US politics

INTRODUCTION TO DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

Tips for the exam
Revision lecture Summer Term 2016
Sandra Len

A summary of the topics on the US

(checks notes on the revision lecture in Spring)
Institutions
Separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism

A (not so) perfect democracy

Elections, political parties and competition

A (not so) perfect democracy

Political participation

Political equality and economic inequality

The origins of representative democracies

Economic inequality and political equality

Interest groups

Revision
Revise actively, not just simply reading and rereading the notes
Exercise visual memory, verbal memory, audio
memory
For example, now that the US electoral primaries are
going on, check some news. Can you use what you
have learned in the module to discuss them?
Can you say something on pros and cons of primaries?
Can you say something on the current vs. past role of the
party convention?

Practise writing
Practise thinking and writing quickly.
Get your hand trained to write fast
Do the past exams against the clock
Meet with others to discuss answers
or ask the lecturer (F&G Thursdays
9,30-11am)

Ask for guidance

Usual problems
I cannot manage to develop a long argument
on any topic (lack of in-depth
knowledge/connections)
I cannot find the way to do comparison
I found out that I do not quite understand a
topic
I am not sure whether my response is right or
wrong

Check types of questions

Look for past exam questions, try to
find common patterns
Are certain topics more predominant
than others, for example?
Do questions ask for specific knowledge
about a topic or for a more relational
approach?

In the exam

Read questions carefully

Read and re-read each question
You might think a topic you have good command on is
not in the exam just because the wording is unusual
A topic you have good command on may not be
specifically addressed in the question, but is part of the
answer in different questions
Or you may have revised the topic, but the question is
obtuse and you do not fully understand it
Do not choose to answer questions you do not fully
understand!

What exams questions are

not
Exam questions are not about writing down
everything you know about a topic because
You may run out of time to answer other
questions
The text may look incoherent/patchy
Your writing may look illegible

Try to get the best mark you can by

building a narrative in the answer (a
coherent and structured answer)

Which question first?

Do the easiest question first. Why?
Getting one question safely will increase
your confidence and reduce stress
The easiest question will take you less
time so you will leave more time to
spend on the more difficult question

Plan before you write

I cannot insist enough about the importance of
this. Get your ideas across clearly and concisely
will help you to:
Identify the main topics and discussion areas
Choose the points/arguments about which you can write
See how they are linked
Structure your answer (and make it more coherent)

So please make a mini-plan as detailed as possible

before you start writing. It is never a waste of time

Structure the answer

Show in the introduction how you understand
the question and outline how you will answer it
Make one point or argument per paragraph
and summarise to show how it answers
the question
In your conclusion summarise the arguments
to answer the question

If you are running out of

time
Don't panic. Look at the points/arguments you
have left and divide up your remaining time to
cover them all
If you really can't finish in time, list in bullet
points the arguments you wanted to make that
could help the reader to assess your knowledge
on the topics you cannot fully cover

Question 1
Explain rationale, benefits and challenges
associated to checks-and-balances
institutions in the US
The answer to this question is easier to
organise because the question itself provides
a way to structure the answer around three
aspects: rationale, benefits and challenges
Alternatively, you may want to focus on rationale
and challenges if you want to spouse the argument
there are no benefits in C&B

Introduction
State very briefly what the checksand-balance system is
Summarise the three main points you
want to make in answering the
question: the origins, the main
benefit of C&B and the main
challenges associated to C&B

Rationale
It is asking you about the origins: the reason why the Founding Fathers
decided to introduce a checks-and-balance system in the US institutional
structure
Aspects you may want to cover (you do not necessarily have to cover all of
them!)
The fears of the Founding Fathers about tyranny, the abuse of power
C&B together with separation of powers and federalism
Liberalism and tyranny

The discussion on the role of the executive (how strong it should be) in the
constitutional convention in Philadelphia illustrates the importance of the question
The failed Confederation is related to a too weak executive! Thats why a second constitution was
needed!

Benefits
Describe here (or earlier in the text) the basic
structure of C&B
Distribution of powers between the executive and the
legislature and viceversa (do not spend too much time in
the description!)
Note that you may have partially discussed the potential
benefits when discussing the ideas of the Founding Fathers
You can complement them by referring more generally to the
benefits of the separation of powers (by comparing presidential
system vs. parliamentary systems). For instance, a more direct
accountable executive?

Challenges
Framers had a greater fear of the ABUSE of power than of an INABILITY to
exercise it
Worried about separation of powers, not about deadlock
Illustrate the complexity of the legislative process due to division of
powers between House and Senate
Limits of Congress to control the executive
Consequences in policy making of deadlock.
For instance, slower adaptation to short-term changes in preferences of citizens?

Evolution deadlock more frequent under divided

government/polarisation (is it more frequent now than before?)
US political parties and their limited capacity to impose discipline on
legislators (organisation of parties)
Other points of comparison between Parliamentary and Presidential
systems

Question 2
Political equality will bring economic
equality. Discuss
This type of question requires from
the student a stronger effort in
organising the answer, but it allows
more flexibility in the response

Potential answers
The more philosophical
approach
Liberalism and the idea of political
equality (AND protection of
property)
The origins of representative
democracies based upon a
syllogism
How the fear of democracy
(tyranny of the majority) of the
Founding Fathers can be traced in
the:
Discussions in the Philadelphia
Convention (who elects the Chambers?)
The design of the US constitution (limits
on democracy)

The more empirical approach

Describe fears of the Founding
Fathers
Have they actually been
accomplished? Discuss economic
inequalities in the US (or across
countries)
Limits to political equality
Political participation and
socioeconomic status in the US (and
how it may affect representation)
The role of interest groups

Why economic inequalities persist

Voters do care about other issues
Politicians ignore low-income voters
(even if they vote)
Interest groups contribute to an
unbalanced representation of interests

If unable to attend exam

Submit a medical certificate or a full
report of any
mitigating circumstances

Please note that misreading of the examination timetable is not

regarded as a mitigating circumstance.