COMPARATIVE POLITICS COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

JANUARY 2003

 

Students taking the comp as a major have six hours to answer one question form Part I, one question from Part II, and two questions from Part III.  Students taking the comp as a minor have four and one-half hours to answer one question form Part I and Either one question from Part II and one question form Part III OR two questions from Part III.

 

All students will be evaluated on the basis of the breadth and depth of their knowledge of the relevant literature as well as their ability for critical analysis of this literature. 

 

Part I.  General Theory

 

1. Paul Pierson and Theda Skocpol (2002 p. 706) observe, “Both rational choice institutionalists and historical institutionalists presume that organizationally embodied routines play a crucial role in allocating resources and structuring the incentives, options and constraints faced by political participants.  In this sense, institutionalism is indeed a broadly shared approach in contemporary political science.”  Compare and contrast the approaches to institutional analysis provided by proponents of rational choice and historical institutionalism.  Make certain to assess the contributions and limitations of institutional analysis.

 

2. Robert Bates, Rui J. P. Figureiredo, and Barry R. Weingast  assert, “…Rational choice and cultural analysis approaches are complementary rather than mutually exclusive and antagonistic.” (1998 p. 603).  The elaborate, “Interpretivist accounts illuminate the power of ideas, the influence of history, the significance of intellectuals, and the persuasive power of political rhetoric and dramaturgy.  Rational choice analysis helps to explain the mechanisms that account for the impact of these political forces.” (p. 635).  Explain whether you agree that rational choice and interpretivist accounts are complementary, and evaluate efforts to combine the two approaches. 

 

Part II Methodology

 

1. Contemporary comparative political analysis involves at least one of three methodological perspectives: qualitative methods, quantitative methods, and/or formal modeling.   Choose any two of these perspectives, and assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. 

 

2. In their book Dynamics of Contention, Doug McAdam, Sidney Tarrow and Charles Tilly write, “Our emphasis on recurring mechanisms and processes does not mean that we intend to pour all forms of contention into the same great mold, subjecting them to universal laws of contention and flattening them into a single two-dimensional caricature.”  (p. 13) Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of causal explanations that are limited to a focus on particular mechanisms and those that strive for more general explanations.

Part III. Applied Theory

 

A.     In their book Democracy and Development, Adam Przeworski, Michael E. Alvarez, Jose Antonia Cheibub, and Fernando Limongi declare, “Democracy has other virtues, but at least as regards to the growth of total economies, political regimes are not what matters.” (p. 271)  Discuss this assertion and assess the impact of different political regimes on economic development.

 

B.     In the study of political parties, two theoretical traditions offer different explanations for the nature of party systems.  One, going back to Duverger focuses on the role of electoral systems.  The other initially associated with Lipset and Rokkan, underlines the importance of social cleavages.   Discuss the arguments of each of these traditions, highlighting their causal arguments.  Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in each tradition. 

 

C.     Is the welfare state doomed?  Answer this question and explain the logic behind your view.  Make certain to illustrate your argument with details from at least two countries. 

 

D.     In his classic, Political Order in Changing Societies, Samuel Huntington argues that social mobilization leads to political instability and ineffective governance.  In contrast, Robert Putnam in What Makes Democracy Work? Contends that mobilization of civil society is crucial to effective governance in democratic societies.  Assess the insights of each perspective considering Huntington, Putnam, and the work of others who support either of their arguments.  Explain which argument you find most persuasive and discuss why. 

 

E.      The debate over the effects of “globalization” on social and economic policy has tended to focus on the question of whether this change in the economic environment is or is not driving nations toward a convergence in their policies.  Few scholars, however, have actually taken the convergence position.  Instead, most have pointed to specific factors that have driven nations toward divergent responses to this common challenge.  Discuss this “divergence literature,” identifying the leading factors driving nations toward different responses to globalization and making the case for one factor that you feel is particularly important.