POSC 233 Global Resurgence of Democracy Fall Term
2004
BUILDING DEMOCRACY AS AN
INTERNATIONAL PROCESS
Discussion and Floating Exam Questions
Session 6: International
Factors in Democratization (November 9, Tuesday)
Discussion Questions:
What are the chief examples of “international factors” in democratization? List at least six and be prepared to use examples to demonstrate how they work.
What are some of the analytical problems of studying international causes of democratization? Be sure to list at least four. Are there disciplinary obstacles to studying international influences on democratization? What are the most salient ones?
Evaluate the extent to which levels of economic development support democratization. What is the evidence for and against this proposition? Be prepared to defend at least two hypotheses for and two hypotheses against.
Floating Exam Questions:
(A) How have economic factors, as partially international phenomena (e.g., globalization), affected democratization in comparative perspective. Select two cases that you know well and compare them. Specify at least two key causal statements that this comparison supports.
(B) Select two cases of democratic transition from two different regions of the world and compare the causal weight of international factors in their particular pathways to democracy. Be sure to analyze (1) the effects on the political liberalization of the authoritarian regime, (2) the mode of transition, (3) the ability of post-transition democratic governments to consolidate democracy.
Session 7: The Problem of Democratization in Multi-Ethnic
States (November 11, Thursday)
Discussion Questions:
What are the essential obstacles to democratization in multi-ethnic societies? List at least three and refer to particular examples.
How might ethnic representation contribute to the consolidation of democracy? Specify three conditions under which it may. Refer to particular empirical examples to support your points.
What are the main causes of the “revival of ethnoterritorial politics” in comparative perspective? Specify at least three causes and prepare to discuss them in the context of empirical cases of your own choosing.
Which institutions are most capable of channeling/representing ethnoterritorial interests? Be prepared to specify (1) institutions of the state (e.g., federalism), (2) the party system, and (3) which electoral systems are most likely to produce ethnoterritorial accommodation.
Floating Exam Questions:
(A) What are the main sources of ethnoterritorial accommodation in comparative perspective? Be sure to specify at least three of the main policies/institutions that most enhance the chances for accommodation. Include in your analysis a comparison of at least two cases that support your arguments.
(B) How might federal institutions solve ethnoterritorial conflict problems? Compare at least three federal (or quasi-federal) cases from the reading or from your own research and indicate three ways in which federalism can solve the problems of ethnoterritorial conflict.
Session 8: Building Democracy in
Simulation/Floating Exam Question:
Build a new democratic order for post-war