Why has the radical right emgerged so strongly in Sweden but not in Russia?
WHAT:
Write a 10-page analytical research paper on a topi
c of your choosing that
compares a Western European country with a Central/
Eastern European country
along some dimension. First, you must generate a re
search question—beginning
with WHY or HOW—that emphasizes some point of diffe
rence between the
countries you choose. Then, you must develop a theo
ry and testable hypothesis that
you will attempt to answer with evidence from your
chosen countries. In other
words, you must develop a causal argument that expl
ains some variation in
outcome and then build support for that argument th
rough concrete research and
evidence.
WHY:
The purpose of this assignment is twofold. First,
the project gives students
an opportunity to engage the issues dealt with (or
not!) in this class in greater
detail. For those of you interested in particular c
ountries or issues, this gives you a
chance to think critically about them on your own.
Second, the project requires you
to engage in the
method
of comparative political analysis. At its core, co
mparative
politics is the science of
comparing and contrasting
domestic politics in two or
more places around the world (or within the same co
untry at more than one
timepoint). When done properly, comparison allows u
s to test specific propositions
and determine the generalizability of our claims.
HOW:
The key to success is developing a research questio
n in which some
contention or debate exists over the answer. (If no
debate exists or you can’t think
of a way someone would disagree with you, then you
likely don’t have an
argument and your paper is merely descriptive—not o
kay!) Good papers will ask
questions in which “the” answer is not immediately
obvious and in which many
compelling answers exist. They will then assess ALL
possible explanations in an
objective way to determine whether their hypothesis
truly fits the information from
their particular cases the best. Remember that poli
tical science is NOT about
selecting cases/data that “prove” our point; if nul
l results emerge, we must revisit
and revise our theoretical expectations. Additional
ly, beware of tautological
arguments (where the “cause” is just a facet of the
outcome itself).
There are two approaches to formulating your resear
ch question. The first begins
with a topic of general interest and then focuses o
n the 2 countries that shed the
most light on the issue. The second involves pickin
g your favorite
2
country/countries and figuring out what kind of pap
er you can write about it/them.
Both methods are acceptable, but the first is much
more scientific. I recommend
finding something you’re interested in, then readin
g what scholars have to say on it
BEFORE you select your specific cases. This will he
lp you to not only see the
various arguments involved, but also discover the c
ountries where the issue is the
‘hottest.’
It is crucial to run your research question by me a
head of time, which is why you
are required to submit an official (typed!) paper p
roposal consisting of your
research question and two countries ahead of time.
Feel free to email me or come
by office hours to discuss your personal research i
nterests. I’m here to help!

GRADING:
You will be graded primarily on the quality of the
argument and
supporting evidence you present. Both presentation
(i.e., writing style and
grammar) and good, high-quality, academic sources w
ill boost the credibility and
strength of your argument. In other words, do lots
of research and proof-read your
papers. The final product should be the result of n
umerous versions of improving
and editing.
An additional paper checklist will be provided late
r on. In the meantime, make sure
you do the following:
•
Come talk to (or email) me.
•
Start early!
3
•
State your research question clearly, in question f
ormat (i.e., ends with
?????)
•
Make your thesis clear up front: I ARGUE THAT______
_
•
Have proper grammar and citation
•
Use at least 8+ academic sources (Wikipedia doesn’t
count!!!)
o

http://scholar.google.com

o

http://www.jstor.org

•
All the standard rules apply: 12-point font, double
-spaced, 1-inch
margins, proper citation, bibliography, etc.
•
Stay within the page-length guidelines: papers that
are significantly
shorter AND/OR longer will lose points
LOST?
Some sample questions include:
•
Why is A suffering economic turmoil yet B is not?
•
Why did A join the EU yet B did not?
•
Why do A and B differ so drastically in their immig
ration policies?
•
Why does A have a stronger/weaker sense of national
identity than B?
•
Why have A and B developed different approaches to
the welfare state?
•
Why has the radical right emerged so strongly in A
but not B?
•
Why has European integration affected A & B differe
ntly?
•
Why are citizens more satisfied with democracy in A
than B?
•
How can we explain why A has more political parties
than B?
•