Multi-Level Government
Code: 101109 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500259 Political Science and Public Management | OT | 3 | 2 |
| 2500259 Political Science and Public Management | OT | 4 | 2 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 3 | 2 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 4 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Mireia Grau Creus
- Email:
- mireia.grau@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Prerequisites
When we talk about multilevel government, we usually refer to the political and institutional interaction of different political units within the framework of a compound political system. In this subject, we will analyse multilevel government in the framework of a specific compound country: Spain. The analysis is based on two basic pillars: an initial theoretical/analytical pillar (what do we understand when we talk about federalism?) and an empirical pillar (how does really work the interaction between the governments of the autonomous communities and that of the Spanish government?
The contents of the subject are organized into two main blocks. In the first block, we will analyze the federal and decentralized institutional models, paying separate attention to those models in which federalism is an end by itself, and those models in which federal arrangements are applied to manage plurinational conflicts. We will have a look at several political systems that are defined within all the ranges of federalism.
In the second block, we will focus on the Spanish case. We will analyse the different institutional instruments that set up the interaction between the two different levels of government. The analysis will have a double dimension: that about the institutional design of the system and that of its real performance in federal terms.
The analysis of the institutional framework of these instruments (i.e., how they are designed and what political and contextual factors account for this design) as well as their operation and impacts link Block 2 to Block 1. Linking them will, therefore, contribute to define very precisely not only the real nature of Spain as a compound political system, but also the limitsof some reforms.
In both blocks, I will combine teaching sessions (either by me or by expert guests) with interactive sessions (presentation and debates of short essays).
As for the prerequisites for taking this subject, motivation is required for issues related to the Spanish political system, institutional design, public policies and comparative politics.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The functioning of the Spanish multilevel system has always been an issue that has generated many debates. Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of obscurity about the working of the intergovernmental instruments and, above all, their effectiveness. The debate on whether Spain is "the most decentralized country in the world" or whether, on the contrary, is one of the countries that most centralizes decentralization, is the central axis of this subject. The final objective is to analyse multilevel government in Spain with the lenses of a practitioner but within the academic framework.
Competences
- Political Science and Public Management
- Applying the knowledge of the Public Administrations on its various levels to practical and professional concrete cases.
- Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
- Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
- Demonstrating the understanding of intergovernmental relationships and identifying the position of Public Administrations in the political system.
- Describing and understanding the functioning of the Public Administration on a state, sub-state and supranational level.
- Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
- Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
- Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
- Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
- Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
- Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
- Working autonomously.
- Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
- Contemporary History, Politics and Economics
- Describe and analyse the functioning of public administrations on different territorial scales.
- Identify the main actors, structure and functioning of political systems in the internal and international sphere from a theoretical or applied perspective.
- Manage and apply data to solve problems.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
Learning Outcomes
- Applying the knowledge of the Public Administrations on its various levels to practical and professional concrete cases.
- Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
- Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
- Demonstrating the understanding of intergovernmental relationships and identifying the position of Public Administrations in the political system.
- Describing and understanding the functioning of the Public Administration on a state, sub-state and supranational level.
- Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
- Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
- Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
- Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
- Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
- Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
- Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
- Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
- Working autonomously.
- Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
Content
BLOCK I: Multilevel government in the framework of composite states .
Unit 1. Presentation.
Unit 2. Decentralization and federalism: ¿ are we talking about the same thing?
Unit 3. Constitutive elements of federalism and of decentralization.
Unit 4. Federal systems: founding objectives and evolution.
Unit 5 Mesuring federalism and decentralization.
Unit 6. The map of indicators and the conceptual debates on federalism.
Seminar 1. Analysis of historical or recent events in several federal countries that highlight the fact and operation of the federal government.
Seminar 2. Analysis of historical/recent events in several countries that underline the debate on decentralization.
Unit 7. Recapitulation and first attempt to define the compound and multilevel nature of Spain.
BLOCK II: The analysis of the Spanish multilevel system.
Unit 8. The configuration of the Spanish decentralization: the choice and design of the basic aspects of the self-shared rule.
Unit 9. The optimist times: the enthusiasm of the elites, the favourable public opinion and the biological perspectives.
Seminar 3. the Acuerdos Autonómicos (1982) and the Pactos Autonómicos (1991).
Unit 10. Self-Government: who does what and to what extent? A friendly political science perspective to the distribution of powers.
Unit 11. Shared-rule? Intergovernmental relations and instruments of "cooperation": seriously?
Unit 12. Referees and mediators: avoiding conflicts? The Constitutional Court and the negotiations of the bilateral commissions: evolution and impacts.
Unit 13. The ability of the autonomous communities to influence the definition of Spanish-wide policies: "official" parliamentary channels and other alternatives.
Unit 14. The beginning of the end of the harmony on decentralization: the reformof the autonomous-community charts and the economic crisis.
Seminar 4. The end or the failure of the Spanish model?
Seminar 5. The triggering and the implementation of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to the Catalan Government and Administration: paradoxes and impacts.
Methodology
The methodology combines a series of interactive and complementary activities aimed at strengthening learning skills and abilities.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes with IT support and group discussions | 50 | 2 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Treball final i tutories | 12 | 0.48 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Text reading, study, research and writing essays | 75 | 3 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
Assessment
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
The evaluation will be based on three different lines: it will combine presentations of short essays and debates in several seminars, partial written tests (with short questionnaire-type questions -multi-answer or not) and a final exam at the end of the term that will consist of an essay. This combination makes sure that all students go through a continuous evaluation distributed along the whole duration of the term.
In order to have a final grade, students must have marks in all three type of evaluation instruments (seminars, tests and final exam).
The presentation of short essays will account for 30% of the final grade; the two partial tests will account for 20%, and the final exam for 50%.
Students who fail the continuous evaluation can have a compensatory exam
FINAL EXAM+ ESSAY ASSESSMENT ONLY
Students opting for a final exam and assessment only will have to pass an exam at the end of the term and will also have to hand out a long essay on a subject to be agreed at the beginning of the term (50%+50% and both compulsory).
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 partial tests | 20% | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
| Exam-essay | 50% | 3 | 0.12 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
| Presentation of short papers and presentation in seminars | 30% | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 10, 9, 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 13 |
Bibliography
Bibliografia
Bibliografia obligatòria:
Es determinarà abans de començar l'assignatura (Campus Virtual). Bibliografia bàsica
Arbós, Xavier (coord) Las relaciones intergubernamentales en el Estado autonómico. La posición de los actores, Institut d'Estudis Autonòmics, 2009.
Caminal, Miquel i Ferran Requejo (eds.) Federalisme i plurinacionalitat. Teoria i anàlisi de casos, Institut d'Estudis de l'Autogovern, 2009.
Elazar, Daniel J. Anàlisi del federalisme i altres textos. Selecció de textos i estudi introductori a càrrec de Ronald L. Watts. Institut d'Estudis Autonòmics, 2011.
https://presidencia.gencat.cat/web/.content/ambits_actuacio/desenvolupament_autogovern/iea/publicacions/00_c James Madison, James, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay El federalista Institut d'Estudis Autonòmics, 2009.
Requejo, Ferran (dir). Autogovern i relacions intergovernamentals en les democràcies actuals: El cas de Catalunya, Informe IEA 2/2019.
Requejo, Ferran (dir) Democràcies liberals i protecció de l'autogovern: Com protegir les minories territorials de les decisions de les majories, Informe IEA 2/2020.
Rodon, Toni El miratge de l'autogovern. El sistema autonòmic en perspectiva comparada, Estudis polítics i socioeconòmics, Fundació Irla, 2015.
https://irla.cat/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/miratge-autogovern-web.pdf
Software
None.