OAFP 6565 - Being a politician: an international perspective
The objective of the proposed course is to initiate students to the realities of modern political
power across the world. They should come out of the class with a better appreciation of what it
takes to be a successful politician, whether they consider pursuing this career or not. It is a central
issue around the world because citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with the political class, whilst
politicians complain about increasing difficulties and dangers of their profession.
Success in politics seems more elusive than ever as the exercise of political power in modern
democracies is confronted to a series of new challenges. Growing societal heterogeneity (social
stratification, intergenerational perspectives, religious attitudes, etc.), coupled with the influence
of special interests and social media have led to the fragmentation and polarisation of the
electorate. The ensuing erosion of “catch-all” power parties require new skills to build support
and manage coalitions. Faced with those new realities, some politicians turn to populism or
authoritarianism, others barely last one term, while many well-establish ones quit. Longer-term
successful political careers are becoming rare.
What should and can be done? This purpose of the course is to provide realistic answers.
The course will do so primarily through a practical angle (“how to”, learning from best practices
around the world), but we will also discuss the ethical and theoretical underpinnings that give
meaning to political action (“why and for whom”), addressing along the way numerous
challenges facing democracies.
We would also invite several recently retired politicians from across the political spectrum from
around world to provide their perspectives (for ex. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Enrico Letta, Vince
Cable, etc.).