Deck 1: An Institutional Approach to Democracy and Democratization in Latin America

Question 1

The study of institutions provides insight into:

A) history
B)incentives
C)culture
D)all of the above

Answer 1

all of the above

Question 2

The example of Argentina in the introduction to Chapter 1 illustrates what feature of institutions?

A)Culture, history, and the complexity of institutional design make institutions durable.
B)Political actors can manipulate institutions for their own purposes.
C)Institutions depend on threats to survive.
D)Institutions operate similarly from country to country.

Answer 2

Culture, history, and the complexity of institutional design make institutions durable.

Question 3

Why did President Raúl Alfonsín of Argentina reinstate the Constitution of 1853?

A)The military forced him to do so.
B)The constitution advantaged his political party.
C)He wanted to reaffirm the traditional beliefs and values of the Argentine people.
D)Congress demanded that he do so.

Answer 3

He wanted to reaffirm the traditional beliefs and values of the Argentine people.

Question 4

What distinguishes a formal institution from an informal institution?

A)A formal institution shapes human interaction.
B)A formal institution looks to a third party for enforcement.
C)A formal institution is found only within government.
D)A formal institution follows social conventions.

Question 5

According to rational choice institutionalism, political actors are:

A)altruistic
B)cooperative
C)self-interested
D)unaffected by institutions

Question 6

What sort of institutions led to greater military unity and a longer period of military rule in Brazil?

A)collegial institutions with civilian involvement
B)concentrated institutions with civilian involvement
C)collegial institutions without civilian involvement
D)concentrated institutions without civilian involvement

Question 7

What sort of institutions led to greater military unity and a longer period of military rule in Chile?

A)collegial institutions with civilian involvement
B)concentrated institutions with civilian involvement
C)collegial institutions without civilian involvement
D)concentrated institutions without civilian involvement

Question 8

According to the Box Feature on military regimes in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, which of the following is most important to long-term military rule?

A)military unity
B)economic growth
C)repression
D)a lack of democratic cultural values

Question 9

In Latin America, the most recent democratic wave took place mainly during which decade?

A)1970s
B)1980s
C)1990s
D)2000s

Question 10

The hardline-softline debate revolves around what question?

A)the economic impact of authoritarian rule
B)the impact of human rights violations on the country's international stature
C)the morality of continued repression
D)whether the costs of suppression exceed the costs of toleration

Question 11

In the early stages of democratization, which group holds a critical, mediating position?

A)the armed forces
B)hardliners
C)softliners
D)the democratic opposition

Question 12

Which of the following characterizes the dynamics of democratic transition?

A)distrust
B)uncertainty
C)fear
D)hope

Question 13

Which stage of the democratization process occurs most quickly?

A)liberalization
B)consolidation
C)transition
D)constitutionalism

Question 14

Which of the following does NOT describe a component of democratic consolidation?

A)attitudinal
B)economical
C)behavioral
D)constitutional

Question 15

Joseph Schumpeter's definition of democracy focuses on:

A)civil liberties
B)economic rights
C)moral responsibilities
D)political rights

Question 16

An electoral democracy is characterized by:

A)civil liberties and political rights
B)civil liberties, but limited political rights
C)political rights, but limited civil liberties
D)neither political rights nor civil liberties

Question 17

A liberal democracy is characterized by:

A)civil liberties and political rights
B)civil liberties, but limited political rights
C)political rights, but limited civil liberties
D)neither political rights nor civil liberties

Question 18

Of the countries examined in Democratic Latin America, which three maintained democratic government during the 1960s to the 1980s?

A)Argentina, Brazil, and Chile
B)Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama
C)Honduras, Peru, and Uruguay
D)Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela

Question 19

How many of the countries examined in Democratic Latin America have achieved "free" status, according to Freedom House?

A)4 of 18
B)9 of 18
C)16 of 18
D)All have achieved "free" status.

Question 20

Contemporary Guatemala can best be described as a(n):

A)liberal democracy
B)authoritarian regime
C)military regime
D)electoral democracy

Question 21

Who won the first truly competitive elections in Guatemala?

A)Jorge Ubico
B)Juan José Arévalo
C)Jacobo Arbenz
D)Alvaro Colom

Question 22

Which of the following best describes the current status of the URNG in Guatemala?

A)The group continues its armed conflict in the countryside.
B)The group is now a small, unsuccessful political party.
C)The group formed a political party that now controls the presidency.
D)The group has become a criminal organization, with ties to drug trafficking.

Question 23

URNG leaders came primarily from which group?

A)the white, urban, middle class
B)the armed forces
C)the rural, indigenous population
D)working-class trade unions

Question 24

What was unique about the election of Alvaro Colom to the presidency of Guatemala?

A)He was the first civilian president after a long period of military rule.
B)He was the only president ever elected without carrying Guatemala City.
C)He was elected as a member of the Socialist Party.
D)His election represented the first time an indigenous person was elected president.

Question 25

What reform to the electoral law had a significant affect on the 2007 presidential election in Guatemala?

A)The indigenous were given the right to vote.
B)A poll tax.
C)An expansion in the number of rural polling places.
D)The vote period was extended to 3 days.

Question 26

Institutional engineering implies that different institutions may be more or less appropriate for different countries.

Question 27

A non-governmental organization is an example of an informal institution.

Question 28

All political institutions are government institutions.

Question 29

All government institutions are formal institutions.

Question 30

Historical institutionalism argues that institutions create the very motivations that initiate our behavior.

Question 31

Rational choice institutionalism contends that political actors are motivated by self-interest.

Question 32

The hardline-softline split in a democratic transition refers to a division within the authoritarian government itself.

Question 33

Differences over economic policy usually set off the division between softliners and hardliners.

Question 34

Liberalization can be initiated by an authoritarian regime.

Question 35

The democratization process ends immediately after the stage of transition.

Question 36

Latin America had no experience with democracy before the most recent democratic wave.

Question 37

Freedom of assembly is a political right, not a civil liberty.

Question 38

The right to vote is a political right, not a civil liberty.

Question 39

In recent years, Latin American countries have marked greater gains in political rights than in civil liberties.

Question 40

Military repression during civil war in Guatemala disproportionately affected the indigenous population.

Question 41

How do institutions capture cultural values and provide a lens on the history of a country? What are the consequences of this for institutional engineering?

Question 42

Identify the difference between rational choice institutionalism and historical institutionalism. Which do you find most persuasive?

Question 43

Discuss the relationship between political rights and civil liberties, and how their relationship contributes to the process of democratization.

Question 44

Identify the stages of democratization. How is it helpful to envision democratization as a process that works its way through stages?

Question 45

How does an institutional approach illuminate the difficulties of democratization in Guatemala?