibliography
Chehabi, H. E. e Juan J. Linz (dir.), Sultanistic Regimes, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.
Lobo, Marina Costa e Octavio Amorim Neto (dir.), O Semipresidencialismo nos Países de Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa, Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, 2009.
Pasquino, Gianfranco, Sistemas políticos comparados, Cascais, Principia, 2005.
Sartori, Giovanni, Comparative Constitutional Engeneering: An Inquiry into Structures, Incentives and Outcomes, Londres, Palgrave, 1994.
Peterson, J. e Shackleton, M. The Institutions of the European Union. Oxford, OUP, 2006
Teaching method
Lectures introducing the major themes of the course (75%), and discussion of selected texts or presentation of papers by students (25%)
Evaluation method
Two written exams (each 50%), one in the mid-term and one at the end of the course. Students attendance (2/3 of the scheduled sessions) and the active participation in class debates are taken into account for the final mark.