Deck 6: Institutions of Participation and Representation in Democracies

Question 1

A first-past-the-post system is

A)a majority system
B)a PR system
C)a plurality system
D)all of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The collective action problem originates with

A)the rational belief that individual actions have great and clear effect
B)the rational belief that individual actions have little or no effect
C)the irrational belief that individual actions have great and clear effect
D)the irrational belief that individual actions have little or no effect

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is an SMD system?

A)closed-list PR
B)SNTV
C)open-list PR
D)FPTP

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Neocorporatism, also known as societal corporatism

A)is created by design and mandated by the state
B)is created by design
C)is mandated by the state
D)evolves historically and voluntarily

Question 5

Social networks and norms of reciprocity that are important for a strong civil society are known as

A)SMD
B)FPTP
C)bowling alone
D)social capital

Question 6

The collective action problem faced by democratic governments is that

A)too much participation will swamp a political system
B)collective decisions may be irrational
C)the average person has more incentive to participate than the elite
D)expending time or money toward any political goal may be irrational

Question 7

In India, labor unions

A)were key to the success of the Indian National Congress
B)are important agents of local rule
C)organize a very small percentage of the population
D)are the strongest element of civil society

Question 8

In a closed-list proportional representation system, voters select

A)a party
B)an individual
C)a platform
D)multiple candidates

Question 9

The sphere of organized citizen activity between the state and the individual family or firm is called

A)political society
B)the party system
C)civil society
D)patron-client linkages

Question 10

In a two-party system

A)only two parties compete
B)only two parties obtain votes from citizens
C)only two parties are able to get enough votes to win an election
D)more than one party can win an election

Question 11

In theory, which of the following types of party system will be the most likely to emerge within a proportional representation electoral system?

A)dominant party system
B)multiparty system
C)two-and-a-half party system
D)two-party system

Question 12

How would an institutionalist explain why Germany has had a successful Green Party but the UK has not?

A)There is greater environmental sentiment in Germany.
B)There is greater voter turnout in Germany.
C)Germans are more politically active than British citizens.
D)Germany's mixed-PR system encourages more narrowly focused parties.

Question 13

An electoral threshold in a proportional representation system refers to the percent of the

A)vote a party thinks it will be able to win
B)population that must turn out to vote for the election to be valid
C)vote a party must receive to gain representation in parliament
D)candidates that must be represented by different parties

Question 14

How did most European parties begin in the nineteenth century?

A)as cadre parties
B)as mass parties
C)as centralized parties
D)as green parties
E)as social democratic parties

Question 15

Japan responded to corruption scandals in the 1970s-1990s by

A)banning the LDP, which had been at the heart of most of the scandals
B)reforming its electoral system to reduce the role of money
C)forbidding Japanese politicians' attendance at weddings and funerals
D)looking to international assistance to sort out its problems

Question 16

Which of the following is likely to conflict the most with the idea of effective government?

A)participation
B)political parties
C)popular interest
D)pandering

Question 17

In a system based on interest group pluralism

A)The government negotiates with the smallest of chosen interest groups.
B)Peak associations unify local groups positions.
C)Many groups independently represent the same broad interests.
D)The government ensures that interest groups exist and function.

Question 18

Modern interest groups

A)developed before mass electoral democracy
B)emerged along with industrialization and mass democracy
C)originated for the first time in the 1960s
D)originally sought to expand rights for women and minorities

Question 19

Electoral systems are

A)determined by the number of political parties that can get elected to office
B)formal, legal mechanisms that translate votes into control over political offices
C)systems in which the individual with most votes gets elected
D)systems in which parties interact with one another

Question 20

Which of the following countries has a two-party system?

A)Germany
B)Mexico
C)Britain
D)India

Question 21

Cadre parties

A)have a large membership base
B)are only present in authoritarian settings
C)have a small, elite membership
D)have less clear policy positions

Question 22

Which theorists argue that modern electoral democracies in reality give limited power to those in more marginalized positions; elites dominate the national discourse, control major institutions, and influence voters more than voters influence who is in office?

A)elite theorists
B)democratic theorists
C)classical theorists
D)rational choice theorists

Question 23

In an open-list proportional representation system, voters choose

A)a party
B)an individual candidate
C)the most important issue to them
D)an electoral bloc

Question 24

In what kind of system must the winner gain an absolute majority of the votes (50% plus one) rather than just a plurality?

A)minority system
B)majoritarian system
C)proportional system
D)single-party system

Question 25

Attempts to organize associations to promote the rights of lower-caste Indians have been hindered by a

A)lack of affirmative action programs
B)legal enshrinement of "untouchability"
C)localization of traditional caste identities
D)government opposition to lower-caste rights

Question 26

Which of the following systems of voting wastes the most votes?

A)first-past-the-post (FPTP)
B)open-list proportional representation
C)closed-list proportional representation
D)semiproportional system

Question 27

Which of the follow countries is a key example of a mixed (or semiproportional) electoral system?

A)Germany
B)Canada
C)Britain
D)India

Question 28

A system where many parties have a chance to win a national election is referred to as

A)dominant party system
B)multiparty system
C)two and a half party system
D)two party system

Question 29

The unusual electoral system used in Japan until 1993 was called

A)super-majoritarian
B)first-past-the-post
C)single, nontransferable vote
D)instant runoff voting

Question 30

What is an example of a party system?

A)authoritarian
B)pseudo-democratic
C)single party
D)uncompetitive

Question 31

The founding ideology of the BJP in India is

A)secularism
B)multiculturalism
C)Islamism
D)Hindu nationalism

Question 32

Representation in which candidates from parties are elected in other districts and so their supporters' views are represented in the legislature, albeit not by their representative, is referred to as

A)proportional representation
B)list representation
C)indirect representation
D)virtual representation

Question 33

Japan drew its electoral district lines to over-represent rural voters in order to

A)punish urban voters for their behavior during the war
B)provide strong support for the anticommunist Liberal Democratic Party
C)promote workers' rights
D)weigh votes according to demographic conditions

Question 34

Which of the following political parties will most likely oppose social welfare spending according to von Beyme?

A)Christian democrats
B)Social democrats
C)Conservatives
D)Green parties

Question 35

Populist rulers in Latin American often relied on ______ to ensure political support.

A)clientelism
B)ideological appeals
C)significant policy changes
D)strong party organizations

Question 36

According to Duverger's Law, which of the following voting systems will eventually result in a two-party system?

A)first-past-the-post (FPTP)
B)open-list proportional representation
C)closed-list proportional representation
D)mixed representation

Question 37

In a neocorporatist system

A)peak associations unite interest groups and represent the main interests in society
B)the government negotiates with a wide range of interest groups
C)individuals and group are required to belong to peak associations
D)legal restrictions forbid the forming of new interest groups

Question 38

What is a catch-all party?

A)a party that aims to attract support from a broad range of interest groups and voters
B)a party consisting of large numbers of citizens as members that undertake massive political mobilization
C)a party that attracts all voters of a specific demographic or background
D)a party in which membership and scope were largely restricted to a small number of political elites

Question 39

The strength of groups promoting ethnic interests in India in the 1960s led to the

A)creation of additional states
B)onset of violent peasant uprisings
C)banning of ethnically based parties
D)declaration of a state emergency that lasted for three years

Question 40

Interest groups are an example of

A)collective action problems
B)parastatals
C)civil society
D)social movements

Question 41

Formal legal mechanisms that translate votes into control over political offices and shares of votes are called electoral systems.

Question 42

A party system in which multiple parties and free and fair elections exist but one party wins every election and governs continuously is called a multi-party system.

Question 43

In majoritarian systems, candidates must win 50 percent plus one of the votes to be elected.

Question 44

Which region has the highest percentage of seats in the lower house occupied by women?

A)Americas
B)Europe, OSCE member countries
C)Nordic countries
D)sub-Saharan Africa

Question 45

What are some distinctive characteristics of an open-list PR system?

Question 46

Under closed-list PR systems, political parties present ranked lists of candidates

Question 47

Name and describe at least two things that are beneficial for the development of civil society.

Question 48

Under open-list PR systems, political parties present ranked lists of candidates

Question 49

Democratic regimes have no problems with stimulating and channeling participation.

Question 50

List some of the sociological explanations for the decline in trust in political institutions seen since the 1970s in North America, Europe, and Japan.

Question 51

A system in which multiple parties exist but one wins every election and governs continuously is called a dominant-party system

Question 52

Organizations that bring together all interest groups in a particular sector to influence and negotiate agreements with the state are called peak associations.

Question 53

State corporatism is typical of fascist regimes.

Question 54

Corporatism mandated by the state is known as neo-corporatism.

Question 55

A broad and charismatic appeal to poor people on the part of a leader to solve their problems directly via governmental largess is an example of liberalism.

Question 56

Explain some of the by-products of corporatism.

Question 57

In recent years, major parties' decline in terms of their share of the vote has been greater in countries with what kind of electoral system?

A)first-past-the-post
B)proportional representation
C)clientelism
D)two-and-a-half party

Question 58

A system in which each geographical district elects a single representative to a legislature is called proportional representation.

Question 59

Explain two aspects of interest-group pluralism.

Question 60

Name and describe at least two types of electoral systems.

Question 61

Compare and contrast the main features of FPTP and PR, highlighting some of the advantages and disadvantages of each system.Is one of them more "democratic?" Is one of them more likely to produce political stability and easier policy-making? Illustrate your answer with at least one country/example for each system.

Question 62

Provide two characteristics of an interest group?

Question 63

What is a two-party system? How is it different from a two-and-a-half party system and a multiparty system?

Question 64

Describe at least two differences between a proportional representation and a first-past-the-post voting system.

Question 65

List and compare at least two of von Beyme's categories of political parties.

Question 66

List two arguments that critics make against the proportional representation system?

Question 67

What is the difference between closed-list proportional representation and open-list proportional representation?

Question 68

Identify the characteristic of a populist regime and apply these characteristics to a real-life example.

Question 69

Compare neocorporatist and interest group pluralist systems.What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?

Question 70

Explain the role of geographically-based, "regional" political parties vis-à-vis Duverger's Law.Please include in your answer a definition of Duverger's Law and an explanation of its consequences.

Question 71

Why are candidates for office in the United States more independent from political parties than in Britain?

Question 72

Illustrate the distinctions between a dominant-party system and a single-party government.Name and describe an example for each.