Question 1

A greater focus on collective equality is associated with:
A)a smaller state.
B)greater government control of private economic assets.
C)political violence.
D)civic responsibility.
E)political parties.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A greater focus on collective equality is...

Question 2

What changes in the world, and in the United States' place within it, helped give rise to modernization theory and behavioralism in comparative politics? How do the two approaches differ from each other, and how are they similar?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What changes in the world, and in...

Question 3

Should comparative politics simply describe and explain politics around the world, or should it seek solutions to political problems? What might be some of the benefits or dangers of the latter approach?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Should comparative politics simply describe and explain...

Question 4

The substance of politics is inevitably bound up in the struggle between:
A)individual freedom and collective equality.
B)individual rights and collective responsibilities.
C)equality of opportunities and equality of outcomes.
D)liberty versus security.
E)revolutionary versus evolutionary change.

Accepted Answer

The struggle between individual freedom and collective equality is a fundamental tension in politics, as it involves balancing personal liberties with the needs and rights of the community.

Question 5

In which of the following ways did behavioralism differ from modernization theory?
A)It was more of a method than a general hypothesis.
B)It was more in touch with real-world concerns than theory.
C)It put less of an emphasis on empirical research.
D)It demonstrated a more narrow geographic range of interest.
E)It put greater emphasis on the evolution of political institutions.

Accepted Answer

Behavioralism differed from modernization theory primarily in that it was more of a method focused on empirical research and the scientific study of political behavior, rather than a broad hypothesis about societal development.

Question 6

A greater focus on individual freedom is most likely to require:
A)a smaller state.
B)a larger state.
C)political violence.
D)civic responsibility.
E)political parties.

Accepted Answer

A smaller state would have a more limited role in regulating individual behavior and would allow individuals greater freedom to make choices for themselves. A larger state would likely have more regulations and restrictions, limiting individual freedom.

Question 7

Why has it been so difficult to create a science of comparative politics? Is it simply because this area of study is relatively new, or are there fundamental obstacles that will always limit what we can know?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why has it been so difficult to...

Question 8

In which of the following ways can multicausality affect comparative politics research?
A)It reduces limits to information and information-gathering procedures.
B)It allows comparative politics researchers to make more accurate predictions about real-world phenomena.
C)It helps provide a wider number of cases for researchers to study.
D)It encourages research to lean more toward the quantitative method.
E)It complicates the comparative method and makes it more difficult to develop concrete explanations about real-world phenomena.

Accepted Answer

Multicausality refers to the presence of multiple causes for a particular phenomenon, making it difficult to isolate and identify the specific factors that are responsible. This can complicate comparative politics research by making it harder to develop clear and concrete explanations about real-world phenomena. It can also make it more challenging to establish causal relationships between variables, which can limit the ability of researchers to make accurate predictions or draw meaningful conclusions.

Question 9

In which of the following ways does quantitative research differ from qualitative research?
A)Its variables tend to be less rigorously defined.
B)It is more likely to be reduced in utility by multicausality.
C)It is more likely to use inductive reasoning.
D)It favors a wider use of cases not restricted by area specialization.
E)It is more likely to have a specific geographic focus.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative research often involves statistical analysis and seeks to generalize findings across broader contexts, thus favoring a wider use of cases not restricted by area specialization.

Question 10

Describe the debate about whether or not qualitative or quantitative methodology is better for studying comparative politics.How has this evolved over time? How does a mixed-methods approach fit into this debate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the debate about whether or not...

Question 11

To a comparativist, which would be of more value: discovery of a correlation or discovery of a causal relationship? Why?
A)correlation, because it demonstrates more empirically that two variables are interrelated
B)causal relationship, because it describes a more concrete, specific relationship between two variables
C)correlation, because it is more valuable for quantitative research findings
D)causal relationship, because it is more valuable for qualitative research findings
E)neither, as both terms describe essentially the same relationship between two variables

Accepted Answer

A causal relationship is more valuable to a comparativist because it describes a specific relationship between two variables, rather than just a correlation or association. This helps the comparativist to better understand the underlying causes of differences or similarities between cases, which is the main goal of comparative research. Correlations may be useful for identifying patterns and generating hypotheses, but they do not provide the same level of explanatory power as causal relationships.

Question 12

How strongly is democracy institutionalized in your country? Has its level of institutionalization changed over time, and how difficult would it be to de-institutionalize democracy? What formal structures support its institutionalization?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How strongly is democracy institutionalized in your...

Question 13

Which of the following forms of research or data would more likely be used by a quantitative research study than by a qualitative research study?
A)economic data
B)interview data
C)observational research
D)archival data
E)documentary research

Accepted Answer

Quantitative research often involves numerical data, such as economic data, which can be statistically analyzed.

Question 14

Which of the following is true of the concept of political institutions?
A)Strong institutions generate good norms and values; weak institutions generate negative or destructive ones.
B)Baseball and soccer are considered to be national institutions in the United States.
C)U.S.democracy is an institution in both the formal and informal sense.
D)Most countries lack common formal political institutions.
E)When taxation is "institutionalized," tax evasion often increases as a result.

Accepted Answer

U.S. democracy is an example of a political institution in both the formal sense (governance structures and legal frameworks) and the informal sense (political culture and norms of behavior). Option A presents an oversimplified and unsupported generalization. Option B is incorrect because sports are not political institutions. Option D is incorrect because most countries have some form of formal political institutions. Option E may be true in some cases, but it is not a characteristic of political institutions in general.

Question 15

Which of the following is true of the work of most comparativists?
A)They try to choose countries with radically different political systems in order to maximize variability in cases.
B)They seek to study countries for which the least amount of established research has been accomplished.
C)When they expand study outside of a single country, they tend to limit their focus to a single geographic region.
D)They tend to limit their focus to a single level of economic development.
E)They exhibit bias toward regions with rapidly expanding influence in the world, like east Asia.

Accepted Answer

Comparativists often focus on a single geographic region when expanding their study beyond a single country. This approach allows for a more in-depth understanding of the political, social, and economic dynamics within that region, facilitating comparisons between countries that share certain geographical, cultural, or historical characteristics.

Quiz 1: Introduction

A greater focus on collective equality is associated with:

What changes in the world, and in the United States' place within it, helped give rise to modernization theory and behavioralism in comparative politics? How do the two approaches differ from each other, and how are they similar?

Should comparative politics simply describe and explain politics around the world, or should it seek solutions to political problems? What might be some of the benefits or dangers of the latter approach?

The substance of politics is inevitably bound up in the struggle between:

In which of the following ways did behavioralism differ from modernization theory?

A greater focus on individual freedom is most likely to require:

Why has it been so difficult to create a science of comparative politics? Is it simply because this area of study is relatively new, or are there fundamental obstacles that will always limit what we can know?

In which of the following ways can multicausality affect comparative politics research?

In which of the following ways does quantitative research differ from qualitative research?

Describe the debate about whether or not qualitative or quantitative methodology is better for studying comparative politics.How has this evolved over time? How does a mixed-methods approach fit into this debate?

To a comparativist, which would be of more value: discovery of a correlation or discovery of a causal relationship? Why?

How strongly is democracy institutionalized in your country? Has its level of institutionalization changed over time, and how difficult would it be to de-institutionalize democracy? What formal structures support its institutionalization?

Which of the following forms of research or data would more likely be used by a quantitative research study than by a qualitative research study?

Which of the following is true of the concept of political institutions?

Which of the following is true of the work of most comparativists?