Paper Guidelines II
You are a comparativist who has a theory about democratic institutions and/or political identity. To support your theory, you will present (some form of a) statistical analysis. This assignment gives you an opportunity to apply the material from class by looking at quantitative evidence.
Due Date: November 21st. Any earlier day is also fine.
Page Length: 4 – 8/10 pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 1” margins), but also keep in mind that you will be using tables and graphs so the paper might run longer. Note: Again, we grade content, so you are not fooling anyone by using HUGE tables and figures to increase the length of your document.
There is an assignment created on Blackboard for you to upload your essay. You are welcome to submit the paper before the absolute deadline.
Instructions
Choose a region (or two) of the world.[1] Use one or more theories/topics studied in class to empirically explore an effect that was not previously addressed in class. Give some historical, political, and economical context of the region that is important to understand the theory/topic you will be addressing. (Number of paragraphs in parenthesis are what I would deem the bare minimum you could write in each section and still have a complete account).
- Theory/Topic: Choose a topic. Explain what has been studied on the topic (in class), and what is either missing or could be expanded. For example, is we talked about the effect of ethnic fractionalization on political parties, you might want to know how this effects looks like when there is conflict within a region. Remember to walk me through any theory you choose: the assumptions of the theory, the predictions derived from the theory, and the mechanisms that explain the theory. If the theory suggests that A à B, explain A, B, and à. (2 – 3 paragraphs).
- Contextual information: Choose a region (or two). Start your essay by describing the region in a historical, political, and economic perspective. For example, some regions within Latin America, like the Andean region, are characterized by deep historical ethnic cleavages that often overlap with class and power relations. Indigenous communities, mostly located in rural areas, migrated to urban areas as the region developed, changing the electoral dynamics of both their communities and the cities. The pressure on the labor market, as well as the inequality between rural and urban areas, created tension between ethnic groups that were sometimes resolved institutionally (e.g. indigenous political parties) or through conflict… (2 – 3 paragraphs).
- Evidence: Use empirical evidence to show whatever effect you are exploring. You will not be judged in how sophisticated your analysis is, but rather on how thoughtful and intuitive it is. To continue the A à B example, in your empirical analysis one variable you will look at is A and the other will be B. Remember to use tables and graphs in order to present your results. Before exploring your particular topic, show how the general theory fits your region. We assume that greater ethnic fractionalization should lead to a larger number of parties. Is this the case in your
region? Many theories have caveats that we did explore in class. For example, ethnic fractionalization will lead to more parties conditional on the electoral system. You should explore those possible alternative too, before diving into your own topic of interest. (3 – 4 paragraphs)
- Conclusions: not your typical conclusions. Rather, here I want you to tell me what is left unexplained by your analysis or what you uncovered in your analysis that is interesting and would require further research to completely parse out. If you had unlimited resources and time, what additional tests and empirical approaches would you use? (1 – 2 paragraphs).
Data Sources and Empirical Analysis
Please, see the Data Sources files on Blackboard for an extensive and thorough compilation of data sources and where to find them. If you need help with your empirical analysis, we encourage you to come to office hours.
Additional Info
You should research the issue and properly cite any reference material that you draw information from. There is no fixed number of required citations, but it would be hard to write a good answer with less than four or five. You can (maybe should) start exploring this paper by looking at the reference section in Samuels’ textbook. You are welcome to use any citation procedure you are comfortable with (i.e.
footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations), but please be consistent and thorough. Common procedures are APA, MLA, and Chicago. This link from the UH Library website provides easy citation guides for some of the methods:
Both your TA and I will be more than happy to guide you as you write this essay. You are encouraged to send a rough draft of your paper or an abstract or even an idea. We will gladly give you comments on any of these and help you think about the next steps. We WILL NOT be checking rough drafts after November 18th. By then you should have a clear idea of what the final product should look like.
Resources
The UH Library has a thorough research guide I encourage you to read:
I also HIGHLY encourage you to use the services provided by the Writing Center. The University of Houston Writing Center provides individual consultations for students working on all types of writing. Whether it is your first semester or your last, meeting with a trained writing consultant can provide another perspective on your paper or project that aids you in navigating the writing process from brainstorming to perfecting a final draft and any stage in between. You can make an appointment by visiting writingcenter.uh.edu or by calling (713) 743-3016.
Final Notes
We take issues of plagiarism and
academic dishonesty very seriously, and we also want you to enjoy working on
this paper. Start early to give yourself the time you need to do good research,
to think through your ideas, and to develop each part of the paper. We welcome
your questions along the way, and we look forward to learning from your
research. Good luck!
[1] You may choose the United States as a region if you are comparing across states.
