Spanish Politics

Course description
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the main features of the Spanish Political
system and its evolution. In order to do so the main elements that compose political
systems are reviewed. The course will also review how the Spanish system might be
different or similar to other systems of the world.
The course is divided in three main sections: Institutional framework, Elections and Political
Culture. The first section explains the institutions that govern the life of the country and
the legal basis of the system. This first section is divided in three subsections, one that
explains the background and context where the institutions were chosen and approved;
one that explains the main institutions of the constitutional agreement reached in 1978
and their development; and one that introduces the territorial organisation and the process
of decentralisation. The second section focuses on one of the main figures of democratic
systems: electoral dynamics in Spain. This section starts with a description of regulation of
elections in Spain. Then Spanish political parties are presented and discussed. Finally, the
electoral dynamics are explained by reviewing the different phases of electoral behaviour
in different elections since democracy was established. The last section introduces the main
figures of political culture in Spain and the ways in which it might be different from that of
other countries. It is divided in two section, one that focuses on the elites and its
characteristics and one that will review the main figures of citizens political culture and
public attitudes.

Methodology
Sessions are structured in three parts. First a presentation with the main concepts and ideas
of the topic is delivered by the lecturer. Once the presentation is finished, students are
asked to engage in a debate on how the Spanish political system is similar or different to
other political systems they know in regard to the concepts explained, participation in
these debates will be evaluated. Finally, session will finish with an exercise that links the
theory presented with some practical elements. That latter part will usually involve some
reading or the analysis of some data. Some of these exercises will have to be handed in the
next session as part of the evaluation of the module.