Course Description:
What is a democracy, and how can we measure it? Which conceptual tools are necessary to measure the dynamics of democratic quality? What data resources and methods can we use to assess the path towards democratic consolidation or – in turn – democratic backsliding? This course critically engages with the core literature on democracy and democratic quality and existing indices to measure and compare them. We combine classical literature and contemporary debates. The course has a theoretical and applied component. The theoretical component aims to provide a thorough understanding of the purposes, benefits, challenges, and drawbacks of comparing democratic quality over time and across countries. We will familiarize ourselves with several key democratic indexes (Freedom House, Bertelsmann Transformation Index, Varieties of Democracy), review literature that applies these indices and familiarize ourselves with their online analytical tools. In combination, the two components aim at improving theoretical knowledge of democratic quality, data literacy, and the ability to assess the nonlinear dynamics of democracy.
Poslední úprava: Guasti Petra, doc. Dr. habil. MA PhDr., Ph.D. (28.02.2024)
Literatura - angličtina
Additional readings:
Alexander, A. C., Inglehart, R., & Welzel, C. (2012). Measuring effective democracy: A defense. International Political Science Review, 33(1), 41-62.
Bönker, F. (2020). Democracy, Policy-Making and Policy Performance in the Czech Republic in the Light of International Democracy and Governance Indices. In Czech Democracy in Crisis (pp. 19-38). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Bustikova, L., & Guasti, P. (2017). The Illiberal Turn or Swerve in Central Europe?. Politics and Governance, 5(4), 166-176.
Gagnon, J. P., & Fleuss, D. (2020). The case for extending measures of democracy in the world “Beneath," "Above," and "Outside" the national level. Political Geography, 83, 102-276.
Giebler, H. (2012). Bringing methodology (back) in Some remarks on contemporary democracy measurements. European Political Science, 11(4), 509-518.
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. (2015). The myth of democratic recession. Journal of Democracy, 26(1), 45-58.
Lührmann, A., & Lindberg, S. I. (2019). A third wave of autocratization is here: what is new about it?. Democratization, 26(7), 1095-1113.
Mayne, Q., & Geissel, B. (2016). Putting the demos back into the concept of democratic quality. International Political Science Review, 37(5), 634-644.
Sabl, A. (2015). The two cultures of democratic theory: Responsiveness, democratic quality, and the empirical-normative divide. Perspectives on Politics, 345-365.
Steiner, N. D. (2016). Comparing Freedom House democracy scores to alternative indices and testing for political bias: Are US allies rated as more democratic by Freedom House?. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 18(4), 329-349.
Poslední úprava: Guasti Petra, doc. Dr. habil. MA PhDr., Ph.D. (28.02.2024)
Metody výuky - angličtina
Course requirements:
Intro
· The communication platform for this seminar will be Moodle, where all readings will be available; tasks uploaded and group projects realized.
· Required readings are to be completed by every student for the given session of the seminar BEFORE the class.
· The recommended reading aims to encourage students to obtain a more profound understanding of the presented topics.
· Students are also encouraged to use the library and other resources available at the university. You are welcomed to ask for a recommendation in a specific direction during consultations.
Requirements:
1. QACQs: one-page reading summaries. A summary is a passive form of learning - you repeat information contained in the text. The QACQ model is different - it focuses on engaging you with the material.
QACQ:
Q choose a quote from the text,
A explain its argument,
C connection to the overall text, and
Q formulate a question.
Length cca 300 words.
Students whose surname starts with A-K are to complete QACQs in weeks 2,5 and 8.
Students whose surname starts with letters M-S are to complete QACQs in weeks 3,6 and 9.
Students whose surname starts with letters Š-Z are to complete QACQs in weeks 4,7 and 10.
Each student will have to do 3 QACQs during the course – on a text of their choice from the list of recommended readings.
The QACQ are to be submitted electronically at the latest 48 hours before the relevant session as they serve as a basis for our discussion (the second ‘Q’ in QACQ.). The QACQ submission is via Moodle upload, only PDF format accepted.
2. Group project
Depending on number of participants, students will form groups of 2-4 members.
Each group will select one country included in all three indices (Freedom House/Nations in Transit, Bertelsmann Transformation Index, and Varieties of Democracy).
Using available data, country reports, and additional information, each group will assess the process of democratization in a given country along the criteria AND structure stipulated in Moodle.
The group project is to be uploaded into Moodle at the latest by June 30, 2024.
3. Final exam
During the exam period, the students will sign up for a final test. This test will be composed of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Completion of readings for session 2-12 is expected for successful completion of the test.
Poslední úprava: Guasti Petra, doc. Dr. habil. MA PhDr., Ph.D. (28.02.2024)
Sylabus - angličtina
Block I. Democracy – Democratic Quality - Democratization
Session
Date
Topic
1.
21.2.2024
Introduction
Course Overview
Course Requirements
Recommended reading:
Saward, Michael. 1994. Democratic Theory and Indices of Democratization. In Defining and Measuring Democracy, edited by D. Beetham. London: Sage.
2.
28.2.2024
What is Democracy and How to Measure it
Required reading:
Munck, G. L., & Verkuilen, J. (2002). Conceptualizing and measuring democracy: Evaluating alternative indices. Comparative Political Studies, 35(1), 5-34.
Recommended reading:
Collier, D., & Levitsky, S. (1997). Democracy with adjectives: conceptual innovation in comparative research. World Politics, 430-451.
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2024). The Resilience of Democracy’s Third
Wave. PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-4
3.
6.3.2024
Democratic Quality
Required reading:
Munck, G. L. (2016). What is democracy? A reconceptualization of the quality of democracy. Democratization, 23(1), 1-26.
Recommended reading:
Diamond, L., & Morlino, L. (2004). The quality of democracy: An overview. Journal of Democracy, 15(4), 20-31.
Berg-Schlosser, D. (2004). The quality of democracies in Europe as measured by current indicators of democratization and good governance. Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 20(1), 28-55.
4.
13.3.2024
Democratic Consolidation
Required reading:
Schedler, A. (1998). What is democratic consolidation?. Journal of Democracy, 9(2), 91-107.
Recommended reading:
Linz, Juan and Alfred Stephan (April 1996): "Towards Consolidated Democracies." Journal of Democracy, 7(2), 34-51.
Schedler, A. (2001). Taking uncertainty seriously: the blurred boundaries of democratic transition and consolidation. Democratization, 8(4), 1-22.
5.
20.3.2024
Democratic Backsliding
Required reading:
Bermeo, N. (2016). On democratic backsliding. Journal of Democracy, 27(1), 5-19.
Recommended reading:
Croissant, A., & Haynes, J. (2021). Democratic regression in Asia: introduction. Democratization, 28(1), 1-21.
Greskovits, B. (2015). The hollowing and backsliding of democracy in East Central Europe. Global Policy, 6(S1), 28–37.
Block II. Measuring Democracy and Democratization
6.
27.3.2024
Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy
Required reading:
Collier, D., & Adcock, R. (1999). Democracy and dichotomies: A pragmatic approach to choices about concepts. Annual Review of Political Science, 2(1), 537-565.
Recommended reading:
Coppedge, M., Gerring, J., Altman, D., Bernhard, M., Fish, S., Hicken, A., ... & Teorell, J. (2011). Conceptualizing and measuring democracy: A new approach. Perspectives on Politics, 247-267.
7.
3.4.2024
Measuring Democratic Consolidation
Required reading:
Schneider, C. Q., & Schmitter, P. C. (2004). Liberalization, transition, and consolidation: Measuring the components of democratization. Democratization, 11(5), 59-90.
Recommended reading:
Altman, D., & Pérez-Liñán, A. (2002). Assessing the quality of democracy: Freedom, competitiveness, and participation in eighteen Latin American countries. Democratization, 9(2), 85-100.
Greene, S. R. (2020). Coups and the consolidation mirage: lessons for stability in new democracies. Democratization, 27(7), 1280-1300.
8.
10.4.2024
Measuring Democratic Backsliding
Little, A. T., & Meng, A. (2023). Measuring democratic backsliding. PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-13.
Knutsen, C. H., Marquardt, K. L., Seim, B., Coppedge, M., Edgell, A. B., Medzihorsky, J., ... & Lindberg, S. I. (2023). Conceptual and Measurement Issues in Assessing Democratic Backsliding. PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-16.
Recommended reading:
Miller, M. K. (2024). How Little and Meng’s Objective Approach Fails in Democracies. PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-6.
Little, A. T., & Meng, A. (2024). What We Do and Do Not Know about Democratic Backsliding. PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-6.
Block III. Democratic Indices
9.
17.4.2024
Freedom House
Required reading:
Giannone, D. (2010). Political and ideological aspects in the measurement of democracy: the Freedom House case. Democratization, 17(1), 68-97.
Recommended reading:
Högström, J. (2013). Does the choice of democracy measure matter? Comparisons between the two leading democracy indices, Freedom House and Polity IV. Government and Opposition, 48(2), 201-221.
Vaccaro, A. (2021). Comparing measures of democracy: statistical properties, convergence, and interchangeability. European Political Science, 1-19.
10.
24.4.2024
Bertelsmann Transformation Index
Required reading:
Merkel, W. (2004). Embedded and defective democracies. Democratization, 11(5), 33-58.
Recommended reading:
Brusis, M. (2005). Assessing democracy, market economy and political management: the Bertelsmann Transformation Index and Southeastern Europe. (CAP Policy Research, 1/2005).
Lavrič, M., & Bieber, F. (2020). Shifts in Support for Authoritarianism and Democracy in the Western Balkans. Problems of Post-Communism, 1-10.
11.
15.5.2024
V-Dem Index
Required reading:
Teorell, J., Coppedge, M., Lindberg, S., & Skaaning, S. E. (2019). Measuring polyarchy across the globe, 1900–2017. Studies in Comparative International Development, 54(1), 71-95.
Recommended reading:
Møller, J., & Skaaning, S. E. (2010). Beyond the radial delusion: Conceptualizing and measuring democracy and non-democracy. International Political Science Review, 31(3), 261-283.
Lührmann, A., Marquardt, K. L., & Mechkova, V. (2020). Constraining governments: New indices of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal accountability. American Political Science Review, 114(3), 811-820.
Boswell, J., & Corbett, J. (2021). Democracy, Interpretation and the “Problem” of Conceptual Ambiguity: Reflections on the V-Dem Project’s Struggles with Operationalizing Deliberative Democracy. Polity, 53(2), 000-000.
Poslední úprava: Guasti Petra, doc. Dr. habil. MA PhDr., Ph.D. (28.02.2024)
