Todd Huffman wrote:
> I will have to write a final paper for my polital theories class in a
couple
> weeks. I don't want to do the same mediocre paper as everyone else who
has
> taken a politcal theory class. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good
> topic or possibly a good book to read. The paper is open to anything as
> long as it relates to political theory. The political discussions on this
> list have impressed me in the past, so I am looking to the members for
> guidance. Thanks.
If you want to be really theoretical, I've always been partial to
constitutional design. You can easily come up with all kinds of
arrangements that are radically different from anything that is actually
being used, and its fun to try to figure out how to solve all the problems
that have surfaced since the more prominent constitutions were enacted.
If you need something a little more down to Earth, how about:
1) The problem of Constitutional enforcement. It is patently obvious that
the manner in which the U.S. Constitution is currently interpreted bears
only a very tenuous relationship with its original meaning. How can this
process of 'Constitutional drift' be minimized over time? Or, how can we
force interest groups to lobby for Constitutional amendments instead of for
judicial re-interpretation?
2) The two-party problem. The U.S. system has become more and more hostile
to independent candidates and new political parties over the decades, as the
major parties pass laws aimed at keeping out competition. What can a free
society do to prevent becoming 'locked in' to a fixed party structure in
this fashion?
Billy Brown
bbrown@transcient.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:03:49 MDT