Midterm Exam
General Instructions:
• Complete Part A (Concept definitions) and ONE question from Part B (Essay). Be sure to
answer ALL sections of the essay question: the parts of each question are equally important.
• Format: All work must be typed, double-spaced, using 12 point font, and have 1-inch margins. Add a separate title page with your name. Staple the essay: do not use folders, binders, plastic
covers, etc.
• Answer part of the exam separately: do not combine your responses into one essay
• Sources and Citation: Use all of the relevant readings/course material: Drogus/Orvis chapters 2, 3, 8, 9; articles (by Acemoglu, Lampton, Brown); lecture notes and class discussion. Be
sure to use and to cite information and arguments: provide author/page citations to demonstrate your familiarity with the assigned readings. Use a citation system with which you are most familiar.
• DO NOT use other/non-assigned sources of information. Plagiarism, copying and pasting material from the web, duplicating the work of another student or any other kind of cheating will result in a failing grade.
• The Midterm Essay Exam is worth 30% of the total grade
•
Part A: Concept definition. Write a short paragraph (about 4-5 sentences) on ANY SIX of the following concepts (total 15%, or 2.5% each). Describe each concept separately. Each paragraph should define the concept, identify how it contributes to our understanding to comparative politics, and use specific country/cases to illustrate.
?????a. Democratic accountability
b. Democratic consolidation
c. Democratic values
d. Democratization/transition to democracy
e. Legitimacy
f. Military coup
g. Patron-Client relations h. Social revolution
i. Sovereignty
j. State failure
k. Theocracy
l. Totalitarian regime
PART B: Essay. Complete ONE Essay Question from the list below: (Total 15%) Recommended minimum 4-5 pages.
1. Non-Democratic regimes frequently a number of strategies to maintain control: these may include coercion, but may also include measures that do not rely on repression. Compare and contrast how control is maintained by the ruling elite in China and in Iran. In your estimation, what might enhance the stability of each regime? What might erode the stability of each country?
2. Drogus/Orvis argue that Nigeria has both a weak state, and a fragile democracy. What is the evidence for each of these characteristics? What was the impact of military rule on Nigeria’s state and democracy after 1999? In your estimation, what are the prospects for an improvement in the quality of Nigeria’s democracy, and what might lead to state failure?
3. New democracies may fail to become ‘consolidated’. What is meant by ‘democratic consolidation’? What evidence do Drogus/Orvis use to make the case that Mexico’s democracy is ‘consolidated’, and Russia is considered a case of ‘democratic reversal’? What caused the reversal of the transition process in Egypt? In your opinion, what are the changes that led to these outcomes in each case?

Midterm Exam
General Instructions:
• Complete Part A (Concept definitions) and ONE question from Part B (Essay). Be sure to
answer ALL sections of the essay question: the parts of each question are equally important.
• Format: All work must be typed, double-spaced, using 12 point font, and have 1-inch margins. Add a separate title page with your name. Staple the essay: do not use folders, binders, plastic
covers, etc.
• Answer part of the exam separately: do not combine your responses into one essay
• Sources and Citation: Use all of the relevant readings/course material: Drogus/Orvis chapters 2, 3, 8, 9; articles (by Acemoglu, Lampton, Brown); lecture notes and class discussion. Be
sure to use and to cite information and arguments: provide author/page citations to demonstrate your familiarity with the assigned readings. Use a citation system with which you are most familiar.
• DO NOT use other/non-assigned sources of information. Plagiarism, copying and pasting material from the web, duplicating the work of another student or any other kind of cheating will result in a failing grade.
• The Midterm Essay Exam is worth 30% of the total grade
•
Part A: Concept definition. Write a short paragraph (about 4-5 sentences) on ANY SIX of the following concepts (total 15%, or 2.5% each). Describe each concept separately. Each paragraph should define the concept, identify how it contributes to our understanding to comparative politics, and use specific country/cases to illustrate.
?????a. Democratic accountability
b. Democratic consolidation
c. Democratic values
d. Democratization/transition to democracy
e. Legitimacy
f. Military coup
g. Patron-Client relations h. Social revolution
i. Sovereignty
j. State failure
k. Theocracy
l. Totalitarian regime
PART B: Essay. Complete ONE Essay Question from the list below: (Total 15%) Recommended minimum 4-5 pages.
1. Non-Democratic regimes frequently a number of strategies to maintain control: these may include coercion, but may also include measures that do not rely on repression. Compare and contrast how control is maintained by the ruling elite in China and in Iran. In your estimation, what might enhance the stability of each regime? What might erode the stability of each country?
2. Drogus/Orvis argue that Nigeria has both a weak state, and a fragile democracy. What is the evidence for each of these characteristics? What was the impact of military rule on Nigeria’s state and democracy after 1999? In your estimation, what are the prospects for an improvement in the quality of Nigeria’s democracy, and what might lead to state failure?
3. New democracies may fail to become ‘consolidated’. What is meant by ‘democratic consolidation’? What evidence do Drogus/Orvis use to make the case that Mexico’s democracy is ‘consolidated’, and Russia is considered a case of ‘democratic reversal’? What caused the reversal of the transition process in Egypt? In your opinion, what are the changes that led to these outcomes in each case?