Comparative Political Institutions POL5022F First Semester 2009 Department of Political Studies, University of Cape Town Convenor: Zwelethu Jolobe (Zwelethu.Jolobe@uct.ac.za) Course Overview The course examines the theoretical approaches to the study of institutions and the impact of institutions on public policy. Institutionalism covers a wide range of theories, including rational choice, sociological, and historical approaches. The course will address a number of questions and explore applications to the study of public policy. How should we define institutions? Why do people create institutions? How and why do they matter? How do they affect policy outcomes? How do institutions and/or public policy change? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the new institutionalism in general and of each specific variant in particular? The course thus aims to provide an overview of the multidisciplinary origins of this approach as well as a critical evaluation of its usefulness in social science research in general, and in political science in particular. Participants will have the opportunity to revisit basic texts and gain an in-depth knowledge about its application in multiple contexts. We will explore empirical examples of (new) institutionalism to areas such as the origins and development of security agencies; budgetary processes; economic performance, growth and development; electoral systems; and political executives and assemblies. Course Requirements You will be expected to read extensively and participate actively in seminar discussion. In addition you are expected to write three response papers, make a class presentation, and take a final examination at the end of the course. Please note that readings NOT in your Reader are to be downloaded electronically via the library electronic journals. Grades and Assessments Course marks will be divided as follows: Deadlines Response 1: Response 2: Response 3: 20 March 24 April 8 May Class participation and presentation – 20 % Three response papers – 30% (10 % each) Final Exam - 50%
Examination: 22 May
Class Participation As a postgraduate seminar it will be assumed that you have done all the readings and are prepared to discuss the material. Consider the following questions when reading and writing your response papers, so that they demonstrate an engaged, critical assessment of the readings: What are the main questions the readings seek to answer? What comparative design strategy is employed? Is there an implicit comparative strategy? What is the writer precisely comparing? And what is the justification for the comparison? Does the work generate new ideas, seek to test explicit hypotheses, identify significant relationships between measurable variables or critique existing understandings? Does the writer claim her claims to be generalisable and what evidence is presented to justify these claims? What are the competing arguments? Which authors agree or disagree with each other and what evidence or logical structures do their base their conclusions on? How and on what basis can you critique the arguments presented?
Seminar Format The typical seminar will begin with lecture for the first hour on the week‟s theme. This will be followed by an hours‟ discussion, divided between general discussion of the week‟s theme and presentation. Each week a group will take responsibility for doing a presentation. The presentation will focus on an application of some aspect of the weekly theme to an empirical case study chosen by the presenter/s. All case studies will be drawn from Africa. Try to be conscious of drawing comparisons with another country from a different “culture area” viz., Latin America or Asia. In comparative politics, as with all fields in political science, debating various notions will be the key seminar objective. So be prepared to participate actively and speak freely! Some Pointers for Case Study Presentation You present a short overview of the theme as it applies to a specific country case study. See the relevant sign up sheet and possible topics on Vula. The presentation will be assessed on the following criteria: o You provide an account of how (the value of) the relevant theme applies to the country of your choice; o A brief historical account providing the relevant features of your country study; o Demonstrate your ability to apply the concept/approach to your case study; o Relate the theme to other articles, other case studies, and different perspectives, where relevant; o Raise questions of the theory or empirical application;
o o o o
Raise questions of the possible implications for comparison with other cases; Demonstrate prior thought, planning, and seriousness; Relevant visual or other aids; Time-keeping and managing the discussion
Weekly Topics Week 1 Introduction
Guy Peters, “Institutional Theory: Problems and Prospects”, Political Science Series 69, (July 2000), pp. 1-19 William T. Gormley, Jr., “Institutional Policy Analysis: A Critical Review”, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Winter, 1987), pp. 153-169 Richard O. Zerbe Jr. and Howard E. McCurdy, “The Failure of Market Failure”, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 558578 Gary Miller, “The Impact of Economics on Contemporary Political Science”, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XXXV (September 1997), pp. 1173–1204 Week 2 Toward the New Institutionalism(s)
James G. March and Johan P. Olsen, “The New Institutionalism: Organisational Factors in Political Life”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Sept. 1984), pp. 734-749 Peter A. Hall and Rosemary C. R. Taylor, “Political Science and the Three New Institutionalisms”, Political Studies 44 (1996), pp. 936-957 Kathleen Thelen, “Historic Institutionalism in Comparative Politics”, Annual Review of Political Science 2 (1999), pp. 369-404 Martha Finnemore, “Norms, Culture, and World Politics: Insights from Sociology‟s Institutionalism”, International Organization, Vol. 50, No. 2 (1996), pp. 325-347 Week 3 Historical Institutionalism
James Mahoney, “Path Dependence in Historical Sociology”, Theory and Society, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Aug., 2000), pp. 507-548 Paul David, “Why are Institutions the „Carriers of History‟? Path Dependence and the Evolution of Conventions, Organisations and Institutions”, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1994), pp. 205-220 Walter Korpi, “Contentious Institutions: An Augmented Rational-Action Analysis of the Origins and Path Dependency of Welfare State Institutions in Western Countries”, Rationality and Society, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2001), pp. 235-283
Guy Peters, Jon Pierre and Desmond S. King, “The Politics of Path Dependency: Political Conflict in Historical Institutionalism”, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 67, No. 4 (November 2005), pp. 1275-1300
Week 4
Sociological Institutionalism
Michael Hechter and Satoshi Kanazawa, “Sociological Rational Choice Theory”, Annual Review of Sociology 23 (1997), pp. 191-214 Elisabeth Clemens and James Cook, “Politics and Institutionalism: Explaining Durability and Change”, Annual Review of Sociology 25 (1999), pp. 441-466 Corinne A. A. Packer and Donald Rukare, “The New African Union and Its Constitutive Act”, The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 96, No. 2 (Apr., 2002), pp. 365-379 Thomas Kwasi Tieku, “Explaining the Clash and Accommodation of Interests of Major Actors in the Creation of the African Union”, African Affairs, Vol. 103, No. 411 (2004), pp. 249-267 Thomas G. Weiss, “The Illusion of UN Security Council Reform”, The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Autumn 2003): pp. 147-161 Week 5 New Institutional Economics
Terry M. Moe, “The New Economics of Organization”, American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 739-777 Peter G. Klein, “New Institutional Economics”, in Boudewijn Bouckeart and Gerrit De Geest eds., Encyclopedia of Law and Economics (University of Ghent, 1998) Mustapha K. Nabli and Jeffrey B. Nugent, “The New Institutional Economics and its Applicability to Development”, World Development, Vol. 17, No. 9 (1989), pp. 13331347 Week 6 Rational Choice Institutionalism
Gary Miller, “Rational Choice and Dysfunctional Institutionalism”, Governance: An International Journal of Policy and Administration, Vol. 13, No. 4 (October 2000), pp. 535-547 Kurt Weyland, “Limitations of Rational-Choice Institutionalism for the Study of Latin American Politics”, Studies in Comparative International Development, Vol. 37, No. 1 (2002), pp. 57-85 Stephen Bell, “The Limits of Rational Choice: New Institutionalism in the Test Bed of Central Banking Politics in Australia”, Political Studies, Vol. 50, Issue 3 (2002), pp. 477-496
Special Topics Week 7/8 Economic Development and Labour Markets
Barry Eichengreen and Torben Iversen, “Institutions and Economic Performance: Evidence from the Labour Market”, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 15, No. 4 (1999), pp. 121-138 Richard Freeman, “Labor Markets and Institutions in Economic Development”, The American Economic Review, Vol. 83, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundred and Fifth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May, 1993), pp. 403-408 Anne O. Kreuger, “Government Failures in Economic Development”, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Summer, 1990), pp. 9-23 John Zysman, “How Institutions Create Historically Rooted Trajectories of Growth”, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 3, No. 1 (1994), pp. 243-283 Peter Fallon and Robert Lucas, “South African Labour Markets: Adjustment and Inequalities”, World Bank Informal Discussion Papers on Aspects of the South African Economy, November 1998 Raluf Burger and Ingrid Woolard, “The State of the Labour Market in South African After the First Decade of Democracy”, Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, Working Paper No. 133 (2005) Week 9 Development and Developing Countries
Mary Shirley, “Institutions and Development: A Statement of the Problem”, Unpublished Mary Shirley, “What Does Institutional Economics Tell Us About Development?” Paper Presented At ISNIE, Budapest (2003) Gustav Ranis, “The Role of Institutions in Transition Growth: The East Asian Newly Indstrialising Countries”, World Development, Vol. 17, No. 9 (1989), pp. 1443-1453 John D. Cameron, “The World Bank and the New Institutional Economics: Contradictions and Implications for Development Policy in Latin America”, Latin American Perspectives 2004, Vol. 31, pp. 97-103 World Development Report 2002, Building Institutions for Markets (Washington DC: World Bank, 2001) Full Text: http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/2001/fulltext/fulltext2002htm Shahid Javed Burki and Guillermo E. Perry, Beyond the Washington Consensus: Institutions Matter (Washington, DC: World Bank, 1998)
Full text: http://go.worldbank.org/PS9K1ZDY10 Week 10 Overview of Comparative Political Institutions: Politics, Power and Institutions
Terry M. Moe, “Political Institutions: The Neglected Side of the Story”, Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization, Vol. 6, Special Issue: [Papers from the Organization of Political Institutions Conference, April 1990] (1990), pp. 213-253 Terry M. More, “Power and Political Institutions”, Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Jun., 2005), pp. 215-233