Question 1

Public choice economists often explain low voter turnouts in terms of

Accepted Answer

Public choice economists explain that many voters perceive the net costs of voting to be high, which includes the time and effort needed to get to the polling place, wait in line, and cast a ballot, outweighing the perceived benefits of voting.

Question 2

"In two hours the polls will close.I know I should probably vote,but it is raining,and besides,there is a basketball game on TV tonight,so I'll just stay in." This person is exhibiting

Accepted Answer

The person is weighing the costs (going out in the rain and missing a basketball game) against the benefits (voting) and deciding that the costs outweigh the benefits, which is a form of decision making based on cost-benefit considerations.

Question 3

There is evidence that __________ were the main lobbyists behind passage of the Factory Acts which put restrictions on women and children working in early 19th century England.

Accepted Answer

Male workers were among the main lobbyists for the Factory Acts because they were concerned about the competition from women and children, who were often paid less, potentially undermining men's wages and employment.

Question 4

Special interest groups

Accepted Answer

Special interest groups are formed to advance the interests of a particular group or industry. In doing so, they often lobby for policies that may be beneficial to their group, even if those policies are not in the best interest of the general public. Therefore, they can gain from public policies that are not in accord with the interests of the general public.

Question 5

Which of the following is a prediction of the median voter model for a two person political race?

Accepted Answer

The median voter model predicts that in a two-person race, candidates will move towards the center to capture the median voter. If a candidate is behind in the polls, moving closer to the opponent's position (who is presumably capturing the median voter) is a strategy to win over some of these voters.

Question 6

Congressperson A: "If you approve that new water treatment plant in my district,I'll vote to keep the Air Force base open in your district." Congressperson B: "It's a deal." This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of logrolling, which is a form of bargaining in which two or more legislators agree to vote for each other's proposed laws or policies in order to mutually achieve their respective goals. In this case, Congressperson A and B are exchanging support for projects in their respective districts.

Question 7

Public choice theorists insist that when a person goes from public to private employment,his or her motivations __________ while the institutional arrangements shaping his or her actions __________.

Accepted Answer

Public choice theory suggests that individuals' motivations stay consistent regardless of the sector they work in, but the institutional frameworks that influence their actions differ between the public and private sectors.

Question 8

It has often been remarked that Democratic candidates are more liberal in the Democratic primaries and Republican candidates are more conservative in the Republican primaries than either is in the general election.The explanation for this is most probably that

Accepted Answer

The median voter preferences in the primaries tend to be more extreme, pulling candidates to the left or right of the political spectrum. In the general election, candidates must appeal to a broader range of voters, including those closer to the center, leading to a more moderate platform.

Question 9

Special interest groups are usually

Accepted Answer

Special interest groups are organizations that advocate for specific issues or policies that are of interest to them. Therefore, they are usually well-informed on issues that affect them directly or indirectly. However, they may not be well-informed on all political or economic issues beyond their specific area of interest.

Question 10

According to public choice theorists,the behavior of people employed in the public sector is likely to differ from the behavior of people employed in the private sector because

Accepted Answer

Public choice theory asserts that both public and private sectors consist of self-interested individuals who pursue their own goals. The behavior of people employed in the public sector is likely to differ from that of the private sector because of the institutional settings, rules, and incentives. The primary objective of maximizing one's net benefit will produce different behavior in these two sectors. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Options A and B might be true, but they do not provide a comprehensive explanation for the differences in behavior between public and private sector employees.

Question 11

The state of choosing not to acquire information because the costs of acquiring the information are greater than the benefits is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Rational ignorance refers to a situation where an individual decides not to acquire information because the cost of acquiring it is greater than the potential benefit. This is a rational decision as people have limited time and resources, and they need to prioritize their efforts. In politics, for example, voters may decide not to educate themselves about all the candidates and issues if the cost of obtaining the information is higher than the expected benefit. This can result in uninformed decisions being made, but it is a rational behavior given the constraints of time and resources. The other answer choices (logrolling, market failure, and government failure) are not related to the concept of rational ignorance.

Question 12

Congressman A promises to vote for a bill that Congressmen B and C are sponsoring,and in return both B and C promise to vote for a future bill that A is sponsoring.This practice is called

Accepted Answer

This is an example of logrolling, which is when politicians make deals to support each other's initiatives in exchange for support for their own initiatives.

Question 13

Low voter turnouts that appear to be a result of voter apathy may instead be a result of

Accepted Answer

Low voter turnout can be a result of voters calculating the costs and benefits of voting versus not voting. Factors such as inconvenience, lack of engagement, and feeling like their vote won't make a difference can dissuade individuals from participating in elections. Government intervention or special interest group activity may contribute to low voter turnout, but they are not the sole reasons.

Question 14

Simple majority voting sometimes leads to projects being undertaken whose costs are greater than the benefits.How is this possible?

Accepted Answer

Simple majority voting only takes into account whether a project has more supporters than opponents, but does not reflect the intensity of preference of each voter. Therefore, it is possible for a project to be undertaken even if the costs outweigh the benefits when the supporters have a weaker preference than the opponents. for example, a small group of passionate supporters may heavily support a costly project while a larger group of less passionate opponents only mildly disapprove of it, resulting in the project being approved even though its costs exceed its benefits.

Question 15

Special interest groups are subsets of __________ that hold (usually)intense preferences for or against a particular government service,activity,or policy.

Accepted Answer

Special interest groups represent a small subset of the general population that is particularly passionate about a specific issue. While bureaucrats, elected officials, and candidates for political office may also have opinions on the issue, they are not necessarily subsets of the general population and may have other motives or responsibilities that influence their positions.

Question 16

According to public choice theory,low voter turnouts are the result of voters

Accepted Answer

According to public choice theory, voters are rational and weigh the costs and benefits of voting before deciding whether to participate in an election. Therefore, the low voter turnout can be attributed to voters calculating their costs and benefits of voting, rather than being apathetic, uninformed, lazy, or disliking the candidates.

Question 17

If it is assumed that people vote for the candidate who comes closer to matching their own views,then

Accepted Answer

This assumption suggests that candidates will adjust their positions to align more closely with the majority of voters' views to gain more support, especially if they are behind in polls. This strategy is aimed at attracting undecided voters or those whose views are not strongly aligned with the leading candidate.

Question 18

The process whereby votes are exchanged to gain support for legislation is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Logrolling is the practice of exchanging political favors, such as voting for each other's proposed legislation, in order to gain support and get bills passed. This is a common practice in legislative bodies, particularly in the United States Congress. Rational ignorance refers to the idea that voters may choose not to become informed about political issues because the cost (time, effort) of becoming informed outweighs the potential benefit of their individual vote. Simple majority voting refers to the practice of a decision being made by a majority of votes cast, while special interest voting implies the prioritization of specific interests over the general good.

Question 19

Rational ignorance refers to voter-citizens choosing to be uninformed about politics and government on an individual basis because

Accepted Answer

Rational ignorance occurs when individuals believe that the benefits of becoming informed about politics and government are less than the costs. This can include the time, effort, and potentially emotional energy required to become informed. It is not necessarily a result of apathy, ignorance, or laziness.

Question 20

The simple majority decision rule may generate results that are

Accepted Answer

The answer of The simple majority decision rule may generate...

Quiz 19: Debates in Macroeconomics Over the Role and Effects of Government