AIP785 - Constitutions, Political Parties and Public Policy
| Year: | 2027 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | AIP784 |
| Study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
| Scheduled learning activities - online: | 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week |
Content
How should we understand the competition to control a state and its powers? This unit offers a comprehensive introduction to political competition by examining constitutions (the rules of political competition), political parties (the principal actors), and party systems (the broader patterns and dynamics through which competition unfolds). Students will explore how and why political competition is distinctive, including through comparison with market competition in the economy, where incentives, constraints, and outcomes differ in important ways.
The unit’s central focus is a comparative analysis of competition across different party system types: two-party systems (such as in the United States), multiparty systems (for example, Germany), and single-party systems (such as China). Through these cases, students will examine how constitutional design shapes the structure of competition and how party systems emerge, stabilize and evolve over time.
A key extension of this analysis is the relationship between political competition and public policy. Students will consider how different competitive environments shape policymaking processes, including agenda-setting, coalition-building, legislative bargaining, and policy implementation. For instance, two-party systems may incentivize adversarial policymaking, while multiparty systems often require negotiation and compromise across diverse actors. Single-party systems raise distinct questions about policy responsiveness, accountability, and the sources of policy innovation.
Students will also learn to identify and interpret changes in party systems and assess their implications for governance and policy outcomes. Throughout, they will be encouraged to think critically about the strengths and limitations of the conceptual frameworks used by political scientists and constitutional scholars to study political competition, and to reflect on how these frameworks illuminate—or obscure—the links between competition, governance, and effective policymaking.
Unit fee information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.