Global Arc

Explores the dynamic relationship in theory between market-formation and reform on the one hand, and economic ideas and cultural values on the other. The course examines classical and contemporary works in comparative political economy. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course examines the workings of legislatures in a comparative setting.The course will look at the internal workings of legislative institutions, and at the relationship between electoral systems and legislative outcomes. We will consider and compare parliamentary and presidential systems, unicameral and bicameral legislatures. The course will look at the determinants of cabinet duration in parliamentary systems, and the emergence of committee systems. We will also take up the linkage between electoral systems and the structure of political parties, and the reasons for political parties to emerge from within and outside the legislature.

This course introduces students to the study of ethnic conflict. It will examine different theories of ethnically based identification and mobilization; cover different types of ethnic conflict such as riots, genocide, hate crime and war; and study past and present cases of ethnic conflict around the world. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course will examine where and why women and men are not treated equally, how gender inequality impacts human welfare and development, and what works to minimize gender inequality in the Global South. This course will introduce students to cutting-edge research on gender inequality in countries as diverse as India, China, South Korea, Brazil, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Mali, as well as the reasons why some government efforts to reduce gender inequality are successful while others fail or even backfire. The course will emphasize the importance of culture and norms.

This course examines the interaction between the modern state and national and cultural identities, focusing on the emergence of nationalism and ethnicity as vectors of modern politics, the politics underlying their mobilization, and their roles in the production of political order and disorder. We will examine the variety of forms assumed by nationalist and ethnic politics and the causes of large-scale ethnic conflict, drawing on examples from around the world. The course ends with a discussion of the ways in which ethnic conflict can be managed and cultural difference accommodated within or beyond the confines of the nation-state.

This course explores the following issues: the exercise of power in dictatorial regimes (and their institutional structure); the economic and social conditions that facilitate the transition to democracy and its consolidation; voting in democratic elections and decision-making in committees and assemblies or parliaments; the role of electoral institutions; the mechanisms through which politicians are accountable to the public; the nature and performance of presidentialism and parliamentarism; the role of inequality in democracy; the impact of globalization on the governance of contemporary democracies.

A study of the governments and politics of Latin America. The political systems of the Latin American countries will be examined, as well as the common political problems and processes of the area. Special attention will be given to the role of revolution, military rule, and constitutional democracy in Latin American political development. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

Constitutions help shape the distribution of power in societies. We are now amid a wave of constitution making as a result of global social and political change. This course explores what we think we know about how to design these processes to promote ends we care about, including peace, democracy, and protection of minorities. It weighs alternative approaches to the development of new text as well as problems of "transitional justice". We then consider important issues of design, such as the relationship between the executive and the legislature, mechanisms for securing accountability, rights provisions, etc. The final section of the course

This course surveys the politics of Russia and the post-Soviet states, focusing on the four major political challenges that these states confront: state-building, nation-building, democratization, and economic development. Particular attention is given to the ways in which the Soviet experience continues to shape the politics of the Eurasian region, nation-building and identity politics, modes of authoritarian rule and democratization, the politics of energy, and the role of external actors and Russian policies in affecting the political evolution of the region.

An examination of the political and economic change in Russia and some of the former Soviet republics from Gorbachev to the present. After briefly reviewing the main institutions of the Soviet system and theories of its collapse, the course examines specific reforms and the social impact of rapid systemic change. Topics include shock therapy (privatization and economic liberalization), nationalism, crime, and legislative reform among others. The course will also compare the process of change in the former Soviet Union with democratic and market transitions in Latin America and elsewhere. Two lectures, one preceptorial.