Political and Administrative Science

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of the main themes of political science and the analytical and methodological tools necessary to understand the functioning of political systems and public administrations. The course is structured in three interconnected teaching units. The first unit examines the constitutive foundations of every political system, through the analysis of some concepts and keywords of political theory and political science. The aim of the second unit is to provide the basic knowledge for the analysis of the main institutions of representative democracy and the implementation of public policies. Finally, the third unit focuses on the analysis, in a comparative perspective, of public administrations in contemporary democracies and their relationship with the political class, of the problems of administrative function, structure and processes, as well as on the analysis of the general characteristics of the ongoing administrative reform processes, with particular reference to Italy.

By the end of the course, the student will be familiar with the main theories of political science, and will be able to understand the functioning of the main institutions of representative democracy and public administrations as well as the role played by the main political actors involved in the decision-making process. The student will also develop skills to analyse contemporary political and administrative systems and their components in a comparative setting, and interpret critically current political facts and phenomena related to the functioning of contemporary democracies, even if these have not been directly addressed in class.