Essay One
Why in the past did states provide protection and buffering against the international economy? Why are states less willing or less able to provide such protection today? Please be sure to distinguish those explanations that focus on changes in domestic interests from those that focus on ideas and ideologies, or on economic developments, or changes in the international system. Could the willingness and capability of states to provide protection increase in the future? Under what circumstances? [This last part is admittedly speculative.]
Please write an essay approximately 12-15 pages long (doublespaced). The essay is due at the beginning of class #5.
Final Essay
Please choose one of the topics below:
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It is often argued that globalization is creating winners and losers, both within societies and among them. Who are the winners, and what are they gaining? Who are the losers and what are they losing? Be sure in your answer to provide specific evidence for your claims. What if anything can or should be done (and by whom?) about these outcomes?
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Consider the situation of the poorest nations on earth and evaluate the charge that globalization is responsible for at least a significant part of their problems and distress. In your analysis be sure (1) to explain the mechanisms that might link globalization to economic, political, and social conditions in these countries, with specific and concrete examples and (2) to lay out both the arguments and evidence for this claim and the arguments and evidence against the claim. And then explain where you come down in this debate.
The essay should be 12-15 pages and is due at the start of class #11. No additional reading or research is required.