Paths to Development: Theory and Evidence
GENERAL COMMENTS
Purpose:
To determine whether any of the theories explain any of the empirical cases you examine (compare the Main Part [pages 1-11 of the Reader]). No value statements (X should have done Y), and no policy recommendations.
Structure
Introduction (à“road map” of your analysis, i.e. in section1; in section 2; etc.) Main Partàperform the analysis in the order of the above road map
Conclusion à bring theories + empirical cases back together à determine if any of the theories can explain both cases / no theory can explain any of the cases / etc.
Timeline
Start point (+ brief justification / end point (+ brief justification) / observation points (between start + end point) every 4or 5 years (depending on your time line)
Guidelines
- a) Purpose: to determine whether or not the theories can explain any of the empirical cases under investigation (à it is the very purpose of positivist theories to explain the real world à do any of them for the two empirical cases chosen?) à thus, the paper shall not have any normative statements! [e.g. state A should do X; it is better to pursue Y, etc.])
- b) Contrasting two theoretical approaches that have diametrically opposed prescriptions of what a Less Developed Country (LDC) ought to concretely do in order to develop: Liberalism vs. Neo-Marxism
Liberalism = World Bank approach of “structural adjustment” = LDC has to put its “domestic house in order” (= e.g. reduce public expenditure, fight corruption, privatize state-owned companies, etc.)
Neo-Marxism = dependency theory approach = no exchange with industrialized countries (since they benefit from keeping LDCs underdeveloped); instead, import substitution (i.e. substituting industrialized imports with domestic production = creating infant industries); maybe use regional integration to increase the market size for the infant industries
- c) Compare two current LDC countries where one has clearly economically developed during the timeline, while the other one clearly has not (at least not to the same degree) this information is available on the World Bank website selection of these concrete countries must be briefly explained/justified.
- d) Build yourself a table for each country with the sane indicators over your timeline à bold the ones to show the different levels of development à only discuss these ones in your text.
- e) The country comparison must have a clear timeline (the same for both cases), broken down to observation points (e.g. every 5-year intervals in which data from the WTO are collected) à both start/end of the timeline must be briefly explained/justified
- f) In the Conclusion of the paper, the link between the theories and the empirical cases must be made (there may already be indications of this link throughout the empirical comparison)
- g) References: only Chicago-style (look this up) is acceptable (either in footnotes or with in-text brackets and a bibliography) à this style demands (a range of) page numbers for academic sources à the format must be applied consistently and correctly à all sources you use must be referenced within your text à please note that the absence of your sources in-text constitutes automatic plagiarism!
- h) Grammar, Spelling, and Composition: papers must be stapled; have a separate title page (incl. computation of word count) and page numbers; are free of typos and grammatical
Grading
| Presentation
Introduction 4 pts. – RQ clearly stated Conclusion 4 pts. -Does it match? Subheadings 2 pts. Word Count 2pts. |
| Research Design
Case Justification 6 pts. – land, population, civil wars, political system, relevance to theory Methodology 6 pts. – comparative study, concepts, indicators Timeline 4 pts. Why? Does it coincide? |
|
Explanation of Theories Theory A 12 pts. – Basic proposition – Causal Mechanism Theory B 12 pts. – Basic proposition – Causal Mechanism |
| Linking of Theories to Empirical Cases
Case 1 8 pts. Case 2 . 8 pts Link 8 pts. |
| References and/or Bibliography
(i.e. consistent referencing style throughout) |
| Grammar, Spelling, and Composition |