Political Science

Many countries rely heavily on voluntary organisations during crises, and their efforts are often crucial in reducing the social impact of a crisis. The course focuses on the phenomenon of volunteerism and discusses the role of volunteerism and voluntary organisations linked to crisis and war in Swedish society as political and empirical phenomena. The course inventories and discusses volunteerism and voluntary organisations and their formal and informal relationship to public organisations and authorities.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course builds the ability to analyze in a critical and professional way current social and economic issues that are relevant for public policy, using the tools of economic analysis and considering the political aspects involved. Through an in-depth discussion of selected current issues and applying, among the others, the conceptual tools developed during the first year of the program, students learn (i) how to structure an economic analysis of a particular public policy issue, (ii) how to perform the analysis, (iii) how to write a policy report or briefing, and (iv) how to summarize and present it both orally (without support) and in a presentation (with support), in order to convey effectively such analysis is a non-technical way to the policy maker or to public executives.

Course contents:

• Analysis and Discussion of Current Public Policy Issues: The selection of topics may change annually, depending on the evolving economic and political landscape and the emergence of new issues.
• Policy Making Process Management: Regardless of the specific topics, students develop the ability to manage the entire process: framing, implementing, and presenting a policy report or brief.
• Writing an Effective Policy Report/Brief: Techniques and strategies for crafting clear and compelling policy documents.
• Effective Presentation of the Policy Report/Brief: How to persuasively and professionally present the findings of the report/brief.
• Oral Briefing to a Policymaker: Skills for orally communicating with policymakers, summarizing, and conveying policy analysis clearly and concisely.

This course provides fundamental knowledge and critical understanding of the intricate relationship between international law and global politics, with a particular emphasis on the processes of political globalization. While the prominence of nation-states on the global stage appears to be waning, political globalization is characterized by the increasing role of intergovernmental organizations and elements of global civil society such as international NGOs, and social movement organizations. As key concepts of global politics such as power, equality, sustainability, and peace are now being challenged by this process, the course explores how legal frameworks and political dynamics interact on the global stage. To this end, it covers theoretical foundations, key actors, sources of international law, and contemporary issues, with a focus on practical implications and case studies.

Ireland, beyond the six counties of Northern Ireland, was once a constituent of the United Kingdom, and remains the UK's closest European neighbor. Ireland's history is simultaneously distinctive and interconnected with that of modern Britain. This course explores the political and social history of Ireland from the period of insurgency and union in the 1790s, when some key political ideologies and movements were constructed, through to the achievement and consolidation of Irish independence in the years before the Second World War. The course provides an understanding of some of the central themes within the history of Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It addresses the issues of emerging republicanism and unionism, the evolution of Catholic politics, and the impact of famine and migration on Irish society.

This course examines the intersections between international and domestic policy making. It explores the role of international governmental organizations and treaties, multinational corporations and transnational advocacy in shaping policy decisions. The course reflects critically on the scholarly debate around globalization and the state, and the extent to which national governments retain the capacity to determine their own policy directions. It considers the diffusion of policy ideas internationally and the transfer of policies and programs from one country to another. It covers the factors that interfere with intergovernmental cooperation and coordination and evaluate the ways in which policy makers respond to global policy challenges.

This course offers an in-depth critical analysis of right-wing populism, emphasizing its theoretical foundations, historical evolution, and contemporary empirical manifestations. Students explore the ideological underpinnings of right-wing populism, its intersections with nationalism and authoritarian tendencies, and its broader implications for democratic governance. Through interdisciplinary scholarly literature, critical media analyses, and collaborative discussions, the course examines how right-wing populist movements emerge, sustain, and transform within diverse political systems and cultural contexts, focusing particularly on case studies from Europe and North America. Special attention is also given to the relationship between right-wing populism and pressing global issues such as climate change, fostering awareness of how environmental concerns are framed, instrumentalized, or denied within populist rhetoric. Upon completion of this course, students can clearly define and differentiate between key concepts including right-wing populism, radical right, and extreme right. They are capable of analyzing and critiquing the core ideological dimensions of populism and identifying the underlying factors that drive the emergence and rise of right-wing populist movements. Additionally, students evaluate the impact of digital communication technologies on populist rhetoric and political mobilization. They are also equipped to conduct comparative analyses of right-wing populist phenomena across different national contexts and critically assess the consequences of right-wing populism on democratic institutions, civil society, civic norms, and environmental discourse.

This course examines authoritarian politics from a global comparative perspective. It explores what autocracy involves, how autocrats come to and lose office, and how they attempt to hold on to power. This involves studying both blunt and sophisticated tactics ranging from indiscriminate physical repression to digital surveillance, as autocrats seek to mitigate threats to their position from foreign powers, elites within their regimes, and their own people. 

This course covers the politics of immigration in Europe. Students engage with key debates and empirical findings related to public opinion on immigration, including how perceptions of cultural, economic, and security-related threats shape attitudes toward immigrants. The course explores how immigration influences voting behavior and electoral outcomes, particularly in the context of the rise of anti-immigration parties across Europe. Students investigate the causes and consequences of these parties' success, as well as the strategic responses of mainstream political actors. In addition, the course places emphasis on the experiences of immigrants themselves, including political discrimination, integration, and the pathways to political incorporation. The phenomenon of anti-immigrant violence is also addressed. Basic knowledge of quantitative research methods (multivariate regression, causal inference, and experimental design) is desirable but not required.

This course studies Europe both as a collection of countries that exhibit varying political, economic, and policy patterns but face very similar problems at the turn of the millennium and as a political and economic unit that binds those European countries together and determines their collective responses to the challenges they face. It provides an understanding of capitalist diversity within Europe and the challenges faced by European integration in the past decade and a half.

This course introduces students to the range and scope of social policy analysis by showing how the subject has developed over time. It covers the history and development of Irish social policy and examines how social change has influenced and has been influenced by social policy developments since the nineteenth century.