GV454      Half Unit
Parties, Elections and Governments

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Prof Torun Dewan

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in Political Science (Political Behaviour) and MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy). This course is freely available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. It does not require permission. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.

How to apply: to apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals. Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed in the ‘availability’ section of the course guide. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.  

Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.

For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk  

Course content

The course focuses on key topics in political science concerning voting and representation. Topics covered include:

• Party and Candidate Strategy

• The Role and Origins of Parties

• Government Formation and Termination

• Electoral Systems: Franchise, Ballot, and Allocation formulas

• Leadership

• Political Careers

• Government Accountability

Examples will be drawn from a wide range of democracies.

Teaching

20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Formative assessment

Essay

All students are expected to submit one non-assessed essay.

 

Indicative reading

The course is focussed mainly on journal articles. However the following books are relevant to some of the topics covered:

Gary Cox, Making Votes Count (1995); Gary Cox & Mathew McCubbins, Setting the Agenda (2005); George Tsebelis, Veto Players (2002); Kenneth Shepsle and Mark Boncheck, Analysing Politics (1997); Tim Besley, Principled Agents (2005); John Aldrich, Why Parties (1995); Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Alastair Smith, Randolph Siverson and James Morrow, The Logic of Political Survival (2003); Giovanni Sartori, Comparative Constitutional Engineering (1997); Michael Laver & Norman Schofield, MultiParty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe (1990).

Assessment

Essay (100%) in Spring Term Week 4


Key facts

Department: Government

Course Study Period: Winter Term

Unit value: Half unit

FHEQ Level: Level 7

CEFR Level: Null

Keywords: Political Science, Voting, Democracy

Total students 2024/25: 14

Average class size 2024/25: 14

Controlled access 2024/25: No
Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Problem solving
  • Communication