Final Examination: Study Guide
 

General Information

1. This exam will be closed book and notes. It will organized in much the same way as the other exams, including both short answer questions and an essay question.

 
2. You must submit a blank blue book (available at the bookstore) during the last day of class iin order to take the exam.

 
3. The information provided below is intended as an aid to studying for the final. Another aid is the list of key terms and critical thinking exercises found at the end of each chapter of the Hauss text.  Please note that this list should not be treated as exhaustive. You are responsible for all course material, whether or not it appears in this guide.

Key Terms and Concepts. The following are the sorts of terms and concepts you are expected to be familiar with:
 

Asian tigers capitalism central bank clash of civilizations clientalism/patron-client relations colonialism corporatism democracy/democratization democratic transition          (modes: pact, imposition, reform, revolution) economic development European Union globalization import substitution industrialization (ISI)

inflation International Monetary Fund McWorld/Jihad modernization monetary policy nested political relationships political development privatization public policy rent/rent-seeking unions/union power World Bank World Trade Organization

Essay Questions

1. You have agreed to make a presentation to a group of incoming freshmen explaining why, no matter what else they do in college, it is important to study comparative politics. Now, what would you say?

 
2. One of the most hotly contested issues in comparative politics is the relationship between capitalism and democracy. What are the arguments for the various positions? Based on the country cases we have examined this semester, which position seems stronger?

 
3. Great Britain was very successful in implementing a vigorous program of privatization under Margaret Thatcher.  Russia and Nigeria have attempted to privatize large state-owned enterprises, but have made little headway.  Write an essay that explains Britain's relative success and Russia and Nigeria's relative failure. [Hint: Think in terms of nested political relationships].

 
4. Your preferred candidate wins the 2000 US presidential election.  Knowing of your expertise in comparative politics, he asks you to provide some background on globalization.  He wants to know if the idea has any real meaning, whether the impact on the US will be positive or negative, and what, if anything, the US federal government should do about it.  After writing your commentary for the US president-elect, consider if your views would be any different if you were advising the prime minister of Japan or the president of Nigeria.

 
5. One of the ongoing debates within comparative politics is the relative importance of political culture and political institutions in shaping a country's politics.  Drawing on the material covered in class, write an essay in which you identify which position you find is the most persuasive and why.  Support your argument with evidence from at least two of the six country cases.