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The course investigates party politics. Parties link citizens and the political system, and thus play a central role in democratic governance. Indeed, their representative function makes them a key element of democracy itself. What is the role of political parties in democratic systems? Why do we have a major left party in (almost) all countries and why do Christian-democratic parties exist only in some countries? How do the ideologies of parties change? For instance, what do left parties today stand for and what are their major electoral challenges? Why did right-wing populist parties emerge in some countries but not in others and what does that mean for the established parties? Who votes for populist-parties and why? Does populism represent a danger for democracy or, on the contrary, does it reduce political apathy and disenchantment with politics, because citizens feel better represented?
(Only for participants of the 1st part of this course.) |
