Country Comparison Paper
Workshop
Counter Comparison Paper Overview
• You may select any two countries EXCEPT for the ten countries
(United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, China,
India, Nigeria and Iran) we cover in this course and the United States
• This is an evaluative research paper, which means first, you present
facts and information and then evaluate and interpret them.
• Your paper has two parts.
• In the first portion of the paper you will compare and contrast these
two states
• In the second part, you will provide an analysis
1st Part: Country Comparison of the two states
• In the first portion of the paper you will compare and contrast these two
states in terms of their
• population size
• ethnic composition
• level of economic development, (developed, developing, undeveloped)
• regime type (democratic, authoritarian, totalitarian, theocratic)
• institutional design (federal, unitary, presidential, parliamentary,
monarchy)
• electoral rules
• party system (including number of parties, ruling party and main
opposition parties)
• major policy trends within that state (current political events in that
country within the last 5 years)
• On information about major policy trends, please go to freedomhouse.org
and countrywatch.org.
Definitions of Levels of Economic Development
1) Developed Countries
• These are the world’s countries that are considered to be at the highest social and economic levels.
• Economic Dev. – is largely based on the service sector and less on the industrial and manufacturing services.
• Social Dev. – Well developed education system
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- Well developed health care system
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- Well developed banking, transportation and information technologies (Ex. USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia, etc.)
2) Developing or Newly Industrialized Countries
These are the world’s countries that are going through the process of becoming developed. These countries have undergone enormous changes such as new
government regimes and the gaining of independence. This process can take many years.
- Since WW2, Taiwan, S. Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore have become developed.
- Currently, countries such as China, Malaysia, Brazil, India, and Russia are considered to be developing.
- Economic Dev. – is transitioning from a focus on industrial and manufactured based sectors to service sectors.
Social Dev. – Education, health care, banking, transportation and information technologies are all developing.
3) Undeveloped Countries
These are the world’s countries that are considered to be at the lowest social and economic levels. (Most of Africa, Papau New Guinea, East Timor, etc.)
Economic Dev. – is largely based on primary services such as agriculture.
- Most new development is focused on the manufacturing sector as these countries often have the raw materials needed (e.g. mining, forestry)
- There is little service sector as people have little to no money to spend.
Social Dev. – Education, health care, banking, transportation and information technologies are almost nonexistent as governments do not have the money to invest
into these sectors as people are often too poor to pay taxes.
- Governments often rely on foreign aid to pay for these social developments.
- As such, what little money the government does make, often goes to repayment of these loans instead of their own people.
2nd Part: An analysis of the comparison of the
two states
• The institutional designs (you can find world constitutions on
www.constituteproject.org) and
• Political culture has impacted political outcomes in these countries
Institutional Design Analysis
• When writing about institutional design, consider the structure of the
government, whether federal, unitary, presidential, parliamentary,
semi-presidential, discuss how the structure of the government can
affect how political events have unfolded in your selected countries.
• Ex: Parliamentary democracy in the UK: The UK prime minister gets
involved in a scandal in his political party. His political party has a
majority in the House of Commons so it is unlikely that his political
party will turn against him because it could mean the fall of the
government and early elections being called. The prime minister
could be replaced as a result.
• Ex: Absolute monarchy in Saudi Arabia. Protests against the royal
family in Saudi Arabia would probably result in a mass crackdown
against the protest leaders and possible mass detention against
supporters of the protests.
Institutional Design Analysis: The United States
• The United States having a federal, constitutional government with
systems of checks and balances and separation of powers can
strongly affect the outcome of public policy and political decisions.
• For the federal government to get anything done, you need the
separate branches to cooperate with implementing public policy with
Congress passing new legislation and the President signing the bill
into law. The courts can affirm the constitutionality of the law if
challenged in the court system, or rule that various laws are
unconstitutional.
• The Constitution establishes strong limitations to what government
can and can’t do to its citizens through the Bill of Rights. That limits
the government’s power on its citizens and preserves protection of
American personal liberty.
Political Culture Analysis
• Remember the definition of what political culture is: a set of attitudes and
practices held by a people that shapes their political behavior. It includes moral
judgments, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes for a good
society.
• In addition: ‘defining events, experiences (especially those that last for years),
and socialization. The latter is defined as ‘the process of transmitting values and
systems of meaning, usually from one generation to the next.
• Components of Political Culture
• Beliefs about Authority
• Group versus Individual
• Liberty versus Security
• Political System Legitimacy
• The Political Community
Where Does Political Culture Come From?
Examples of Political Culture from the TIC
Countries and the United States
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The UK: less collectivistic than rest of Europe; working class deference;
Germany: Principle of subsidiarity; regional differences in legitimacy
France: Importance of merit-based hierarchies; (secularism)
India: Heterogeneous culture; trust in individuals more than government institutions
Mexico: Acquiescent to elite rule but admiration of revolutionary figures; fairly strong
attachment to overarching identity
Brazil: Values supportive of nondemocracy; low levels of system legitimacy;
Nigeria: Regional differences in culture, but general lack of system legitimacy and weak
attachment to overarching national identity
Russia: Collectivistic and deferential to strong leaders; legitimacy linked to performance
China: Legacies of Confucianism; order and security over freedom; values changing with
decades of capitalist development
Iran: Order and security over freedom (but less so than in other Middle Eastern countries);
more individualistic and prodemocratic values among young urban residents
United States: Political Culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy.
Sharp differences in American society on how those values should be defined. Ex. Political
and social equality vs. economic equality. Personal liberty vs. national security.
One more example of Political Culture: Japan
• Japan is a constitutional democracy; after World War II, officials from
the United States wrote the country's constitution. In Japan, however,
good relations and harmony are considered much more important
than in the U.S. The concept of hierarchy, both familial and political, is
deeply rooted in Japanese political culture. In comparison to
Americans, the Japanese demonstrate more respect for authority, as
evidenced by their interactions with elder family members and
leaders.
3rd Part: Comparing and Conclusion
• Which country do you think has the better institutional design and
political culture that affects the outcome of political and social events
and why?
• Conclusion of the two countries and where do you think both
countries are going in terms of political development in the next
decade.
Research Paper Writing Process
• Brainstorming and exploring countries of interest
• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Reviewing
• Final paper done and turned in.
Research Sources: Freedom House and
CountryWatch
• CountryWatch: CountryWatch is an information provider for corporations,
government agencies, universities, schools, libraries and individuals
needing up-to-date news and information on each of the recognized
countries of the world.
• CountryWatch provides critical country-specific intelligence and data to
over 4000 clients including public and private sector organizations with
overseas operations and global interests. In addition, CountryWatch
provides country information to large media audiences in various venues as
part of its media strategy. It can be accessed through the L.A. Mission
College Library of Databases at the above link.
• Freedom House: Freedom House is a U.S.-based non-governmental
organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political
freedom, and human rights. They provide annual reports each year on
every country in the world on the improvement and reduction of political
rights and civil liberties. This is a great resource for contemporary
comparison of your selected two countries. https://freedomhouse.org/
Questions I have received regarding the
Research Paper in recent semesters
• How many resources do I have to use on my paper? There is no set amount of sources to
use.
• Can I use newspaper articles as research sources? Yes you may.
• Can I interview experts on my topic for research? Yes you can.
• Can the paper be longer than 10 pages? It may if it is absolutely necessary.
• Can the paper be shorter than 6 pages? No, it can’t otherwise points may be deducted.
• How many times can I send you a draft version of my paper? As many times as you like.
• Do I have to do the research paper assignment? Yes you do but I can’t make you do
anything.
• What happens if I skip doing the research paper assignment? You get a zero on the
assignment.
• Can the paper be late? Yes, if there is a legitimate reason. Please contact me if you need
an extension on your paper.
• Do you like pie? Yes I do. I like peach pie.