Choose 1 of the following 3 questions for the essay:
1) According to the variant of modernization theory that we examined, why does democracy emerge as economies develop? What conditions are beneficial for a transition to democracy and what conditions make such a transition less likely? And what do we know about the probability of democratic survival? Consider the questions in particular in light of the Arab Spring and how some countries appear to have better chances of democracy than others.
2) Imagine that you are discussing issues of corruption and leader survival with a friend outside of the political science department. How do you explain the importance of corruption for a political leader in small W/S systems? And do the same rules also explain why corruption (doesn’t) occur in systems with a large W/S ratio? Why, why not?
3) Transitions to democracy can occur through a bottom-up process as occurred in East Germany or a top-down approach as happened in Chile. Analyze one recent transition to democracy. When doing so, use the insights from the material we have learned in the class such as incomplete information game, revolutionary cascades, and collective action problem. Explain the weaknesses and strengths of each of the approaches when discussing your case.