A hearing, not a hidden answer
You are a researcher preparing a public hearing. Your question: How did an advantage change what another actor could do?
All six cards and the result table are open to you. Your evidence board has room for two supporting cards and one complication. The limit is public attention. Replacing an item changes which evidence your explanation uses.
- Choose a first idea to test, then read and select.
- Connect an actor, an action, and a changed option.
- Take two source and reasoning questions. Defend, narrow, or replace.
- Test the claim in a second country, then finish and save your explanation.
Every part stays open. You can return to earlier decisions. The browser checks whether items are included; a person must judge the interpretation.
Neutral microexampleIn an invented town, the library extends evening hours. “The library board → adds late opening → gives shift workers another chance to attend.” An attendance list can show visits. It cannot alone prove the new hours caused every visit. A complication might show transport still ends early.
Political competition and the assigned reading
Political competition concerns organizing, entering contests, reaching voters and challenging decisions. Levitsky and Way describe competitive authoritarianism as meaningful competition alongside serious incumbent abuse. These four historical windows do not automatically share that regime type. Identify the particular institution and opportunity; one outcome or percentage is not a regime classification.
Levitsky and Way (2020), Journal of Democracy 31(1), 51-65
Suggested class rhythm
Opening and roles 7 min · evidence 9 min · connection 7 min · questions and revision 12 min · comparison, save and briefing 17 min · debrief 3 min. Pause for discussion and reconsideration. These are suggestions, never gates.
Teacher and pair notes
The Proposer makes a connection; the Skeptic asks what would weaken it. Swap before the second hearing question. Allow two minutes to compare different explanations, then a 40-second briefing. Debrief: which observation changed your view, what remains uncertain, and what new evidence could separate two explanations?
Cases cover different offices and dates. Russia's displayed table is a survey. Malaysia and Serbia show parliamentary seats; Malawi shows valid presidential vote shares. Do not rank them as interchangeable measures. Country files are historical windows, not current country assessments.