30202

WiSe 12/13: Elections in Europe

Dieter Ohr

Comments

This seminar covers various perspectives on elections in member states of the European Union. The elections to be analyzed will comprise European parliament elections as well as elections to national parliaments. A first perspective refers to the distinction between first-order elections and second-order elections. Elections to the European parliament, in contrast to elections to national parliaments, have been characterized as (only) second-order elections where there is "ess at stake" for many voters. Since during the past decades the European Union has undergone fundamental changes, and the powers of the European parliament have clearly grown, it will be asked in the seminar to what extent European parliament elections have retained their second-order nature. In a second perspective, it will be investigated whether the electorates and party systems in EU member states have become more similar after decades of European integration. In a third perspective, it will be examined in which way long-term trends such as partisan dealignment or the development towards a media society have been able to change the character of elections, electoral campaigns and electoral behaviour in Europe. Basic Reading: Eijk, Cees van der, and Mark Franklin, 1996: Choosing Europe? The European Electorate and National Politics in the Face of Union. Ann Arbor, MI. Kriesi, Hanspeter et al., 2008: West European Politics in the Age of Globalization. Cambridge. Requirements: Regular participation One oral presentation Seminar paper or 3 Essays Exam: Seminar paper (3.000 words) or 3 Essays (each essay about 1.000 words) close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Thu, 10:00 - 12:00 16 Class schedule

Thu, 2012-10-18 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dieter Ohr