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IR Field Exams
These exam questions were written in consultation with Jim Caporaso, Elizabeth Kier, Jonathan Mercer, Aseem Prakash, and Michael Ward.
Fall, 2009
IR Comprehensive Exam Questions Instructions: Answer one question from each of the four sections below. Limit your answers to six pages. You have nine hours (9:00-6:00). Remember that the exam tests the breadth and the depth of your knowledge of the field. In answering each question, do not write only in generalities: refer to specific authors and/or books and articles. Think about the exam as a whole: avoid repeating references to the same theories and/or authors in different answers. This is an open book/open notes exam.
1. The last five years have witnessed an explosion of literature on international diffusion: diffusion of democracy or regime type more generally, of regulatory styles, and of normative ideas. This literature has been stronger on method than theory. Discuss the underlying theoretical mechanisms of diffusion theory and evaluate the evidence for each. 2. Michael Barnett and Raymond Duvall stated that, "Since E.H. Carr, realists have tended to treat power as the ability of one state to use material resources to get another state to do what it otherwise would not do. The tendency of the discipline to gravitate toward realism's view of power leads, ironically, to the underestimation of the importance of power in international politics." Assess this argument by discussing other forms of power and their importance in international politics.
1. "Without understanding domestic politics we cannot understand international politics for the latter is merely an extension of the former." Discuss in relationship to international security issues. 2. IR theorists have increasingly examined the sources of ethnic and civil conflict. Have these IR approaches contributed to our understanding of these conflicts or is domestic violence best left to comparativists?
1. The absence of a central government raises critical issues about compliance with international norms, law, and treaties. Discuss the variety of approaches that explain state compliance. Which do you see as the most promising approach, and why? 2. How have IR scholars theoretically and empirically examined the efficacy of international organizations? How might one compare the efficacy of the United Nations with that of the World Bank? What factors might explain the variation in the effects?
1. Much of the globalization literature focuses on regulatory races and the decline of the welfare state. To what extent can insights from this literature help us examine the current economic crisis -- in terms of its origin, spread, and consequences? Does the current crisis necessitate a new IPE approach to the study of economic crises? 2. Examine the role of NGOs in both perpetuating and combating dependency in Africa. Is NGO involvement distorting the development agenda in Africa? Why or why not? Spring 2009
Spring 2009
a. IR theorists tend to borrow heavily from sociology (constructivist), economics (rational choice), and psychology (political psychologists). Is neorealism the only IR perspective that reflects the traditional concerns of political scientists, namely power? What are the advantages and disadvantages to interdisciplinary approaches to the study of IR? b. Has the end of the Cold War changed the relative importance of second (national) and third (systemic) levels for international relations theory? Do you think we can rely on systemic theory for more or less (explanatory power) since the end of the Cold War? How has the need for domestic explanations of international behavior changed since the end of the Cold War?
a. Since the end of the Cold War, the international community has been increasingly faced with the problem of failed states. What factors best explain this phenomenon? Can lessons from the past help explain it or are the processes of state-building fundamentally different today? b. Many scholars saw the democratic peace literature as capturing the best of IR literature as scholars across theoretical and methodological divides engaged each other. Has the burgeoning literature on the sources of ethnic and civil conflict been similarly productive?
a. IR perspectives are useful in examining conditions under which regimes emerge. b. Rules in international politics typically lack any form of enforcement but are commonly obeyed by even the most powerful states. Explain this apparent contradiction between states' tendency to follow rules and the lack of coercive enforcement agent.
a. Scholars debate the relationship between democracy and development. The causality is not clear. The same holds for the relationship between democracy and peace. How do various IR perspectives respond to causality issues in the study of world politics? Examine in the context of the two literatures identified above. b. Economic globalization is perceived as limiting the autonomy of the state, especially in terms of social welfare expenditures. What features of states and domestic politics contribute to the resilience of social welfare policies in the face of globalization pressures? Do the experiences of developed and developing countries differ in this regard? Fall 2008
Fall 2008 IR Exam Questions
1. What are the similarities and differences between Mearsheimer's, Keohane's, 2. For a long time the study of international relations has been organized
1. Is it correct to say that the current economic crises, in part, can be 2. Discuss the importance of constructivist approaches to international International Law and Institutions 1. Scholars have debated the virtues of multilateralism. Has this debate 2. Some political theorists argue that institutions for international International Security 1. Are theories of inter-state conflict useful to study ethnic and civil 2. Waltz has repeatedly defended structural theory against those arguing Spring 2008
Spring 2008 IR Comprehensive Exam Questions Instructions: Please answer one question from each of the four sections below. Limit your answers to six pages. You have nine hours (9:00-6:00). Remember that the exam tests both the breadth and the depth of your knowledge of the field. In answering each question, do not write only in generalities: refer to specific authors and/or books and articles. Think about the exam as a whole: avoid repeating references to the same theories and/or authors in different answers. This is an open book/open notes exam.
1. Summarize the use of the concept of "globalization" in contemporary research in world politics. Can we distinguish between the political and the scientific uses of the terms? 2. Constructivists and rationalists approach ideas, norms, and culture differently. How so? Use empirical illustrations to captures these differences and their significance. Security 3. Describe collective security. Elaborate how this framework has evolved in the past 20 years. 4. Do IR theories about the causes of interstate wars explain the causes of ethnic and civil wars? 5. "Political psychologists have been able to dent but not overthrow rationalist approaches to the study of international security; these alternative approaches are helpful and interesting and at times revealing, but they must always remain subordinate to a rational approach." Do you agree? IPE 6. Describe the gravity model of international trade. Explain how it has been used in contemporary research in the field of international relations. 7. Discuss the strengths and limitations of the sectoral vs. the factoral approaches to international political economy. How successful have the two research programs been as evidenced by the theory-driven research stemming from each? Where should these two programs now direct their energies? 8. What explains the general decline in protectionism? To what extent is it a consequence of changes at the international level, at a lower level of analysis, or some combination? Discuss competing perspectives.
9. Evaluate the relative power of two of the following: a) United Nations, b) World Trade Organization, c) North American Treaty Organization, d) European Union. 10. Institutions are endogenous. Institutions also structure, enable, and constrain human behavior. Are these two statements contradictory or can they be reconciled? Theorize the conditions under which institutions can affect human behavior even as they are products of human design. 11. Much has been written about the role of non-state actors in world politics. Fall 2007
Autumn 2007 IR Comprehensive Exam Questions Instructions: Please answer one question from each of the four sections below. Limit your answers to six pages. You have nine hours (9:00-6:00). Remember that the exam tests both the breadth and the depth of your knowledge of the field. In answering each question, do not write only in generalities: refer to specific authors and/or books and articles. Think about the exam as a whole: avoid repeating references to the same theories and/or authors in different answers. This is an open book/open notes exam. World Politics 1. Several scholars have called for "bridge-building" between constructivist and rationalist approaches. Has the field responded? Are these attempts at bridge-building likely to lead to better answers to critical IR questions? 2. International Relations scholars are excessively fond of paradigmatic debates. Assess whether the neorealism-neoliberalism and rationalism-constructivism debates have improved our empirical (as opposed to theoretical) understanding of world politics. International Political Economy 1. What do we know about the role of international commerce in the realm of international politics? 2. "Although imperfect and unsteady, the subfield of IPE has progressed. As Katzenstein, Keohane, and Krasner argued in their assessment of the discipline in IO (1998), more recent work is generally superior to older work." Address this question by defining what constitutes a "superior" work and discuss specific examples to assess this claim. International Law and Institutions 1. Waltz, Mearsheimer, Katzenstein, Doyle, Keohane, Ruggie, Wendt, Davis, and Rogowski all address the role played by institutions in international politics. Use three of these scholars to captures the major differences and similarities in approach. 2. In recent years, scholars have emphasized the role of history, especially institutions established by the colonizers, in shaping developmental trajectories. Some others emphasize the role of geography. Yet others ascribe "agency" to governments in the developmental process. What is your perspective on this debate? International Security 1. Use the conflict between the United States and Iran to discuss the relative value of rationalist versus social psychological approaches to deterrence theory. 2. Discuss the role of audiences in the conduct of international politics, focusing on the implications for security. GOOD LUCK! Spring 2007
Spring 2007 Instructions. Please answer one question from each of the four sections below. Limit your answers to six pages. This is an open book/open notes exam. World Politics 1. Russett and Oneal emphasize three factors in the democratic peace. The "Kantian Triangle" consists of domestic democratic institutions, international institutions, and international commerce. Each is said to have a separate impact and an impact when taken together (a three-way interaction). In contrast to this, recent work has argued, and attempted to demonstrate empirically, that most of the effects of democracy on peace have to do with information, i.e. the ways in which democratic governments use and organize information. Evaluate this proposition. 2. How cumulative is IR scholarship? Take an area of research that you know well and discuss the extent to which its scholarship has been cumulative. What factors best explain the outcome you describe? International Political Economy 1. Much of the early reaction to globalization emphasized the constraining and homogenizing effects of increasing trade and capital flows. As countries become increasingly exposed to the flow of goods and services as well as capital, what has been the effect on national policy making? In what ways have countries become more constrained and in what ways do they continue to exercise discretion? Does the answer to the question depend on whether you are talking about trade or capital flows? 2. Economic globalization is perceived as limiting the autonomy of the state, especially in terms of social welfare expenditures. What features of states and domestic politics contribute to the resilience of social welfare policies in the face of globalization pressures? Do the experiences of developed and developing countries differ in this regard? If so, why? International Law and Institutions 1. From a realist standpoint, the major institutional defect of the international system is its anarchic structure. How have scholars reacted to the anarchy of the international system? Have they accepted it as a fact and tried to incorporate it into their theories or have they relaxed the assumption of anarchy and allowed it to vary? What kinds of theoretical tools are consistent with anarchy and can help us to develop theories incorporating anarchic structures? 2. Scholars suggest that with the emergence of global civil society, political scientists should pay close attention to "politics beyond the state." How is "politics beyond state" different from "politics within states"? Should NGOs be treated as another interest group and NGO politics be understood via the theoretical lenses of theories of interest-group competition? International Security 1. Use the conflict between the United States and Iran to discuss the relative contributions of rational choice versus social psychological approaches to deterrence theory. 2. Offensive realism, defensive realism, neo-realism, structural realism, neoclassical realism, hegemonic stability theory … the list goes on and on. What explains this proliferation of "realisms" and is it a positive development for understanding international security? Spring 2005
May 2005 IR Exam Questions Instructions. Please answer one question from each of the four sections below. Limit your answers to six pages. This is an open book/open notes exam. World Politics(1) Russett and Oneal emphasize three factors in the democratic peace. This "Kantian Triangle" consists of domestic democratic institutions, international institutions, and international commerce. Each is said to have a separate impact and an impact when taken together (a three-way interaction). In contrast to this, recent work has argued, and attempted to demonstrate empirically, that most of the effects of democracy on peace have to do with information, i.e. the ways in which democratic governments use and organize information. Evaluate this proposition. (2) IR scholars increasingly look like comparative politics scholars. Whetherthe issue is the domestic sources of international trade disputes, a focus on regime type to explain wars, or an emphasis on ethnic identities to address civil wars, the turn to comparative politics seems unmistakable.First, do you agree with this characterization? Second, however you view thedevelopment of IR and its relation with comparative, do you view it as a positive development? International Political Economy (1)The remarkable thing about IPE is the almost complete absence of cumulative knowledge. We know no more now than we did fifty years ago about the most important aspects of our discipline." Do you agree? To address this question, first discuss the relative importance of cumulative knowledge. Second, detail a body of literature in which a case can be made that knowledge has been cumulative, and another body of literature where one might argue that we knowledge has not been cumulative. (2) Much of the early reaction to globalization emphasized the constraining and homogenizing effects of increasing trade and capital flows. As countries become increasingly exposed to the flow of goods and services as well as capital, what has been the effect on national policy making? In what ways have countries become more constrained and in what ways do they continue to exercise discretion? Does the answer to the question depend on whether you are talking about trade or capital flows? International Law and Institutions (1) Regional integration projects have spread around the world since the end of WWII and there has been a new burst of growth in regional institutions since the mid-1980s. From a realist standpoint, the major institutional defect of the international system is its anarchic structure. Have any regional integration efforts succeeded in altering anarchy in important ways (e.g. so as to reduce the security dilemma, to decrease rivalry among states and so on)? Explore a number of regional institutions, some that have been successful (if there are any) and some not successful. 2. Scholars suggest that with the emergence of global civil society, political scientists should pay close attention to "politics beyond the state." How is "politics beyond state" different from "politics within states"? Should NGOs be treated as another interest group and NGO politics be understood via the theoretical lenses of theories of interest- group competition? International Security 1. Both social psychological approaches and constructivism have made important inroads into the study of international security. Compare and contrast these approaches and discuss their relative value in explaining some of the most important puzzles in international security. 2. Since the publication of Graham Allison's, The Essence of Decision, international security specialists have drawn on organizational theory. Has this work led to valuable insights in international security? What are the most productive directions? What are the least productive ones?
Fall 2004, two exams
IR EXAM, Fall 2004
Instructions. Please write on one question from each of the four categories below: international relations, international political economy, international security, and international law and organization. This is an open book, open notes exam. Limit each answer to five pages, double spaced. Keep in mind that the exam requires a demonstration of breadth as well as depth. Be sure to cite specific sources to back up your arguments. Good luck.
Part I. World Politics
(1) Democratization, convergence, and world systems theory each have answers to why a global view of policies and institutions is important. What are the mechanisms which purportedly account for the diffusion of policies, institutions, and politics?
(2) Rationalist, constructivist, and social psychological approaches all attempt to explain conflict and cooperation in international politics. What are some of the most important similarities and differences between these approaches? To what degree are they compatible?
Part II. International Political Economy
(1) In a recent poll carried out by a senior IPE scholar designed to identify the most influential scholars in this field, the top candidates included Robert Keohane, Robert Gilpin, Steve Krasner, Susan Strange, Ronald Rogowski, Jeff Frieden, and Albert Hirschman. Select three people from this list and discuss their contributions. Be sure to discuss both their strengths and weaknesses. Do you agree with the list?
(2) Much of the literature on globalization and national policy autonomy minimizes the restrictive impact of global economic constraints on national policy autonomy (e.g. Garrett and Lange and Mosley). Critically evaluate this literature and present the other case, backing it up as best you can, namely the case that globalization has tightly restricted the flexibility of national economic policy making. Be sure to expose the assumptions of various analysts who argue one way or another.
Part III. International Security
(1) Is it harder to test for the influence of ideational structures than material structures? Use an issue area within security studies to discuss this question.
(2) Discuss the debate between rationalists and political psychologists about deterrence theory. Does one approach seem more relevant in the wake of 9-11?
Part IV. International Law and Organization.
(l) Scholars suggest that with the emergence of global civil society, political scientists should pay close attention to "politics beyond state." How is "politics beyond state" different from "politics within states"? Should NGOs be treated as another interest group and NGO politics be understood via the theoretical lenses of theories of interest-group competition?
(2) The success (in economic and political terms) of the European Union is acknowledged by almost everyone. Yet this very success seems to have driven a conceptual/theoretical wedge between regional integration in Europe and integration in the rest of the world. Early post-war studies of integration typically were comparative. Haas and Schmitter compared Latin America and Western Europe; Etzioni's book on Political Unification included four case studies of integrating units; Nye's work compared integrating African states with the experiences of others and so on. Yet today, there are very few people doing comparative work. So this prompts the question: is the European experience unique, or at least sufficiently distinctive as to discourage comparison with other regions of the world? How do you account for the ghettoization of scholarship on European integration?
****** September 2004 Directions Remember that the exam tests both the breadth and the depth of your knowledge of the field. In answering each question, do not write only in generalities: refer to specific authors and/or books and articles. Think about the exam as a whole: avoid repeating references to the same theories and/or authors in different answers. World Politics 1. Game theory represents one important approach to understanding current problems of international politics. Focusing on theories of international cooperation and theories of international conflict, what contributions has game theory made to both fields? What limitations does game theory have with regard to these two fields? Given other theories (i.e. other than game theory) of cooperation and conflict, what value added does game theory demonstrate? 2. At a recent APSA conference, a prominent (and retired) IR scholar acknowledged that the new debate between rationalist and constructivist approaches had overtaken the old divide between realist and neoliberal theorizing, but then he declared that, "this change does not represent progress." Is he correct? Or is this just the musing of an nostalgic scholar unfamiliar with the field’s recent developments? International Security 1. IR theory traditionally focused on inter-state conflict, but since the end of the Cold War, it has devoted increasing attention to ethnic and civil conflict. To what extent has the former work influenced the latter, or is the work on ethnic and civil war fundamentally different? To what extent should the work on civil and ethnic conflict reflect the work on interstate conflict? 2. Did the terrorist attacks of 9/11 render deterrence theory irrelevant? How should the emergence—or salience—of terrorism influence our understanding of deterrence theory? International Political Economy 1. Some scholars claim that globalization has caused the retreat of the welfare state. Outline the basic arguments, making clear what your understanding of the welfare state is, and making relevant distinctions among different kinds of welfare states. What are the different ways in which the welfare state has been affected? Is there a logical conflict between the research which shows a positive association between external economic openness and size of the public budget, and the argument that globalization harms the welfare state? 2. Political scientists remain interested in the issue of economic development. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the "Washington consensus" approach to development. In a global economy, are there alternative pathways from the periphery to the core? International Organization/International Law 1. "The quagmire in Iraq tragically demonstrates how wrong Realists are to slight the role of international institutions in international politics." Discuss. 2. In Western Europe, integration has proceeded rapidly not only in the economic realm but also in the political/institutional realm. In other parts of the world (North America, South America, East Asia, Africa) integration has proceeded less rapidly, or at least this is claimed. Is this general claim true? Is it the case for both economic and political (institutional) integration? If Western Europe is distinctive, what does this signify about the leading edge of global economic and political developments? Is Europe the future? Or do other parts of the world show us the leading edge? Spring 2004
IR EXAM, SPRING 2004 Winter 2004
Winter 2004 Fall 2003
Fall 2003 IR FIELD EXAM Fall 2001
IR FIELD EXAM (Fall 2001) |
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