GV203-5-SP-CO:
Parties and Elections
2024/25
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
29 April 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA L2CS Social Sciences,
BA L2ES Social Sciences,
BA L215 Politics with Business,
BA L216 Politics with Business (Including Placement Year),
BA L217 Politics with Business (including Year Abroad),
BSC LL25 Politics with Business,
BSC LL26 Politics with Business (Including Placement Year),
BSC LL27 Politics with Business (including Year Abroad),
BA L212 Global Politics,
BA L213 Global Politics (including Placement Year),
BA L214 Global Politics (including Year Abroad),
BA L620 Politics with Criminology,
BA L621 Politics with Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA L622 Politics with Criminology (Including Year Abroad)
This module introduces electoral and party politics in advanced liberal democracies. It examines party systems, party competition, electoral behaviour and party organisation.
1) To provide a broad overview of political processes in and academic debates on electoral and party politics in the UK and Western Europe.
2) To encourage an analytical and critical perspective on political processes and actors that we encounter in academic literature and public affairs.
1) To develop a critical understanding of the main processes and academic debates in electoral and party politics in the UK and Western Europe.
2) To be able to distinguish and critically evaluate alternative theoretical perspectives on key questions in electoral and party politics.
3) To be able to reflect on and discuss the normative implications of alternative theoretical perspectives.
4) To be able to read and discuss critically, verbally and in writing, advanced academic literature and evidence presented therein on electoral and party politics.
No additional information available.
The module will be taught as a weekly two-hour seminar for ten weeks in the Spring Term. Students are expected to read for all classes.
- McCormick, John. (2019) 'Voters', in Comparative government and politics: an introduction, London: Macmillan Education., pp.287-305
- Mair, Peter. (2011) 'Party Families', in Representative government in modern Europe, New York: McGraw-Hill., pp.238-277
- Richard S. Katz; Peter Mair. (1995) 'Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party', in Party Politics. vol. 1 (1) , pp.5-28
- Caramani, Daniele. (2016) 'Elections and Referendums', in Comparative politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Katz, Richard. (2016) 'Political parties', in Comparative politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Susan E. Scarrow. (2015) Beyond party members: changing approaches to partisan mobilization, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Caramani, Daniele. (2016) 'Party Systems', in Comparative politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Mair, Peter. (2011) 'Cleavage Structures and Electoral Change', in Representative government in modern Europe, New York: McGraw-Hill., pp.278-325
- Hersh, Eitan D.; Schaffner, Brian F. (2013-04) 'Targeted Campaign Appeals and the Value of Ambiguity', in The Journal of Politics. vol. 75 (2) , pp.520-534
- van Biezen, Ingrid; Mair, Peter; Poguntke, Thomas. (2012) 'Going, Going.. Gone? The Decline of Party Membership in Contemporary Europe', in European Journal of Political Research. vol. 51 (1) , pp.24-56
- Scarrow, Susan E. (1996) Parties and their members: organizing for victory in Britain and Germany, New York: Oxford University Press. vol. Comparative European politics
- Mair, Peter. (2011) 'Inside European Political Parties', in Representative government in modern Europe, New York: McGraw-Hill., pp.326-365-
- McCormick, John. (2019) 'Political Parties', in Comparative government and politics: an introduction, London: Macmillan Education., pp.270-286
- Allcott, Hunt. (2017) 'Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election', in Journal of Economic Perspectives. vol. 31 (2) , pp.211-236
- European Consortium for Political Research. (1999) 'Party Cohesion, Party Discipline, and Parliaments', in Party discipline and parliamentary government, Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. vol. Parliaments and legislatures series, pp.3-22
- John D. May. (1973) 'Opinion Structure of Political Parties: The Special Law of Curvilinear Disparity', in Political Studies. vol. 21 (2) , pp.135-151
- Denver, D. T.; Carman, Christopher J.; Johns, Robert. (2012) Elections and voters in Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. vol. Contemporary political studies series
- McCormick, John. (2019) 'Elections', in Comparative government and politics: an introduction, London: Macmillan Education., pp.252-269
- Webb, Paul. (2000) The modern British party system, London: SAGE.
- Alan Ware. (1996) Political parties and party systems, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- David Farrell; Paul Webb. (2000) 'Political Parties as Campaign Organizations', in Parties without partisans: political change in advanced industrial democracies, Oxford: Oxford University Press. vol. Comparative politics, pp.102-128
- Kelly, Richard. (2010) 'The Worst of All Worlds? Electoral Reform and Britain's 2009 European Elections', in Political Quarterly. vol. 81 (1) , pp.99-106
- Qvortrup, Matt. (2012) 'Voting on Electoral Reform: A Comparative Perspective on the Alternative Vote Referendum in the United Kingdom', in The Political Quarterly. vol. 83 (1) , pp.108-116
- Bond, Robert M.; Fariss, Christopher J.; Jones, Jason J.; Kramer, Adam D. I.; Marlow, Cameron; Settle, Jaime E.; Fowler, James H. (2012-9) 'A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization', in Nature. vol. 489 (7415) , pp.295-298
- Russell J. Dalton; David M. Farrell; Ian McAllister. (2011) Political parties and democratic linkage: how parties organize democracy, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Essay 1 |
|
50% |
| Coursework |
Essay 2 |
|
50% |
| Exam |
Main exam: In-Person, Closed Book, 90 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
|
| Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Closed Book, 90 minutes during September (Reassessment Period)
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Tobias Bohmelt, email: tbohmelt@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Tobias Bohmelt
Module Supervisor: Dr Tobias Bohmelt
(tbohmelt@essex.ac.uk) /
Module Administrator: (govquery@essex.ac.uk)
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Edward Morgan-Jones
University of Kent
Reader in Comparative Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 523 hours, 10 (1.9%) hours available to students:
513 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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