Deck 22: Political Choices

Question 1

An ideal voting system must not have:

A)a person who has the power to single-handedly enact his or her own preferences.
B)a person who can convince everyone to vote for his or her preferences,and not their own.
C)a one-dimensional issue being voted on.
D)All of these are true.

Answer 1

a person who has the power to single-handedly enact his or her own preferences.

Question 2

The theorem that suggests that politicians maximize their votes by taking the policy position preferred by the median voter,under certain conditions is called:

A)the median-voter theorem.
B)the average voter theorem.
C)the mid-voter theorem.
D)the moderate vote theorem.

Answer 2

the median-voter theorem.

Question 3

The median-voter theorem would suggest the reason politicians go from extreme to moderate positions on an issue over the course of an election is because they are:

A)appealing to the median voter in their party in the primary,and the median of all voters in the general election.
B)appealing to the average voter in their party in the primary,and the average of all voters in the general election.
C)appealing to the majority of voters in their party in the primary,and the majority of all voters in the general election.
D)None of these is true.

Answer 3

appealing to the median voter in their party in the primary,and the median of all voters in the general election.

Question 4

One of the conditions that must exist for the median-voter theorem to hold is:

A)there is a single one-dimensional policy question.
B)candidates win by majority vote.
C)there are only two candidates.
D)All of these are conditions that must exist.

Question 5

Once voting becomes more complicated than those predicted by the median-voter theorem:

A)the way in which votes are cast becomes important.
B)the policies preferred by the average voter becomes more important.
C)the politicians stay more extreme in their views.
D)All of these are true.

Question 6

The median-voter theorem suggests that:

A)politicians maximize their votes by taking the policy position preferred by the median voter,under certain conditions.
B)Politicians always receive more votes in general elections when they appeal to extremists in their party.
C)the middle voter is generally influenced by the side they have more information on concerning an issue.
D)voters tend to vote with a "mob-mentality," all voting the same.

Question 7

An ideal voting system will not function if a _________ is present,and has the power to enact his or her own preferences.

A)dictator
B)bully
C)representative
D)consul

Question 8

Suppose a vote was taken in a small town of 11 people to determine how much of the budget should go toward education spending.Five individuals want 10 percent,five individuals want 80 percent and one person wants 25 percent.According to the median-voter theorem,the chosen amount to spend on education will be:

A)25 percent of the budget.
B)10 percent of the budget.
C)80 percent of the budget.
D)45 percent of the budget.

Question 9

In thinking about the criteria for an ideal voting system,needing no dictator means:

A)one person cannot have the power to enact his or her own preferences.
B)those in power must be forced to listen to the will of the people when enacting policy.
C)the presence of pure democracy is needed,so everyone gets a vote.
D)None of these is true.

Question 10

One of the conditions that must exist for the median-voter theorem to hold is:

A)there is a simple in-favor/not-in-favor position held by each candidate.
B)candidates win by majority vote.
C)there must be a run-off election in the event of a tie vote between two or more candidates.
D)All of these are conditions that must exist.

Question 11

Which of the four criteria for an ideal voting system is demonstrated when everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and transportation spending wins?

A)Unanimity
B)No dictator
C)Transitivity
D)Independence of irrelevant alternatives

Question 12

Which of the following is a criterion for an ideal voting system,according to economist Kenneth Arrow?

A)Unanimity
B)No dictator
C)Transitivity
D)All of these are considered essential to an ideal voting system.

Question 13

Suppose everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and prefers spending on public parks instead of building a public zoo.A voting system that would ensure that zoo funding would never beat spending on transportation would demonstrate which criteria for an ideal voting system?

A)Transitivity
B)No dictator
C)Independence of irrelevant alternatives
D)Unanimity

Question 14

Suppose everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and prefers spending on public parks instead of building a public zoo.An ideal voting system would ensure that:

A)public transportation spending could beat zoo funding.
B)zoo funding could beat public transportation.
C)public parks could beat transportation spending.
D)zoo funding could beat public parks.

Question 15

The median-voter theorem can help explain one reason why politicians tend to change their position on a given issue over the course of an election from:

A)extreme to moderate.
B)moderate to extreme.
C)extreme to more extreme.
D)one extreme to the other.

Question 16

In thinking about the criteria for an ideal voting system,unanimity means:

A)If everyone in the group prefers option X to option Y,then X beats Y.
B)If the median in the group prefers option X to option Y,then X beats Y.
C)If the majority of the group prefers option X to option Y,then X beats Y.
D)If no one in the group prefers option X to option Y,then it must still be possible for X to beat Y.

Question 17

Suppose a vote was taken among 7 district representatives about how much of the city budget should be spent on tourism advertising.Two prefer it to be 10 percent,two prefer 15 percent,and three prefer 50 percent.According to the median voter theorem,the chosen amount to spend on tourism advertising is:

A)15 percent of the budget.
B)10 percent of the budget.
C)50 percent of the budget.
D)30 percent of the budget.

Question 18

When considering voting options,if option X beats Y,and Y beats Z,then transitivity says that:

A)X beats Z.
B)Z beats X.
C)Y beats X.
D)Z beats Y.

Question 19

Which economist defined the characteristics of an ideal voting system in his book Social Choice and Individual Values?

A)Kenneth Arrow
B)Gary Becker
C)Dean Karlan
D)Jonathan Morduch

Question 20

According to the median-voter theorem,the chosen policy will be:

A)the one preferred by the median voter.
B)the one preferred by the greatest average of voters,rather than the majority of voters.
C)the one preferred by the average voter,rather than the largest number of voters.
D)the one preferred by the largest number of voters,rather than the average voter.

Question 21

The "independence of irrelevant alternatives" criterion is also known as the:

A)third-party problem.
B)majority options problem.
C)swing-vote problem.
D)misalignment problem.

Question 22

The Condorcet paradox is a situation in which the preferences of each individual member of a group are ___________,and the collective preferences of the group are _________.

A)transitive;not transitive
B)not transitive;not transitive
C)transitive;transitive
D)not transitive;transitive

Question 23

Suppose everyone in a town votes that they prefer improved public transportation systems instead of public parks.According to the criteria of independence of irrelevant alternatives that preference ___________ even if a third option not likely to win,like a public zoo,is included in the vote.

A)should stay the same
B)should change to the median
C)should change to the average
D)should change to the majority

Question 24

Pair-wise majority voting entails:

A)voting on options that is done in pairs,and the majority vote wins.
B)one vote with many options,and the option with the most votes wins.
C)voters ranking all available options and the option most approved of wins.
D)None of these describes pair-wise majority voting.

Question 25

Commentators on the presidential election between Bush and Gore in 2000 believe that:

A)the presence of Nader,a third candidate,drew votes away from Gore and caused him to lose the election.
B)the presence of Nader,a third candidate,pushed more people to vote for Bush than otherwise would have,causing him to win the election.
C)the presence of Nader,a third candidate,drew votes away from Bush and caused him to lose the election.
D)drew votes away from Bush and caused him to win the election.

Question 26

Plurality voting fails which of the criteria for an ideal voting system?

A)Independence of irrelevant alternatives
B)Transitivity
C)No dictator
D)Unanimity

Question 27

First-past-the-post voting entails:

A)one vote with many options,and the option with the most votes wins.
B)a series of votes with two options;the winner of the first vote is paired with another option until all options have been voted on in pairs and there is one winner.
C)voters ranking all available options and the option most approved of wins.
D)None of these describes first-past-the-post voting.

Question 28

Another name for plurality voting is:

A)first-past-the-post voting.
B)instant runoff voting.
C)pair-wise majority voting.
D)approval voting.

Question 29

Suppose everyone in a town votes that they prefer improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,then according to the criteria of ________________,that preference should not change even if a third option,like a public zoo,is included.

A)Independence of irrelevant alternatives
B)Transitivity
C)No dictator
D)Unanimity

Question 30

One of the merits of plurality voting is:

A)its simplicity.
B)it has all four criteria for an ideal voting system.
C)it guarantees the best option will win.
D)All of these are merits of plurality voting.

Question 31

To have an ideal voting system in place,if a group is voting on option X versus option Y,this decision should not depend on any information or preference about another unconnected option,Z.In other words,which of the following criteria must be present in the voting system?

A)Independence of irrelevant alternatives
B)Transitivity
C)No dictator
D)Unanimity

Question 32

The Condorcet paradox can arise with:

A)pair-wise majority voting.
B)first-past-the-post voting.
C)approval voting.
D)run-off elections.

Question 33

In considering the criteria for an ideal voting system,the idea of an irrelevant alternative refers to:

A)when an option is added to a vote and has no realistic chance of winning.
B)when an option is added to a vote and is unrelated to the issue being voted on.
C)different voting methods that could alternatively be used,but would not change the outcome.
D)different voting methods that could alternatively be used,and could change the outcome.

Question 34

Pair-wise majority voting eliminates which problem?

A)Third party problem
B)Majority options problem
C)Swing-vote problem
D)Misalignment problem

Question 35

Pair-wise majority voting ______________ the criteria of an ideal voting system.

A)fails to meet one of
B)fails to meet two of
C)fails to meet all of
D)meets all of

Question 36

Plurality voting ___________ the ideal voting-system criteria.

A)fails one of
B)meets all
C)fails two of
D)fails all of

Question 37

Pair-wise majority voting fails to meet which of the following criteria?

A)Transitivity
B)Independence of irrelevant alternatives and transitivity
C)No dictator and transitivity
D)No dictator and independence of irrelevant alternatives

Question 38

The voting system for most elections in the United States is called:

A)first-past-the-post voting.
B)pair-wise majority voting.
C)approval voting.
D)instant runoff voting.

Question 39

When voting systems fall short of the ideal by violating the principle of transitivity,the ____________ is sometimes crucial in shaping the final outcomes.

A)power to set the agenda
B)order in which voters get to cast their votes
C)order in which the votes get tallied
D)ability to say how much one option is preferred over others

Question 40

Arguably the simplest voting system is:

A)first-past-the-post voting.
B)instant runoff voting.
C)pair-wise majority voting.
D)approval voting.

Question 41

A collective-action problem is a situation in which:

A)a group of people stand to gain from an action that is not rational for any of the members to undertake individually.
B)people are often reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services that provide benefits for everyone,even for those who don't pay.
C)people are reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services because they believe their individual contribution will not make a difference.
D)a small group of individuals gains power that sways the decisions of society to their personal gain at the expense of the larger society.

Question 42

When a voter chooses to remain ignorant when the opportunity costs of gathering information outweigh the benefits,it is called:

A)rational ignorance.
B)irrational voting.
C)trigger mechanisms.
D)instinct theorem.

Question 43

We refer to situations in which individuals need to act collectively to reach solutions that will make everyone better off as:

A)collective-action problems.
B)free-rider problems.
C)moral hazard problems.
D)public-mind problems.

Question 44

If we think of good governance as a public good created by well-informed voters,we can predict that it will be:

A)undersupplied.
B)oversupplied.
C)in market equilibrium,if left unchecked.
D)in market equilibrium,despite market interference.

Question 45

Despite the fact that most votes have virtually no impact on the outcome of a vote,and knowing people incur opportunity costs to vote,we recognize that people must vote because:

A)they feel pressure to fulfill their civic duty.
B)they altruistically decide to contribute to the democratic process by voting.
C)they get utility from participating in a civic event.
D)All of these are true.

Question 46

If the free-rider problem affects political advocacy,the result may be that the:

A)best ideas might not win out if lots of people fail to lend their support.
B)best ideas will always win because those supporters value the outcome the most.
C)best ideas will always win because free-riders are not typically supporters of relevant alternatives.
D)irrelevant alternatives are eliminated from the options,increasing the efficiency of the vote.

Question 47

Mail-in ballots are designed to:

A)decrease the costs associated with voting.
B)increase your ability to fulfill your civic duty.
C)increase utility derived from voting.
D)Mail-in ballots address all of these.

Question 48

When a group of people stand to gain from an action that is not rational for any of the members to undertake individually,it is referred to as a:

A)collective-action problem.
B)free-rider problem.
C)moral hazard problem.
D)societal-wellbeing problem.

Question 49

The problem caused when people are often reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services that provide benefits for everyone,even for those who don't pay is called the:

A)free-rider problem.
B)drop in the bucket hypothesis.
C)rational ignorance problem.
D)moral hazard problem.

Question 50

An unintentional consequence of using mail-in ballots in a small community is:

A)decreased costs associated with voting.
B)decreased pressure from others to fulfill their civic duty.
C)increased costs associated with tallying the votes.
D)All of these are unintended consequences of mail-in ballots.

Question 51

The time and money it takes to organize a group or a campaign and to get the attention of lots of busy people is the:

A)cost of collective action.
B)reason why collective action does not happen in the real world.
C)reason why all individuals never participate in any collective action.
D)All of these are true.

Question 52

Research demonstrates that elections can be swayed by factors other than the rational policy considerations of well-informed voters,such as:

A)handshaking.
B)eating food at a county fair.
C)mudslinging.
D)All of these can sway a vote.

Question 53

Which theorem tells us that no voting system is perfect?

A)Arrow's impossibility theorem
B)Median-voter theorem
C)Condorcet paradox
D)Bowman's problematic theorem

Question 54

By using mail-in ballots,voter participation may fall.This can be explained as:

A)the decreased costs of voting are outweighed by the decreased benefits of being seen voting.
B)the decreased benefits of being seen voting are smaller than the decreased costs of voting.
C)the decreased benefits of being seen voting are smaller than the increased costs of voting.
D)the decreased costs of voting are larger than the decreased benefits of being seen voting.

Question 55

Research has shown that voters are more likely to turn out in elections with ________ electorates and when the election is likely to be ____________.

A)small;very competitive
B)large;very competitive
C)small;not very competitive
D)large;not very competitive

Question 56

Research has shown that the chances of one vote making a difference in an election is:

A)0.001 percent.
B)0.10 percent.
C)0.01 percent.
D)99.999 percent.

Question 57

Political advocacy:

A)and political engagement can suffer from the free-rider problem.
B)is not affected by the free-rider problem,but political engagement is.
C)can suffer from the free-rider problem,but political engagement does not.
D)and political engagement are not affected by the free-rider problem.

Question 58

The consequence for society of the free-rider problem is:

A)valuable goods and services are undersupplied.
B)valuable goods and services are oversupplied.
C)goods and services not valued by the society will be oversupplied.
D)The free-rider problem does not create any of these situations.

Question 59

When organizing a collective action,it is generally true that the larger the group:

A)the higher the costs and lower the benefits per person.
B)the lower the costs and benefits per person.
C)the lower the costs and higher the benefits per person.
D)the higher the costs and benefits per person.

Question 60

Arrow's impossibility theorem tells us:

A)no voting system can aggregate the preferences of voters of three or more options while meeting all of the criteria for an ideal system.
B)most voting systems meet the criteria for an ideal system,yet politicians cannot seem to change the way in which elections are held.
C)political pressures will always corrupt a voting system,making none ideal.
D)None of these is true.

Question 61

First-past-the-post voting structures tend to lead to:

A)a two-party system.
B)a three-party system.
C)a one-candidate system.
D)a multi-party system.

Question 62

Steel producers lobbying to keep imports out is an example of:

A)rent-seeking behavior.
B)objective cost-benefit analysis.
C)rational ignorance.
D)None of these is true.

Question 63

The amount of corruption that occurs in a government is hard to measure because:

A)it is illegal,and therefore hidden.
B)its costs are mostly indirect and nearly impossible to measure.
C)the benefits subtracted from the costs often go to a small number of people and distort the reality.
D)All of these are true.

Question 64

Many countries use a proportional-representation system,which means that:

A)if a party gains a certain percentage of the popular vote,then they are awarded the same percentage of representative seats in the government.
B)smaller parties can carve out niches and still have political influence.
C)everyone's preference gets represented proportionately with everyone else's.
D)All of these are true.

Question 65

If the liberum veto is used in a policy-making setting,it means:

A)complete consensus is needed for legislation to pass.
B)it is easy to halt policies,because only one person needs to be bribed to stop it.
C)that government is an easy target for an area to become corrupt or taken advantage of.
D)All of these are true.

Question 66

What situation arises when government positions are filled with people who have close ties to the group they are supposed to regulate?

A)Bureaucratic capture
B)Collective action
C)Governmental lobbying
D)Rent-seeking

Question 67

__________ countries have explicit requirements about the number of parties that can participate in an election.

A)Few
B)Most
C)None
D)All

Question 68

Bureaucratic capture is:

A)a specific avenue through which corruption and rent-seeking can occur.
B)when government positions are filled with people who have close ties to the group they are supposed to regulate.
C)a source of bias or personal sympathy that interferes with efficiency.
D)All of these are true.

Question 69

Lobbying can shape regulations through:

A)rent-seeking behavior.
B)collusion.
C)objective cost benefit analysis.
D)None of these is true.

Question 70

At its extreme,the use of the powers of government by public officials to achieve personal gains is:

A)corruption.
B)collective action.
C)bribery.
D)a moral hazard.

Question 71

Bureaucratic capture occurs when:

A)lobbyist groups become so powerful that they essentially have a stranglehold on policymakers.
B)professionals from one particular industry hold the majority of positions in one particular government office.
C)industries become halted in their ability to continue operating due to over-regulation of the market.
D)None of these is true.

Question 72

If two groups disagree about a policy,a smaller group that experiences higher benefits per person can be:

A)the one more likely to get its way.
B)the one less likely to get its way.
C)as successful as a larger group with smaller benefits per person,but typically not more.
D)Success does not depend on the size and benefits per person of the group.

Question 73

Compared to two-party systems,proportional-representation systems are thought to:

A)lead to more centrist policies.
B)offer a wider variety of platforms among which voters can choose.
C)create unwieldy combinations of policies within one platform.
D)All of these are true.

Question 74

Compared to proportional-representation systems,two-party systems are thought to lead to:

A)more centrist politics.
B)less centrist politics.
C)a greater variety of policy getting passed.
D)very little legislation actually getting passed.

Question 75

Political structure,or the process by which laws become enacted:

A)affects the outcome of policy.
B)has no effect on policy created.
C)is virtually the same everywhere.
D)has one feature that is present in every government structure in existence.

Question 76

When smaller political groups wish to have influence in a government with pluralistic voting,they will:

A)drop from races,and side with the majority leader to gain their favor.
B)stay in political races,in the hopes of swaying the vote away from the candidate the majority favors.
C)drop from races,and campaign instead to sway the vote away from the candidate the majority favors.
D)stay in political races,in the hopes of a miracle.

Question 77

The intent of the liberum veto was ___________,and the outcome was _____________.

A)complete consensus;often chaos and corruption
B)majority rule;complete consensus
C)efficiency;inefficiency
D)efficiency;efficiency

Question 78

The likelihood of successful collective action can be:

A)lower for large groups.
B)higher for large groups.
C)lower for small groups.
D)Success does not depend on the size of the group.

Question 79

Rent-seeking behavior creates:

A)waste and inefficiency.
B)waste,but is efficient.
C)inefficiencies,but not waste.
D)efficiency without waste.

Question 80

Why doesn't the process of electing officials prevent rent-seeking and corruption?

A)The cost of gathering such information is often too costly.
B)Those who win special favors through this behavior simply payoff others to keep them from whistleblowing.
C)It actually does prevent this behavior in the real world.
D)None of these is true.