Assess students' ability to create a rigorous mixed-methods comparative research proposal and theoretical framework to evaluate how digital surveillance policies influence civic participation and socioeconomic inequality in transitional democracies; require clear research questions and hypotheses, justification of theoretical lenses, case-selection criteria, operationalization of key variables, mixed-methods design (sampling, data sources, instruments, integration strategy), analytic plans for qualitative and quantitative data, ethical considerations, validity threats, and limitations.