PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · State in Comparative Perspective
What are the difficulties faced by a political theorist in comparing the States?
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 comparison assumes like units on a common scale → States are not like units → theorist meets variety, context, bias R2 States differ in kind, not just degree → any yardstick carries the theorist’s own assumptions
Body flow
wide variation, democracies to authoritarian -. Lijphart, Patterns of Democracy → universal criterion elusive → unique cultural / historical context → developed grew organically vs developing inherited imposed colonial institutions + patronage → developmental gap (US vs India) breaks like-for-like → indicator choice (GDP, human-rights) drives result → researcher bias, tilt toward Western models → dynamism, analyses date fast → endogeneity + uneven data
Counter-view
interpretation itself contested → Fukuyama “End of History” vs Huntington “Clash of Civilizations” → same world, opposite readings
Conclusion routes
R1 comparison possible but never neutral → chosen measure shapes the verdict routes y. ‘. ‘ R2 theorist must stay self-aware → name the yardstick and its bias rather than claim neutrality
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
