Admission requirements
Enrollment as an exchange student is only permitted if you are a third-year BSc student.
Description
Electoral competition is an essential dimension of representative democracy. Aspiring and incumbent politicians compete in elections to win political office and thereby provide crucial alternatives for voters. Hence, electoral competition fundamentally shapes democratic outcomes. Such competition, however, can manifest in various ways and patterns. This elective course focuses on the different characteristics of competition that occur in modern-day democracies as well as their potential implications for democracy. What are the patterns of ideological conflict, how have these changed and how do politicians strategically navigate such conflicts? Have individual leaders become more important in the competition, and if so, what are the consequences of this change? By looking at the different characteristics and patterns of competition in a wide and diverse set of contemporary democracies, this course offers answers to these questions. Students who follow this course get a comprehensive overview of the different manifestations of electoral competition and can recognize as well as analyse such patterns in the world around them. The course places particular emphasis on elections that have occurred just before or are set to take place during the class, offering students a timely perspective on contemporary democratic politics.
Course objectives
Explain the core scientific concepts and theories of electoral competition;
Identify the dilemmas that political actors face in competitive elections;
Evaluate the potential implications of different patterns of competition for democracy;
Apply the main theories and concepts of political competition by critically comparing political competition in varied political contexts;
Participate in academic and political discussions on electoral competition.
Schedule
The timetables are available through MyTimetable (see the button in the upper right corner).
Teaching method
Seminar, one 2-hour session a week. Attendance is obligatory.
Assessment method
Written exam with essay questions 50%
Take home (group) assignment 35%
Active participation/cooperation in class/group 15%
Resit, review & feedback
Written in-class exam in week 8. Possibility for a resit.
Reading list
There will be no textbook for this course. Readings include book chapters and journal articles which will be available through the university library. The course syllabus will be made available via Brightspace before the start of the course.
Registration
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer(s) (listed in the right information bar). For questions about enrolment, contact the Student Services Centre: ssc@leiden.edu.