Introduction to Comparative Politics
Course facts
- Payment: Free, no certificate
- Credits: Non Credit
- Learning style: Self-paced, start anytime
- Resources: Lecture Notes; Readings; Written Assignments
- Before you start: There are no prerequisites for this course.
MIT OpenCourseWare details
- As taught in: Fall 2022
- Department: Political Science
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Comparative politics through design: states, electoral rules, federalism, corruption, national identity, development and democratization.
Are states necessary, and how can people make sure they serve those subject to their authority? This class examines why democracy emerges and survives in some countries rather than others, how institutions affect economic development, and how American politics compares. Students design rules for a fictional country, Compostela, testing economic, cultural and institutional explanations against case studies.
What You Will Achieve
- Make and critique arguments on public policy using reasoning and evidence
- Compare electoral rules, presidentialism and parliamentarism
- Assess decentralization and ways of monitoring officials
- Evaluate theories of democratization and democratic breakdown
Program Overview
State and Government
Why have a state, and how should rulers be chosen?
- What is a state?
- Making rules
- Picking and constraining rulers
Improving Governance
Institutional reforms and who the people are.
- Better representative institutions
- Federalism and devolution
- Monitoring street-level bureaucrats
- National identity and immigration
Prosperity and Regime Change
Economic development and the future of democracy.
- Industrial policy
- Theories of democratization
- Arab Spring
- New technologies and accountability
Course Completion
Job Outlook
This analysis supports further study in political science and work in public policy, government and international affairs.
Good for: Readers curious about government who want to argue through hard design problems rather than simply absorb facts.
Keep in mind: The class leans on breakout groups, class debate and a fall 2022 setting, so some discussion is hard to repeat alone. Readings run 50 to 100 pages a week, and it deliberately provokes.
Bottom line: A lively and demanding introduction to governance, with unusually good paper prompts built around one imagined country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Compostela?
A fictional island nation used across the course. Students design how it selects rulers, decide how unitary it should be, and consider refugee policy and disputed elections.
What kinds of papers are assigned?
Six short papers of two or three pages, on questions such as whether states are desirable, how to reform electoral rules and how to build national identity, with one rewrite.
Does the course address corruption?
Yes. Sessions cover the causes of corruption among street-level bureaucrats, with exercises that put students in the position of police officials designing incentives.
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