Identify, describe, and critique three distinct hypotheses or theories from a set of articles and book chapters on what explains the radicalization of the far fight resulting in the January 6th insurrection.

A literature review summarizes and evaluates the state of knowledge or practice on a particular subject.
Identify, describe, and critique three distinct hypotheses or theories from a set of articles and book chapters on what explains the radicalization of the far fight resulting in the January 6th insurrection. A literature review does not only summarize theories from the literature; it also critiques them, identifying areas where they may fall short or cases they may not adequately explain. You should evaluate the existing evidence for and against each theory. Finally, because we often find many different explanations for social science outcomes, you should evaluate whether the theories in your study are compatible, complementary, or competing. You must cite at least six sources (beyond the syllabus).

The structure of your literature review should look something like this:

Hypothesis 1: Socioeconomic modernization makes democratization more likely.

Lipset (1959) and Inglehart & Welzel (2009) argue that [summarize their arguments. Be sure to tell your reader:

The definition and measurement of their independent variable (IV or X): socioeconomic modernization.

A detailed discussion of the causal mechanisms they believe link X with Y (democratization).

You may also want to discuss any differences between Lipsets and Inglehart & Welzels approaches to modernization theory here].

An evaluation of the evidence for and against the theory. Did you detect any flaws in the statistical analysis? Are you unconvinced by their discussion of Japan? Can you think of an additional case that strengthens their argument?

Finally, how does this theory compare with others? Could we put modernization theory and distributive conflict theory together to create a more complete explanation of democratization (i.e., the theories are complementary)? Or, if modernization theory is right, does that mean that distributive conflict theory is wrong (i.e., the theories are competing)?

Hypothesis 2: Under certain conditions, distributive conflict between rich and poor makes democratization more likely