Example Exam Paper (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

Stimulus

Among the defining features of contemporary global politics is the gap between those who generate global challenges and those who bear their consequences. The causes of problems such as environmental degradation, economic instability, disease, and conflict are often widely distributed — yet the costs fall most heavily on states and communities with the fewest political and economic resources to respond.

These are often described as "wicked problems": challenges that are systemic, deeply interconnected, and resistant to straightforward solutions. No single state, institution, or policy instrument is adequate to address them alone. Effective responses require the engagement of a diverse range of actors — from sovereign states and intergovernmental organisations to corporations, civil society groups, and affected communities themselves.

Yet the political will to act collectively is frequently constrained by competing national interests, questions of sovereignty, and persistent disagreement over who bears responsibility for problems whose causes are shared but whose effects are profoundly unequal.

Adapted from Global Challenges and the Politics of Vulnerability, published by the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), 2021

Question 1

Using at least two examples, explain why some global political challenges are described as "wicked problems." 

[3 marks]

Question 2

The stimulus refers to the engagement of a diverse range of actors in addressing global challenges.

(a) With explicit reference to a political issue identified in one of your researched case studies, explain the involvement of three types of actors or stakeholders. 

[4 marks]

(b) Based on the political issue identified in 2(a), recommend a course of action that would increase the influence of a specific non-state actor. 

[6 marks]

Question 3

The stimulus suggests that global challenges are deeply interconnected in nature. With reference to one of your researched case studies, examine the links between at least two of the HL topic areas. 

[15 marks]