EXAM, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES SPRING 2014
Political Science
STV2310 - Politics and Development
4 hours
Answer the first two questions and one of the optional three questions
Compulsory questions (answer both!):
- Compare main arguments in the course literature (such as by Migdal, Sidel and the developmental state theorists) about the character of the state in the Global South: when and why is the state weak and when and how has it become strong?
- Discuss the central arguments in the course about positive and problematic roles of elitist pacts and civil society in the dynamics of democratisation in the Global South.
Optional questions (answer one of the following!)
- Discuss on the basis of the course literature the relations in Latin America between the social movements, the political parties and the state.
- Discuss with reference to the course literature the challenges of state building in Africa and the role of local elites. Discuss this in view of the continued importance of land and land politics in Africa, and how the violent autochthony discourses (based on first-comer/late-comer distinctions) manifest themselves in different places on the African continent.
- Religion in general (and in particular Islam and/or Islamist movements) is often depicted as a hindrance to democratisation and a threat to democracy. Discuss this issue with reference to the Arab Spring and the developments thereafter, and relate it to the different aspects brought forward in the course literature on democratisation and religion.