Foundations of Comparative Politics

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This unit introduces students to the study of comparative politics. It examines the ways in which political systems vary across the world, from ideas to institutional structures to policy outputs. The unit will first engage with the core features of political systems, both democratic and non-democratic. Elements covered include constitutions, executive government, legislatures and parliaments, federal and unitary systems, parties and electoral systems and the media. Why have countries evolved different approaches to government, and to what extent do these approaches conform to democratic principles? What impacts do political systems have on core policy areas such as health care, the environment and criminal justice? Are political institutions and cultures static? Or is change possible? How does the Australian system compare? In addressing these questions, the unit seeks to engage with important contemporary debates and issues, such as the rise of populism, the role of money in politics and the capacity of political systems to deal with major crises.