Deck 4: Economic Determinism and Exploitation: the Structuralist Perspective

Question 1

Compare and contrast structuralism with mercantilism and liberalism in the following areas:
a. the dominant actors
b. political versus economic motivations behind actors' behavior
c. the role of the state in the economy

Answer 1

No Answer.

Question 2

Why is Marx considered determinist? Describe his three "laws" about the falling rate of profit, disproportionality, and concentration.

Answer 2

No Answer.

Question 3

Structuralists argue that capitalists use what kinds of mechanisms to control the subordinate classes and get them to believe in the legitimacy of the capitalist system?

Answer 3

No Answer.

Question 4

Lenin argued that capitalism was able to delay its crisis through international expansion. Explain what Lenin meant by imperialism. Outline several examples of imperialism in the global political economy today.

Question 5

Outline the essential characteristics of dependency theory and the Modern World Systems theory. Discuss some examples of how the concepts would account for policy situations in the world today.

Question 6

Outline some of the views structuralists have about globalization. Why do they tend to be so critical of it?

Question 7

According to Wendy Brown, what is responsibilization and what are its effects on society?

Question 8

What are some of the key characteristics of the precariat? What social groups or segments of the workforce typically constitute a significant part of the precariat?

Question 9

Summarize some important trends in inequality in developed countries over the period from 1980 to 2014. What changes, if any, have there been in income and wealth of the lower, middle, and upper classes?

Question 10

What specific factors do structuralists think have contributed to rising inequality in industrialized countries since the 1980s?

Question 11

Structuralists argue that capitalists use a number of political and economic mechanisms to control the subordinate classes and to get them to believe in the legitimacy of the capitalist system. Find at least three examples of this assertion in the text or in a news article.

Question 12

Imagine a structuralist and neoliberal having a discussion about globalization-its many positive and negative features. What sorts of ideas would they agree on and disagree about?

Question 13

The basic idea behind structuralism is that

A) the structure of the international political economy-namely capitalism-conditions its outcome.
B) the core exploits the proletariat.
C) the state exploits the market.
D) wealth is necessary for power.

Question 14

The process by which inherently unstable opposing economic forces and counterforces lead to crisis, revolution, and to the next stage of history is called

A) evolution.
B) class conflict.
C) a dialectical process.
D) law of disproportionality.

Question 15

Which one of the following refers to the privately-owned assets used to produce the commodities in an economy?

A) the means of production
B) the mode of production
C) false consciousness
D) private property

Question 16

Which of the following is not one of Marx's Laws of Capitalism?

A) the law of the falling rate of profit
B) the law of disproportionality
C) the law of concentration
D) the law of capitalist imperialism

Question 17

Ideological manipulation occurs when

A) workers believe in the legitimacy of the capitalist system.
B) workers post propaganda intended to incite change within the system.
C) authoritarian leaders impose stringent measures upon their country's population.
D) politicians convince voters that they support populist proposals.

Question 18

Lenin believed that capitalism was able to postpone its crisis by:

A) government policies that increase the rate of profit.
B) exploiting less developed countries through imperialism.
C) progressive taxes that produce a more equitable distribution of income.
D) Keynesian economic policies that reduce the chance of another Great Depression.

Question 19

Which of the following most closely resembles Marx's definition of class?

A) Class is determined by ownership of capital, which can be mixed with labor to form a commodity that is profitably sold.
B) Class is defined by income, with the amount of money earned signifying one's position.
C) Classes are delineated based on property ownership.
D) Class is nonexistent; all capital is communally owned.

Question 20

How does neoimperialism differ from classical imperialism?

A) International organizations create laws and policies for member nations.
B) States no longer need to occupy other countries in order to exploit them.
C) After a war, nations install leaders of their choosing in the conquered country.
D) Security interests replace economic motives for going abroad.

Question 21

According to dependency theory, why do LDCs remain underdeveloped?

A) They are dependent on food aid to keep their population alive.
B) LDCs are unable to attract investment and thus rely on loans from international institutions.
C) Their dependency on industrialized nations prevents them from acquiring capital and technology for their own development.
D) They are unable to transition from capitalism to socialism.

Question 22

According to many structuralists, which of the following is not one of the outcomes of the global financial crisis?

A) The re-emergence of the debt crisis in Asia*
B) Great global inequality.
C) Increased consumer debt in industrialized nations.
D) Many state officials promoting austerity policies to decrease debt and promote recovery.

Question 23

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the transnational capitalist class (TCC)?

A) It promotes a culture-ideology of consumerism.
B) It has power over national governments and exercises authority through the IMF, the WTO, and the EU institutions.
C) Its elites come exclusively from the United States, the EU, and Japan.
D) It owns most of the world's financial assets.
E) One of its fractions is globalizing professionals with technical skills.

Question 24

Which of the following is not a mechanism of "accumulation by dispossession"?

A) Saddling people with debt until they become insolvent
B) Privatization of state assets
C) "Land grabs"
D) Government deficit spending
E) Austerity programs

Question 25

Which of the following kinds of workers is most likely to be part of the precariat?

A) White-collar workers
B) The industrial working class
C) Immigrants
D) Professionals

Question 26

Which economist asserts that, over the long term, the rate of return on capital tends to exceed the rate of growth of GDP?

A) Thomas Piketty
B) Branko Milanovic
C) John Maynard Keynes
D) Karl Marx

Question 27

Which of these statements is correct?

A) In 2014 approximately 15 percent of total U.S. post-tax income went to the top 1 percent of Americans.
B) In 2014 approximately 20 percent of total U.S. post-tax income went to the bottom 50 percent of Americans.
C) In 2014 approximately 40 percent of total U.S. post-tax income went to the top 10 percent of Americans.
D) All of these statement are correct.

Question 28

Which of the following an incorrect statement about the net personal wealth of different segments of the U.S. population?

A) The bottom 50 percent of Americans had almost no net personal wealth between 1980 and 2014.
B) The middle 40 percent of Americans never had more than 40 percent of U.S. net personal wealth between 1980 and 2014.
C) The top 10 percent of Americans always held more than 60 percent of U.S. net personal wealth between 1980 and 2014.
D) The top 1 percent of Americans never held less than 40 percent of U.S. net personal wealth between 1980 and 2014.