CEVRO:d24044 Democracy and International El

d24044 Democracy and International Election Observation

CEVRO University
spring 2024

Extent and Intensity

12/12/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

PhDr. Pavel Pšeja, Ph.D. (lecturer)
PhDr. Pavel Pšeja, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)

Guaranteed by

PhDr. Pavel Pšeja, Ph.D.
Department of Security Studies – Departments – President – CEVRO University

Timetable

Tue 27. 2. to Tue 30. 4. each odd Tuesday 12:30–15:20 Učebna 103

Timetable of Seminar Groups:

d24044/cviceni: No timetable has been entered into IS.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is offered to students of any study field.

Course objectives (in Czech)

The course offers a comprehensive treatment of international election observation missions as a tool to promote democracy and good practices in the elections. Primarily, this course focuses upon the phenomenon of international electoral observation missions which in the last thirty years evolved in a powerful system of monitoring and policy recommendations, and are often perceived as a tool to point out to non-democratic features of many contemporary political regimes. To grasp the phenomenon in its complexity, the course aspires to approach it both from historical and theoretical, and also from practical perspective. After setting up appropriate framework dealing up with the evolution, problems, and practices of democracy and democratization, the course will present a thorough analysis of the electoral observation mechanisms and actors. This knowledge will then, in the last part of the course, provide the basis for practical exercises in which the students will try to test their ability to analyze selected cases of elections, and will participate in simulations of real electoral observation missions

Learning outcomes (in Czech)

This course aspires to make the students familiar with the mechanisms and actors of the electoral observation missions, and to teach them to understand and analyze the theory and practices of the system of the international electoral observation.

Syllabus (in Czech)

I. Introduction into elections, course assignments
II. Elections and democracy: historical overview
III. Democracy in practice: how it works (and fails)
IV. Relationship of democratic and non-democratic states since 1989
V. Democratization, democracy promotion, and election observation
VI. Actors and tools of election observation
VII. International election observation missions: structure and functions
VIII. Election observation in practice: STO, LTO, Core Team, local actors
IX. Case study 1 - Turkey
X. Case study 2 - Azerbaijan
XI. Case study 3 - Kosovo
XII. Simulation game, final wrap-up

Literature

Cooley, Alexander Authoritarianism Goes Global: Countering Democratic Norms. Journal of Democracy, vol. 26, no. 3
OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Handbook
OSCE, EEAS, NDI, Carter Center etc. Relevant websites available at resources indicated in IS
OSCE/ODIHR e-learning course for election observers https://www.odihrobserver.org/

CEVRO:d24044 Democracy and International El - Course Information

d24044 Democracy and International Election Observation

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