This paper asks you to identify three countries with an associated issue that is of interest to you.
The issue can be:
• Democratic rollback
• Any of the issues covered in the second half of the course: Immigration, Policing and
Incarceration; Drug Prohibition; Internet & Freedom of Speech; Climate Change;
Taxation; Human Rights Violations
• With permission of the instructor, another key world issue which has important lessons
for the US (I prefer a democracy here; but am open to non-democracies as well).
Selecting which Countries to Study: You should select countries and issues which you find
interesting – but which you also think have some lessons to teach the rest of the world:
• these lessons can be cautionary (don’t do what xx country has done or else democratic
rollback is likely!);
• or these lessons can teach us positive lessons: (Germany has effectively promoted green
energy as a response to climate change and we could all learn from this!)
Instructions for this Paper:
In this paper, you will:
• Develop a research question for each of your three country/issue pairings. Your research
question should be either:
o How and why is democracy being rolled back in x country?
§ Remember: “democracy” and “democratic rollback” are subjective
concepts! An erosion of liberty (human/civil rights); participation
(criminalizing protests, worsening repression during elections) and/or
competition (checks and balances).
o How and why is x country addressing a pressing world issue?
§ How: This is straightforward: Ex: How and why is Australia imposing
new restrictions on immigration?
§ Why: Take your first shot at answering this question: briefly summarize
and relate the relevant information pertaining to the issue that interests you
in each country. Such information might include (among other things):
What are the challenges and what are the successes? What are the
positions of political parties and social movements regarding the issue at
hand?
Outside research is required for this assignment:
Minimum number of sources required: two scholarly sources per country (i.e. a total of SIX
sources). Note—this is the minimum; more sources, including non-scholarly sources, are welcome,
and would serve you well for three next assignment, which will build upon this assignment and
obviously necessitate a more robust information-base.
* To find scholarly articles, try scholar.google.com; or see the “Political Science” resources at the
following links:
links:https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/indexes/subjects/indexes_social_sciences#Political_Science
*A bibliography, in addition to your footnotes, is required.
Formatting: Papers should be double-spaced, using Times New Roman (size 12) and one-inch,
justified margins. Please put page numbers at the bottom of each page. All papers of more
than one page should be stapled together. Double-sided printing is acceptable.
Purpose of Assignment:
This paper will serve as a preliminary survey of potential topics for your final paper; one of
the countries you examine here will be expounded upon in future assignments, ultimately becoming
a stand-alone 12-15 page paper. This assignment also provides an opportunity to foster research
skills, practice citing sources, and hone the ability to effectively summarize key information.
To keep in mind…
• You will later be selecting one of these three country/issue pairings to analyze more
closely in your next two papers.
• In Paper 2 you should discuss how the building blocks of democracy – competition,
participation, and liberties – shape the way a country responds to an issue or democratic
rollback.
For example, if you research question is: How and why has Australia moved to limit
immigration, you would analyze:
• The form of competition (What positions have their courts, social
movements, and political parties advocated for re: immigration?
Have policies been made quickly or been delayed because of the
type of government they have (President vs. Prime Minister?
Majority vs. Proportional Representation?);
• The way their citizens politically participate (who gets to vote?
Have there been pro- and anti-immigrant marches?)
• or the rules and norms around citizen and non-citizen liberties