POL - kim woods

POL  101  –  Political  Science  Portfolio  Project       Portfolio  Project:  Country  Selection  &  The  Political  Environment   By  now  you  should  have  decided  on  a  country  for  your  Portfolio  Project.  Indicate   your  choice  in  the  Discussion  forum  called  “Country  Reports”.  As  you  read  the   material  in  this  week’s  module,  can  you  identify  any  philosophers  who  might  have   influenced  the  political  environment  in  your  country?  Include  this  information  in   your  Portfolio  Project.         The  underdeveloped  country  that  i  have  chosen  for  my  portfolio  project  is   Cambodia.      

I  have  always  wanted  to  go  to  Cambodia  however  I  know  very  little  about   it.    Recently  I  came  across  this  documentary  that  covers  the  bombing  of  Cambodia   during  the  Vietnam  War  by  President  Nixon  and  Mr.  Kissinger.  

http://vimeo.com/17634265  

Cambodia  has  a  list  of  troubling  issues  such  as  human  rights,  prostitution,  child   prostitution,  human  trafficking,  corupt  government,  and  illegal  stripping  of  the   countries  natural  resources.    I  will  be  covering  these  issues  and  many  more  in  my   report.  

http://vimeo.com/properniceinnit/cambodia  

http://vimeo.com/thepinkroom/trailer  

http://youtu.be/Ko7pggrFq4U       Portfolio  Project:  Supporting  Media   In  Week  2,  you  decided  on  a  country  for  your  Portfolio  Project.  Now,  in  Week  3,  find   a  film  or  URL  of  a  website  about  your  country  which  you  will  review  in  Week  4.   Paste  the  URL  or  film  title  in  the  Week  3  Discussion  forum  called  Supporting   Media.  As  you  read  the  material  in  this  week’s  module,  can  you  identify  any   philosophers  who  might  have  influenced  the  political  environment  in  your  country?   Include  this  information  in  your  Portfolio  Project.         The  official  tourism  site  of  Cambodia  is  found  at:  

http://www.tourismcambodia.com  

I  will  be  using  this  site  and  others  as  my  source  of  information  for  my  project.  

By  now  you  should  be  examining  the  type  of  political  system  in  operation  in  your   selected  country.  As  part  of  your  country’s  political  history,  be  sure  to  note  if  your   country  has  been  dominated  by  a  colonial  power  or  another  country  in  the  last   century.  Your  Portfolio  Project  should  also  include  detailed  information  about  the   current  political  environment;  is  your  country  governed  by  democratically  elected   officials,  or  is  it  under  authoritarian  or  military  rule?  

By  now  you  should  have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  structure  and  effectiveness  of  the   government  in  your  country,  as  well  as  the  party  system  and  influence  of  interest   groups  and  citizen  organizations.  Consider  the  structure  of  governmental   institutions,  the  political  actors,  and  voting  behavior  (if  applicable).  Include  this   information  in  your  Portfolio  Project  paper.  

This  week  you  should  focus  on  your  country’s  foreign  policy  objectives  and   challenges.  Is  your  country  in  conflict  with  its  neighbors  or  other  countries?  Is  it   aligned  with  other  countries  in  regional  or  international  treaties?  How  are  its   relations  with  the  major  global  powers:  the  United  States,  Europe,  and  China?  Does   it  contribute  to,  or  detract  from,  regional  peace?  

  This  week,  pay  special  attention  to  the  human  rights  issues,  especially  the  Human   Development  Index  Rankings  and  Freedom  House  scores.             Portfolio  Project  Instructions    

Sustainably  Report  

Imagine  that  you  are  an  executive  with  a  multinational  corporation  that  wants  to   open  a  manufacturing  facility  in  an  underdeveloped  country.  You  have  been   assigned  the  responsibility  of  preparing  a  report  on  the  suitability  of  a  particular   country  for  investment.  Your  company  is  concerned  with  the  investment  climate  in   this  country  but  is  equally  interested  in  the  political  stability,  social  and  cultural   environment  since  it  will  be  making  a  substantial  financial  commitment.  Your  

corporation  views  this  as  not  only  an  opportunity  to  make  a  profit,  but  also  as  a   humanitarian  effort  to  help  improve  the  standard  of  living  in  a  lesser  developed   country.                                                                                                                                                                                              

 For  your  Portfolio  Project,  select  a  country  in  Africa,  Asia  or  South  America  and   study  that  country  in  depth,  applying  concepts  covered  throughout  the  course.  Also,   select  a  film  (possibly  a  documentary  or  YouTube  video)  or  identify  a  website  that   provides  at  least  three  different  pages  about  your  country.  You  will  review  this   video  or  text  for  the  Week  4  Critical  Thinking  Assignment.  

Prepare  a  detailed  report  for  your  Board  of  Directors  that  includes  the  following   information:  

General  information:  

• Population  of  the  country  (see  1  below  for  more  information)   • Important  ethnic  or  racial  groups  and  divisions   • Per    capita  gross  domestic  product    (see  2  below  for  more  information)   • UN  Human  Development  Index  rankings  (see  2  below  for  more  information)   • Freedom  House  scores  for  political  rights  and  civil  liberties  (see  3  below  for  more  

information)   • The  economic  position  of  your  country  compared  to  other  countries  (wealthy,  

poor,  middle  income)   Classification  and  structure  of  government  

• Liberal  democracy,  illiberal  democracy,  authoritarian  regime?   • Philosophers  or  thinkers  who  have  influenced  the  political  history  and  

development  of  the  system  of  government   • Presidential,  parliamentary  or  other  system?   • Who  is  the  head  of  government?   • Electoral  system:    how  are  legislators  selected?  How  is  the  executive  elected  or  

chosen?    How  is  the  bureaucracy  staffed?   • What  is  the  highest  level  of  the  judiciary?  Does  judicial  review  exist?   • Is  your  country  a  federal  or  unitary  system?    How  are  policies  administered  in  

your  country?   • Is  there  a  written  constitution?    How  old  is  it?    Is  it  considered  to  be  effective?  

Does  it  have  the  support  of  the  people?       • How  much  control  does  government  exercise  of  the  economy?   Competition,  stability  and  civil  society  

• Number  and  strength  of  political  parties   • Major  conflicts  between  parties  (liberal,  conservative,  left-­‐right,  ethnicity,  etc.)   • Voting  behavior  –  if  your  country  is  a  democracy,  what  is  the  turnout  for  

elections?    Is  voting  compulsory?    (See  4  below  for  more  information)   • What  are  the  results  of  the  most  recent  election?    When  is  the  next  national  

election?  

• Are  there  any  recent  political  changes?   • Major  social  movements?   Economic  environment  

• Suitability  of  the  country  for  foreign  investment   • Government  policy  toward  foreign  investment   • Challenges  and  potential  obstacles   • Advantages  to  foreign  investment  in  this  country   Other  questions  

• Most  important  political,  economic,  environmental  and  human  rights  issues  facing   your  country  

• Is  your  country  in  conflict  with  its  neighbors  or  other  countries?   • What  are  its  relations  with  major  global  powers  –  the  US,  Europe,  China,  etc.?   Use  these  links  and  related  links  presented  in  the  modules  to  find  the   information  for  your  country:  

• Data  can  be  accessed  through  the  World  Bank  website:   http://www.worldbank.org/  

• Data  can  be  found  on  the  website  of  the  UN  Human  Development   Report:  http://hdr.undp.org/en/2013-­‐report  

• Data  on  political  freedom  available  at:  Freedom  House.    There  is  an  interactive   map  on  the  home  page;  you  can  find  information  about  your  country  using   this  map.  

• Data  on  turnout  available  on  the  website  of  the  Institute  for  Democracy  and   Electoral  Assistance:  http://www.idea.int/index.cfm.      On  the  Publication  and   resources  tab,  click  Databases  and  networks.  Then  select  the  Voter  turnout   link  under  the  Data  and  Statistics  list,  and  click  Voter  Turnout.  Using  the   interactive  map,  input  your  country  name  to  determine  the  voter  turnout  for   your  country.      

Discuss  and  cite  at  least  10  credible  sources  other  than  required  course  readings.   Provide  a  References  page  of  the  sources  you  used  to  prepare  your  report.  A   Reference  page  should  list  the  sources  cited  within  the  paper.  Your  paper  should  be   8-­‐10  pages  in  length,  well  written,  and  formatted  per  APA  guidelines.