Course List

This course will focus on party competition and government formation in parliamentary democracies in Western and Central Europe. It will aim to explain voters' choices, party strategies, and origins of governments. It will take a look at elections from the perspective of both parties and voters, and analyze both the pre-election and post-election stages of party competition. The course will explore theories of voting, party systems, and party competition. It will also study pre-election alliances that are formed by parties in order to improve their electoral results as well as their chances to control the government after election. The course will conclude with the analysis of theories of government formation. Throughout the course, the analyzed theories will be used to explain cases of elections and government formation from Central and Western Europe.