1- Is democracy the best form of government? What are the major criticisms of democratic rule? Explain the major challenges to democratization in developing countries.

2- What is the major root cause of ethnic conflicts? Use the greed model (loot-seeking) versus the grievances approach (justice-seeking) to explore the causes of a past or current ethnic conflict at your own choice (Syria, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Kurds in Turkey, or any other ethnic conflict).

3- Why do not revolutions overall lead to democracies? What are the best alternatives to a revolutionary change in order to attain democracy?

4- Why do we see the emergence of a phenomenon called the Feminization of Poverty at the global level? How can this problem be tackled in policy-making?