La lezione di maggio all'Universita' Bocconi di Milano

SCIENZA DELLA POLITICA
POLITICAL SCIENCE (cod. 6172 - AY 2010/11)

Instructors: Paolo R. GRAZIANO

Introduction to the course
The course provides the main analytical tools needed to understand the nature of politics and political behavior in both national and international contexts. In the first part the course addresses issues such as the evolution of political science, the description of the main features of various political regimes and the role of power relations in contemporary democracies. Furthermore, public institutions, political actors and decision making processes are discussed using political science methodological tools and analytical approaches. In the second part, the main characteristics of the Italian political system are analyzed.

PART II: The Italian Political System in Comparative Perspective
Textbook: M. Cotta and L. Verzichelli (2007), Political Institutions in Italy, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lecture 15: The Italian polity
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 1

Lecture 16: Students’ presentations

Lecture 17: Students’ presentations

Lecture 18: The (Italian) republic of parties
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 2

Lecture 19: Electoral systems and elections
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 3

Lecture 20: The Executive
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 4

Lecture 21: Lecture on North-African Political Changes (Dott. Giuseppe Acconcia)

Lecture 22: The Parliament
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 5

Lecture 23: Local government and Bureaucracy and regulatory bodies
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 6 and 7

Lecture 24: Judicial power
• Cotta and Verzichelli, ch. 8