The Transformation of Political Parties and Democracy in Europe - Detailseite

This course aims to discuss the transformation of political parties and democracy from a comparative perspective. It will cover the current literature on the transformation of political parties across Europe to shed light on the possible impacts of such transformation on the representative mass democracy. By revising the current literature and political terminology on political parties, such as mass party, catch-all party, networked party, platform party, digital party, personal party etc., the course targets to find answers to the following questions: Can we talk about the emergence of new party forms and transformation of the political party system in Europe? What are the dynamics behind such transformation? How does the emergence of new political communication tools such as social media impact the connection between political parties and their supporters? How and why do new authoritarian parties get the support of the masses in the contemporary world? How do authoritarian leaders transform political party systems institutionally, legally, and politically after getting to power? Consequently, the transformation of political parties and the impacts of such transformation on democracy in Europe will be discussed with a reference to theories of democracy, right-wing populism, authoritarianism and contemporary theories of political parties from a comparative perspective.