Overview

This comprehensive course is designed to cover almost the entire subject matter of this vibrant academic field. As is the case with any discipline, this course starts with a contextual and historical background of the subject when it was conceived as an infant academic enterprise. It discusses the origin, scope, and nature of comparative politics as well as the theoretical and conceptual toolkit to engage in variety of comparative studies designed by its founding fathers. A blend of traditional and modern approaches is discussed along with the latest interventions in the form of contemporary methodological and theoretical directions in the subject. Moreover, the theoretical and conceptual part has been balanced with a rich praxis part covering interesting comparative analyses of various institutions and processes around the world. Be it democracy, federalism or authoritarianism, a nuanced analysis is provided with selected case studies. Various forms and types of governments along with theories are discussed in detail. Besides, party system and electoral dynamics, there are comparative case studies on legislature, executive, and judiciary. This is surely an essential and ‘go to’ course for anyone interested in examining institutions and processes in comparative perspective. Essentially designed for undergraduate level, it can also be useful for graduate students, and even can cater to the requirements of general political science discipline as well.

Syllabus

First Week1. Comparative Politics-Understanding and emergence of new science of Politics2. Growth of Comparative Politics as a Discipline3. Comparative Politics from Formal Structures of Government to Matters of Public Concern4. Comparative Government vs Comparative Politics-Identities and similarities in Implication

2nd Week5.Contemporary Significance of the Subject6.Systems Approach7.Approaches to study Comparative politis-Meanig and Nature8.Modern Approaches-Emphasis on Fact Laden Study

3rd Week09.Structural Functional Approach10.Political Culture-Concept and Issue of Political Stability11.Political Culture -Inheritance, types and significance12.Political Culture-Analysis of Amond

4th Week
13.New Institutionalism as an Approach to study institutions14.Political Parties-Liberal vs Marxist Interpretations15.Importance of New Institutionalism16.Party politics-meaning and importance

5th Week
17.Types of Political Parties: Ideology, Structure, Area of activities18.Political Parties and Basic Similarities19.Elections-Importance in Practice of Democracy20.Types of election system -First Past the Post

6th Week
21.Proportional systems22.Mixed Systems23.Nation State System Definition and Characteristics24.Early foundations of modern nation states
7th Week
25.Nation State Historical evolution in Western Europe26.Nation State- postcolonial contexts27.Challenges to Nation State System-MNCs and International Organization28.Conceptualizing Democracy-Delegative and Illiberal Democracy

8th Week
29.Conditions of Democracy and its Maintaince30.Democratic Breakdown and Reconstruction31.Process of Democratization-Paths to Democracy32.Democratization - transition from authoritarian regime to an electoral democracy

9th Week
33.Democratization: -Favorable structural conditions34.Process of democratization in postcolonial countries35.Process of democratization in post- authoritarian countries36.Process of democratization in post-communist countries

10th Week
37.Democratization-Civil Liberties and Political Rights38.Federalism-Conceptual Analysis39.Elements maintain the Federal Principle40.The classical theory of Federalism

11th Week
41.The origin theory of federalism42.Functional Theory of Federalism43.Historical vs modern concept of federalism44.Federation and Confedration-Comprasion and Analysis

12th Week
45.Forms of Decentralization -Political46.Forms of Decentralization-Administrative47.Future of Federal political System in India