Comparative Politics II

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of political institutions and democratic governance across advanced democracies, using comparative analysis of the United States and key Western European political systems. Through the examination of presidential, parliamentary, and semi presidential models, party systems, electoral rules, political participation, polarization, inequality, and migration policies, the course equips students to interpret how institutional designs shape political outcomes and societal dynamics. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply core concepts and methods of comparative politics to analyze and compare political systems, critically assess contemporary political challenges in the U.S. and Western Europe, and demonstrate analytical competence through case based discussions, presentations and written work.