Money, Power & Democracy
This course explores how money, power and democracy are intrinsically linked, and how different polities approach this interchange.
Instructor: Dublin City University
Term: Fall
Course Overview
This course explores how money, power and democracy are intrinsically linked, and how different polities approach this interchange. Students will:
- Gain insights into how these different approaches translate into benefits and disadvantages for legislators, political elites, interest groups, corporations, and citizens
- Understand more about how money shapes elections, referendums, and policy outcomes, both in Ireland and beyond.
Grading
- Written exam: 50%
- Assignments: 25%
- Presentation: 25%
Schedule
| Week | Date | Topic | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Sept 8 | Course Introduction Overview of the module. | |
| 1-3 | Sept 10 - 24 | Central Concepts & Theories Introduction to the concepts of and contemporary questions surrounding political finance, lobbying, and corruption, with a seminar on Bekkouche et al. (2022): the Heterogenous Price of a Vote. |
|
| 4-5 | Sept 29 - Oct 8 | Case Study 1: Ireland Application of theories to the case of Ireland, with a simulation exercise on political finance reform. | |
| 6-7 | Oct 13 - Nov 3 | Case Study 2: Competitive Authoritarian Regime Application of theories to the case of competitive authoritarian regimes, with a seminar on Pleines (2019): The Political Role of Business Magnates in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes. | |
| 8-10 | Nov 5 - Oct 24 | Case Study 3: The United States Application of theories to the case of the United States, with an exercise on data collection and reporting on OpenSecrets. |