Comparative Politics Unimelb

[Marion Georgi]

Thissubject introduces students to comparative politics. There are many different aspects of and approaches to comparative politics, but all agree that it involves comparing at least two - and often many more - units of political analysis (e.g. countries, types of political system, electoral systems, areas of policy). The subject is divided into three basic components, each including case studies. The first component introduces the comparative method and classical approaches to comparative politics as we discuss political ideologies and regimes. The second component explores political actors and systems, and the key institutional differences between countries, such as federalism and electoral systems, and their effects. Finally, the course applies the concepts and methods to focus in on key themes and contemporary challenges such as ethnic conflict, state failure, political culture, democratisation and economic development.

This subject introduces students to comparative politics. There are many different aspects of and approaches to comparative politics, but all agree that this involves comparing at least two - and often many more - units of political analysis (e.g. countries, types of political system, electoral systems, areas of policy). This subject divides comparative politics by classical and contemporary approaches. Classical approaches to comparative politics examine the concept of authority and the rise of liberal, communist and fascist political ideologies and systems. Contemporary approaches to comparative politics explore institutional differences and voting systems between countries in addition to concepts of social capital, path dependency, political culture and economic development.

I am a Lecturer in Political Science (Comparative Politics) at the University of Melbourne. I study authoritarian politics, mainly from a global comparative perspective, and have a particular interest in North Korea.

I am currently working on two main projects. First, a book manuscript, Purges: How Dictators Fight to Survive, examines the causes and effects of elite purges. I argue that dictators purge elites to consolidate power, punish insubordination, and scapegoat them to alleviate popular threats. Rather than fomenting instability, purges help dictators survive. Second, I am working on a project about how dictators manage elites to facilitate succession, which uses quantitative and qualitative data from North Korea.

Authoritarian Survival and Leadership Succession in North Korea and Beyond (book manuscript, with Peter Ward) - conditionally accepted with The Cambridge Elements series on Politics and Society in East Asia

We pride ourselves on our outward-looking, inclusive and collaborative culture where respectful engagement and lively debate is actively encouraged. By studying politics and international relations at Melbourne, you will develop an understanding of politics as a vibrant, plural and diverse field of study that manifests itself in a variety of different contexts from the local to the global.

We see ourselves as promoting global citizenship and awareness in all that we do with many of our students pursuing highly successful careers in politics, government, the public service, civil activism, diplomacy and international relations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Our internationally recognised research informs and enriches our teaching programs and engagement activities, which explore key issues, ideas, institutions and actors in local, national and international politics.

Understand and explore the political, policy and social challenges of our time in Australia, the region and globally. Our programs prepare you for a career in diplomacy, government, business and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and beyond.

We teach at the undergraduate as well as the graduate coursework level into several professional programs that each offer a distinctive approach to the study of politics and the challenges of governance. We have an active cohort of graduate research students.

Our Political Science staff are leading teachers and researchers in a range of areas including political theory, international relations, political economy, Australian politics, comparative politics, public policy, administration and management, contemporary social issues, and research methods.

She is Director of the Comparative Network on Refugee Externalisation Policies. She is a founder of Academics for Refugees. Research interests include refugee externalisation policies; EU legitimacy; comparative regionalism; EU-Asia and EU-Australia relations.

Her distinguished contribution to her field is characterised by research excellence; leadership in international research consortiums; innovative pedagogy; teaching excellence and engagement with policy communities and the media.

Tamara Tubakovic is a Lecturer in Public Policy and European Studies in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Warwick. Tamara was awarded a PhD in Political Science from the University of Melbourne in 2021. Her research intersects the fields of public policy, European Union politics, and refugee and border studies. Her work focuses on the politics of EU asylum policy reforms; the interaction between ideas and crises in public policy; and the construction and consequences of refugee externalisation policies.

Tamara has published widely on EU, UK, and Australian asylum policy and politics in both academic and policy relevant sources. She has also published work comparing the EU and ASEAN regional approaches to refugees and the prospects for an EU-Australia rights-based approach in Southeast Asia. Her current research explores processes of policy convergence on refugee externalisation practices, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on asylum policies in Australia, the UK and Europe.

Tamara has undertaken several visiting fellowships, including at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford and at the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute in Florence. She has taught widely on EU politics and integration; public policy theory and analysis; crisis management; and on refugee policy, politics, and law.

Claire Loughnan is a Lecturer in Criminology, at the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne. Her research examines the modes, practices and effects of living and working in sites of confinement and on the carceral expansion accompanying border control practices. She has published in Globalizations, UNSW Law Journal, Asia Pacific Journal of Migration, Crime Media Culture and Law Text Culture. Her first book, on the institutional effects of immigration detention, is under contract with Routledge (forthcoming 2022). She is currently exploring practices of 'neglect' as a tool in the externalisation of refugee policies. Claire is a committee member of the Carceral Geography Network, and Co-convenor of the University of Melbourne branch of 'Academics for Refugees'. In 2021, she collaborated with artist Hoda Afshar in 2021, on a film created by Afshar - Agonistes - which examined the experiences of staff speaking out about institutional violence, including those working in immigration detention and offshore processing centres.

Kelly Soderstrom is an academic staff member in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne. Her recently submitted PhD thesis in Politics and International Relations (Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne) examines the role of state responsibilities in shaping the German government's response to the 2015 refugee crisis. She holds a Bachelors degree (cum laude) in Political Science / International Relations from Carleton College (USA) and a Masters degree (distinction) in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh (UK). Her research interests include asylum governance, European integration, NGOs, and sustainability/CSR. In 2018, she was awarded a graduate fellowship at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Azadeh Dastyari is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Western Sydney University with expertise in international refugee law, human rights law, international maritime law, and constitutional law. She is particularly interested in the interception of people seeking protection at sea; offshore and extraterritorial processing; and immigration detention. She also researches the regulation and control of dissent and protest. Azadeh has been a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School (Fulbright and Lionel Murphy scholar); the European University Institute; Georgetown University and the University of Bologna. She is a former Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University.

Marco Borracetti holds a PhD in EU Law from the University of Bologna; he is Researcher and Senior Lecturer of European Union Law of the Alma Mater Studiorum - Universit di Bologna, School of Political Science, where he teaches EU Institutional Law and EU Immigration Law. He was recently appointed as co-director of the European Regional MA Programme in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe where he teaches Migration and Human Rights.

Federico Ferri is Adjunct Professor of EU Law and Tutor of International Law at the University of Bologna and works within the Schools of Law and Political Science. He holds a PhD in European Law from the Universities of Bologna and Strasbourg (2015) and a Specialising Masters in Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention (2011). Federico is also a civil attorney in the municipality of Bologna and collaborates with companies, institutions and reviews in Italy and abroad. In particular, he monitors the evolution of the EU secondary law and jurisprudence on migration on behalf of the journals Immigrazione.it and Diritto, immigrazione e cittadinanza. He conducts research in a variety of fields relating to sustainable development and innovation, environment, energy, alternative finance, an intellectual/industrial property. Federico has a special interest in the concept, nature and legal implications of sustainable development, migration, and the protection of fundamental human rights.

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