Research question
How does institutional design affect quality of democracy?

Task
Discuss the consequences of institutional design for quality of democracy using the case
study approach.

Pick one of the following countries to study:
Belgium Canada Nigeria Turkey
POLI1014 (20 cr.): choose three of the following institutions to discuss:
Executive
Electoral rules
Federalism
Legislature

Research question How does institutional design affect quality of democracy? Task Discuss the consequences of institutional design for quality of democracy using the case study approach. Pick one of the following countries to study: Belgium Canada Nigeria Turkey

POLI1014 (20 cr.): choose three of the following institutions to discuss: Executive Electoral rules Federalism Legislature

POLI1003 (10 cr.): choose one of the following institutions to discuss: Executive* Electoral rules* Federalism Legislature

*Note: 10 credit students do not have a seminar specifically on executives or electoral rules. While you may still choose to write about it in your coursework, please consider this in your choices. Key questions As you write your essay, be sure to address the following points: • Introduction and case selection o Which country did you pick? Provide a brief overview of key contextual information about the country (N.B. please do not write a descriptive “book report” about the country’s full political and social history – just present the key facts that will become relevant for your selection and thesis!), for instance: ▪ What historical influences or political events might have influenced outcomes in the country? ▪ What is the country’s history of democracy? Is it a well-established democracy? If not, does it have experience of democracy? • Theory (the consequences of institutional choices) o Which institution(s) will you look at? o According to existing literature about these institutions (and not necessarily about your country case!), what would we expect to be the consequence of the institutional design for a country’s quality of democracy? o Use a minimum of three academic sources to support your discussion for each institution and its consequences. • Application to your chosen country o What is the current configuration of political institutions in the country? Check the lecture slides for the lectures about the institution for information about which details you should be discussing for each institution. You may present this information in a table.
POLI 1003 / 1014 Autumn 2019/20

o Has this configuration changed recently? (In this assignment, ‘recent’ could extend back up to three decades, if relevant to your argument.) o What real-life consequences on quality of democracy can you find for the country’s institutional configuration? Remember: quality of democracy is evidenced by more than just a Freedom House or Polity IV rating; it can also include representation of minority voices, government responsiveness, opportunities to participate, etc. (Tip: See especially Lijphart’s argument in Patterns of Democracy.) o Based on this country’s characteristics, what would your recommendation be for the ideal institutional configuration of your chosen institutions? Why would this be the optimum configuration? o Based on your findings, identify what type of case study it is. It is possible that this may fall into a different type for each institution. o Use a minimum of three academic sources to support your discussion of the case. You should also include contextual data (e.g. electoral results, public opinion surveys, demographic make-up of the country) to support your point, but please note that data sources will not count towards the minimum. • Alternative explanations and conclusions o Are there any differences/limitations that you need to acknowledge with your study? o What other factors could influence the success of the political institutions? o What lessons can you draw from your case study about the importance (or not) of institutional choices?

The first requirement is a minimum of 11 references; the second one is that the check rate is lower than 17 percent and the last one is reference list using the Harvard referencing system