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PSC 302: Comparative Government.
POLS 3650: Area Studies - Europe (MIR)
Lecture Notes on Scandinavian & Mediterranean Politics.
by Jeremy Lewis, revised 3 Aug. 2005.
contrast between northern, protestant, associational culture and southern, catholic, familial culture. contrast between C19th (Scand) and C20th (Med) development
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland (Finns different through proximity to Russian military) development came suddenly in late C19th from peasant to industrial economy conservative oligarchies quickly transformed into liberal democratic political systems liberal parties established broad franchise but in C20th yielded to social democrats social democrats have dominated and welfare state is highly developed associational politics: trade unions well represented, based on peasant representation in C19th producer and consumer cooperatives are successful organizations Prime minister and cabinet are agents of coordination, deferring to bureaucracies low crime, good child welfare & education figures high incomes and quite equal distribution homogenous populations, though less homogenous through immigration since 1974 traditional foreign policy of neutrality has not prevented some from participating in EFTA and then EU highest foreign aid donors in world some indicators of reaching limits of taxation and public services in 1980s-90s peaceful politics -- hence shock of political violence in Olaf Palme assassination
Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece form a type of politics. Conservative oligarchies until 1945 (Italy & Greece) and 1974 (Spain and Portugal) Democratic political development post 1947 in Italy and Greece, post 1974 in Spain and Portugal US liberated Italy with help of partisans and mafia US financially supported Christian Democrats in 1950s UK army defeated Greek communists in 1948 Portuguese army revolted against African colonial wars Spanish king Juan Carlos, post Franco, surprisingly created and defended democracy. economic development uneven but peasants flowed into urban working class, Spain and Italy now high income EU agricultural subsidies have aided peasants meritocratic principle still needs establishment in face of networks Spain, Italy and Greece have experienced terrorism since 1970s never as centralized as France or UK, never as bureaucratized regional demands for autonomy (Basques, Catalans, Northern League) some tradition of socialism and Eurocommunism, but balanced by traditional conservatism welfare state not as developed as Scandinavia substantial economic growth in 1980-2005 Factional regime in Italian CDs: musical chair governments every few months, of same ministers Italy suffered dominance of mafia in CD governments, 1993-1999 Italian magistrates' "clean hands" campaign indicted much of parliament. by 2003 PM Berlusconi was alleged to show resurgence of mafia in power.