Mariano Torcal [email protected]

Description
This course is designed to give both political science and non-political science majors an overview of fundamental issues in the study of Spanish politics. The core of the course is the study of the nature and functioning of the Spanish democratic system installed since the middle of the seventies, paying special attention to the processes, institutions, actors, political culture and electoral behavior. Territorial organization of the state, regional governments and decentralization in Spain is not covered in this course since it is extensively treated by other course in the IES. Instead, we will spend also some time at the beginning of the course studying the previous Spanish democratic experience (1931-1936), its collapse (1936-1939), the authoritarian rule imposed by Franco) and the Spanish transition to democracy (1975-1978) which have influenced to some extent the features of the present system.

Method of Presentation:
Lectures with the support of overheads and few power point presentations. Discussion sessions based on designated readings.

Language of presentation:
English

Required work and form of assessment:
Two take home exams covering the materials in class and readings and two short essay papers (5-6 pages) responding concrete specific questions using the materials of the reading package.

Grading System:
Your final grade Hill be calculated as follows:
Class attendance and participation and two short essays to be submitted during the course 40%
Take Home Midterm exam 30%
Take Home final exam 40%

Content

Session 1
Introduction to the course. Basic Facts on Nowadays Spanish Politics: major parties, leaders and issues.

Session 2
Spanish Political Development I: The Second Republic and the Civil War.

Reading:
- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 29-64.
Recommended:
- Stanley G. Payne, Spain's First Democracy, pp 371-384

Sessions 3 and 4
Spanish Political Development II: The Franquist Regime. Its nature and Collapse.

Reading:
- Raymond Carr and Juan Pablo Fussi, Spain Dictatorship to Democracy: pp. 15-48
-Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 65-78.
Recommended:
- Preston, Paul, The Triumph of Democracy in Spain, pp. 1-52.

Sessions 5 and 6
Spanish Social structure in the 1970s and 1990s

Recommended reading:
- Informe sociológico sobre la situación social en España. Foessa 1995

Session 7
Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy I: Theories of Democratization.

Reading:
- Doh Chull Shin, "On the Third Wave of Democratization: A Synthesis and Evaluation of Recent Research," World Politics 47, 1994: 135-70
Recommended:
- Adam Przeworski, Michael Alvarez, José Antonio Cheibub and Fernando Limongi. "What Makes Democracies Endure?" Journal of Democracy, 7 (1), 1996: 39-55.

Session 8
Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy II: The Spanish Case (1)

Reading:
- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 79-107.
Recommended:
-Preston, Paul, The Triumph of Democracy in Spain, pp. 53-121.
- Maravall, José María and Julián Santamaría, "Political Change in Spain and the Prospects for Democracy." In: O´Donnell, Schmitter and Whitehead, Transitions form Authoritarian Rule.

Session 9
Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy II: The Spanish Case (2)

Reading:
- Bonnie N. Field, "Transition modes and Post-transition Inter.-party politics: evidence from Spain (1977-82) and Argentina (1983-89)". Democratization, Vol. 13 Nº2, 2006, pp. 205-226.

Session 10
General Overview

Midterm exam (Take Home Exam)

Sessions 11 and 12
The Institutions of The Spanish Democracy I: Introduction to the debate Parlamentarisms versus Presidentialisms, Parlamentarism in Europe: Parliamentary Democracies and Parliamentary Republics. The Electoral systems: types and elements. The structure of the States: Central states versus Federal states.

Sessions 12 and 13
The Institutions of The Spanish Democracy II: The Central Government, Monarchy, Executive and Parliament.

Reading:
- Heywood, pp 83-102.
- Bonnie N. Field, "De-Thawing Democracy. The Decline of Political Party Collaboration in Spain (1977 to 2004)". Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 38 Nº9, November 2005, pp. 1079-1103.

Sessions 14 and 15
The Institutions of The Spanish Democracy II: The Electoral system. The Structure of the Spanish State: The "Comunidades Autónomas"

Reading:
- Heywood, pp 142-171.

Sessions 15 to 17
Elections, Political Parties and Spanish Party System (1).

Reading:
- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 198-237.

Session 18
Models of voting Behavior in Contemporary Democracies

Sessions 19 and 20
The Spanish Voter (1)

Reading:
- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 237-279.
-Pradeep Chhibber and Mariano Torcal, "Elite Strategy, Social Cleavages, and Party Systems in a New Democracy." Comparative Political Studies, 30 (1), 1997: 27-54.

Session 21
Labor Unions and Business Organizations

Reading:
- Astudillo, Javier "Without Unions, but Socialist: The Spanish Socialist Party and its Divorce from its Union Confederation (1982-96)." Politics and Society, vol. 29, 2, June 2001.
Recommended:
- Dubin, Kenneth A. 2002. "Consolidating Difference: The Legacies of Democratic Transition in Contemporary Spanish Labor Relations."

Sessions 22 and 23
Political Culture and Social and Political Participation (1)

Reading:
- José Ramón Montero, Richard P. Gunther and Mariano Torcal, "Democracy in Spain: Legitimacy, Discontent, and Disaffection," Studies in Comparative International Development, 32 (3), Fall 1997: 124-60.
Recommended:
José Ramón Montero and Mariano Torcal, "Voters and Citizens in a New Democracy. Some Trend Data on Political Attitudes in Spain," International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2 (2), 1990: 116-40

Sessions 24 and 25
The Spanish Democracy. Majoritarian or Pluralistic?

Reading:
Lijphart, Arend, Patterns of Democracy. Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999, pp. 9-47 and pp. 275-300
Recommended:
Colomer, Josep Maria, Political Institutions. Democracy and Social Choice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, chapter 1, pp. 1-17

Session 26
General overview

REQUIRED READINGS

- Astudillo, Javier "Without Unions, but Socialist: The Spanish Socialist Party and its Divorce from its Union Confederation (1982-96)." Politics and Society, vol. 29, 2, June 2001.

- Carr, Raymond and Juan Pablo Fussi, Spain Dictatorship to Democracy. London: Harper Collins, 1991, pp. 15-48.

- Chhibber, Pradeep and Mariano Torcal, "Elite Strategy, Social Cleavages, and Party Systems in a New Democracy." Comparative Political Studies, 30, 1, 1997: 27-54.

- Colomer, Josep Maria, Political Institutions. Democracy and Social Choice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, chapter 5.

- Doh Chull Shin, "On the Third Wave of Democratization: A Synthesis and Evaluation of Recent Research." World Politics, 47, 1994: 135-170.

- Gunther, Richard, Giacomo Sani and Goldie Shabad, Spain After Franco. Berkeley: California University Press, 1986, pp. 13-36.

- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, chapter 1.

- Heywood, Paul. The Government and Politics of Spain. Houndmills: Macmillan, 1995, 11-56; 165-88; 189-204.

- Lijphart, Arend, Patterns of Democracy. Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999, pp. 9-47 and 275-300.

- Maravall, José María and Julián Santamaría, "Political Change in Spain and the Prospects for Democracy." In: O´Donnell, Schmitter and Whitehead, eds., Transitions from Authoritarian Rule. Southern Europe. Baltimore: The Jonhs Hopkins University Press, 1986.

- Montero, José Ramón and Mariano Torcal, "Voters and Citizens in a New Democracy. Some Trend Data on Political Attitudes in Spain." International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2,2, 1990: 116-140.

- Montero, José Ramón, Richard P. Gunther and Mariano Torcal, "Democracy in Spain: Legitimacy, Discontent, and Disaffection." Studies in Comparative International Development, 32, 3, 1997: 124-160.

- Payne, Stanley G. Spain's First Democracy: The Second Republic, 1931-1936. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1993, , pp 371-384.

- Przeworski, Adam, Michael Alvarez, José Antonio Cheibub and Fernando Limongi. et al. "What makes Democracies Endure?" Journal of Democracy, 7, 1, 1996: 39-55.

- Schmitter, Philippe C., "An introduction to the Southern European Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Italy, Greece, Portugal and Turkey." In: O´Donnell, Schmitter and Whitehead, eds., Transitions from Authoritarian Rule. Southern Europe. Baltimore: The Jonhs Hopkins University Press, 1986.

RECOMMENDED READINGS

- Agüero, Felipe. Soldiers, Civilians, and Democracy : Post-Franco Spain in Comparative Perspective. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

-Boix, Carles, Political Parties, Growth and Equality: Conservative and Social Democratic Economic Strategies in the World Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

- Carr, Raymond and Juan Pablo Fussi, Spain Dictatorship to Democracy. London: Harper Collins, 1991, rest of the book.

- Capo, J.; R. Cotarelo, D. Lopez Garrido, and J. Subirats, "By Consociationalism to a Majoritarian Parliamentary System: The Rise and Decline of the Spanish Cortes." In Liebert, Ulrike and Maurizio Cotta, eds. Parliament and Democratic Consolidation in Southern Europe : Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain. London: Pinter Publishers, 1990.

- Colomer, Josep Maria, eds., Political Institutions in Europe. London: Routledge, 1996, chapter 6.

- Donaghy Peter J. and Michael T. Newton, Spain a Guide to Political and Economic Institutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.

- Dubin, Kenneth, A. "Consolidating Difference: The Legacies of Democratic Transition in Contemporary Spanish Labor Relations." Paper delivered at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 29-September 1, 2002.

- Fishman, Robert M. Working-Class Organization and the Return to Democracy in Spain. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990.

- Gunther, Richard, Giacomo Sani and Goldie Shabad, Spain After Franco. Berkeley: California University Press, 1986, rest of the book.

- Gunther, Richard, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros and Hans-Jürgen Puhle, eds., The Politics of Democratic Consolidation. Southern Europe in Comparative Perspective. Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

- Gunther, Richard and Jonathan Hopkin. "A Crisis of Institutionalization: The Collapse of the UCD in Spain." In: R. Gunther, J.R. Montero and J.J. Linz, eds., Political Parties. Old Concepts and New Challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

- Gunther, Richard, José Ramón Montero and Joan Botella, Democracy in Modern Spain. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004, rest of the book.

- Perez Díaz, Victor, The Return of Civil Society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

- Preston, Paul, The Triumph of Democracy in Spain. London. Routledge, 1990.

- Torcal, Mariano and José Ramón Montero. "Facets of Social in New Democracies: The Formation and Consequences of Social Capital in Spain. In: Jan W. van Deth, Marco Maraffi, Ken Newton and Paul F. Whiteley, eds., Social Capital and European Democracy. London: Routledge, 2001.

- Torcal, Mariano, Richard Gunther and José Ramón Montero. "Anti-Party Sentiments in Southern Europe." In: R. Gunther, J.R. Montero and J.J. Linz, eds., Political Parties. Old Concepts and New Challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.