1 Comparative Politics Qualifying Examination

Virtually all comparativists, indeed virtually all social scientists, regardless of theoretical or methodological persuasion, agree that “institutions matter.” But how and why do they matter? And how should they be studied? Behind the deceptive consensus, there is considerable conflict among structuralists, rationalists, and culturalists in Comparative Politics regarding the theoretical and empirical promise of different varieties of the so-called “new institutionalism.” Taking care to identify the key authors and arguments, your task is to analyze the main contending theoretical perspectives represented in this heterogeneous literature and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of rival institutionlist theories in providing persuasive accounts of stability and continuity, on the one hand, and large scale processes of dynamic change such as revolutions, on the other.