Political Science 120, Comparative Political Regimes, Winter Term 2005

Session 7: Institutionalist Approaches

Small Group Discussion Exercise

(1) Does democracy emerge from certain “structures” or primordial “roots,” or is it “crafted?” Specify three reasons for your answer.

(2) If “making democracy work” is all about solving problems of “collective action” (i.e., enhancing cooperation), what are the best solutions to these problems? Support your answer with references to the seven empirical cases we have covered.