International Studies 190:
Democracy in Global Perspective
University of California, San Diego
Spring Quarter 2008
Professor: Maureen Feeley Seminar: Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:20 p.m.
Office: SSB# 321 Building: IRPS, RBC: #1301
Office Hours: Fridays: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., and by appt.
E-mail:
Phone: 858.552.9264
Course website:
Course Description:
What do we mean by “democracy”? What are its historical roots and its global trends? What are the dominant institutional forms of democracy in our world today, and what difference does this make for the quality of democratic outcomes? Is there a relationship between democracy and human rights? What are the most important political, social, cultural, economic and international factors that either promote or hinder democratic development and deepening in our world today? What do we think of the controversial enterprise of “democracy promotion” as a component of U.S. foreign policy?
These are some of the central questions that will inform our reading, thinking, and discussions over the course of this quarter. We will begin by critically evaluating competing conceptions of democracy and assessing contemporary global trends in democratization. Next, we will consider dominant institutional forms of democracy and examine why these might lead to qualitatively different outcomes. We will then examine both endogenous (domestic) and exogenous (external) “drivers” of democratization, and critically evaluate these forces. As we assess the quality of democratic governance in different countries and regions of the world, and the possibilities of democratic development and deepening in areas were democracy remains fragile or absent, we will focus on four main regions: (1) Africa, (2) Latin America, (3) Asia, and (4) the Middle East. We will consider important political, social, cultural, economic and international factors that may promote or hinder the advance and deepening of democracy in our contemporary world, and consider what types of institutional reforms might best address these obstacles. In so doing, the course has four main objectives: (1) to critically evaluate dominant conceptions and theories of democracy; (2) to assess the relative value of these theories by examining them in light of specific contemporary case studies; (3) to critically examine patterns of democratization in our world today; and (4) to further develop our skills as social scientists in formulating and testing hypotheses concerning the causes and consequences of democratic development.
Course Requirements:
Summary:
(1) Seminar participation:
Discussion questions (7 total):10%
Discussion leader (together with 4 fellow classmates) twice:10%
General participation in seminar10%
(2) Research Project:
1 paragraph (single-spaced) abstract of topic, due week 3, April 16th
Research question (research paper writers), due week 5, April 30th
1 – 2 pg. project outline w/preliminary bib., due week 7, May 14th
10 min. presentation of research, weeks 8 - 9, May 21st and 28th 5%
Research project (20 - 22 pgs. double-spaced) due finals week:
Monday, June 9th by 3:00 p.m.:65%
Seminar Participation:
As a senior seminar in international studies, students are expected to complete allassigned readings before class meetings, and to come prepared to discuss central questions, puzzles and insights that arise from these readings. The participation component of your grade is worth 30% of your final grade. Two course requirements are designed to help you succeed as a seminar participant and to facilitate high quality discussions:
(1) Discussion Questions: To help focus our discussions, and learn more about our respective research interests, please submit a discussion question via email to the instructor by midnight the night before seminar for weeks 2 – 7, and for week 10. (That is, submit for all weeks, except weeks 1, 8 and 9.) Please also bring a hard copy of your question to seminar meetings. Your question can be drawn from either one or multiple readings for that day’s meeting, or from contemporary political events that relate to course readings. Grades on discussion questions will be” “++” (excellent), “+” (very good), “check” (satisfactory), or “-”(needs improvement). As we will all discover (or re-discover), asking high quality, thought-provoking questions is quite challenging!
(2) Discussion Leaders: Twice during the quarter you will be responsible, together with four of your fellow classmates, for helping lead seminar discussions on issues, themes, questions, or puzzles that you think are particularly interesting and important from that week’s assigned readings. A sign-up sheet will be circulated during week 1, and you can choose the weeks you would like to lead, as long as you lead once on or before week 4, and once on or before week 7. Please feel free to collaborate with your fellow classmates as discussion leaders. In general, for the weeks that you are a leader, you should be able to: (1) briefly summarize the central argument of each reading; (2) critique assumptions that are either stated or implied by the author’s arguments/theses; and (3) state whether you find these compelling or not, and why. Grading on discussion leadership will also be assessed on the plus, check, minus scale noted above, and will count for a total of 10% of your grade (5% for each of the two times you are a designated discussion leader).
The third component of your participation grade is “general seminar participation.” This will be assessed on a weekly basis according to the plus, check, minus scale discussed above. As long as you attend seminar prepared to critically engage course readings and materials, you should receive full points each week.
Research Projects:
Depending on your personal interests and goals, you can choose to write either a policy paper or research paper to meet the research project requirement of the seminar. If you choose the policy paper option, for the purposes of the assignment, you will become a democracy policy analyst employed by either a governmental organization (for example, U.S. AID), a nongovernmental organization (NGO) (this includes foundations, think tanks, etc. –for example, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), or intergovernmental organization (for example, an agency of the United Nations) of your choice. If you choose the research paper option, your may want to model your paper after a journal publication in a specific journal that you might wish to submit your work to one day (for example, Journal of Democracy, Democratization, etc.). However, for the purposes of this assignment, you are not required to conduct primary research. That said, if you are able to use primary resources, this is commendable!
Regardless of which option you choose, your projects should focus on a specific problem of democracy in a country of your choice, and should be between 20 – 22 double-spaced pages in length. You should consult a minimum of ten relevant academic sources, in addition to assigned course readings. These sources can be books, articles from scholarly journals, or primary sources or materials from authoritative websites (see web links on the course research page for assistance). A one-paragraph (single-spaced) abstract/proposal of your research project (policy papers and research papers) is due week 3 (April 16th). If you are writing a research paper, please submit your central research question for feedback by week 5 (April 30th). Both policy paper and research paper writers will submit a 1 – 2 pg. project outline of their projects, together with a preliminary bibliography of 8 relevant academic sources, by week 7 (May 14th). Please bring enough copies of your outline to give to your fellow seminar participants, in order to help us better understand each other’s projects. During weeks 8 and 9, all students will then have the opportunity to present their research findings (10 minutes --5% of your grade) and receive feedback from fellow classmates and me prior to turning in final papers. Final papers are due by 3:00 p.m. Monday, 9 June. You can bring them either to my office, or to the international studies office. Detailed handouts on research projects options will be handed out and discussed during our first seminar meeting. Research projects count for 65% of your final grade.
Final Exam:
Your research paper counts as your final exam in this course.
Statement of Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to do their own work, as outlined in the UCSD Policy on Academic Integrity and published in the UCSD General Catalog. Violations will be subject to the disciplinary measures outlined in this document. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please consult the UCSD General Catalog, the course instructor, or the International Studies office.
Course Texts:
Three texts are available for purchase at the UCSD bookstore. Please also feel free to purchase these independently on-line or elsewhere. In particular, Larry Diamond’s new book (2008) is currently only available in hardcover, but it is quite affordable ($18.48 new, or from $13.99 used) from Amazon. In addition, multiple copies of all texts have been placed on reserve at Geisel Library. If you choose not to purchase the texts below and experience any problems obtaining a reserve copy, please let me know.
- Larry Diamond, The Spirit of Democracy, New York: Times Books, 2008.
- Arend Lijphart, Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
- Larry Diamond, Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
Course Reserves:
All additional course readings are available via electronic reserves from Geisel Library, or as a course reader from Soft Reserves. To access e-reserve items, go to and follow the links. If you have any questions about reserves, instructions can be found at: You can also confirm your username by going to: If you encounter any problems, call or email network operations at 858.534.1857, or , and/or contact me. For those of you who would like to purchase readers, these are available from Soft Reserves in the old student center, Student Center “A.” Their phone number is: 858.534.6256.
Course Schedule:
**Please note that the following schedule is subject to revision contingent on student research interests. After our first meeting, and as our research projects and interests develop, course readings may be slightly adjusted to compliment our changed/changing interests.
Week 1: Wednesday, 2 April
A. Course Introduction: Overview of Main Themes, Course Requirements and Assignments
B. Discussion of Students’ Research Background and Interests
Readings:
None.
Week 2: Wednesday, 9 April
A. What Do We Mean By Democracy?
Week 2: Wednesday, 9 April (cont.)
B. What are Dominant Global Trends of Democratization?
Readings:
- Larry Diamond, 2008, Chapters 1 – 3, pp. 1 - 87 (86 pgs.).
- Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry L. Karl, “What Democracy is…and is Not,” Journal of Democracy 2, Summer 1991: 75 -88 (13 pages).
- Review and report on freedom and democracy trends in your region of interest: Freedom House Website:
Discussion Questions:
- What do we mean by “democracy”?
- Is democracy a “universal” value?
- What is the status of the “third wave” of democratization?
Week 3: Wednesday, 16 April
Institutional Forms of Contemporary Democracy: Why Does it Make a Difference?
A. Institutional Forms of Democracy: Westminster and Consensus Models
B. Institutional Differences and Qualitative Outcomes: Assessing the Quality of Democracy
One paragraph (single-spaced) abstract for research project is due at beginning of seminar.
Readings:
- Lijphart, 1999, Patterns of Democracy, Chapters 1- 4 (pp. 1 – 61), and Chapters 16 - 17 (pp. 275 – 309) (84 pgs. total).
- Lijphart, “Majority Rule in Theory and Practice: The Tenacity of a Flawed Paradigm,” International Social Science Journal, v. 43, n. 3, August 1991 (12 pgs.).
- Larry Diamond and Leonardo Morlino, “Introduction,” Assessing the Quality of Democracy, ed. by Larry Diamond and Leonardo Morlino, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, pp. ix – xliii (34 pgs.).
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do different institutional forms of democracy make a difference for the quality of democracy?
2. How do different democratic institutions address problems faced by: Emergent democracies? Plural societies? Societies characterized by uneven development?
3. What is meant by the “substantive dimension” of democracy, as opposed to the “procedural dimension”? How do these dimensions differently impact the quality of democracy?
Week 4: Wednesday, 23 April
What drives democracy? Endogenous factors: Economics? Culture? Civil society? Elite power
struggles?
Readings:
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 4, “Internal Factors,” pp. 88 – 105 (17 pgs.).
- Zehra F. Arat, “Democracy and Economic Development: Modernization Theory Revisited,” Comparative Politics, October 1988, pp. 21 – 36 (15 pgs.)
- Rueschmeyer, Stephens and Stephens, Chapter 3 “Capitalist Development and Democracy: A Theoretical Framework,” in Capitalist Development and Democracy, 1992, pp. 40 – 78 (38 pgs.).
- Diamond, 1999, “Political Culture,” pp. 161 – 217 (56 pgs.).
Discussion Questions:
- What internal forces drive democracy?
- Economic development? Political culture? Civil society? Elite power struggles?
Week 5: Wednesday, 30 April
A. What Drives Democracy? Exogenous Factors: Diffusion and Demonstration Effects?
Regional Influences? External Pressure? Aid Conditionality? Democratic Assistance?
B. What do we think of “democracy promotion” as a component of U.S. foreign aid?
Research Questions due for research paper writers.
Film: “Our Brand is Crisis”
Readings:
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 5, “External Factors,” pp. 106 – 134 (28 pgs.); Chapter 6, “Regional Factors,” pp. 135 – 152 (17 pgs.); Chapter 14, “Promoting Democracy Effectively”, pp. 314 – 344 (30 pgs.) (75 pgs. total)
- Thomas Carothers, “A Quarter Century of Promoting Democracy,” Journal of Democracy, v. 18, n. 4, October 2007, pp. 112 – 115. (2 pgs.); Thomas Carothers, “Repairing Democracy Promotion,” washingtonpost.com's Think Tank Town, September 14, 2007. (1 pg.); Thomas Carothers, “The Democracy Crusade Myth,” The National Interest, July/August 2007, pp. 8 – 12 (4 pgs.); Tony Smith, “Response to The Democracy Crusade Myth,” National Interest, July 30, 2007. (1 pg.); Thomas Carothers, “Report and Retort: Carothers Responds to Smith,” National Interest, August 6, 2007 (1/2 pg.) (9.5 pgs. total).
- H. J. Wiarda, “Is Civil Society Exportable? The American Model and Third World Development,” In Civil Society: The American Model and Third World Development. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press, 2003.
Additional readings for those interested (not required). Both are on e-reserves:
- Mercer, Claire, “NGOs, Civil Society, and Democratization: A Critical Review of the Literature” Progress in Development Studies 2, 1, 2002, pp. 5-22 (17 pgs.).
- Thomas Carothers, U.S. Democracy Promotion During and After Bush, Carnegie Endowment Report,September2007.
Discussion Questions:
- What external forces drive democracy?
- Is civil society “exportable”?
- What do we think of “democracy promotion” as a component of U.S. foreign aid?
Week 6: Wednesday, 7 May
What Sustains Democracy? Part I: Civil Society? Culture? Why?
Readings:
- Diamond, 2008 Chapter 7, pp. 153 – 168 (15 pgs.); Chapter 13, pp. 292 – 313 (21 pp.) (total: 36 pgs.).
- Diamond, 1999, “Civil Society,” pp. 218 – 259 (41 pgs.).
- Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone,” Journal of Democracy, January 1995, v. 6., n. 1, pp. 65 – 77 (12 pgs.)
Discussion Questions:
- Civil society? What explains dominant changes within civil society?
- Political culture? Where does “culture” come from? What explains cultural change?
Week 7: Wednesday, 14 May
What Sustains Democracy? Part II: Institutions? Which Institutions? Why?
1 – 2 pg. outline of research project is due, together with preliminary bibliography of 8
relevant academic sources.
Week 7: Wednesday, 14 May (cont.)
Readings:
- Arend Lijphart, Thinking About Democracy: Power Sharing and Majority Rule in Theory and Practice, New York: Routledge Press, 2008, Chapter 1: “Introduction: Developments in Power Sharing Theory,” pp. 3 – 22 (19 pgs.) and Chapter 18: Conclusion: Power Sharing, Evidence, and Logic, p. 269 – 281 (31 pgs. total).
- Philip G. Roeder, “Power Dividing as an Alternative to Ethnic Power Sharing,” in Sustainable Peace: Power and Democracy after Civil Wars, Philip G. Roeder and Donald Rothchild, eds., pp. 51 - 82. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005 (31 pages).
- Lijphart, “Constitutional Design for Divided Societies,” Journal of Democracy, v. 15, n. 2, April 2004. (14 pgs.).
- Lijphart, “Constitutional Choices for New Democracies,” Journal of Democracy, v. 2, n. 1, Winter 1991. (11 pgs).
- Ljphart, “Double-Checking the Evidence,” Journal of Democracy, v. 2., n. 3, Summer 1991 (6.5 pgs.).
Week 8: Wednesday, 21 May
Regional Focus: (1) Latin America, (2) Asia
Student presentations: 10 mins, plus 10 mins. of discussion per project.
*Readings:
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 8, “Latin America’s Uneasy Progress,” pp. 171 – 189 (18 pgs.).
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 10, “The Asian Exception,” pp. 208 – 237 (29 pgs.) (47 pgs. total).
*Note: These readings may be adjusted, depending on student interest and research projects.
Week 9: Wednesday, 28 May
Regional Focus: (1) Africa, (2) Middle East
Student presentations: 10 mins, plus 10 mins. of discussion per project.
*Readings:
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 11, “Overcoming Personal Rule,” pp. 238 – 262.
- Diamond, 2008, Chapter 12, “Can the Middle East Democratize?” pp. 263 – 290 (52 pgs. total).
*Note: These readings may be adjusted, depending on student interest and research projects.
Week 10: Wednesday, 4 June
Why Democracy? Institutions and the Quality of Democracy? Quality of Democracy in the U.S.?
Readings:
- Amartya Sen, Chapter 6: “The Importance of Democracy,” Development as Freedom, New York: First Anchor Books ed., 2000, pp. 146 – 159 (13 pgs.)
- Arend Lijphart and Peter J. Bowman, 2008, “Types of Democracy and Generosity with Foreign Aid: An Indirect Test of the Democratic Peace Proposition,” in Elites, Parties and Democracy, Odense, Denmark: Odense University Press, 1999 (12 pgs.).
- Larry Diamond, 2008 Chapter 15, “Physician, Heal Thyself,” pp. 345 – 370 (25 pgs.).
- Arend Lijphart, Democracy in the 21st Century: Can We Be Optimistic? Uhlenbeck Lecture 18, The Netherlands: NIAS, 16 June 2000, pp. 3 – 21 (18 pages).
Final Exams Week: Turn in research projects by Monday, 9 June at 3 p.m., and celebrate the completion of the quarter!
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