GPAD7304 Seminar on Contemporary Political Theory
2023/24
Instructor: T.W. Ngo (E21-4046)
Time and Venue: Mon 10:00-12:45, E21-G014
Office Hours: Mon 15:00-16:00; Wed 11:00-12:00
Course Summary
This course deals with different perspectives in contemporary political theory. Students will learn about the conceptual lexicons and analytical tools employed by different theoretical approaches. The course will explore the assumptions, methodologies, and biases deployed by various theoretical perspectives in understanding the same political phenomena. In doing so, students will acquire an advanced knowledge about the nature of political enquiry as well as the strengths and weaknesses of various theoretical approaches.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students are expected to:
(1) acquire a clear distinction of the major theoretical perspectives on contemporary politics, namely behaviourialism, rational choice, institutionalism, Marxism, feminism, structural functionalism, and constructivism;
(2) develop a critical assessment of the assumptions, strength, and weaknesses of each theoretical perspective;
(3) recognize the respective covert theoretical assumptions in existing political studies;
(4) apply relevant theoretical perspectives to analyze political phenomena
Assessment
Class participation (20%): This is a seminar course based on group discussion. Students will be asked to give comments on fellow students’ class essays after each presentation.
Class essay and presentation (30%): Each student is required to write an essay (about 2,000 words) on one of the topics and present it in class. The essay should be uploaded to UM Moodle before Sunday of the presentation week. All students should read the essay before coming to class. A hardcopy should be handed in during class.
Final paper (50%): Each student is required to write a final paper (about 4,000 words). The paper should be fully referenced and should be submitted in hardcopy before 17:00 on 27 Nov 2023.
Recommended Text
David Marsh and Gerry Stoker eds., Theory and Methods in Political Science, 3rd ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2010).
Seminar Schedule
21 Aug Introduction
28 Aug The Nature of Political Theory
4 Sep Contemporary Theories
11 Sep Case Study
18 Sep Class Debate
25 Sep Essay Topic I: Behaviouralism
What are the core assumptions of behavioural analysis? What are the strength and weaknesses of behavioural analysis? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using behavioural analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Sanders, David. 2010. “Behavioural Analysis.” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dahl, Robert. 1961. “The Behavioral Approach in Political Science.” American Political Science Review 55(4), 763-772.
Aidt, Toke S., Arye L. Hillman, and Qijun Liu. 2020. “Who Takes Bribes and How Much? Evidence from the China Corruption Conviction Databank.” World Development 133, 1-12.
Li, Hui, Ting Gong, and Hanyu Xiao. 2016. “The Perception of Anti-corruption Efficacy in China: An Empirical Analysis.” Social Indicators Research 125, 885-903.
Wong, Kam C. 2009. “How Chinese E-Public Feel and Think About Corruption: A Case Study of Audit Storm.” International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice 37(3),
104-130 and 37(4), 197-215.
9 Oct Essay Topic II: Rational Choice
What are the core assumptions of rational choice theory What are the strength and weaknesses of rational choice theory? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using rational choice analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Hindmoor, Andrew. 2010. “Rational choice.” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ostrom, Elinor. 1998. “A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action.” American Political Science Review 92(1), 1-22.
Wedeman, Andrew. 2005. “Anticorruption Campaigns and the Intensification of Corruption in China.” Journal of Contemporary China 14(42), 93-116.
Dong, Bing and Benno Torgler. 2013. “Causes of Corruption: Evidence from China.” China Economic Review 26, 152-169.
Chan, Kin-man. 2000. “Towards an Integrated Model of Corruption: Opportunities and Control in China.” International Journal of Public Administration 23(4), 507- 551.
16 Oct Essay Topic III: Institutionalism
What are the core assumptions of institutional analysis? What are the strength and weaknesses of institutionalism? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using institutional analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
|Lowndes, Vivien. 2010. “The institutional approach” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Thelen, Kathleen. 1999. “Historical Institutionalism in Comparative Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 2, 369-404.
Gong, Ting. 2008. “The Party Discipline Inspection in China: Its Evolving Trajectory and Embedded Dilemmas.” Crime, Law and Social Change 49(2), 139-152.
Ngo, Tak-Wing. 2008. “Rent-Seeking and Economic Governance in the Structural Nexus of Corruption in China.” Crime, Law and Social Change 49(1), 27-44.
Chan, Hon S., and Jie Gao. 2008. “Old Wine in New Bottles: A County-Level Case Study of Anti-Corruption Reform in the People’s Republic of China.” Crime Law and Social Change 49, 97-117.
30 Oct Essay Topic IV: The Marxian Approach
What are the core assumptions of Marxian analysis? What are the strength and weaknesses of the Marxian approach? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using Marxian analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Maguire, Diarmuid. 2010. “Marxism.” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Harvey, David. 2004. “The ‘New’ Imperialism: Accumulation by Dispossession.” Socialist Register 40, 63-87.
So, Alvin Y. 2005. “Beyond the Logic of Capital and the Polarization Model.” Critical Asian Studies 37(3), 481-494.
Holmstrom, Nancy and Richard Smith. 2000. “The Necessity of Gangster Capitalism: Primitive Accumulation in Russia and China.” Monthly Review 51(9), 1-15.
Walker, Kathy Le Mons. 2006. “‘Gangster Capitalism’ and Peasant Protest in China: The Last Twenty Years.” The Journal of Peasant Studies 33(1), 1-33.
6 Nov Essay V: Feminism
What are the core assumptions of feminism? What are the strength and weaknesses of feminist analysis? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using feminist analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Randall, Vicky. 2010. “Feminism.” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dietz, Mary G. 2003. “Current Controversies in Feminist Theory.” Annual Review of Political Science 6, 399-431.
Chen, Fang. 2017. “Gender and Corruption: The Cultural Script, Narratives, and Contentions in Contemporary China.” Modern China 43 (1), 66-94.
Tu, Wenyan Tu and a Department of Public Policy, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong;b Institute for Global Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaCorrespondencetwenyan1992@gmail.comGuo Xiajuan. 2021. “Gendered Clientelism and Corruption: Are Women Less Corrupt Than Men in China?” c Department of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, ChinaInternational Feminist Journal of Politics 22 June.
13 Nov Essay Topic VI: Structural-Functionalism
What are the core assumptions of structural-functionalism? What are the strength and weaknesses of structural-functional? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using structural-functional analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Groth, Alexander J. 1970. “Structural Functionalism and Political Development.” Western Political Quarterly 23(3), 485-99.
Tarrow, Sidney. 1987. “Big Structures and Contentious Events: Two of Charles Tilly’s Recent Writings.” Sociological Forum 2(1), 191-204.
Babones, Salvatore. 2015. “What is World-Systems Analysis? Distinguishing Theory from Perspective.” Thesis Eleven 127(1), 3-20.
Fan, Chengze Simon and Herschel I. Grossman. 2001. “Incentives and Corruption in Chinese Economic Reform.” Journal of Economic Policy Reform 4(3), 195-206.
Zhan, Jing Vivian. 2012. “Filling the Gap of Formal Institutions: The Effects of Guanxi Network on Corruption in Reform-Era China.” Crime, Law and Social Change 58, 93-109.
20 Nov Essay Topic VII: Constructivism
What are the core assumptions of constructivism? What are the strength and weaknesses of constructivist analysis? What findings have been put forward by existing studies on corruption that used such an approach? How effective can we account for the corruption in China using constructivist analysis? Which aspects of corruption in China can be perceptively explained and which not? How useful is the approach in helping us understand corruption in China?
Parsons, Craig. 2010. “Constructivism and Interpretive Theory.” In Theory and Methods in Political Science, edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Andrews, Tom. 2012. “What is Social Constructivism?” Grounded Theory Review 11(1), 39-46.
Bevir, Mark. 1999. “Foucault, Power, and Institutions.” Political Studies XLVII, 345-359.
Hsu, Carolyn L. 2001. “Political Narratives and the Production of Legitimacy: The Case of Corruption in Post-Mao China.” Qualitative Sociology 24(1), 25-54.
Sun, Yan. 2001. “The Politics of Conceptualizing Corruption in Reform China.” Crime, Law and Social Change 35(3), 245-270.
27 Nov Conclusion
Final Paper Topic
Decadence is an emerging movement in many societies, especially in East Asia. In China this movement has been fiercely debated under the label of “lying flat” (躺平). In Japan, similar groups of youngsters are labelled as the Satori generation (悟世代). In South Korea, they are referred to as the Sampo generation (三抛世代). Which theoretical approach(es) do you think offer the most insightful understanding about this phenomenon?
You may choose a particular theory to analyse the phenomenon, or you can compare a number of theories. You may either focus on one single country case or do a comparative analysis of several country cases.
- Teacher: twngo, Ngo Tak Wing