Universität Wien

210127 SE M7: State Activity, Policy and Governance Analyses (2019S)

Inter-Election Democracy

9.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 21 - Politikwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work

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Studierende, die der ersten Einheit unentschuldigt fern bleiben, verlieren ihren Platz in der Lehrveranstaltung.

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Plagiierte und erschlichene Teilleistungen führen zur Nichtbewertung der Lehrveranstaltung (Eintragung eines 'X' im Sammelzeugnis).
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Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 40 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 05.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 19.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 26.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 02.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 09.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 30.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 07.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 14.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 21.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 28.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 04.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 18.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 25.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 2 (H2), NIG 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In democracies elections set the pulse of politics. The seminar focuses on the democratic process between elections. However, this process is structured in many ways by the election just held and foreshadowed by the election to follow at the end of the legislative term. In the seminar we will study important episodes and aspects of the inter-election period and how they relate to the two elections. Political actors try to learn from past elections and anticipate future elections in making their moves and decisions in the inter-election period. Performing well in elections is important to political parties and their leaders – but it is not the only goal that matters. Political parties and politicians also care for winning government office and making policy gains (i.e. changing the policy status quo in the preferred direction). To some extent electoral success is a precondition of achieving office and policy goals, yet to some extent one goal can only be achieved at the cost of other goals. Political actors thus have to choose and find a balance between these goals. In the inter-election period this complex choice situation appears in many situations some of particular importance will be studied in the seminar.
Relevant situations and topics include:
• Forming a government
• Electoral performance and party leaders’ accountability
• The cost of governing and the clarity of responsibility
• How do parties in government keep their voters loyal?
• Coalition dynamics
• How to deal with the opposition (government)?
• Can losers win?
• Which tricks governments play to improve their re-election chances?
• Preparing for the next election, preparing for the next government formation

Assessment and permitted materials

Active participation, student presentations, term paper

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

(1) Presence in seminar (with a maximum of 2 agreed-upon missings) and active participation in the discussions (requiring engagement with the readings and substantive problems) (15 % of the grade)
(2) Two seminar presentations on texts (30 % of the grade)
(3) Seminar paper ca. 5000¬–6000 words, without references (55 % of the grade)

Examination topics

Reading list

Ecker, A. & T. M. Meyer (2017). Coalition Bargaining Duration in Multiparty Democracies. British Journal of Political Science first view doi:10.1017/S0007123417000539
Ennser-Jedenastik, L. & G. Schumacher (2015). Why Some Leaders Die Hard (and Others Don’t): Party Goals, Party Institutions, and How They Interact. In W. Cross & J. B. Pilet (eds.), The Politics of Party Leadership: A Cross-National Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hjermitslev, I. B. (2018). The electoral cost of coalition participation: Can anyone escape? Party Politics, online first https://doi.org/10.1177/1354068818794216
Maravall, J. M. (2010). Accountability in Coalition Governments. Annual Review of Political Science, 13: 81–100.
Thomson, R. et al. (2017). The Fulfillment of Parties’ Election Pledges: A Comparative Study on the Impact of Power Sharing. American Journal of Political Science 61(3): 527–542.
Sagarzazu, I. & H. Klüver (2017). Coalition Governments and Party Competition: Political Communication Strategies of Coalition Parties. Political Science Research and Method 5(2): 333–49.
Lupia, A. & K. Strøm (1995). Coalition Termination and the Strategic Timing of Parliamentary Elections. American Political Science Review, 89(3): 648–665.
Schröder, Valentin & Christian Stecker (2018). The Temporal Dimension of Issue Competition. Party Politics 24(6): 708–718.
De Vries, C. E. & S. B. Hobolt (2015). Issue Entrepreneurship and Multiparty Competition. Comparative Political Studies, 48(9): 1159–1185.
Schleiter, P. & M. Tavits (2018). Voter Reactions to Incumbent Opportunism. Journal of Politics 80(4): 1185–1196
Drazen, A. & M. Eslava (2010). Electoral Manipulation Via Voter-Friendly Spending: Theory and Evidence. Journal of Development Economics 92(1), 39–52.
König, P. & G. Wenzelburger (2017). Honeymoon in the Crisis: A Comparative Analysis of the Strategic Timing of Austerity Policies and Their Effect on Government Popularity in Three Countries. Comparative European Politics 15(6), 991–1015.
Golder, S. N. (2006). Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation in Parliamentary Democracies. British Journal of Political Science 36(2): 193–212.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:38