PL3003 - Democracy and the State

No individual can escape the state. But how pervasive or dominant is the state? What is the relationship between the state, globalisation, democratisation and governance. This subject will first discuss the development of the modern state and examine state power and competing modern state theories: Liberal-Pluralist, Elitist/Corporatist, Systems Thinking and Post structuralism/ post-Marxist. It will also discuss the role of the state in the economy and its relationship with civil society. This will cover both the advanced industrial countries and countries in the developing world. Second, the subject will focus on the relationship between state power and democratisation and globalisation, particularly the debates about the declining strength of state in the developing world as the result of the globalisation pressures and the rise of global civil society. The third part of the subject will deal with the issues of governance, which in recent years has gained prominence in the reform agenda promoted by such international bodies as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation of Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN).

Learning Outcomes

• analyse and discuss politics and public policy;
• Critically evaluate the role of the state and democracy in a global context;
• Analyse, generate and transmit knowledge, skills and ideas of contemporary concepts in relation to the future role of the state in world politics;
• Analyse and evaluate information to complete a range of activities that examines alternatives to the concept of the state.

Subject Assessment

• essays (40%)
• presentation (20%)
• centrally-administered final exam (40%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.