https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/POLS5023?type=COREThe course is designed to deepen the students' existing knowledge on political parties and party systems. In most democracies parties are central actors mediating between citizens' preferences and political outcomes. Their study can teach us about the nature of power, about the dynamics of collective action and about the intersections of social conditions and political institutions. The course employs a comparative perspective. It focuses on the most influential theoretical models of the field, presenting socio-cultural, rational choice, historical, institutionalist and agency-focused explanations. It also accommodates discussions on ongoing elections (Chile, US mid-term, Czechia, the Netherlands, etc). The topics covered in the course begin with a look at the functions and origins ofpolitical parties, at the social background of parties and movements, at the institutional incentives that shape party politics, and at the organizational dilemmas of political parties. The second bloc focuses on aspects of party competition and representation: how parties behave in parliaments and governments, how they relate to each other, and how they develop their strategies. Party systems will be compared in terms of responsiveness, stability, fragmentation, representativeness, polarization and competitiveness. The course touches upon some further topics, like the mobilization of voters, the explanation of electoral success, the nature of clientelistic and charismatic appeals, the difference between mainstream and extremist parties.