Download Ph - Department of Political Science

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination
AMERICAN POLITICS
September 2012
Directions:
Please respond to four (4) of the following questions, two (2) from Part I and two (2) from
Part II. You have up to eight hours to complete the examination.
Keep the following in mind when constructing your essays. First, you should articulate a
coherent argument in answering each question. Merely demonstrating that you have read a
literature is insufficient for answering these questions satisfactorily. Second, you should view
the examination as an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of multiple literatures
in American politics. Because your examination will be evaluated on its overall
comprehensiveness, you should select questions and formulate responses that demonstrate
the breadth of your preparation. Third, rough cites to prominent works (for example,
“Mayhew’s 1991 book on divided government”) are acceptable.
Part I:
Please respond to two (2) of the following questions.
1. Critically evaluate the following statement: “American government is responsive.” In your
essay, be sure to define what counts as “responsive” government, and explain the theoretical
and empirical bases for your position.
2. In recent decades, we have witnessed an “institutional turn” in political science. What are
the theoretical motivations for exploring political institutions, and what have we learned
empirically about the relevance of institutions in American politics? Finally, what don’t we
still know about the selection and impact of political institutions?
3. “All politics is collective action.” Critically evaluate this statement, drawing on the
literature from the study of political behavior and political institutions.
4. Some scholars have argued that political science is nothing more than a derivative of
economics, psychology, sociology, and history. To what extent are these critics correct? In
your essay, discuss and evaluate the nature of these critics’ arguments. What, if anything,
makes the study of politics unique as a social science?
Part II:
Please respond to two (2) of the following questions.
5. The term “partisan polarization” frequently arises in discourse about American politics.
Focusing on both government officials and the mass public, write an essay that explores the
degree of polarization in contemporary American politics and that evaluates competing
explanations for its rise in recent decades. In your essay, be sure to explain what is meant
conceptually by polarization and how we measure it.
6. Take a stand on the following statement: “Political parties have no independent effect on
legislative outcomes.” In your essay, consider theory and evidence that suggests your
position is correct, as well as theory and evidence that suggests you are wrong.
7. Following every presidential election, the winning candidate invites experts to advise him
on everything from foreign affairs to Washington politics. Drawing on theoretical and
empirical research on the presidency and executive branch, what would you, as an advisor,
tell the president-elect? What lessons from political science would the president-elect most
need to know to maximize success in achieving his agenda?
8. Is the Supreme Court a counter-majoritarian institution? In answering this question, be
sure to specify what it means for a political institution to be “majoritarian,” and critically
evaluate the theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the construction and behavior of
the Court.
9. Critically evaluate the ways in which scholars have judged the democratic competence of
the mass public. To what extent is there evidence that the public lives up to various
scholarly standards of democratic competence?
10. The term “incrementalism” has long been used to describe American public
policymaking. Health care reform and financial regulation, however, are two examples of
policies that are far from incremental. Drawing on both institutional and behavioral
scholarship, craft an essay that addresses the determinants of policy change in the United
States.