Students will

• Become familiar with the core literature on democracy and democratisation.

• Build on their knowledge from previous courses: in particular Nederlandse Politiek in Vergelijkende Perspectief, Political Research Methods 1 and 2 (the latter in parallel with this course), and Political Parties: Origins, Transformations, and Future prospects. The course is also designed to help you with your Project: Comparative Governance (also in parallel); it is also a basis for other courses such as Vergelijkende Analyse van Buitenlands Beleid , and Theories of International Relations, to name just a few.

• Apply the concepts and theories discussed in the class to the empirical world.

• Acquire empirical knowledge of the established democracies, democratisation, and authoritarian regimes.

• Think comparatively (over time and between countries and regions of the world), i.e. students will engage in the comparative method.

• Be encouraged to think analytically and expand on their knowledge regarding democracies and non-democracies (in written form via exams) and where possible via class discussions
  

What is democracy? Do we currently live in a democracy? Why are some countries democracies, while others are not? Conversely, how would you recognize autocracies in today's world? Do autocracies sometimes perform better than democracies? Why is it that people around the world seem to want democracy, yet so few seem to be happy with the way it functions?
 
From the Occupy and Indignado movements, to the Colour Revolutions in Former Soviet Republics, to the Arab spring: all around the world citizens are protesting: some because they want more democracy, others because they want different democracy. Yet democracy is under pressure. Challenges such as the global economic crisis, climate change, and international migration increasingly question the capacity of democratic political systems to deal with complex problems; while increasing polarization and rising support for populist parties and leaders is challenging even the most established democracies. How sustainable is democracy in the 21st century?
 
Democratisation is a core research theme within political science, and in this course we will further explore these questions. First, we begin by defining democracy: how can we conceptualise democracy and how can we ‘measure’ it? Second, we distinguish different patterns of regime change: democratic transition, consolidation, and erosion. Third, we examine explanations for why some countries are democratic while others are not, focusing on the role of: social structure and history, economic development, political culture, political institutions, and the role of national and international actors. Third, we turn to defining authoritarianism: what does 21^st century authoritarianism look like? Finally, we examine recent trends of democratic backsliding and erosion and assess the challenges to democracy in established liberal democracies.