Class Political Systems and Voting Behaviours

Elections occupy a central place in democratic regimes, as they are the mechanism through which the functions of representation and accountability are carried out and the behavior of voters is fundamental to these processes. In this sense, the UC is divided into two complementary axes: "Electoral Systems" and "Electoral Behavior Models". At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to critically reflect on the role of elections and electoral systems for the stability and quality of democracy and the different models that influence voter behavior.

Not applicable

Electoral Systems 1.Elections and Electoral Systems    1. Main features of electoral systems    2. Democratic elections 2. Type of electoral systems     1. Majoritarian systems in a single round      2. Majoritarian systems in a two round      3.Proportional Representation (PR) systems      4. Mixed Systems 3. Portuguese case: proposals for the electoral system reform Electoral Behaviour 1. Models     1.Sociological model      2. Sociopsychological model       3. Economic model       4. - Models of new cleavages 2.  Contextual effects on voter behavior      1. The model of second-order elections (and the like)       2.  Recent trends in voter behaviour in modern democracies

Focus on the critical analysis of texts and oral presentations by students

Pasquino, G. (2007).  Sistemas Políticos Comparados. Lisboa: Principia. Freire, A. (2017). Sistemas Eleitorais e Reformas Políticas em Portugal – Uma perspetiva comparada? In C. Pequito Teixeira (Ed.) O Sistema Político Português em Perspetiva Comparada (pp. 155 – 184). Lisboa: Principia. Jaffrelot, C., & Verniers, G. (2020). A new party system or a new political system?. Contemporary South Asia, 28(2), 141-154. -LeDuc, Lawrence, e Niemi, Richard G., e Norris, Pippa (eds.) (orgs.), Comparing Democracies 2. New Challenges in the Study of Elections and Voting , Londres, Sage, pp.148-168, 189-209. Kenny, M., & Luca, D. (2021). The urban-rural polarisation of political disenchantment: An investigation of social and political attitudes in 30 European countries. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 14(3), 565-582. Dalton, Russell J., e Klingemann, Hans-Dieter (eds.) (2007), The Oxford Handbook of Political Behavior, Oxford, Oxford University Press.