Question 1

Which of these statements about political ideologies is FALSE?&#10;A) Socialism developed as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the interests of the working class.&#10;B) Conservatism rejects radical change in society.&#10;C) Early conservative thinkers advocated constitutional rather than absolutist rule based on a belief of people's&#10;Natural right to life, liberty and property.&#10;D) Socialists tend to focus on the distribution of wealth and means of production.

Accepted Answer

Early conservative thinkers, such as Edmund Burke, often emphasized the importance of tradition, social cohesion, and the continuity of established institutions over the idea of natural rights to life, liberty, and property, which is more closely associated with liberal thought and the Enlightenment. Conservatism historically has been more about preserving the status quo and skepticism towards rapid change rather than advocating for constitutional rule based on natural rights.

Question 2

Imagine a situation where two parties compete for the votes of three voters. Ideologically, the actors are aligned along a left-right dimension as shown below. Where will the parties move to maximize votes according to Downs?

A) Party A to Voter 3, Party B to Voter 2.
B) Party A to Voter 2, Party B to Voter 2.
C) Party A to the centre of the line, Party B to Voter 3.
D) Party A to Voter 1, Party B to the centre of the line.

B

Accepted Answer

B

Question 3

What does the &#34;inverted u-curve&#34; describe?&#10;A) Political parties in the centre of the left-right spectrum generally support European integration, while those at either extreme tend to oppose it.&#10;B) Electorally successful parties generally support European integration, while unsuccessful ones oppose it.&#10;C) Parties that are left on the economic dimension tend to be on the right on the social dimension.&#10;D) Ideologically extreme parties get less votes than parties in the ideological middle.

Accepted Answer

The "inverted u-curve" describes the phenomenon where political parties in the center of the left-right spectrum are generally more supportive of European integration, while those at the extremes (both left and right) are more likely to oppose it. This pattern resembles an inverted U when plotted, with support for European integration decreasing as one moves towards the extremes from the center.

Question 4

In the early decades of European integration, researchers often spoke of a &#34;permissive consensus&#34; around European integration. What does this refer to?&#10;A) Citizens agreed that the EU is an important and valuable project.&#10;B) Political elites supported EU integration.&#10;C) People went to the street demanding increased EU integration.&#10;D) Citizens generally supported EU integration, but did not care much about it.

Accepted Answer

The term "permissive consensus" refers to the phenomenon where citizens generally supported the process of European integration but were not deeply engaged or concerned with the specifics of the integration process. This allowed political elites to advance the integration agenda with relatively little public scrutiny or opposition.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT part of the definition of populism as presented by Mudde?&#10;A) The population is split into two groups: the pure people and the corrupt elite.&#10;B) Politics should be an expression of the general will of the people.&#10;C) Populism as a thin ideology can be easily integrated with any other ideology.&#10;D) Xenophobic views are a core feature of populist ideology.

Accepted Answer

Populism is defined by the division between "the pure people" and "the corrupt elite," the emphasis on the general will, and its adaptability to various ideologies. Xenophobia is not a core feature of populism itself but can be present in specific populist movements when combined with other ideologies.

Deck 4: Ideology and Issues