The current world order has seen a rise in white nationalism across many liberal states. What are some of the connections between the crisis of liberal world order, the rise of white nationalism and the politics of gender and sexuality?

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1. Is the current crisis of liberal world order a crisis of US authority or reflective of a broader crisis of liberalism?

2. Can the current crisis of liberal world order be understood without taking into account colonialism?

3. What is the role of Trump in the current crisis of liberal world order?

4. The current world order has seen a rise in white nationalism across many liberal states. What are some of the connections between the crisis of liberal world order, the rise of white nationalism and the politics of gender and sexuality?

5. Critics argue that the history of the rise of the modern liberal order is a history of capitalist violence. Discuss this argument in reference to the post-Cold War era (i.e. debates on: neoliberal globalization; use of war).

6. How can Mill’s concept of ‘racial liberalism’ provide insights into some of the politics of the current crisis of liberal world order? Discuss in reference to at least one example associated with post-Cold war era liberal internationalism.

7. Some critics connect the current crisis of liberal world order to what they see as deeper, structural tensions inherent in liberalism and ‘the liberal project’. Discuss in reference to at least one specific example (eg. Covid19 crisis: its origins in industrial agriculture; intellectual property rights; distribution of vaccines etc).

8. How do we make sense of a long history of examples of liberal states acting (largely) benign-liberal domestically and ‘illiberal’ abroad/in their foreign relations? Discuss in reference to at least one specific example in the post-Cold War era.

9. How do we make sense of a long history of examples of liberal states acting (largely) benign-liberal domestically and ‘illiberal’ abroad/in their foreign relations? (If this has changed,) W/were earlier liberal states simply ‘immature’

Describe the two broad types of linkage and the positives and negatives of each of these linkage types. How do these modes of linkage allow the general population of a country to have a voice in that country’s political system?

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POSC 2401; Exam 2

1) “The military is the most important unelected component of government.” Evaluate this statement. In your answer, consider (a) the ways that militaries are involved in domestic politics around the world including their main tasks and (b) the other two main unelected components of government we discussed, including the main tasks of those components. Compared to these other unelected parts of government, is the military really the most important? Bring in examples from at least two of the nine Topic-in-Countries countries we are focusing on this semester (These include Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Nigeria, UK, Russia, Germany, China, and India)

2) Discuss how elites and the general public are “linked” in political systems around the world. In your answer, describe the two broad types of linkage and the positives and negatives of each of these linkage types. Also consider the different modes of linkage (interest groups, social movements, and political parties). How do these modes of linkage allow the general population of a country to have a voice in that country’s political system? In your answer, bring in examples from at least two of the nine Topic-in-Countries countries we are focusing on this semester (These include Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Nigeria, UK, Russia, Germany, China, and India)

Identify all dominant and dominated strategies. If a player does not have a dominant strategy explain why. Explain what a Pareto Efficient situation means (you only have to do this once, in your answer for Scenario A). For each PSNE, comment on whether the outcome is Pareto Efficient or not. Explain why.

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POLI SCI 30

Question I.

Practice finding PSNE. For each of the following five games, are there Pure Strategy Nash Equilibria (PSNE)? Identify them, or explain why there are none. (Note all the Nash equilibria discussed in Unit 8 are PSNE. The other kind of Nash equilibria, mixed strategy NE, are discussed in Units 9 and 10.)

Question II. Electoral Coordination under Different Levels of Democracy and Development. For Scenarios A, B and C below, do the following:

1. Depict the strategic interactions between North and South, the two players, as a game.
2. Identify all dominant and dominated strategies. If a player does not have a dominant strategy explain why.
3. Explain what a pure strategy Nash equilibria (PSNE) is. (You only have to do this once, in your answer for Scenario A). Find all of them in each scenario or explain why there are none.
4. Explain what a Pareto Efficient situation means (you only have to do this once, in your answer for Scenario A). For each PSNE, comment on whether the outcome is Pareto Efficient or not. Explain why.
5. For each scenario, discuss what the game theoretical analysis implies about the likelihood that the OLD regime stays in power. If there is more than one PSNE in a game, what can we predict about the game’s outcome?

SCENARIO A: Country X has long been ruled by a single political party, the Organization for Liberty and Democracy or OLD. OLD routinely wins elections despite a well–deserved reputation for corruption. In the upcoming presidential election, OLD is certain to get the votes of the rural and backward Center. In order to win the presidency, OLD also needs the support of one of the more economically advanced parts of the country, either the North or the South. If either the North or the South support OLD in the election, it will win. OLD is being challenged by a new party, the Network for Empowerment and Wealth, or NEW, which is running on an anti–corruption platform. If both the North and the South support NEW, NEW will win the election. Both North and South would prefer to see a NEW president. For each region, the utility of a NEW regime and its superioir policy choices is 5, compared to a baseline of 0 for the OLD regime’s policy. Yet leaders in each region have benefited in the past from side–payments and other spoils (e.g. government jobs and contracts that pay well for little work) that OLD routinely provides to regions that have supported it. If OLD wins the election, it will deliver benefits of up to 6 units of utlity to its supporters in the North and South. (It will deliver some benefits to Center too, but we don’t need to worry about that here, because Center will support OLD no matter what.) If only North or only South supports OLD, the supporting region will get all 6 units of side–benefits. If both regions support OLD, they get 3 units each. North and South decide simultaneously whether to support OLD or NEW. If NEW wins the election, there will be no side–payments, just the above–mentioned utility from better policy.

SCENARIO B: If the corruption of the OLD regime could be contained, North could attract more foreign investment, providing jobs and tax revenue for infrastructure development. This possibility increases the policy utility to North of a NEW government from 5 units to 10. South’s preferences stay the same as in Scenario A, as do both players’ preferences over side payments.

SCENARIO C: Now suppose both North and South value the NEW government’s policy at 10 units. Everything else is the same as in Scenario A.

Explain the debate on the topic and related issues as it exists today. What are the main points of agreement and disagreement? What are the methodologies and sources that have led people to particular conclusions? What frameworks and theories are other scholars employing, and how does the choice of framework affect the answer to the research question? How and why has the debate changed over time?

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Capstone

Research proposal
Your research proposal is a document that lays out your research topic and questions, how these questions relate to ongoing discussions in the field, how you plan to answer your
questions, and includes an annotated bibliography.

Introduction 1-2 pages
The introduction is an extended version of the “pitch” you wrote in October. Beyond that, the introduction should summarize your engagement with the existing literature and frameworks, your methodology and source base, and your research question(S).

Introductions, as the word suggests, introduce your reader to your topic, your question, and your way of looking at the problem. They should not be a lengthy pre-history of the topic, nor should they be full of broad statements (the Russian peasantry was always subjugated! The discussion, or even briefly state the existing debate (in broad terms) on your topic. If you have a “soft” opening paragraph that relates a story or anecdote, make sure that the story or anecdote you chose actually connects to the question you are going to pose. Remember, the point is to show the reader, in a manner as efficient as possible, what your research project is going to be about and why it matters.

After the opening paragraph, briefly introduce the state of the field. What are the main explanations for the problem/conflict you are studying? Then, in the final paragraph, introduce your main research question and sub-questions. You may choose to do this in a more open- ended way, the way someone working in the humanities tradition would, or in a way more common in Political Science, with clear hypotheses. Finally, explain how you will answer the question/test the hypotheses.

State of the Field 2-3 pages
In this section, you will explain the debate on the topic and related issues as it exists today. The questions that you will want to address here include: What are the main points of agreement and disagreement? What are the methodologies and sources that have led people to particular conclusions? What frameworks and theories are other scholars employing, and how does the choice of framework affect the answer to the research question? How and why has the debate changed over time?

A good “state of the field” section will not simply summarize the existing literature, but explain why scholars have asked certain questions, reached particular conclusions, and so on. You don’t have to cover every single piece written on the topic: rather, give the reader an analysis of how the debate has evolved. Start with the relevant frameworks (if applicable) and move down to the more specific literature. In the final paragraph of the section, explain how you will intervene in the ongoing debate. Do you want to test a theory? Challenge a particular interpretation? Take sides in a disagreement between groups of scholars?

Source Base/Data and Methodology (2-3 pages)
In this section, you build on the work you did in the source analysis to explain what kind of sources and methods you will use to answer the research questions you posed earlier and to test your hypotheses.

First, explain what kind of sources you are going to use. If they are textual source, explain how and why they were produced, in what context, for what audience, etc. If data, explain how and why this data is collected. Either way, make sure you take note of potential biases and problems and explain how you will address them.

Second, explain where these sources/data can be found. Third, give an example of a source, the way you did in the source analysis assignment. And finally, explain how these sources help you answer the questions you are posing, and how the source base/data/methodology you plan to employ is similar or different to the source base/data/methodology employed by other scholars you discuss in the “State of the Field” section.

Describe policies, their rights, which institution is responsible, and influence from government and citizens.

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United States Education Policies

Describe policies, their rights, which institution is responsible, and influence from government and citizens.

There are certain analysts who believe that the U.S. should be guided by an isolationist foreign policy. Meanwhile, others insist that it would be advantageous for America to remain an interventionist nation. Which of these perspectives do you agree with?

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American foreign policy

We have devoted some attention to American foreign policy this semester. During our discussions about this topic, the terms isolationism and interventionism have been mentioned quite frequently. There are certain analysts who believe that the U.S. should be guided by an isolationist foreign policy. Meanwhile, others insist that it would be advantageous for America to remain an interventionist nation. Which of these perspectives do you agree with?

Compare the polls by type (internet, phone), sample size, and the wording of the questions. Have the attitudes reflected in the polls concerning that issue changed or stayed relatively the same? If the polls show that attitudes have changed, what are some of the reasons for that change?

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Policy Issue Comparison in Different Time Periods

Find three polls on the same issue (for example, the death penalty, marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, or any other policy topic) from three different time periods (such as the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s). The polls MUST be about policy issues (not about a politician, candidate, or election campaign).

Compare the polls by type (internet, phone), sample size, and the wording of the questions. Have the attitudes reflected in the polls concerning that issue changed or stayed relatively the same? If the polls show that attitudes have changed, what are some of the reasons for that change?

[Hint: Pew Research and Gallup are good sources for public opinion data on policy issues.]

Based on the articles in Curbed and in Vox, list and describe some of the major factors responsible for the high costs of housing in the U.S. What new approaches are the Biden Administration and Congress considering to address this pressing issue?

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Report #6: Housing Policy

Before beginning this assignment, make certain that you have read “The Affordable Housing Crisis, Explained” (by Patrick Sisson, Jeff Andrews, and Alex Bazeley in Curbed.com, March 2020) and “Biden Administration to Congress: Build More Apartments and Houses!” (by Jerusalem Demsas in Vox, June 17, 2021). In addition, watch the PBS Frontline documentary, “Politics, Poverty and Profit.” Links to the articles and to the video are provided below. Then write a brief report that contains three separate sections that address all the points in each set of questions. Notice the expected word count for each section (exceeding the word count will not negatively affect your grade, but try to stay within the range).

1. Based on the articles in Curbed and in Vox, list and describe some of the major factors responsible for the high costs of housing in the U.S. What new approaches are the Biden Administration and Congress considering to address this pressing issue? (approximately 150-200 words)

2. Based on the PBS Frontline documentary, briefly describe the goals and purpose of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Indicate how the program is supposed to work and who was expected to benefit from the program. (approximately 150-200 words)

3. List and discuss some of the problems with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program that are highlighted in the PBS documentary. What type of changes could be made to improve the program’s ability to achieve its goal? Given what you know about the U.S. political system and how policies are made and implemented, what improvements do you believe would be feasible? (approximately 150- 200 words)

Be careful not to plagiarize. If you want to quote directly, do so using quotation marks (giving the page number if available). But try to do this sparingly and simply use your own words in addressing the questions. In your writing, use an analytical tone. In other words, try to answer the questions in a straightforward and objective manner.

Why has this country been chosen? What are characteristics of this country that can be used for the analysis? How can this country be characterized, e.g. supportive of liberal order, non-supportive of liberal order, challenger to liberal order, mixed? What could be reasons for the country to be like that?

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China

You will try to find out, whether there might be a correlation between a country’s position on liberal order and specific systemic feature like economic development. Country: China

You need to determine which position the government/ruling party etc. represents with respect to the concept of a (Western) liberal order. Find the corresponding data for this country on the feature mentioned above and analyze it. Research question: What is the correlation between China’s position on liberal order and economic development? The method of this paper is secondary research based on existing data on the topic of interest.

Guidelines Paper

– Introduction: Why does the topic matter, why is it relevant to be researched?

– Part 1: Choose an adequate heading

Discussing the liberal order, its challenges, different positions to be found in the debate/literature. Which questions do occur? …

– Part 2: Choose an adequate heading

Discussing approach and its limitations

Basically, you are writing here that its secondary research based on existing data on the topic of interest. You also write limitations of such research and how you goanna do the analysis.

– Part 2: Choose an adequate heading

Case study, the selected country. Analysis of data and other sources. Why has this country been chosen? What are characteristics of this country that can be used for the analysis? How can this country be characterized, e.g. supportive of liberal order, non-supportive of liberal order, challenger to liberal order, mixed? What could be reasons for the country to be like that? …

– Part 3: Conclusion (or adequate heading)

What does the analysis of the country offer for the debate of the liberal order? Which role might this country play in the future with respect to the liberal order? Answer(s) to question(s) that occured? Overall assessment. Suggestions for future research.

Can a high school valedictorian reference religion in her graduation speech at a public school? Do state capitals really have to display Satanic statues?

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Constitution: Religion/Conscience

In class, we talked about the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Those two clauses represent the distinction between public and private. The Establishment Clause limits what can be done in institutions sponsored by tax dollars. The Free Exercise Clasue prohibits limits on private belief and behavior. Sometimes it is difficult to know where to draw the line. Can a high school valedictorian reference religion in her graduation speech at a public school? Do state capitals really have to display Satanic statues? There are many stories in the news each year that talk about a conflict between free exercise and establishment. Find one and research it. Use the story to explain why it’s controversial and how it poses a difficult question in terms of free exercise and establishment. Use quality news sources to inform yourself. You will not be graded on your personal opinions about religion but rather your knowledge of this issue and the current events surrounding it.

(Note: you might not see the Establishment or Free Exercise clauses mentioned in the story. Instead, the story might just say something about “religious freedom” or “atheists’ rights,” or something, but you know the significance of those parts of the First Amendment.)