Deck 7: Developed Democracies

Question 1

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

A)top tier.
B)peripheral.
C)first world.
D)nonaligned.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

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

Answer 3

C

Question 4

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)the nature of postmodern values;public policy toward immigration

Question 5

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)integration.
B)devolution.
C)peripheralism.
D)decentralization.

Question 6

One recent setback for European Union integration was

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

Question 7

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)integration.
C)imperialism.
D)devolution.

Question 8

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)Industrial production constitutes a relatively large proportion of a developed democracy's GDP.
C)A relatively small agricultural sector is common among developed democracies.
D)Large service sectors and very small welfare states characterize developed democracies.

Question 9

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

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

Question 10

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

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

Question 11

The European Union was created as a response to the

A)destruction caused by World War I.
B)destruction caused by World War II.
C)failure of the League of Nations.
D)end of the Cold War.

Question 12

Which of the following statements 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)The EU,after decades of integration,has begun to reverse course and devolve some important policy powers back to the member states.
D)Member opposition to relinquishing sovereignty has kept the EU's level of integration largely stagnant since the 1980s.

Question 13

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

A)quasi-national.
B)supranational.
C)subnational.
D)imperial.

Question 14

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

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

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

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

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

Question 17

Which country's future membership is currently a major source of contention in the European Union?

A)Russia
B)Turkey
C)the United States
D)Greece

Question 18

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-specific designations.
B)It focuses on economic status,which is the best way to summarize a state's character.
C)It incorporates the Human Development Index into categorization.
D)It allows for the possibility that a country might transform and take on a new designation.

Question 19

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

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

Question 20

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

A)Security Council
B)European Assembly
C)European Parliament
D)European Council of Ministers

Question 21

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

A)an aging population and homogeneity that threatens the welfare state
B)devolution that has reduced national sovereignty
C)regional integration that has reduced national sovereignty
D)a focus on individual freedom that has resulted in much reduced collective equality

Question 22

What is devolution,and what are the benefits or dangers of such a policy? Provide at least one real-world example of devolution.

Question 23

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

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

Question 24

Which of the following statements about the demographic challenges in the United States,Germany,and Japan is accurate?

A)Japan has been more proactive in seeking policy solutions to its demographic dilemma.
B)Fertility rates are lower in the United States compared to Japan and Germany.
C)In the United States,lower birthrates and an aging population are being offset by immigration.
D)Germany is one of the few developed democracies where immigration has decreased over the last decade.

Question 25

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)Australia
C)Canada
D)France

Question 26

Postindustrialism is most likely to threaten the economic security of

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

Question 27

An economy based primarily on the service sector is known as

A)postcapitalist.
B)postindustrial.
C)precapitalist.
D)postsocialist.

Question 28

Skepticism toward technological innovation characterizes views.

A)modern
B)quasi-modern
C)postmodern
D)religious

Question 29

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

A)immigration
B)technophobia
C)pacifism
D)the Internet

Question 30

What explains Mexican immigration to the United States even though Mexico has seen significant advances in democracy and economic growth in the last two decades?

A)growing violence from the drug trade
B)fears that more stringent immigration laws will soon limit migration
C)poor farmers from the south losing jobs due to cheaper agricultural imports from the United States
D)continued engagement in protectionism and corruption,stifling economic innovation

Question 31

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

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

Question 32

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 33

What is integration and what are the benefits or dangers of such a policy? Provide at least one real-world example of integration.

Question 34

The viability of the welfare state is most challenged by

A)the growth of the service sector.
B)the growth of postmodern values.
C)increasingly young populations.
D)increasingly old populations.

Question 35

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

Question 36

Which of the following statements 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)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.

Question 37

How should developed democracies address the problem of maintaining social expenditures as their populations grow older? Should benefits be reduced? Should immigration be increased?