This course is available on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Sciences Po), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto), Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo) and MPA in Data Science for Public Policy. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

Priority given to School of Public Policy students. Students from outside of the School of Public Policy should submit a statement in support of their request.

Deadline for application: 9am on Monday of AT Week 1 (including requests from School of Public Policy students). We aim to inform students of the outcome of their request by 12noon on Tuesday of AT Week 1.

For queries contact: spp.doubledegrees@lse.ac.uk

Assumed prior knowledge:

Students from outside the SPP must have completed introductory quantitative methods at the level of PP402 or higher.

The course will introduce participants to the main debates about how to improve and reform democratic institutions, to address a range of “institutional failures”, such as representation, accountability, responsiveness, effectiveness, and leadership.  The course will cover the main principles and trade-offs in the design of democratic institutions, as well as a range of salient substantive topics, including: presidential vs. parliamentary systems, electoral systems, gender and ethnic quotas, citizens’ assemblies/mini-publics, second/upper chambers, the appointment of judges and central bankers, the merger of municipal authorities, the role of referendums, and so on.  The course will introduce the main theoretical claims on each topic as well as assess the latest empirical and quasi-experimental evidence testing the claims.

30 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

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

Teaching will involve two 90 minutes Harvard style sessions per week - students taking the course must attend both sessions.

4 response papers (approximately 1000 words each), each evaluating one of the required readings for a week on the course (to be submitted before the lecture/seminar of the relevant week).

• Sartori, Giovanni (1997) Comparative Constitutional Engineering: An Inquiry into Structures, Incentives and Outcomes, 2nd edn. New York, NY: NYU Press.
• Powell, G. Bingham, Jr. (2000) Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Visions, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
• Krook, Mona Lena (2009) Quotas for Women in Politics: Gender and Candidate Selection Reform Worldwide, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Curato, Nicole et al. (2021) Deliberative Mini-Publics: Core Design Features, Bristol: Bristol University Press.
• Cirone, Alexandra, and Brenda Van Coppenolle (2026) Political Lotteries and Democracy. of Elements in Political Economy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Exam (50%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

Project (50%, 2000 words).

This component of assessment includes an element of group work.