The presentation of the five different approaches to the study of International Relationship will be useful to understand how relevant is the congnitive frame or the analytic method to figure out causal relationship in a specific context. International Governance will be explored as a field of application of analytic tools like centre-periphery relationship and legitimation process of actors of the the political economy arena. 

The mail goal of the course is to learn how to choose and to play different approaches and method to understand multilevel institutional environment, comparing Western istitution and policy making with Chinese ones

The first part of course will explore the five main approaches to the study of International Relations: the Neorealist theory,  the Neoinstitutionalist theory, the New liberal theory, the World-systems analysis, the Social constructivist theory. The Reference is M. Spindler International Relations. A Self-Study Guide to Theory (pp. 123-224)  that will be to download for free from the platform of the course.

Then the concept of multilevel governance will be defined as a process of decentralization within a centralized state or as multilevel competition in a federalist state. The case of United Kingdom will be seen against the case of Federal Germany to compare similarities and differences that can be used as analytical tools. Weakeness and strength points of the Multilevel Governance.

Legitimacy of international organizations will be seen as an element of the Global Governance at different levels of government. We then discuss sources of variation in legitimation processes and legitimacy beliefs, with a particular focus on the authority, procedures, and performances of IOs.

The same key power source, legitimation, will be analysed at the European Level, after the Eurozone Crises of 2008-2012 as a way to understand of performance legitimation shaped the legitimacy of the European Union. After defining the three criteria of legitimacy and how they play out differently for political and technical actors through fast and slow burning phases of the crisis, the paper focuses more closely on the legitimation problems of each of the major institutional actors in turn — ECB, Council, Commission, and EP — as they responded to the crisis in coordination with other policy actors and in communication to the public.

Performance legitimation ad centre-periphery relationship will be analyzed in China’s Multilevel Governance. Decentralization and recentralization has been a key feature of the long lasting growth of Chinese economy.

Considering that public institutions are necessary for economic development, how could this huge country manage market economic development with a backward public administration ruled by a Communist Party? Is it maybe our conceptualization that is wrong? Some explanations will be proposed as a way to understand relationship between statecraft-market regulation and the role of national and local governments.

Students will learn how to use different approches to understand institutional settings and political arenas. Comparative method and decision making analysis will be used a a way to formulate different explanatory hypotheses. Students will be trained to apply a variety of analytical concepts in the conversation with teacher and other students. Reasoning and argumentation will be stimulated.  The ability to publicly support one's hypotheses will be strengthened 

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Frontal lessons and class discussion. Readings and videos will be proposed for class discussion. Studendents wiil be aked to work on a topic and make a presentation on it during the course

Innovative teaching methods

Readings and videos will be proposed for class discussion. Studendents wiil be aked to work on a topic and make a presentation on it during the course

Attendance

Attending students are asked to attend at least 2/3 lessons

Course books

M. Spindler International Relations. A Self-Study Guide to Theory. Toronto 2013, pp. 123-224.

 M. Stein and L. Turkewitsch An Assessment of Multilevel Governance as an Analytical Concept Applied to Federations and Decentralised Unitary Systems: Germany Versus the United Kingdom. Chapter in G. Lachapelle, P. OñateBorders and Margins. Federalism, Devolution and Multi-Level Governance. Verlag Barbara Budrich, 2018, pp. 31-49 https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvddzgdk.8

J. Tallberg and M. Zürn, The legitimacy and legitimation of international organizations: introduction and framework, The Review of International Organizations (2019) 14:581–606, pp. 581-601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11558-018-9330-7

V. Schmidt. The Eurozone’s Crisis of Democratic Legitimacy  Can the EU Rebuild Public Trust and Support for European Economic Integration? European Economy Discussion Papers, Bruxelles, 2015. pp. 10-52.

J. A. Donaldson, China's administrative hierarchy: The balance of power and winners and losers within China's levels of government. In Assessing the balance of power in central-local relations in China. Abingdon: Routledge, 2017, pp 105-132.

B. Rothstein, The Chinese Paradox of High Growth and Low Quality of Government: The Cadre Organization Meets Max Weber, in Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, Vol. 28, No. 4, October 2015, pp. 533–545).

ALL PAPERS WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE TEACHER ON BLENDED PLATFORM FOR FREE DOWNLOAD 

Assessment

Class presentation will be a first step of the assessment while final oral discussion will be the last. 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Specific program can be asked by non-attending students

Course books

1 out of these 2 books

a) Frank Gadinger and Jan Aart Scholte, Polycentrism How Governing Works Today, Oxford University Press, 2023

b) Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinsonì, Why nations fail : the origins of power, prosperity, and poverty, 2012.

Both will be provided by the teacher for free dowload from the Blended Platform

A different program can be agreed with professor. Please write an email. 

Assessment

Oral examination or oral presentation of a paper on a topic previously agreed with the teacher. 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.