Comparative Politics Comprehensive Exam
May 2015
School of Policy, Government and International Affairs
George Mason University
Committee
Eric McGlinchey, Chair
Mariely Lopez-Santana
Enrique Arias
Methods/Methodology in Comparative Politics
Answer one (1) of the following questions.
1. In “Increasing Returns, Path Dependency, and the Study of Politics,” Paul Pierson
challenges dominant models of causality. By focusing on the notions of increasing
returns and path dependency, the author criticizes the tendency of political
scientists to develop a science of politics “rooted in parsimony and generalization,
and capable of great predictive power.” What is the logic behind Pierson's
argument? Do you agree with this type of logic? If so, why? If you do not, why is
that the case?
2. Comparative politics scholars use both “large N” and “Small N” approaches to case
selection. What are the advantages and tradeoffs of these approaches? What
approach do you anticipate using in your dissertation and what advantages and
limitations might your chosen strategy pose for your research?
Substantive and Field questions in Comparative Politics
Answer two (2) of the following questions.
1. Comparativists have long debated why some countries achieve high levels of
economic development whereas others do not. How did the debate over economic
development evolve in the twentieth century? And are twentieth century theories of
economic development still relevant today?
2. Comparativists have adopted both institutionalist and rational choice analytical
lenses in an effort to explain political phenomena such as social mobilization,
political violence, and revolution. What insights do these diverging approaches
offer? What are their limitations? And how can these two approaches be marshaled
to advance our understanding of current examples of political and social unrest?
3. The general public is often puzzled by the stability of many authoritarian regimes.
However, the field of political science has made important contributions on this
topic. What have we learned? What factors allow us to understand and explain the
stability of authoritarian regimes? What issues are still unresolved? What is the
future of this debate?
4. Does democracy promote domestic and international peace? Does
democratization promote domestic and international peace? Please answer this
question drawing on the existing literature and examples in the Global South.
5. What factors in state and social structure facilitate national development
processes? For example, in the context of East Asia, Peter Evans has argued that
“embedded autonomy” is a key dynamic is promoting successful policy change. In
the context of Africa, Joel Migdal has argued that strong societies have contributed
to state policy failure. Building on these examples but drawing on other work,
discuss the role of political structures and state-society relations in promoting
policy outcomes.