Postgraduate - UnitAPG5337 - Governance and democratisation

The unit will explore modern political governance; the modes of authority, control, and participation within and amongst states. The focus of this unit is on dominant modes of governance, with a particular emphasis on processes of democracy and democratisation. In exploration of this, the unit will explore the development of formal participatory democracy, particularly liberal democracy, as a global norm through the 20th century before examining the pressures for and against democratic development across the world. From a focus on various forms of established liberal democracy (presidential and parliamentary systems), this unit will move to detailed case studies of the Middle East, Latin America, and South-East Asia to investigate efforts at formalising political participation, the persistence of informal modes of participation, and the perseverance of autocratic and authoritarian rule.