Sample Essay Questions + Outlines

Question 1

Discuss the different sources of law and the doctrine of judicial precedent, and how they operate in the legal hierarchy of a Commonwealth Caribbean country.

Answer 1

1. Introduction:
   
   • Define sources of law (primary: Constitution, legislation, common law; secondary: legal commentaries).
   • Mention the doctrine of judicial precedent (stare decisis).
2. Body:
   
   • Constitution: Supreme law; defines government powers, rights (e.g., Jamaica’s Bill of Rights).
   • Legislation: Laws passed by Parliament (e.g., Trinidad’s Sexual Offenses Act).
   • Common Law: Judge-made law (e.g., precedent from Privy Council/CCJ).
   • Judicial Precedent:
     
     • Binding (higher courts bind lower ones, e.g., Privy Council rulings).
     • Persuasive (foreign judgments, e.g., Barbados Court of Appeal influencing Jamaica).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Hierarchy: Constitution > Legislation > Common Law.
   • Precedent ensures consistency and predictability.

Question 2

Assess the issues accompanying the debate on the death penalty in a Commonwealth Caribbean country.

Answer 2

1. Introduction:
   
   • Controversial human rights issue; retention in Trinidad/Jamaica vs. abolitionist trends.
2. Body:
   
   • Issue 1: Risk of wrongful execution (e.g., Krishna Maharaj case).
   • Issue 2: Disproportionate impact on minorities (racial profiling, inadequate legal representation).
   • Issue 3: International pressure vs. local public opinion (human rights treaties vs. crime deterrence arguments).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Complexity demands balancing justice, human rights, and public safety.

Question 3

Examine the evolution of Commonwealth Caribbean democracies from the Crown Colony system to independence post-1962.

Answer 3

1. Introduction:
   
   • Shift from colonial rule to self-governance.
2. Body:
   
   • Crown Colony System (19th century): Governor-centric (e.g., Jamaica pre-1944).
   • Early 20th Century: Political activism (e.g., Trinidad Labour Party, 1936).
   • Post-Moyne Commission (1944): Steps toward self-government (e.g., elected legislative councils).
   • West Indian Federation (1958–1962): Failed unity; led to individual independence (e.g., Jamaica/T&T in 1962).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Gradual progress toward parliamentary democracies post-independence.

Question 4

Compare and contrast presidential and parliamentary systems with examples.

Answer 4

1. Introduction:
   
   • Define systems (executive-legislative relations).
2. Body:
   
   • Presidential (e.g., USA):
     
     • Separation of powers; fixed terms; President as head of state/government.
   • Parliamentary (e.g., UK/T&T):
     
     • Fusion of powers; PM accountable to legislature; ceremonial head of state.
   • Contrasts: Accountability (no-confidence vs. impeachment), flexibility vs. stability.
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Differ in power distribution and accountability mechanisms.

Question 5

Identify differences between the Westminster and Whitehall models.

Answer 5

1. Introduction:
   
   • Both UK-origin; adapted in the Caribbean.
2. Body:
   
   • Westminster:
     
     • Strong PM; bicameralism (e.g., T&T Senate vs. UK Lords).
   • Whitehall:
     
     • Centralized bureaucracy; codified conventions (e.g., Barbados’ 1994 no-confidence motion).
   • Key Differences:
     
     • Civil service role (neutral vs. hierarchical).
     • PM power (agenda-setting vs. cabinet collective decisions).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Westminster emphasizes legislative-executive fusion; Whitehall focuses on bureaucratic control.

Question 6

Do long-term effects of the plantation system affect Caribbean economies today? Justify.

Answer 6

1. Introduction:
   
   • Plantation economy: monoculture, enslaved labor.
2. Body:
   
   • Dependency: Reliance on cash crops (e.g., sugar in Barbados).
   • Land Inequality: Concentration of ownership (e.g., Jamaica’s agro-industry).
   • Best-Levitt Model: Cyclical crisis → tourism/FDIs as modern substitutes.
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Persistent structural inequalities; diversification remains a challenge.

Question 7

Explain culture and two aspects each of material/immaterial culture with examples.

Answer 7

1. Introduction:
   
   • Define culture (shared values, practices).
2. Body:
   
   • Material:
     
     1. Cuisine (e.g., Trinidad’s doubles).
     2. Architecture (e.g., “Magnificent Seven” mansions).
   • Immaterial:
     
     1. Music (e.g., Jamaican reggae).
     2. Festivals (e.g., Carnival).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Cultural diversity as a tourism asset.

Question 8

Define social problems and discuss causes, consequences, and solutions for crime in Haiti.

Answer 8

1. Introduction:
   
   • Social problems: issues requiring collective action (e.g., poverty, crime).
2. Body:
   
   • Causes:
     
     1. Poverty (60% below poverty line).
     2. Drug trafficking (transit hub).
   • Consequences:
     
     1. Economic loss (reduced FDI).
     2. Social disintegration (eroded trust).
   • Solutions:
     
     1. Law enforcement reform.
     2. Community programs (e.g., microfinance).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Holistic approaches needed for sustainable change.

Question 9

“Our Caribbean struggle, sovereignty and survival lies in the real manifestation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in its Appellate Jurisdiction as our final court of appeal.” Discuss.

Answer 9

1. Introduction:
   
   • Context: Colonial legacy of the Privy Council (PC) vs. regional sovereignty via the CCJ.
   • Thesis: CCJ completes independence but faces challenges.
2. Body:
   
   • Arguments for CCJ:
     
     1. Sovereignty: Ends colonial dependency (e.g., Duke Pollard’s critique of PC as a “judicial symbol of colonialism”).
     2. Accessibility: Reduces costs for Caribbean litigants (PC appeals expensive; CCJ sits regionally).
     3. Cultural Relevance: Judges understand Caribbean context (e.g., Lord Hoffman’s admission of PC’s cultural ignorance).
   • Arguments against CCJ/for PC:
     
     1. Quality Jurisprudence: PC’s “wealth of jurisprudence” and perceived impartiality.
     2. Political Interference: Risk of local bias in judge appointments (small regional networks).
     3. Public Trust: Referendum rejections (e.g., Antigua/Grenada, 2018).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • CCJ symbolizes decolonization but requires institutional safeguards to gain public confidence.

Question 10

“International law does not prohibit the death penalty, domestic law allows it in the Commonwealth Caribbean, yet Privy Council rulings prevent its application.” Discuss using a Caribbean country example.

Answer 10

1. Introduction:
   
   • Paradox: Legal retention vs. de facto abolition due to PC rulings.
   • Example: Trinidad & Tobago (mandatory death penalty upheld post-independence).
2. Body:
   
   • Domestic Law:
     
     • T&T’s Constitution (saved clauses) permits mandatory death penalty for murder (e.g., Charles Matthew v. The State).
   • Privy Council Restrictions:
     
     1. Pratt & Morgan (1993): 5-year death row limit → commutation.
     2. Reyes v. R (2002): Struck mandatory sentences as “inhuman.”
   • International Law:
     
     • ICCPR allows death penalty but urges abolition (Caribbean states resist Optional Protocol).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • PC rulings create tension between domestic sovereignty and human rights norms.

Question 11

Critically assess whether the Westminster-Whitehall model is a “perfectly functioning system of governance for small island developing states.”

Answer 11

1. Introduction:
   
   • Define Westminster (parliamentary democracy) and Whitehall (bureaucratic centralization) models.
2. Body:
   
   • Strengths:
     
     1. Stability: Clear executive-legislative fusion (e.g., Barbados’ efficient governance).
     2. Accountability: PM accountable to Parliament (no-confidence motions).
   • Weaknesses:
     
     1. Overcentralization: Bureaucratic delays (e.g., St. Lucia’s dissolution power disputes).
     2. Insularity: Small states struggle with rigid conventions (e.g., Barbados’ 1994 no-confidence crisis).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Effective but requires adaptation to local contexts (e.g., codified conventions).

Question 12

“Plantation economy model has no relevance in explaining contemporary Caribbean features.” Critically discuss.

Answer 12

1. Introduction:
   
   • Beckford & Best-Levitt’s thesis: Dependency on monoculture, foreign capital.
2. Body:
   
   • Relevance:
     
     1. Economic Structure: Persistent agro-export dependency (e.g., Jamaican sugar/bauxite).
     2. Social Stratification: Race-class hierarchies (e.g., T&T’s ethnic political divisions).
   • Irrelevance:
     
     1. Diversification: Tourism/FDIs replace plantations (e.g., Barbados’ service economy).
     2. Globalization: Transnational corporations ≠ colonial plantocracy.
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Legacy persists but is transformed by modernization.

Question 13

Assess the advantages and disadvantages of FDI for Caribbean economic development.

Answer 13

1. Introduction:
   
   • FDI as a double-edged sword (e.g., tourism in Antigua vs. resource extraction in Guyana).
2. Body:
   
   • Advantages:
     
     1. Job Creation: Tourism/hotels employ locals.
     2. Infrastructure: FDI funds roads/utilities (e.g., Digicel’s telecom investments).
   • Disadvantages:
     
     1. Profit Repatriation: Limited local reinvestment (e.g., bauxite in Jamaica).
     2. Vulnerability: External shocks (e.g., COVID-19 tourism collapse).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Requires balanced policies (e.g., local content laws).

Question 14

How far can any CARICOM country be assessed as plantation, plural, or creole?

Answer 14

1. Introduction:
   
   • Definitions:
     
     • Plantation (Beckford): Mono-crop, racial hierarchies.
     • Plural (M.G. Smith): Cultural sections with separate institutions.
     • Creole (Brathwaite): Cultural fusion (e.g., Afro-European syncretism).
2. Body:
   
   • Case Study (Trinidad):
     
     1. Plantation: Sugar/oil economies; ethnic labor divisions.
     2. Plural: Indo-Afro political competition.
     3. Creole: Carnival, calypso as hybrid cultural forms.
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Overlapping models; creolization dominates contemporary identity.

Question 15

How far are crime and poverty related in the Caribbean?

Answer 15

1. Introduction:
   
   • Correlation ≠ causation; contextualize with UNODC homicide rates (e.g., Jamaica: 52.1/100,000).
2. Body:
   
   • Links:
     
     1. Structural Factors: Unemployment → gang recruitment (e.g., Haiti’s slums).
     2. Cultural of Poverty (Lewis): Cyclic deprivation → criminal coping.
   • Counterpoints:
     
     1. White-Collar Crime: Elite corruption (e.g., Trinidad’s Petrotrin scandals).
     2. Drug Trafficking: Transnational networks (e.g., Bahamas as transit hub).
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Poverty exacerbates crime but isn’t sole determinant.

Question 16

Discuss two ways race has been used for institutional racism in the Caribbean, with solutions.

Answer 16

1. Introduction:
   
   • Historical roots (slavery/indentureship) → modern systemic bias.
2. Body:
   
   • Examples:
     
     1. Employment: “Brown-skinned” preference in managerial roles (e.g., Jamaican tourism sector).
     2. Judiciary: Racial profiling in sentencing (e.g., Rastafarians in drug cases).
   • Solutions:
     
     1. Legislation: Anti-discrimination laws (e.g., T&T’s Equal Opportunity Act).
     2. Education: Multicultural curricula to combat stereotypes.
3. Conclusion:
   
   • Requires institutional reform and cultural shifts.