IFCO 2775 - Democracy in Europe: Backsliding and competition in multi-level systems
IFCO 2775 · Fall semester 2026-2027
- Language of tuition
- English
- Course type
- Cours magistral
- Number of hours
- 24
- Credits
- 4
Information
Description
The course introduces students to core debates relating to democratic developments and challenges to democracy in Europe. It is anchored in a multi-level perspective, covering both the national and the European levels. The course discusses the institutional and cultural underpinnings of democracy as well as current challenges in the form of the rising democratic opposition and democratic backsliding. Addressing the ways in which aspiring autocrats reduce democracy, the course also presents the responses that democratic actors can provide to these developments. It equips students with a solid understanding of the key concepts from democracy research and recent developments in this field. It also introduces various quantitative measures of democracy and its institutions. This course uses advanced academic literature and is therefore targeted towards students comfortable with reading scientific texts in English.
Prerequisites
This is a fundamental course open to anyone who is comfortable reading more complex academic texts in English.
Teaching format
Lectures
Assessment
Final exam 70%:
- Three short answer questions, one essay question.
Group paper 30%:
- Focus on an aspect of democracy or democratic decline that we have studied.
- Combine theoretical questions and reflections with specific case study(ies).
- Groups of 3 or 4 students assigned by the professor.
Readings
Main readings 5
-
Bermeo, Nancy, (2016) 'On Democratic Backsliding' Journal of Democracy
-
Follesdahl, Andreas and Simon Hix (2006): Why there is a democratic deficit in the EU – A response to Majone and Moravcik, JCMS 44(3), 533-562.
-
Lavanex, Sandra and Frank Schimmelfennig (2011): EU democracy promotion in the neighborhood – from leverage to governance?, Democratization 18(4), 1-25.
-
Levitsky, Stephen and Ziblatt, Daniel. (2018): How Democracies Die. Penguin Random House.
-
Schmitter, Philippe C.Karl, Terry Lynn (1991) What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not. Journal of Democracy
Further readings 2
-
McNamara, Kathleen (2018): When the Banal Becomes Political – The European Union in the Age of Populism, Polity 51(4), 678-688.
-
Meyerrose, Anna M (2020): The unintended consequences of democracy promotion – International organizations and democratic backsliding, Comparative Political Studies 53 (10-11), 1547-1581.
Teaching units
| Unit no. | Unit type | Teaching units | Teachers | Number of hours | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17103 | Cours magistral | Democracy in Europe: Backsliding and competition in multi-level systems | Jan ROVNY, Hiroki YAMASHITA, Léandre BENOIT | 24 | 4 |
| 18665 | — | TA Democracy in Europe | — | 32 | — |
| 20912 | Teaching assistant | TA Democracy in Europe | Hiroki YAMASHITA, Léandre BENOIT | 32 | — |
Teachers
- Jan ROVNY
- Hiroki YAMASHITA
- Léandre BENOIT
In the curricula
- Formation Académique Commune (FAC) - Semestre d'automne 2026-2027FORMATION ACADEMIQUE COMMUNE (MASTERS)
Contacts and resources
- Contact
- IODICE Marina · LOURDELET Esther