Part I: The State and the International State System
Readings:
• "Chapter 2: States" in O'Neil 2010
• Max Weber (1920) "Politics as a Vocation"
• Charles Tilly (1985). "War making and state making as organized crime."
Questions:
1. How does Max Weber, in Politics As a Vocation, define the state?
2. Charles Tilly compares the state to a protection racket. Explain his reasoning for doing so?
3. According O'Neil, what defines sovereignty?
4. How can we differentiate between state, regime, and government?
5. When and where do the first modern states emerge?
6. What were some of the contributing factors behind the emergence of the modern states?
7. What is legitimacy? What are some of the ways the state secures legitimacy?
8. O'Neil argues that we can measure and compare state power/strength in terms of "autonomy" and "capacity"; define and explain these two terminologies.
Part II: The United States
Readings
• "Chapter 4" in Dooley and Patten 2014.
• Federalist Papers 10 and 51(in Lanahan Readings on American Polity)
Questions
1. According to Dooley and Patten, why was the constitution of the United State was created? When was it adopted and ratified?
2. According to Dooley and Patten, what are the three principles of the constitution?
3. How does the bicameral legislature of the United States address the concerns about equitable representation of states of different size and population in the federal government?
4. What is the three-fifth compromise? Explain.
5. What is concurrent power? Give few example of concurrent power? Give few examples of government powers that are not concurrent power?
6. What is the principle of separation of powers? What does James Madison argue in Federalist 51 to justify the principle?
7. According to James Madison, in Federalist 10, what are the main causes of faction and why isn't it a good idea to try to remove the causes of faction?
8. How does the system of representative government control the effects of faction and counter against tyranny of majority? Base your answer on both Dooley and Patten and the Federalist 10.