Theories on Democracy and Globalization

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Blended­learning regime, with recourse to hybrid methodologies. The weekly in­class sessions are grounded on the lessons and bibliography placed on the Moodle platform, presented by the lecturer and discussed in­class. To the students which are not attending the in­class sessions are followed by a chat discussion with the lecturer. The Moodle platform allows the development of collaborative work between students, namely with recourse to the wiki and the forum.

Learning Outcomes

 

Know the different models of democracy and the main contemporary debates on these models;

Understand the current meaning and main theories on governance;

Critically analyse governance from the perspective of democracy;

Show familiarity with the concept and the main theoretical debates on globalisation and understanding of the complexity of globalisation processes;

Show capacity to identify and critically discuss the different dimensions of globalisation and their interdependencies;

Demonstrate an understanding on the current challenges posed to democracy and governance by globalisation processes and structures;

Demonstrate capacity to apply concepts and theories on globalization, democracy and governance in the interpretation of current phenomena at local, national and global scales;

Widen critical reading skills;

Widen presentation and argumentation skills;

Increase autonomy in the context of online distance learning.

 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The course explores the variety of current theoretical and political debates on governance, democracy and globalisation. It explores the concepts and models of democracy and governance to understand the current challenges posed by globalisation(s) to the articulation between democracy, nation state and civil society. The concept of globalisation is analysed having regard of the different perspectives and its multidimensional and multi­scalar expressions. As synthesis the debates on the possibilities of the extension of democratic control beyond and below the nation state are considered, focusing the local and global dimensions of democracy and governance and the complex ways they relate.

1. Models of democracy in the XXI century

2. The current meanings of the concept and practice of governance

3. Theoretical debates on globalisation

4. Heterogeneous dimensions of globalisation(s)

5. Democratic governance and the new local democratic spaces

6. Global governance and global democracy

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

BEVIR, M. The SAGE Handbook of Governance. Sage, 2010.

COPPEDGE, M. Democratization and Research Methods. Cambridge University Press, 2012

ELLIOTT, C.M. (ed.) Civil Society and Democracy: a Reader. Oxford University Press, 2003.

HELD, D., Models of Democracy. Cambridge: Polity, 3 ed, 2006.

HOLDEN, Barry. 2000. Global democracy: key debates. Routledge.

HOPPE, R. The Governance of Problems: Puzzling, Powering and Participation. Policy Press, 2011

PALUMBO, A., Situating Governance: Context, Content, Critique, ECPR Press, 2015.

PORTA, D.D. 2013. Can Democracy Be Saved. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

RITZER, G. Globalization: A Basic Text. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, 2009.

SANTOS, B. S. (org.), Democratizing Democracy: Towards New Manifestos. London: Verso, 2007.

SCHOLTE, J. A., Globalization: a critical introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.

TÖRNQUIST, O., Webster, N., Stokke, K., Rethinking popular representation. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.