Understanding Political Dynamics: Institutions, Actors and Mechanisms

Compulsory for 2nd year PhD students (34° Cycle)

Class schedule and room

The class will meet on: 

• Nov 7 3 pm - 5 pm, Room 3.3. Morgagni
• Nov 21 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni
• Nov 29 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni
• Dec 4 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni
• Dec 10 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni
• Jan 9 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni
• Jan 13 10 am - 1 pm, Palazzina Gaddi - Saletta Riunioni

Course objectives

Theoretical approaches to explain political dynamics suffer three common limitations: reductionism, reliance on exogenous factors, and excessive emphasis on order and structure. This course offers an overview of the major theories of social and political change, by focusing on the inescapable stability/change nexus of political dynamics and by giving specific theoretical relevance to the role of institutions and agency and their problematic interactions. After the review of the major conceptualizations, a mechanistic perspective will be discussed to better connect together actors and institutions for explaining stability and change.

Main topics

• Institutions and Political Institutions: why do they matter?
• Institutional Change
• Policy dynamics and agency
• Mechanistic Explanations

Readings

See the full syllabus