GV454 Half Unit
Parties, Elections and Governments
This information is for the 2015/16 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Torun Dewan CON6.07
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in EU Politics, MSc in European Studies: Ideas, Ideologies and Identities (LSE and Sciences Po) and MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Pre-requisites
There are no formal prerequisites.
Course content
The course focuses on key topics in political science concerning voting and representation. Topics covered include:
• Party and Candidate Strategy
• The Role and Origins of Parties
• Government Formation and Termination
• Electoral Systems: Franchise, Ballot, and Allocation formulas
• Leadership
• Political Careers
• Government Accountability
Examples will be drawn from a wide range of democracies.
Teaching
22 hours of seminars in the LT.
In week 11 of LT students will sit a two hour mock exam
Formative coursework
All students are expected to submit one non-assessed essay.
Indicative reading
The course is focussed mainly on journal articles. However the following books are relevant to some of the topics covered
Gary Cox, Making Votes Count (1995); Gary Cox & Mathew McCubbins, Setting the Agenda (2005); George Tsebelis, Veto Players (2002); Kenneth Shepsle and Mark Boncheck, Analysing Politics (1997); Tim Besley, Principled Agents (2005); John Aldrich , Why Parties (1995) ; Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Alastair Smith, Randolph Siverson and James Morrow, The Logic of Political Survival (2003); Giovanni Sartori, Comparative Constitutional Engineering (1997); Michael Laver & Norman Schofield, MultiParty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe (1990).
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Student performance results
(2011/12 - 2013/14 combined)
Classification | % of students |
---|---|
Distinction | 21.7 |
Merit | 56.5 |
Pass | 21.7 |
Fail | 0 |
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2014/15: 22
Average class size 2014/15: 12
Controlled access 2014/15: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Problem solving
- Communication