Professor’s guideline:

The bottom line of critical review is not to summarize what you choose to criticize.

You may want to first clearly understand what the material says.

Second you try to find out the assumptions of the arguments and think about whether they stand to reason.

And then you add your own thoughts. In doing so you may also want to check evidence used and logical consistency, etc.

you will do the critical review based on one or more than one piece.

Having said that, what I can say is normally it is easier to cover more than one as comparison will give you more opportunities to be critical.

sample critical review questions

. Explain “embedded autonomy” in Evans’ work. What guarantees embedded autonomy to be autonomous without becoming corrupt (use the cases of Korea and Japan)?

1.What are similarities and differences among Evans, Mann and Nordlinlger in terms of guaranteeing the effectiveness of state power?

2. What, how and why does Evans compare Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Zaire and Kerela? How successful is he in doing so? Specify what he compares in statements, criteria for comparison and evidence to support them? Do you find the utility of comparison in his piece?

3. Do you find the consistency in his understanding of political economy

4. What is the state to these different authors in terms of the level of abstraction?

1. What would be larger social consequences of the interaction between embedded autonomy of state and society? How does Gerschenkron’s piece help to understand Yamamura and Steeck’s non-liberal capitalism?

1. What are major differences as Yamamura and Steeck explain between German and Japanese economic systems and why and how did they occur?
2. What are significant differences in economic development patterns between Japan and Korea? Why do you think the differences you choose are important?

1. Discuss the scope of the state’s role and function. Clarify the relationship between path dependency and mbeddedness.