Year 2011-12
Political parties and interest groups (21681)
Qualification: Degree in Political Science and Administration
Year: 3rd
Term: 3rd
Number of ECTS credits: 6
Hours of student dedication: 150
Teaching language: See course offer
Teacher: Javier Astudillo
1. Introduction to the course
The course has three main objectives. Firstly to analyse and explain the behaviour of different "organized" political actors such as interest groups and political parties. Secondly to highlight how the organization forms these political actors adopt influence the actions they take to defend their interests. Finally to examine the processes of change experimented by these actors and the current challenges they face.
2. Competences to be achieved
Generic Competences
*Decision making.
*Critical and self-critical ability.
*Working as part of a group.
*Leadership.
Specific Competences
*Recognise the behaviour of the political actors
*Recognise contemporary political theories.
3. Contents
Unit 1. The traditional theoretical framework.
Unit 2. What do trade unions do? Trade unions as interest groups.
Unit 3. The aims, context and organisation of "class" trade unions.
Unit 4. Business organizations: their reason of being.
Unit 5. What do political parties do? The manifesto programme and policies of parties.
Unit 6. Families and types of parties: their transformation.
Unit 7. Their internal organization.
Unit 8. The relationship between political parties and trade unions and its transformation.
4. Assessment
The assessment of the subject will offer student combined mechanisms of continuous evaluation (such as activities, essays, debates or expositions) with a final examination.
5. Bibliography and other resources
5.1. Basic bibliography
Olson, M. 1965. The Logic of Collective Action, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Cameron, D. 1984. "Social Democracy, Corporatism, Labor Quiescence and the Representation of Economic Interest in Advanced Capitalist Society," en J. H. Goldthorpe (ed) Order and Conflict in Contemporary Capitalism, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Lange, P. 1984. "Unions, Workers, and Wage Regulation: the rational bases of consent," en J. H. Goldthorpe, Order and Conflict in Contemporary Capitalism: Studies in the political economy of western European nations, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Traxler, Franz 2010, "The Long-term Development of Organized Business and its Implications for Corporatism: A cross-national comparison of membership, activities and governing capacities of business interest associations, 1980-2003", European Journal of Political Research 49: 151-173.
Ware, Alan (2004). Political Parties and Party Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Katz, Richard S., y Mair Peter 1995. "Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The emergence of the Cartel Party", Party Politics 1: 5-28.
Howell, C. y Daley. A. 1992-93. "The transformation of Political Exchange," International Journal of Political Economy, vol. 22, núm. 4.
5.2. Other resources
For this subject we will use, apart from the basic and the recommended bibliography, other resources such as questionnaires, activities, documents form organizations and think-tanks and on-line material. In general we will make use of all that which contributes to the learning of the subject.
6. Methodology
There will be two types of learning activities:
1. Classroom based activities such as lectures, seminar and/o tutorials.
2. Non-classroom based activities such as individual essays, group work and/o personal study.
7. Programme of activities
|
Week |
Ses |
Type |
Session contents |
Student work during the week |
|||
|
Learning activity description |
Hrs. in calss |
Hrs.. out of class |
|||||
|
In class |
Outside the class |
||||||
|
Iª
|
1 |
L |
Course presentation. Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 1) |
Programme explanation by teacher
|
Readings for the subject |
2 |
5 |
|
IIª |
2 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (unit 2) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparing for the seminar. |
2 |
8 |
|
1 |
S |
Seminar |
Individual activity. |
1 |
|||
|
IIIª |
3 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 3) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
|
|
2 |
S |
Seminar |
Individual work |
1 |
|||
|
IVª |
4 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 3) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
3 |
S |
Seminar |
Individual work |
1 |
|||
|
Vª |
5 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 4 and 5) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
4 |
S |
Seminar |
Individual work |
1 |
|||
|
VIª |
6 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 5) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
|
5 |
S |
Seminar |
Individual work |
1 |
||
|
VIIª |
7 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 6) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
6 |
S |
Seminar |
Group work |
1 |
|||
|
VIIIª |
8 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 7) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
7 |
S |
Seminar |
Group work |
1 |
|||
|
IXª |
9 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 7) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
Readings for the subject and preparation for seminar |
2 |
9 |
|
8 |
S |
Seminar |
Group work |
1 |
|||
|
Xª |
10 |
L |
Theoretical session for the whole group (Unit 8) |
Programme explanation by teacher |
|
2 |
8 |
|
Hours dedicated subtotal |
28 |
84 |
|||||
|
XI y XII |
Hours dedicates for preparing the final evaluation |
38 hours |
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|
TOTAL |
150 hours |
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9Ses: session. Type: type of session (L = lecture, S = seminar)