UK Constitutional Reform

Summarising the debate on the UK constitution (see post on parliamentary and electoral reform for that).

Notes. (more)

Sartori (2004) Comparative Constitutional Engineering

On the reading list for Week 2 - Constitutionalism.

Notes.
I get the feeling some chapters have been surpassed by Lijphart.
(more)

Hamilton, Madison and Jay - The Federalist Papers

Week 2 reading - 23-8; 41-4; 47ff.
Full online text: http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm

Notes. (more)

MT09 - Week 3 reading list - Democracy

Aim of the session: To develop insights into what distinguishes democracy from other regime types.
Discussion topics:
(a) How should scholars define democracy? How can democracies be identified in the real world?
(b) How do democracies emerge?.

Readings:
(a) The Concept of Democracy
· Dahl, Robert. P Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. New Haven: Yale University Press,
1971, chapt. 1.
· Schumpeter, Joseph. Capitalism, Socialism, & Democracy. New York: Harper & Brothers,
1947 Chpt XXII Sec I pp.269-273
· Schmitter, Philippe and Terry Lynn Karl. “What Democracy is …and is Not” in Larry
Diamond and Marc Plattner eds. The Global Resurgence of Democracy pp.39-52 original in
Journal of Democracy

(b) Explanations for Democracy’s Emergence
· Rustow, Dankwart. “Transitions to Democracy: Toward a Dynamic Model” in Comparative
Politics vol 2 no. 2 April 1970 pp337-63.
· Moore, Barrington.1968 Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Part 3 Chpt 7 pp413-432.
· Skocpol, Theda.1973 “A Critical Review of Barrington Moore’s Social Origins of Dictatorship and
Democracy” Politics and Society, Fall.
· Acemoglu, Daron and James A. Robinson. 2006 Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . Chapt 1 skim Chapts 2-3/
· Boix, Carles. 2003. Democracy and Redistribution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 1-109.
· Seymour Martin Lipset. (1959)“Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy” APSR, Vol. 53, No. 1.(Mar., 1959), pp. 69-105.
· Boix, Carles, and Susan Stokes. (2003) “Endogenous Democratization,” WP, Volume 55, Number 4, July.
· Rueschemeyer, Dietrich Eve lyne Huber Stephens, and John Stephens. Capitalist Development and Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992, chapters 1, 2, and 3.
· Przeworski, Adam “Democracy as a Contingent Outcome of Conflicts,” pp. 59-80 from Jon Elster and Rune Slagstad, eds., Constitutionalism and Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
· O’Donnell, Guillermo and Philippe C. Schmitter, “Negotiating (and Renegotiating) Pacts,”
from Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies.
· Huntington, Samuel. The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991, pp. xiii-xv, chapters 1~4.*
· Bunce, Valerie 2003 “Rethinking recent Democratization: Lessons from the Postcommuist
Experience”.WP . Vol. 55, Iss. 2; pg. 167-195.
· Linz, Juan and Alfred Stepan. 1996 Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation 3-83.
· Whitehead, Laurence.2001 The International Dimensions of Democratization Chapter 1 and
Postcript 3-25 and 443-454 by Whitehead and Chapt 2 by Schmitter 26-49. (more)

Vile (1988) Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers

Vile, Maurice (2nd ed 1998), Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers
Ch. 1 available as PDF on computer or google docs
.

Notes. (more)

Ridley (1988) There is no British Constitution

Ridley, F. F. (1988), ‘There is no British Constitution: a Dangerous Case of the Emperor’s New
Clothes’, Parliamentary Affairs 41:3.
Available: Soft copy on computer or google docs

Notes. (more)

Perry (1998) Constitutionalism: Philosophical Foundations

Michael J. Perry, “What is ‘the Constitution’? (and other Fundamental Questions),” in Larry Alexander, ed., Constitutionalism: Philosophical Foundations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), esp pp. 99-151
Available: Nuffield - K 3165.A
SSL - K3165.CON 2001
Pages 99-151 available soft copy on computer, or google docs


Notes. (more)