Deck 1: Introducing Comparative Politics

Question 1

Removing trade barriers is a key goal of

A) the International Monetary Fund.
B) the World Trade Organization.
C) the World Bank.
D) the United Nations.
E) non-governmental organizations.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The difference between comparative politics and international relations can BEST be described as

A) the study of comparative politics involves comparing political parties between countries, whereas the study of international relations involves the examination of why wars occur.
B) the study of comparative politics refers only to domestic politics, whereas the study of international relations refers to globalization.
C) the study of comparative politics involves comparing domestic political institutions, processes, and politics in different countries; whereas the study of international relations involves examining the foreign policy of and interactions among different countries.
D) the study of comparative politics involves comparing nations, whereas the study of international relations involves examining international organizations, such as the United Nations or the International Monetary Fund.
E) There is no difference between the two.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements about GDP per capita is CORRECT?

A) It is a good measure for determining which countries are rich (developed) and which are poor (developing).
B) It is the same as GDP according to purchasing power parity.
C) It is the best way to determine the overall size of a country's economy relative to other countries.
D) It is not a factor taken into account in determining the Human Development Index.
E) It is a good measure for determining how environmentally sustainable a country's economy is.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

One thing highlighted in relation to the countries studied in this text is _____________, which are important historical moments when political actors make decisions that shape institutions and future outcomes.

A) precipitating events
B) critical junctures
C) catastrophic moments
D) crucial points
E) critical crossroads

Question 5

Globalization

A) blurs the line between the subfields of American politics and comparative politics.
B) is of concern only to those who study international relations.
C) is of no concern to comparativists.
D) makes it easy to distinguish between domestic and international politics.
E) blurs the line between comparative politics and international relations.

Question 6

Political legitimacy exists

A) when the broad citizenry believes that the state exercises rightful authority.
B) when the United Nations recognizes a state.
C) only in democratic political systems.
D) only in consolidated democracies.
E) when voter turnout is particularly high.

Question 7

Keynesianism

A) has been the dominant economic approach used by advanced capitalist countries since the 1980s.
B) is a strain of neoliberal economic theory.
C) emphasizes competition and market-friendly economic policies.
D) emphasizes government regulation of the economy.
E) suggests that governments erect trade barriers.

Question 8

In comparative politics, the term state refers to

A) subnational units of government like Missouri.
B) the total area of a country.
C) the key political institutions in a country.
D) the government in power in a country.
E) a group of people with a common ethnicity.

Question 9

A country's executive may include

A) the president.
B) the prime minister.
C) the cabinet.
D) a religious supreme leader.
E) all of these.

Question 10

Institutional design refers to

A) arrangements that define relationships between the various parts of government and between different levels of government.
B) how states are formed.
C) arrangements that define relationships between states and international organizations.
D) different conceptualizations of states used by comparativists.
E) the relationship between markets and the state.

Question 11

When we say "if X happens, then Y will result," we are

A) engaging in scientific analysis.
B) utilizing causal theory.
C) stating a hypothesis.
D) stating a relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable.
E) all of these.

Question 12

The process of _______ refers to the historical development of a state.

A) nation building
B) state development
C) state building
D) state formation
E) state creation

Question 13

According to your text, globalization includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) increased speed and magnitude of cross-border trade.
B) increased speed and magnitude of cross-border communications.
C) increased cultural diffusion.
D) increased migration of peoples.
E) the global spread of democracy.

Question 14

2014 can be considered a critical juncture because

A) there was a spike in terrorist incidents targeting the United States.
B) China supplanted the United States as the country with the highest Gross National Product.
C) Russia annexed Crimea and threatened Ukrainian sovereignty.
D) the United States held congressional elections.
E) a number of European regional governments held referendums calling for independence.

Question 15

Democratic transitions describe a process in which

A) the president of a country resigns from office and is replaced by the vice president.
B) there are elections involving the peaceful transfer of power between political administrations.
C) a democratic country becomes a dictatorship.
D) two countries resolve a conflict by peaceful means rather than by military force.
E) authoritarian governments develop into more participatory and democratic regimes.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about collective identities is INCORRECT?

A) It refers to groups with which people identify.
B) It can be based upon gender, race, class, nationality, or religion.
C) It provides the building blocks upon which social and political action is based.
D) It is nonexistent as a factor in homogenous societies like Britain, France, and Germany.
E) It involves issues of inclusion, political recognition, representation, resource allocation, and the ability to shape public policies.

Question 17

Comparative politics as a type of methodology

A) dates to the time of Aristotle.
B) was developed only after the Enlightenment.
C) was developed after World War II.
D) first appeared during the Renaissance.
E) is a non-scientific method of analysis.

Question 18

To say that we live in a globalized world of states is to say that

A) the United Nations is a world government.
B) there is an interaction between the national and international levels in shaping the politics of states.
C) countries are becoming more alike.
D) international processes are more important than domestic processes in explaining state behavior.
E) there are more countries today than ever before.

Question 19

There is a general consensus among comparativists about the value of __________, which focuses on specific features of the political world.

A) middle-level theory
B) rational choice theory
C) grand theories
D) fundamental theories
E) constructivist theories

Question 20

The term political economy refers to

A) how much a country spends on elections.
B) how a country promotes ecologically sound ways to modernize the economy and raise the standard of living.
C) how states and political processes affect the economy and how the economy in turn affects a country's political processes.
D) the global economic system.
E) the ratio of GDP compared to the percentage of voting citizens.

Question 21

For a country to be considered to be democratic,

A) its leaders must be elected in free and fair elections.
B) there must be a respect for the rule of law.
C) there must be a degree of gender equality.
D) there must be some leveling of the economic playing field.
E) all of these must be present.

Question 22

All of the following are ways to measure a country's economic development EXCEPT

A) Gross National Product.
B) Gross Domestic Product.
C) Purchasing Parity Power.
D) the Social Progress Index.
E) the Environmental Performance Index.

Question 23

The term hegemony refers to

A) the ability of a particular state to dominate world affairs.
B) the ability of a particular branch of government to dominate other branches.
C) the dependency of one country's economy on another country's economy.
D) the ability of international organizations to influence the domestic policies of countries.
E) the spread of democracy worldwide.

Question 24

Explain several ways in which comparative politics is limited as a scientific approach.

Question 25

Describe some ways in which economic development can be measured.

Question 26

List and evaluate the conditions that the authors argue must be present for a country to be considered democratic. Why do they contend these conditions are important? Do you agree with the authors on each of these?

Question 27

Briefly describe the key differences between: authoritarian political systems, democratic political systems, mixed political systems, consolidated democracies, and transitional democracies.

Question 28

Classifying states according to their level of democracy is an example of

A) a typology.
B) a causal theory.
C) a model.
D) levels of analysis.
E) a hypothesis.

Question 29

The spread of democracy has

A) consistently increased over the years.
B) consistently decreased over the years.
C) been consistently static over the years.
D) achieved the status of being taken as generally right.
E) been most affected by the shift of Russia from "partly free" to "free."

Question 30

Explain what is meant by middle-level theory and assess the advantages of its use in comparative politics.

Question 31

When we say that a political system is a mixed system , we are saying that

A) it exhibits some democratic and some authoritarian features.
B) it has multiple collective identities within it.
C) it utilizes a combination of market and non-market economic policies.
D) it is in transition from a democratic political system to an authoritarian one.
E) it combines elements of a presidential political system and a parliamentary political system.

Question 32

Someone interested in comparing how well different countries meet certain pollution control benchmarks might consult the

A) Environmental Protection Index.
B) Environmental Transparency Index.
C) Environmental Performance Index.
D) Environmental Governance Indicators Index.
E) Environmental Sustainability Index.

Question 33

Authoritarian regimes are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) power (or authority) is highly concentrated in a single individual, small group of people, single party, or institution.
B) they do not include any democratic values and practices within their governing systems.
C) those in power claim an exclusive right to govern and use various means, including force, to impose their will on their citizens.
D) they have few institutional procedures for holding political leaders accountable.
E) political and personal freedoms are limited in such regimes.

Question 34

The Social Progress Index is

A) calculated by adding a country's Gross National Product and its Freedom House ranking.
B) a composite index that takes into account measures for meeting basic needs, environmental sustainability, freedom, and tolerance.
C) calculated by adding a country's Gross National Product and its Corruption Perception Index.
D) a composite index developed by the United Nations.
E) a measurement of how technologically advanced a country is.

Question 35

Which of the following statements about the Human Development Index is CORRECT?

A) It is compiled by the World Bank.
B) It includes measures for sustainable development.
C) It is used to measure and compare levels of achievement in health, knowledge, and the standard of living.
D) The countries with the lowest HDI rankings were the United States, New Zealand, and Norway.
E) It assesses the level of interaction between people in a political system.