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| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Denise Traber (denise.traber@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | According to an increasing number of studies and reports, economic inequality has increased in advanced democracies in the recent decades (e.g. https://wid.world/) – and is expected to increase even more as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. What are the political consequences of increasing economic inequality? How does economic inequality influence political behavior and political outcomes? More generally, what are the consequences for democracies? In the first part of the seminar, we will focus on different concepts and measures of inequality. The second part will cover a number of political outcomes and we will discuss the following questions: Do political preferences change, and do we find more unequal participation and representation as a consequence of growing inequality? In which contexts can we expect increasing political polarization? Based on current empirical research in political science, sociology and political economy, we discuss different research designs, data sets and methodological approaches. The students will become familiar with current research on inequality, and will be able to review and critically discuss the studies’ theoretical framework as well as the empirical/methodological approaches. |
| Learning objectives | The students will learn about different concepts and measures of political inequality. They will learn how the political consequences of economic inequality can be analyzed empirically, and they will be familiar with current debates and empirical results. They will be able to critically evaluate current studies. |
| Bibliography | Bartels, Larry M. 2008. Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. New York : Princeton: Russell Sage Foundation ; Princeton University Press. Elsässer, Lea, Svenja Hense, und Armin Schäfer. „Government of the People, by the Elite, for the Rich: Unequal Responsiveness in an Unlikely Case“. MPIfG Discussion Paper 18/5. Iversen, Torben, und David Soskice. 2015. „Information, Inequality, and Mass Polarization: Ideology in Advanced Democracies“. Comparative Political Studies 48(13): 1781–1813. O’Grady, Tom. 2019. „How Do Economic Circumstances Determine Preferences? Evidence from Long-Run Panel Data“. British Journal of Political Science 49(4): 1381–1406. |
| Comments | Das Seminar findet wenn möglich vor Ort statt. Über die Art der Durchführung (vor Ort oder online) wird kurz vor Semester per Email informiert. |
| Admission requirements | Maximal 25 Teilnehmer*innen, Voraussetzung ist der erfolgreiche Abschluss des Kurses „Einführung in die quantitativen Methoden“. Bei Überbuchung haben Studierende der Soziologie und Politikwissenschaft Vorrang. Selektion nach Belegungsdatum. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Presentation, discussion paper, written questions for discussion (details to be determined) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |