The Crisis of Party Democracy: Concept, Cases and Remedies

Module Title: The Crisis of Party Democracy:  Concept, Cases and Remedies  

Module Leader: Professor Chris Bickerton

Overview:

This is a comparative politics course focusing on the crisis of political parties and the problems faced by representative government across advanced democracies. The course begins by studying party democracy as a distinctive political regime rooted in 20th century mass politics. It then considers the pressures and challenges faced by party democracy since the 1970s, culminating in the contemporary “populist explosion”. The course focuses on six national cases: the UK, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy. The course ends looking at possible remedies to the crisis, including alternatives to political parties. The course will be assessed by written coursework. Groups for the class presentations will be formed at the start of term.