Question 1

Primordial cultural arguments regarding democracy state that any culture could be compatible with democratic institutions.

Accepted Answer

Primordial cultural arguments suggest that certain cultures may be more conducive to democratic values and institutions than others. It is important to be mindful of cultural differences and adapt democratic institutions accordingly in order for them to be effective in diverse societies.

Question 2

One of the problems with the early forms of arguments about the cultural determinants of democracy is that they did not clearly specify what aspect of culture actually mattered for democracy to emerge or survive. Thus, their claims were not always presented in a falsifiable manner.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately reflects a limitation of early discussions about cultural determinants of democracy.

Question 3

In the 1960s, a new group of scholars began studying the link between culture and democracy. Specifically, Almond and Verba used surveys to get information about how individuals in different countries felt about political institutions, actors, and processes. They claimed that the type of culture that is most compatible with democracy is
A) parochial culture.
B) subject culture.
C) participant culture.
D) American culture.

Accepted Answer

Almond and Verba argued that participant culture, where individuals have high levels of political knowledge and active participation in politics, is most compatible with democracy. Parochial culture, where individuals have little political knowledge or interest, and subject culture, where individuals have political knowledge but do not engage in political behavior, were seen as less compatible with democracy. American culture was not specifically mentioned as being more or less compatible with democracy.

Question 4

Almond and Verba studied political culture through the use of what?
A) case studies
B) statistics
C) surveys
D) experiments.
E) formal models

Accepted Answer

Almond and Verba used surveys to study political culture.

Question 5

In his books, Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam highlights the importance of what factor when explaining why some democracies perform better than others?
A) wealth
B) religion
C) social capital
D) institutions

Accepted Answer

Putnam argues that social capital, or the level of trust, cooperation, and networks among citizens, is a key factor in explaining why some democracies are more successful than others. He argues that countries with high levels of social capital tend to have more effective institutions, higher levels of civic engagement, lower levels of corruption, and better economic outcomes.

Question 6

In Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam highlights the importance of social capital when explaining why some democracies perform better than others. His argument supports the results of the experiments discussed in Chapter 7 that suggest that if we assume that democratic institutions tend to require a particular type of behavior, then individuals in societies whose interactions already require this behavior in everyday interactions will find it easier to adopt and support democracy.

Accepted Answer

Putnam's argument about social capital and its relation to democratic performance aligns with the idea that democratic institutions require certain behaviors from individuals, and that societies with strong social connections and civic engagement are better equipped to adopt and support democracy.

Question 7

Which of the following causal relationships have political scientists posited as existing between civic culture and democracy?
A) Civic culture causes the emergence of democracy.
B) Democracy causes the emergence of a civic culture.
C) Some argue that civic culture causes the emergence of democracy, but others argue that democracy causes the emergence of a civic culture.

Accepted Answer

There is considerable debate among political scientists regarding the causal relationship between civic culture and democracy. Some argue that a strong civic culture, characterized by values such as trust, tolerance, and participation, is a necessary condition for the emergence and stable functioning of democracy. Others assert that democracy is a precondition for the development of a civic culture, as it provides the space for citizens to engage in political activity and learn democratic values and practices. Still, others argue that the relationship is reciprocal, with civic culture and democracy reinforcing each other in a virtuous cycle of participation and trust. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 8

Which of the following have been considered to be a part of civic culture?
A) belief that individuals can influence political decisions
B) high support for the existing political system
C) high levels of interpersonal trust
D) preference for gradual societal change
E) high levels of life satisfaction
F) all of these

Accepted Answer

All of these factors have been considered to be a part of civic culture - the belief that individuals can influence political decisions, high support for the existing political system, high levels of interpersonal trust, preference for gradual societal change, and high levels of life satisfaction. These factors can contribute to a healthy and engaged citizenry that is involved in the political process and invested in the well-being of their community.

Question 9

The ______ story suggests that economic development produces cultural change that leads to democratization, while the _________ story economic development leads to democratization, which, in turn, leads to cultural change.
A) institutions; values
B) values; institutions
C) direct; indirect
D) indirect; direct

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is "values; institutions" because the first part of the statement describes a process where economic development initiates cultural change, which then fosters democratization, aligning with the values-led perspective. The second part suggests that economic development directly causes democratization, which subsequently results in cultural change, fitting the institutions-led narrative.

Question 10

If we found evidence that economic development influences democracy through culture, it would be consistent with which modernization story?
A) values
B) institutional
C) direct
D) indirect

Accepted Answer

The "values" modernization story posits that economic development influences democracy through cultural changes, such as shifts in values and attitudes towards democracy and individualism. Therefore, evidence supporting this relationship would be consistent with the values modernization story.

Question 11

If we found evidence that economic development produces democratization, which then influences cultural change, it would be consistent with which modernization story?
A) values
B) institutional
C) direct
D) indirect

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we found evidence that economic development...

Question 12

If the effects of economic development on democracy disappear entirely once we control for, or take account of, cultural values, then we say that the relationship is ______ by cultural values.
A) dominated completely
B) overlapped partially
C) completely mediated
D) partially mediated

Accepted Answer

If the effects of economic development on democracy disappear entirely once cultural values are taken into account, then we conclude that the relationship is completely mediated by cultural values. Option A (dominated completely) implies that cultural values have some effect on the relationship, whereas option B (overlapped partially) suggests that there may be some overlap or interaction between the effects of economic development and cultural values. Option D (partially mediated) suggests that cultural values only partially mediate the relationship, which is not the case if the effects of economic development disappear entirely.

Question 13

According to the institutional story of modernization, cultural values are a consequence, not a cause, of democracy.

Accepted Answer

According to the institutional story of modernization, economic and political development are seen as the primary drivers of cultural change, including the spread of democratic values. Cultural values are seen as adapting to these changes rather than causing them.

Question 14

Which of the following factors might limit the usefulness of surveys for drawing inferences about democratic stability?
A) Respondents in different countries are likely to understand the survey questions in very different ways, thus rendering their responses difficult to compare.
B) A country's experience with democracy might lead respondents to focus on different aspects of democracy.
C) Both factors are likely to limit the usefulness of surveys.

Accepted Answer

Both factors (respondent interpretation and varied focus on aspects of democracy) can make it difficult to draw accurate conclusions about democratic stability based on survey responses, so both options are likely to limit the usefulness of the surveys.

Question 15

Consider the following hypothesis: "Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy than non-Islamic countries do." What evidence would falsify it?
A) Islamic countries having a higher level of democracy
B) Islamic countries having a lower level of democracy
C) wealthy countries having a lower level of democracy
D) oil reliant countries having a higher level of democracy

Accepted Answer

If Islamic countries were found to have a higher level of democracy than non-Islamic countries, it would falsify the hypothesis that Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy.

Question 16

In a recent article published in World Politics, "Islam and Authoritarianism," M. Steven Fish hypothesizes that Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy than non-Islamic countries do. What is the dependent variable in this hypothesis?
A) whether a country is predominantly Muslim or not
B) a country's level of democracy

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this hypothesis is a country's level of democracy. It is the variable that is being predicted or explained by the independent variable of whether a country is predominantly Muslim or not. The hypothesis suggests that Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy, making a country's level of democracy the dependent variable in this case.

Question 17

In Table 7.2 in Chapter 7, examine the coefficients on the independent variable "Muslim majority" from Models 1 and 2. Which of the following statements best describes the results?
A) Having a Muslim majority is always statistically significant and makes a country less likely to become democratic.
B) Having a Muslim majority has a significant effect only in Model 1.
C) Having a Muslim majority has no effect (the effect is not statistically significant) once the levels of wealth and economic growth are taken into account in Model 2.
D) Both (B) and (C) above are accurate descriptions of the results in Table 7.2.

Accepted Answer

The correct answers indicate that the effect of having a Muslim majority on a country's likelihood of becoming democratic is significant only in the first model. Once additional variables such as wealth and economic growth are considered in the second model, this effect becomes statistically insignificant, which is accurately described by both options B and C.

Question 18

When individuals in a variety of different types of societies were asked to take part in experiments in which they played the Ultimatum and Dictator Games, researchers found a surprising amount of variation in the types of offers that were made and accepted or rejected. Most of the variation could be explained by
A) gender
B) age
C) wealth
D) education
E) payoffs to cooperation
F) market integration
G) Both (E) and (F)

Accepted Answer

The variation in offers made and accepted or rejected in the Ultimatum and Dictator Games was best explained by payoffs to cooperation and market integration, as individuals in more market-integrated societies were found to be more likely to make and accept fair offers in these games. Additionally, individuals who were more likely to cooperate in group settings were also more likely to make and accept fair offers. Therefore, the best choice is G, which combines both payoffs to cooperation and market integration.

Question 19

The results of the experiments discussed in Chapter 7 suggest that when confronted with new situations, people react based on how they would normally behave in an analogous situation in their everyday lives. This suggests that if we assume that democratic institutions tend to require a particular type of behavior (for instance, a combination of cooperation, competition, and compromise), then individuals in societies whose interactions already require this behavior in everyday interactions will find it easier to adopt and support democracy.

Accepted Answer

The experiments discussed in Chapter 7 suggest that individuals react based on how they would normally behave in their everyday lives when confronted with new situations. This implies that individuals in societies whose interactions already require democratic behavior (such as cooperation, competition, and compromise) will find it easier to adopt and support democratic institutions.

Question 20

Political scientists have claimed that the link between culture and democracy is
Major premise: If Catholicism is incompatible with democracy, then Catholic countries are more likely to be dictatorships than democracies.
Minor premise: Catholic countries today are more likely to be democracies than dictatorships.
Conclusion: Therefore, Catholicism is compatible with democracy.
-What form does this argument take?
A) affirming the antecedent
B) denying the antecedent
C) affirming the consequent
D) denying the consequent

Accepted Answer

This argument takes the form of denying the consequent, which means that it assumes that if A is true, then B must be true. However, since B can also be true for other reasons besides A, it does not necessarily follow that A is true. In this argument, the major premise assumes that if Catholicism is incompatible with democracy, then Catholic countries are more likely to be dictatorships than democracies. The minor premise shows that this is not the case because Catholic countries today are more likely to be democracies than dictatorships. Therefore, the conclusion that Catholicism is compatible with democracy is reached by denying the consequent of the major premise.

Quiz 6: The Cultural Determinants of Democracy and Dictatorship

Primordial cultural arguments regarding democracy state that any culture could be compatible with democratic institutions.

One of the problems with the early forms of arguments about the cultural determinants of democracy is that they did not clearly specify what aspect of culture actually mattered for democracy to emerge or survive. Thus, their claims were not always presented in a falsifiable manner.

Almond and Verba studied political culture through the use of what?

In his books, Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam highlights the importance of what factor when explaining why some democracies perform better than others?

Which of the following causal relationships have political scientists posited as existing between civic culture and democracy?

Which of the following have been considered to be a part of civic culture?

The story suggests that economic development produces cultural change that leads to democratization, while the ___ story economic development leads to democratization, which, in turn, leads to cultural change.

If we found evidence that economic development influences democracy through culture, it would be consistent with which modernization story?

If we found evidence that economic development produces democratization, which then influences cultural change, it would be consistent with which modernization story?

If the effects of economic development on democracy disappear entirely once we control for, or take account of, cultural values, then we say that the relationship is ______ by cultural values.

According to the institutional story of modernization, cultural values are a consequence, not a cause, of democracy.

Which of the following factors might limit the usefulness of surveys for drawing inferences about democratic stability?

Consider the following hypothesis: "Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy than non-Islamic countries do." What evidence would falsify it?

In a recent article published in World Politics, "Islam and Authoritarianism," M. Steven Fish hypothesizes that Islamic countries are likely to have lower levels of democracy than non-Islamic countries do. What is the dependent variable in this hypothesis?

In Table 7.2 in Chapter 7, examine the coefficients on the independent variable "Muslim majority" from Models 1 and 2. Which of the following statements best describes the results?