401 COMPARATIVE POLITICAL ANALYSIS

Course Name: 3016 Comparative Political Analysis

About the Course:

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• This paper is a core paper that intends to introduce students to themes and issues in the study of comparative politics. It seeks to develop new insights among students on the diverse perspectives and approaches that have emerged in the field of comparative analysis and its limitations as well as possibilities.

• It explores the question of the diversity of political cultures and its ramifications for understanding the nature of politics in any society. In this regard a study of police culture, socialization, political development, civil society and political mobilisation becomes imminent.

• It introduces students to the approaches to study state and its institutions as well political processes in comparative perspective.

COURSE OUTCOMES

• The paper remains useful for students in developing ideas on politics which is helpful in providing theoretical insights and perspectives to students if they wish to pursue research programme in any area of social science.

• The paper has utility for students preparing for UGC NET-JRF exams and SLET exams and other competitive exams like civil services.

Course Plan: 3016 Comparative Political Analysis

Unit-II State, Structures and institutions

1. Institutional framework-state and system

2. Legislature-Executive relations, Government and Bureaucracies

3. State and social classes

Unit-IV: Processes in Comparative politics

1 Political culture and socialisation

2 Political development

3 Civil society and social movements

Essential readings:

Unit-I: Theory and Methodology in Comparative Politics

• C.P. Bhambhri, ‘Contemporary Frameworks Of Comparative Politics: A Critique’ , The Indian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 36, No. 4 (October-December 1975), pp. 414-430

• Carles Boix and Susan C. Stokes (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007).

• Judith Bara, “Methodologies for Comparative Analysis” in Judith Bara and Mark Pennington (ed) Comparative Politics , Sage, New Delhi, 2009,pp.41-66

• Mark Pennington, “Theory, Institutions and Comparative Politics” in Judith Bara and Mark Pennington (ed) Comparative Politics Sage, New Delhi, 2009, pp.13-40

• Meharan Kamrava, Understanding Comparative Politics- A framework for analysis, Routledge, London , 2008,Chapter 2

• Ronald Chilcote, Comparative Inquiry in Politics and Political Economy, Westview Press, USA, 2000, Chapter 1,2

• Ronald Chilcote, Theories of Comparative Politics-The Search for a Paradigm Reconsidered Westview Press, San Fancisco, 1994, Chapter 1,2,3

• Sudha Pai, ‘New Developments in Comparative Politics in India: Present Status, Problems and Future Directions’, The Indian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 59, No. 1/4 (1998), pp. 41-61

Unit-II State, Structures and institutions

• Berch Berberoglu , ‘The Centrality of Class in Contemporary Capitalist Society’ , International Review of Modern Sociology, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Spring 2007), pp. 49-67

• Bert A. Rockman , ‘Legislative-Executive Relations and Legislative Oversight’ , Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Aug., 1984), pp. 387-440

• Bharat Patankar and Gail Omvedt , ‘The Bourgeois State in Post-Colonial Social Formations’ , Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 12, No. 53 (Dec. 31, 1977), pp. 2165-2167+2169-2177

• Christopher Pierson , ‘New Theories of State and Civil Society Recent Developments In Post-Marxist analysis of the State’ , Sociology, Vol. 18, No. 4 (November 1984), pp. 563-571

• Ethan M. Bernick and E. Lee Bernick Executive-Legislative Relations: Where You Sit Really Does Matter , , Social Science Quarterly, Vol. 89, No. 4 (December 2008), pp. 969-986

• John Milios , ‘Social Classes in Classical and Marxist Political Economy’ , American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 283-302

• Neera Chandhoke , Limits of Comparative Political Analysis , Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Jan. 27, 1996), pp. PE2-PE8

• Sabino Cassese , ‘The Rise and Decline of the Notion of State’ , International Political Science Review , Vol.7, No. 21986, pp. 120-130