Question 1

Suppose that friends Jennifer,Stephanie,and Megan cannot agree on how much to spend for a bouquet of flowers to send to a person that allowed them to use their beach house for the weekend.Jennifer wants to buy a moderately priced bouquet,Stephanie wants to buy an expensive bouquet,and Megan wants to buy a very expensive bouquet.Assuming no paradox of voting,majority voting will result in the decision to buy:

Accepted Answer

Since there is no indication that any of the friends are strongly opposed to buying an expensive bouquet, the most logical choice is to go with Stephanie's preference for an expensive bouquet, which is the option that receives the most votes.

Question 2

Suppose that Steve and Susie each perceives $200 of marginal benefit from a proposed new park,whereas Elizabeth perceives $800.If the proposed tax levied on each for the park would be $300,a majority vote will:

Accepted Answer

Since the perceived marginal benefit of the proposed park is less than the tax levied on each person, the majority vote will likely defeat the project. This means that resources will be underallocated to the park, as it will not be built even though it would provide a positive net benefit to society. This is the case because the cost of the project (the tax) exceeds the perceived marginal benefit of the individual citizens.

Question 3

The median-voter model implies that:

Accepted Answer

The median-voter model suggests that political outcomes will reflect the preferences of the median voter, which can lead to dissatisfaction among those whose preferences differ significantly from the median. This is because the size and role of government as determined by majority voting may not align with the preferences of all individuals, leading to a situation where many people may feel that the government is either too large or too small.

Question 4

The median-voter model implies that a political office seeker will:

Accepted Answer

The median-voter model suggests that during primaries, candidates may adopt more extreme positions to appeal to their party's base. However, in general elections, they tend to moderate their views to attract the median voter, who is typically more centrist. This is because party members who vote in primaries often have more extreme views than the general population.

Question 5

Answer the question on the basis of this table showing the marginal benefit that a particular public project will provide to each of the three members of a community.No vote trading is allowed. $$\begin{array} { c c c } 
\text { Voter } & & \text { Marginal Benefit } \
\hline
\text { Xavier } & & \$ 500 \
\text { Yoho } & & 200 \
\text { Zest } & & 2,000
\end{array}$$ If the tax cost of this proposed project is $600 per person,a majority vote will:

Accepted Answer

The marginal benefit to the community is $2,700 ($500 + $200 + $2,000), while the tax cost is $1,800 ($600 x 3). Since the marginal benefit exceeds the tax cost, the project should be passed. However, a majority vote will defeat the project because Xavier and Yoho will vote against it, even though it would benefit the community as a whole.

Question 6

According to the paradox of voting:

Accepted Answer

The paradox of voting states that majority voting often fails to make consistent choices that reflect the community's underlying preferences. This means that D is the correct answer. A, B, and C may be related to collective decision making but do not directly relate to the paradox of voting.

Question 7

A situation in which society may not be able to rank its preferences consistently through paired-choice majority voting refers to:

Accepted Answer

The paradox of voting refers to a situation where society may not be able to rank its preferences consistently through paired-choice majority voting. This happens when three or more options are presented, and none of them can win a majority, but each option can win a majority when paired against another option. This creates inconsistency in ranking preferences through majority voting.

Question 8

Answer the question on the basis of the following table that shows the total costs and total benefits facing a city of five different potential baseball stadiums of increasing size.All figures are in millions of dollars. $\begin{array}{l}
\begin{array}{ccc}
\underline{\text { Stadium }}&\underline{\text { Total Cost }}&\underline{\text { Total Benefit }}\
\text { A } & \$ 80 & \$ 140 \
\text { B } & 100 & 200 \
\text { C } & 130 & 250 \
\text { D } & 165 & 290 \
\text { E } & 220 & 300
\end{array}
\end{array}$ Refer to the table.The marginal cost and marginal benefit of stadium B (relative to A)are:

Accepted Answer

The marginal cost of stadium B (relative to A) can be calculated by subtracting the total cost of stadium A from the total cost of stadium B, which is $120 million - $100 million = $20 million. 
The marginal benefit of stadium B (relative to A) can be calculated by subtracting the total benefit of stadium A from the total benefit of stadium B, which is $260 million - $200 million = $60 million. 
Therefore, the best choice would be to choose stadium B since the marginal benefit of adding stadium B is greater than the marginal cost of adding stadium B.

Question 9

"Pork-barrel" legislation that contains funding for hundreds of earmarks throughout numerous states often reflects:

Accepted Answer

Pork-barrel legislation containing funding for many earmarks reflects logrolling, which is when legislators trade support for each other's projects in order to secure all of them being passed. The term "pork-barrel" derives from the practice of providing food for pigs in preparation for a feast, and it is used to describe projects or funding that benefit a politician's home district or state. Earmarks refer to specific allocations of federal funding for specific projects or programs, often requested by individual members of Congress. The use of pork-barrel legislation and earmarks can be controversial because it can lead to wasteful and unnecessary spending, but it is also seen as a way for legislators to bring benefits to their constituents.

Question 10

Answer the question on the basis of this table showing the marginal benefit that a particular public project will provide to each of the three members of a community.No vote trading is allowed. $$\begin{array} { c c c } 
\text { Voter } & & \text { Marginal Benefit } \
\hline
\text { Xavier } & & \$ 500 \
\text { Yoho } & & 200 \
\text { Zest } & & 2,000
\end{array}$$ If the tax cost of this proposed project is $300 per person,a majority vote will:

Accepted Answer

The total marginal benefit of the project is $2,700, which is greater than the total tax cost of $900 (300 * 3). However, if the project is passed, each voter will have to pay $300 in taxes, but only receive marginal benefits of $500, $200, and $2,000 respectively. This means that resources will be allocated to the project, but they will be underallocated because the tax cost is greater than the marginal benefit for two out of three voters. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Question 11

Suppose three roommates cannot agree on the size of a pizza to order.Domino argues for a medium pizza,Godfather contends a large pizza will be needed,and Little Caesar wants a super-large pizza.Assuming no paradox of voting,majority voting will result in a decision to order:

Accepted Answer

Since there are three roommates and only three options, majority voting guarantees that one option will receive more than one vote. The option with the most votes will be chosen. Hence, if Domino and Little Caesar both vote for a medium pizza and Godfather votes for a large pizza, the large pizza will be ordered since it has two votes. If Domino and Godfather both vote for a large pizza and Little Caesar votes for a super-large pizza, the large pizza will be ordered since it has two votes. If all three roommates vote for different sizes, the large pizza will still be ordered since it has the most votes. Therefore, the best choice is to order a large pizza.

Question 12

Some people argue that the three main television networks all have similar programming.If true,this observation might best be explained by the:

Accepted Answer

The median-voter model states that in a two-party competition, both parties will try to adopt similar policies to appeal to the median voter. In the case of the three main television networks, they are all competing for viewership and therefore may attempt to appeal to the median viewer by having similar programming.

Question 13

Answer the question on the basis of this table showing the marginal benefit a particular public project will provide to each of the three members of a community.No vote trading is allowed. $$\begin{array} { c c c } 
\text { Voter } & & \text { Marginal Benefit } \
\hline
\text { Xavier } & & \$ 800 \
\text { Yoho } & & 800 \
\text { Zest } & & 100
\end{array}$$ If the tax cost of this proposed project is $600 per person,a majority vote will:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Answer the question on the basis of...

Question 14

Suppose that Katie and Kelly each expects to receive $500 worth of marginal benefits from a proposed new recreation center,whereas Kerry expects to receive only $100 worth.If the proposed tax levied on each for the center would be $400,a majority vote will:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that Katie and Kelly each expects...

Question 15

The trading of votes by elected officials to secure favorable outcomes is called:

Accepted Answer

Logrolling refers to the practice of exchanging votes among elected officials in order to secure favorable outcomes. This can involve trading support for one bill or issue in exchange for support for another, or simply working together to ensure the passage of a piece of legislation. This practice is sometimes criticized as being unethical or undemocratic, as it can lead to the prioritization of political deals over the needs and preferences of constituents.

Question 16

The political technique called logrolling:

Accepted Answer

Logrolling is a political technique in which two or more legislators trade votes to secure favorable outcomes that otherwise could be rejected. It is a way for legislators to exchange favors and secure the passage of legislation that benefits their respective constituencies, even if they wouldn't be able to pass it on their own. However, while logrolling can be effective in getting legislation passed, it can also lead to inefficient outcomes if the legislation is not in the best interest of the public, as legislators may prioritize their individual interests over the interests of their constituents.

Question 17

Suppose a college economics department decides to use a single economics text for all sections of principles of economics.Also assume that the three individual members of the textbook selection committee have the following preferences. $\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{c}
\
\underline{\text { Professor}}\
\text {Adams}\
\text {Bennett}\
\text {Clay}
\end{array}
\begin{array}{lll}
\
\underline{\text {Ideal Textbook}}\
\text {C/F}\
\text {M / B} \
\text {O/S}
\end{array}
\begin{array}{c}
\text { Analytical Level of}\
\underline{\text { the Textbook}}\
\text { Very Difficult}\
\text { Moderately Difficult}\
\text { Relatively Easy} 
\end{array}

\end{array}$
 Assuming all other textbook qualities except analytical level are the same,paired-choice majority voting will result in the committee:

Accepted Answer

Using paired-choice majority voting, it can be seen that the M/B book is preferred over the O/S book by a 2-1 margin, and the C/F book is preferred over the M/B book by a 2-1 margin. Therefore, the committee will select the C/F book as the preferred choice.

Question 18

The principle that under some circumstances majority voting fails to make consistent choices reflecting the community's underlying preference is best demonstrated by the:

Accepted Answer

The paradox of voting refers to situations where the outcome of a majority vote fails to reflect the individual preferences of the voters. This can happen when there are three or more alternatives and no alternative is the clear favorite. In such cases, a majority vote can result in an outcome that is less preferred by the majority than other alternatives.

Question 19

Suppose that in a series of paired-choice votes a new park is preferred to a new recreation center and a new recreation center is preferred to street widening.Also suppose that street widening is preferred to a new park.This set of votes is an example of the:

Accepted Answer

This set of votes is an example of the paradox of voting, also known as Condorcet's Paradox, which occurs when collective preferences are cyclic (i.e., A is preferred to B, B is preferred to C, and C is preferred to A) despite the individual preferences being rational. This situation demonstrates that a group's preferences can be inconsistent, leading to no clear winner based on majority rule.

Question 20

Senator A agrees to vote for Senator K's state project in exchange for Senator K voting for Senator A's state project.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This situation is an example of logrolling, which is a practice in politics where two or more legislators agree to support each other's proposed laws or projects. It often involves compromising on one's principles or beliefs in exchange for gaining support for a favored initiative.

Quiz 5: Governments Role and Government Failure