European Governance

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Subtitle: 
Conflicts, institutions and policies

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Aims and scope: 

This module aims to provide an introduction to the analysis of European Union government and policy-making. The general aims of the course is to provide a detailed and critical understanding of EU institutions and how they affect the process of European Union policy making, to channel this knowledge through the wider context of political science, and to enable students to develop analytical and theoretical skills that provide the foundations for higher degrees or that can be transferred directly into non-academic careers. Readings, exercises and class presentations will encourage students to develop practical skills such the ability to plan and work independently and to summarise and elucidate an issue.

Topics: 

What is the European Union and how can we analyse it? The citizen connection: elections and lobbying. Legislative politics. Executive politics. Judicial politics. Macroeconomic governance: monetary and fiscal policies. Institutional organisation I: leadership structures. Institutional organisation II: division of labour. EP committee simulation. Coalition formation: power indices. Coalition formation II: empirical measures of voting. Council simulation. Democracy and reform. Revision - exam preparation.

Indicative reading: 

Varela Pedreira, D. 2007. Gobierno de la Unión Europea. La Coruña: Netbiblo. Free Full Text; Varela, D. 2008. Guvernarea Uniunii Europene. Institutul European.

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