C/P/100. Why might the description of the USA welfare state as a laggard (falling behind others) be criticised?

The paper examines the welfare state of the USA showing how it developed and evolved into its present form. The important dates and reforms are highlighted discussing the consequences for welfare provisions. The US welfare system is compared to the European system arguing that it is more individually biased while the European system is more socially based, which leads to different outcomes for welfare recipients. The radical reforms in the US system in 1996 are analysed.

S/P/144. What is multiculturalism? Is it a desirable approach to social and cultural diversity within democratic states?

The paper examines the concept of multiculturalism providing its academic definitions and addressing the issues of cultural diversity, 'sub-cultural diversity', assimilation of immigrants, democratic principles of equality, etc.

E/P/27. Are political parties guided by ideology or are they concerned simply with winning elections?

The paper examines the role of party ideology in the election campaign arguing whether present-day political parties have any coherent ideological programmes or are merely trying to win the election by influencing public opinion. Theories related to the issues of ideology and electoral success are critically reviewed.

E/P/25. 'There exists an over-riding design for democratic transitions which all countries must follow'. Use the examples of two of the countries covered in the module to examine this statement

The paper examines the patterns of democratic transition of European and Latin American states offering political and socioeconomic analysis of the world history in the 20th century, describing the forms of democratic transition in Spain and Brazil, and highlighting the key drivers of democratisation in replacing authoritarian regimes.

E/P/18. Using the Example of Islam, Discuss how the Religion is portrayed Post-September 11th 2001

The paper examines the portrayal of Islam by the Western mass media after 9/11 presenting a review of attitudes towards Islam in the past, and arguing whether among the negative images of Islam there appears a willingness to understand the religion.

E/E/37. Explain and Discuss the Causes, Economic effects and Some Possible Solutions to Governmental Corruption

The paper addresses the issue of governmental corruption providing definitions of the concept, reviewing academic opinions about the causes and consequences of corruption, the economic costs of corruption, the strategies aimed to curb corruption, etc. Possible solutions to combat corruption in Nigeria and Uganda are mentioned.

E/P/17. To what extent are traditional concepts of class useful as means to understand modern industrial societies?

The paper examines the changes that our society has undergone since the middle of the nineteenth century reviewing the impacts of the industrial and IT revolutions, the implications of the increase in consumption, the evolution of the ‘class’ concept and working class culture, etc.

P/P/339. Population aging in Europe: problems and solutions

The paper addresses the demographic problem of aging population in Europe discussing its economic implications and the ways to deal with related problems, i.e. the state support of the elderly, the encouragement to invest in pension schemes, pro-immigration policies, the retirement age increase, etc.

P/P/325. Issues of national identity

The paper addresses the issue of national identity reviewing academic approaches to the concepts of ‘nation’, ‘ethnic and territorial nationalism’, ‘commonality’, ‘civic and cultural identity’, etc. The value of ancestry, history and culture is discussed with reference to different countries.

S/P/95. Challenges and problems that can be learned from UK experience of implementing good governance and determine whether the same form of reform could be introduced in African countries

This research paper examines the comparative study of the governance techniques implemented in UK and African countries. The overall aim of this research is to lesson challenges and problems that can be learned from UK experience of implementing good governance and determine whether the same form of reform could be introduced in African countries. The paper explores the reforms in civil service in two African countries, Ghana and Gambia and draws lessons from UK experience in implementing good governance. The paper is fully referenced using Harvard format.

S/P/90. Globalization: Division between rich and poor

This Paper examines Globalization on - Positive and Negative factorÒs it brings to individual, society and nations. It also shows as how different critics (Thomas Friedman, Sens and Stoett and Joseph Stiglitz) have defined globalization on the bases of past and modern times. Areas discussed in this paper include the ÓGreat DivideÔ (between rich and poor), ÓMarxists and Dependency theoriesÔ, ÓEffects on EnvironmentÔ, ÓInvestmentÔ, ÓTechnologyÔ, ÓTradeÔ and "Huntington clash of civilizationsÔ.

P/P/313. Democratic process in the Middle East

The paper examines the factors behind the promotion of democratic reforms in the Middle East discussing the nationalist movements of the 1950s Ö 1960s, the impact of 9/11, the position of Islam in political liberalisation, the role of oil in preventing democratic reforms, etc.

P/P/311. Issues of US policy and legislation

The paper contains nine short essays (tutorials) related to the policy and legislation of the USA, examining: 1) the reasons behind the failure of the Health Security Act (HSA) announced by the Clinton administration; 2) the passage of the Civil Rights Act (CRA) and Voting Rights Act (VRA); 3) the expansion of welfare policies to the North of the USA; 4) the New Deal reform; 5) the political power of the American businesses; 6) the presidential power in the home policy; 7) the 1994 congressional elections; 8) the changes of political patterns, or realignment; 9) the Christian Right movement.

S/P/87. Has there been a significant transformation in IndiaÒs democracy and the party political system between 1947 and the present?

This paper discusses whether there has been significant change in the nature of IndiaÒs democracy, and what the significant features of such changes have been. It argues that because of a change in the role of the masses, and in particular the greater politicisation of the lower and middle castes, a number of new characteristics have developed. Amongst those discussed new features of Indian democracy are changing centre-regions relations and a trend towards more peripheralised rule (though within federal confines).

S/P/86. Does the political importance of Islam in Pakistan and Bangladesh lie in the fact that religion has served to bolster state power?

This paper discusses the nature of IslamÒs role in Pakistani politics and whether it has proved a force for strengthening state power. It argues that although this certainly was IslamÒs intended initial role, the cynical manipulation of the Islamic cause by PakistanÒs leaders has had unwanted implications on religionÒs role in Pakistani politics. Furthermore, ZiaÒs Islamisation has created a culture where increasingly the relevance of Islam lies in its political activism and destabilising jihadic campaigns. These problems could be perceived to be a direct result of ZiaÒs attempts to consolidate his power through a shift from liberal Islamic views to a more fundamentalist (Shariat) framework. There is also mention of Bangladesh, where it is suggested that by missing the Islamisation program of Zia, it has held a more liberal position and hence religion has proved less destructive.

S/P/85. Why has democracy continued to be weak in Pakistan?

This paper discusses the reasons behind the weakness of democracy in Pakistan, and why such fragility has been perpetuated. It attributes the problems to a combination of factors, suggesting that those most relevant are the nature of the forces for democracy and how these forces have compromised by other power bases in the system. The army, the bureaucracy, international pressures and individual political ambition have all proved to be destabilising agents. The failure of political parties to entrench democracy and the unhealthy patrimonial political culture are also discussed.

S/P/78. What is political culture?

This paper discusses the nature of Ñpolitical cultureÒ Ö what it is and whether it serves any purpose as a political tool. It argues that while political culture and a spirit of Ñcivic engagementÒ are tangible and observable things, the conclusions that can be drawn from them are generally without sufficient substantive strength. In this essay, two important studies of political culture are described and commented on; the works of Putnam and Inglehart. By analysing the success of these studies, a definition of political culture can be ascertained, as can the practical relevance of such a concept.

S/P/77. Is it possible to predict revolutions?

The essay tackles two problems; what a revolution actually is, and whether such an event is ever predictable. It argues that while we can observe a number of similarities and common threads within collective violent political actions, the actual task of predicting a revolution is for the moment beyond us. In terms of defining a revolution, the paper charts the theoretical progression in the academic literature, from natural history theory to the structuralist ideas of Skocpol and Goldstone. There are also references to specific cases, both historical (France, Russia) and more contemporary (Iran, Ukraine).

S/P/76. What factors explain the significant variations in welfare state regimes across countries?

The paper looks to explain why there are significant variations between welfare states in developed countries. The debate largely centres on whether differences can be attributed to empirical ideas, such as the demographic structure or levels of economic growth, or ideas closely related to the political culture and identities within the country. On the basis of the evidence examined, this essay argues that a far stronger case can made for the cultural explanation, as there are many issues that can be taken with the empirical data provided to back up the opposing argument. There is also discussion of the difficulties associated with ÑmeasuringÒ welfare states.

S/P/75. Does party organisation explain party behaviour?

This essay considers two main aspects. Firstly, it questions whether the various models of party organisation and the behavioural aspects they imply provide a convincing picture of the link between structure and action. By contrasting three of the most firmly established ideas (electoral competition model, institutional model and the sociological model), it examines which elements of party organisation do give reasons for behaviour, whilst evaluating the accuracy and relevance of each study. Throughout the essay other reasons are suggested for changes in party behaviour, and whether actually have relatively greater significance than party organisation.

S/P/74. How do women and men differ in their social and political attitudes?

This essay argues that the evidence to suggest any truly significant differences in general attitudinal terms is scant and unconvincing, and that many apparent diverging characteristics and male and female political behaviour are in fact transient and contingent. To back up the argument, there is examination of typical characteristics where men and women are often perceived to be different. For example, levels of conservatism, political apathy and political moralism are all shown to be spuriously correlated on recent data. More important are social differences, i.e. types of political involvement and issue priorities.

S/P/73. What is class voting, why has it declined and what are the implications?

This paper examines the nature of class voting and compares the idea surrounding how the class-vote relationship has changed in the last 30 years. It argues that the significance of class voting diminishing is not based upon long-term sociological changes, but more structural differences in party alignment and class group sizes. The essay outlines various classifications of Ñclass systemsÒ, and goes on to apply these to empirical data for class voting in both the UK and US. It then analyses the relative strengths of Ñtop downÒ and Ñbottom upÒ arguments for class dealignment.

P/MD/88. Effects of media on political campaigns

The paper examines the role of the media in determining election results. The features of modern political campaigning are described; psychological underpinnings of media influence are reviewed; the importance of the TV medium is evaluated; the main media channels in the UK are discussed.

P/P/293. Evolution in class attitudes towards party allegiance in UK

The paper examines the correlation between social class and voting behaviour in the UK arguing that social class is losing its influence on voters and reviewing the changes in attitudes towards party allegiance over the 1960s, the disbelief in Labour loyalty to the working class, the division of opinions over BritainÒs role inside the EU, etc.

P/P/292. Historical and political insight into democracy

The paper examines the meaning of democracy as a form of government reviewing the history of democratic movements, political attitudes to democracy during the Cold War, the ÑDemocratic peace theoryÒ, the economic aspects of present day democracies, the issues of developing countriesÒ transformation into liberal democracy, etc.

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