Deck 8: Developed Democracies

Question 1

Which of the following is currently a major source of contention in the European Union?

A)future membership for Russia
B)future membership for the United States
C)future membership for Turkey
D)future membership for the United Kingdom
E)future membership for Greece

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is a core component of the European Union?

A)the Security Council
B)the European Council of Ministers
C)the European Parliament
D)the Group of Eight
E)the European Assembly

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Many suggest that developed democracies are undergoing significant social, political, and economic changes, becoming:

A)postmodern.
B)postrational.
C)postbureaucratic.
D)posthierarchical.
E)posthuman.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following statements about developed democracies is accurate?

A)Widely varying HDI rankings are found among those countries considered to be developed democracies.
B)A relatively small agricultural sector is common among developed democracies.
C)Industrial production constitutes a relatively large proportion of a developed democracy's GDP.
D)Developed democracies typically exhibit low institutionalization of competition.
E)Large service sectors and very small welfare states characterize developed democracies.

Question 5

Which of the following best characterizes the role of freedom across developed democracies?

A)Developed democracies typically have some restrictions on civil rights but have very expansive civil liberties.
B)There are significant differences in the level of civil rights, but they correlate strongly with the strength of the judiciary.
C)There are significant differences in the definitions and applications of civil rights and liberties.
D)The degree of civil liberties rises with the level of public participation in government.
E)Developed democracies have moved past distinctions between civil rights and liberties.

Question 6

Many now speak of the European Union as a body that has become:

A)quasinational.
B)antinational.
C)supranational.
D)subnational.
E)imperial.

Question 7

The two processes currently bringing the most profound change to the developed democracies are:

A)devolution and integration.
B)fragmentation and devolution.
C)autonomy and postrationalism.
D)integration and autonomy.
E)capacity and authority.

Question 8

According to your text, postmodern values tend to emphasize which of the following?

A)patriotism
B)nationalism
C)material wealth
D)quality of life
E)authority

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the nature of integration as it has developed in the European Union?

A)It grew to its present state through a series of incremental agreements negotiated over several decades, including as recently as the 2000s.
B)It largely came into being with a transfer of power resulting from the supranational "constitution moment" of the 1950s.
C)Current EU structure has now reached the level of an "intergovernmental" system like the United Nations.
D)Member opposition to relinquishing sovereignty has kept the EU's level of integration largely stagnant since the 1980s.
E)The EU, after decades of integration, has begun to reverse course and devolve some important policy powers back to the member states.

Question 10

Developed democracies are characterized by rational and secular institutions, part of what makes them:

A)egalitarian.
B)hierarchical.
C)modern.
D)bureaucratic.
E)progressive.

Question 11

During the Cold War, the developed democracies were commonly referred to by scholars as the:

A)top tier.
B)peak nations.
C)upper rank.
D)first world.
E)nonaligned.

Question 12

In terms of political structure and public participation, in which of the following ways are the United States and France similar?

A)They employ semi-presidential systems.
B)They combine proportional representation and single-member districts.
C)They employ referenda and initiatives only at the local level.
D)They rely on some form of single-member-district plurality or majority to elect their legislatures.
E)They both lack the presence of a prime minister.

Question 13

The European Union was created as a response to the:

A)destruction caused by World War II.
B)destruction caused by World War I.
C)failure of the League of Nations.
D)rise of Japan as an economic superpower.
E)end of the Cold War.

Question 14

The process by which powers are sent down to local levels of government is known as:

A)decentralization.
B)devolution.
C)integration.
D)peripheralism.
E)designation.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best-known example of the process of integration?

A)the creation of the United States of America
B)the formation of the European Union
C)the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
D)the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
E)the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States

Question 16

Germany, Canada, and the United States are comparable in ________ but very different in ________.

A)the size and nature of the welfare system; the nature of postmodern values
B)their Gini index measure of inequality; public policy toward immigration
C)level of economic development; their Gini index measure of inequality
D)political structure; the level of economic development
E)the nature of postmodern values; public policy toward immigration

Question 17

A small province in a large European country feels that its ethnic and cultural heritage differs substantially from that of the country to which it belongs.The executive petitions the central government to allow the province to gain control over the design and writing of textbooks that are administered in its schools, a power formally held by the central ministry of education.The request is granted.This process would be categorized as:

A)centralization.
B)rationalization.
C)integration.
D)devolution.
E)imperialism.

Question 18

The process by which states pool their sovereignty, surrendering some individual powers in exchange for some political, social, or economic benefits, is known as:

A)decentralization.
B)devolution.
C)integration.
D)peripheralism.
E)absorption.

Question 19

What is the chief advantage that a categorization using "developed," "communist/postcommunist," and "developing" might have over the "three worlds" model?

A)It keeps the focus on the political nature of the government without resorting to Cold War political designations.
B)It focuses on economic status, which is the best way to summarize a state's character.
C)It allows for the possibility that a country might transform and take on a new designation.
D)It acknowledges the importance of environmental change.
E)It incorporates the Human Development Index into categorization.

Question 20

One recent setback for European Union integration was:

A)difficulties with the euro.
B)the public's rejection of membership for Poland and the Baltic states.
C)its brief war with Serbia.
D)the public's rejection of a unified military.
E)the exit of Iceland and Greece.

Question 21

Is devolution a good thing? Should more power be sent down from state to local authorities? What might be the benefits or dangers of such a policy?

Question 22

In which of the following countries is increased multiculturalism most likely to be a source of explosive fear and negative reaction?

A)the United States
B)France
C)Mexico
D)Canada
E)Australia

Question 23

Postindustrialism most threatens the economic security of:

A)the very rich.
B)those living in rural areas.
C)workers in the service industries.
D)the less educated.
E)women.

Question 24

Which of the following statements about European Union expansion in recent decades is accurate?

A)Turkey has begun negotiations to become a future member, though if accepted it would be one of the smaller and poorer states.
B)Expansion has resulted in a population shift to the north and east.
C)Expansion has been accompanied by immigration westward and company relocation eastward.
D)Most new members are able to add significant wealth that props up the welfare systems of original members.
E)The collapse of communism brought a halt to almost two decades of European expansion.

Question 25

Japan provides a uniquely extreme example of which of the following issues in the transition of developed democracies?

A)a focus on individual freedom that has resulted in much reduced collective equality
B)rapidly increasing immigration that has reduced public support for welfare benefits
C)regional integration that has reduced national sovereignty
D)population aging and homogeneity that threatens the welfare state
E)devolution that has reduced national sovereignty

Question 26

Which of the following describes a likely characteristic of postindustrial societies?

A)a more rigid hierarchy in private firms
B)more devolution of economic power
C)a growing agricultural sector
D)improved ability to prevent economic downturns
E)a major proportion of the economy devoted to manufacture of tech equipment like computers

Question 27

What is the problem with using the first, second, and third world designations to classify the countries of the world? When applying the terms "developed democracies," "communist and postcommunist countries," and "developing countries," what measures can be employed to determine which countries are "developed"?

Question 28

Which of the following seems to have undercut the expansion of postmodern values, particularly in Western Europe?

A)immigration
B)global warming
C)technophobia
D)pacifism
E)the Internet

Question 29

The viability of the welfare state is most challenged by:

A)increasingly young populations.
B)increasingly old populations.
C)economic unions and state integration.
D)the growth of the service sector.
E)the growth of postmodern values.

Question 30

Which is the better approach to dealing with immigration: multiculturalism or assimilation? What are the benefits of and drawbacks to each?

Question 31

An economy based primarily on the service sector is known as:

A)postindustrial.
B)postcapitalist.
C)socialist.
D)precapitalist.
E)mercantilist.

Question 32

Skepticism toward technological innovation characterizes ________ views.

A)modern
B)postmodern
C)authoritarian
D)quasimodern
E)religious

Question 33

How should we address the problem of maintaining our social expenditures as our population grows older? Should benefits be reduced? Should immigration be increased?

Question 34

Describe how devolution and integration have become the greatest forces of change in developed democracies.Give a real-world example of each process.

Question 35

Which of the following describes a major contradiction faced by developed democracies in their attempts to maintain the welfare state?

A)The problem could be mitigated by accepting more immigrants, but that creates a new problem because citizens are largely unwilling to extend benefits to immigrants.
B)One possible solution is to cut back on benefits, but benefits have already decreased as revenues have shrunk, and yet the problem has not diminished.
C)Expanding the labor market through measures like increased retirement age is a potential solution, but so far advanced democracies have only proved to be willing to shrink the labor market.
D)Increased immigration and later retirement could be combined to mitigate the problem, but states are unable to regulate the retirement age of immigrants into the labor market.
E)A shift back to industrial labor would provide more concrete employment and benefits for many, but such a move would reduce the overall revenue of the state.