Luiss Guido Carli



Bern Rome: the Political System and European Integration.Switzerland and Italy comparedA cycle of seminars and institutional meetings offered byLUISS Guido Carli and University of Bern16 September – 24 September 2019 Introduction:Switzerland and Italy differ significantly, among other things, in size, population, economy, language and culture and, last but not least, in the political system. While the former assigns an important role to direct democracy, the latter prefers representative democracy. Both have a bicameral parliamentary system, which in the Swiss case mirrors the (con)federal organization of the country and in the Italian case is made of two chambers with the same powers (perfect bicameralism). These are only some of the variables that explain the significant differences among the political systems in the two countries and that make the comparative study of them particularly interesting. Despite these differences, the EU is a central issue both for Bern and for Rome. While Italy, one of the founding members, is interested in moving towards closer political integration, Switzerland did not join the EU and will not do so in the future. However, for economic and socio-cultural reasons, Bern has a close relationship to the EU, particularly with regard to accessing the single market. Hence, one understands why for both countries the EU is a very debated and sometimes controversial topic. It shapes political competition and has contributed to the rise of populist parties. Overall, the EU is a very felt issue by citizens – not only politically.Formative objectives:This cycle of seminars has a twofold objective:To deepen the knowledge of the Italian and Swiss political system from a comparative perspective, through seminars in class and meetings with institutions of both countries;To understand how the two countries approach EU anizing universities:Department of Political Sciences – LUISS Guido Carli Institute of Political Science – University of BernAcademic supervisors: Prof. Lorenzo De Sio (LUISS) and Prof. Klaus Armingeon (University of Bern);Other instructors involved: Prof. Vincenzo Emanuele (LUISS) and Dr. Tiziano Zgaga (LUISS).Prerequisites: no specific academic prerequisite but basic knowledge of political history is required; good command of English.Target group: students enrolled in Bachelor courses of the LUISS Political Science Department (and of the University of Bern): maximum 15 students from LUISS and maximum 15 students from the University of Bern.Duration:From 16 to 19 September 2019 in Rome;From 19 to 24 September 2019 in Bern.Seminar’s content:The seminar is open to a class of 30 students, 15 from LUISS and 15 from the University of Bern. It is held in English.The first part takes place in Rome. The class does seminars on the Italian and Swiss political systems and on the relationship of the two countries with the EU. The seminars are held by instructors from LUISS and – as far as the University of Bern is concerned – by Prof. Armingeon.Afterwards, the class prepares some questions to address to representatives (political and non) of Italian institutions. To this follow visits of and meetings in the institutions, including, but not limited to: the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, and the Embassy of Switzerland in Italy.In the second part of the seminar, the group moves to Bern, where – in a similar way – it prepares for dialogues with political representatives and for visits of some Swiss institutions, among which: the Council of States, the National Council, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Switzerland. Thus, combining seminars in class and meetings with the institutions, the students will better understand the political system of both countries. Programme:First part: Rome (16-19 September 2019)Monday 16 September9:00am - 10:30am: seminar “The political system of Switzerland” (venue: LUISS Guido Carli)10:45am – 12:15am: seminar “Switzerland and the EU” (venue: LUISS Guido Carli)2:00pm – 3:30pm: seminar “The political system of Italy” (venue: LUISS Guido Carli)3:45pm – 5:15pm: seminar “Italy and the EU” (venue: LUISS Guido Carli)Tuesday 17 September9:00am – 11:00am: the class prepares questions for the upcoming visits of the institutions and the meetings with institutional representatives (venue: LUISS Guido Carli)Starting from 12:00am – afternoon: institutional visits and meetings with representativesWednesday 18 SeptemberMorning and afternoon: institutional visits and meetings with representativesTuesday 19 SeptemberAfternoon: departure to BernSecond part: Bern (19-24 September 2019)Friday 20 September9:00am – 11:00am: the class prepares questions for the upcoming visits of the institutions and the meetings with institutional representatives (venue: University of Bern)Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 SeptemberMorning and afternoon: institutional visits and meetings with representativesWednesday 25 SeptemberDeparture to Rome by LUISS studentsCostsCosts of participation include only travel and food expenses. Travel expenses will be entirely covered (both from Rome to Bern and back from Bern to Rome; see the programme) provided that participants travel by train together with the group of the seminar. By train it takes approximately seven hours, which is overall equivalent to a flight, given that from Rome one would have to fly to Zurich, and then move to Bern. No accommodation costs are foreseen because participants commit to offer accommodation to each other where they live (in Rome and Bern). During their stay in Rome, the Swiss students will be hosted at home by their Italian colleagues. Similarly, the Italian students will be hosted at home by their Swiss colleagues in Bern. If, in exceptional circumstances, somebody will not be able to provide accommodation, alternative solutions will be found. Lack of accommodation among students shall not preclude participation. How to registerThe deadline to register is 28 July 2019. Registrations are now open until places are available (15 maximum). The criterion “first come first served” applies. In addition to that, English level will be evaluated. It is not possible to obtain ECTS for the LUISS study plan. To register, please send (in Italian or English) an e-mail to Tiziano Zgaga (tzgaga@luiss.it) with bernaroma@ipw.unibe.ch in c/c. Write the LUISS degree you are enrolled in and declare your English level (also through LUISS certification or by specifying the English level of the language courses you are currently attending). For organizational questions, including accommodation, please get in touch (in Italian or English) with Luca Belci (bernaroma@ipw.unibe.ch). Photo credits: Wikipedia ................
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