Month: May 2010

The Crash of 2008-09

Read these four articles on the Crash of 2008-2009.

  • Capitalist Manifesto, Zakaria (5 pages)
  • Franklin Delano Obama, Krugman (1 page)
  • FDR’s Lessons for Obama, Kennedy (2 pages)
  • Barack Hoover Obama, Baker (9 pages)

All four authors are very highly regarded.

You should also read this “truly terrifying data about the real state of the U.S. economy“. If nothing else, take a few minutes to peruse the data tables (you will find such data  useful when constructing your essay).

After you have read all of the articles you are to type a 1500 word (2 page, normal font and margins), single spaced essay which, in no particular order:

  • assesses what the Obama administration has done hitherto
  • evaluates historical precedents
  • prescribes a solution for the Obama administration
  • warns the Obama administration of potential pitfalls
  • cites all sources given above but does not abuse quotes (no more than 10% of your essay can be quotes)

We will discuss your essays in class. Oh, and don’t be surprised if there is a multiple choice and matching quiz on all of the readings. Good luck.

The Case for Small Government

The return of big government means that policymakers must grapple again with some basic questions. They are now even harder to answer…

Fifteen years ago it seemed that the great debate about the proper size and role of the state had been resolved. In Britain and America alike, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton pronounced the last rites of “the era of big government”. Privatising state-run companies was all the rage. The Washington consensus reigned supreme: persuade governments to put on “the golden straitjacket”, in Tom Friedman’s phrase, and prosperity would follow.

Today big government is back with a vengeance: not just as a brute fact, but as a vigorous ideology…

Read this comparative perspective arguing for smaller government. And respond to these questions.

What Tocqueville and his friend really did on their travels

In Tocqueville’s Discovery of America, Leo Damrosch, who teaches literature at Harvard, has seized an opportune moment to scratch the polished surface and explore what lay behind the oracular pronouncements. At a time when generalizations about the American soul seem risky at best, it is somehow reassuring to learn that even the great Tocqueville was often winging it—and that some of his direst fears have not come to pass…

Read on from Slate

UK General Election 2010

A whirlwind tour of the UK election campaign from Slate
Britain’s teeming but invisible average earners will decide the coming election. Neither David Cameron nor Gordon Brown seems to understand them. Read about the impact of class on the 2010 election and beyond.

A dynamic, interactive election results map from the BBC

A graph showing how a proportional representation system would have changed the general election result

A chart showing which political parties national newspapers have supported in every general election since 1945 – and who they are endorsing at the 2010 election

Bagehot offers his take on the effect that this election will have on Britons (“Farewell Free Stuff”)

A look into Labour’s Future

In “Learning How to Share” the Economist offers a comparative perspective on coalition governing.

UK General Election Assignment

Write an 800-1200 word (1.5 – 2 page), single-spaced, thesis driven essay due in response to the following questions:

  • Describe: What happened in the May 6 general election and why?
  • Analyze: What stands out as particularly interesting or anomalous in the election results?
  • Evaluate: What do the results mean for the UK?

Use the articles given. You may also do your own research.

Properly cite your essay using parenthetical citation. You do not need a works cited page.

You will present and defend your essay in class. I look forward to it.