Deck 4: Theories of International Relations: Economic Structuralism, Constructivism, and Feminism

Question 1

Economics is the driving motivation behind which theory of international relations?

A)Realism
B)Liberalism
C)Economic structuralism
D)Constructivism

Answer 1

C

Question 2

To which of the following does "Socialism" usually refer?

A)To the ownership of important sectors of the economy by the state, such that the benefits go to workers rather than to a few owners
B)To the furthest aspiration of Marxist hopes, in which workers would control production so equitably that the state could fade away altogether.
C)To the equal distribution of political power among men in a given society
D)To the equal distribution of opportunity to all members in a society

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What does economic determinism imply?

A)That money is the root of all evil and an equal society is best for peace
B)That national economic well-being is of secondary importance
C)That political behavior is driven by economic motivations
D)That the pursuit of wealth is the state's primary goal

Answer 3

C

Question 4

How is the world divided according to Marx?

A)According to Marx, the world is divided into the nationalists and the communitarians.
B)According to Marx, the world is divided into nations with opposing interests.
C)According to Marx, the world is divided into military powers and the Third World.
D)According to Marx, the world is divided into classes with opposing economic interests.

Question 5

Economic structuralism is most commonly linked to which of the following?

A)Capitalism
B)Agrarianism
C)Socialism
D)Fascism

Question 6

Which of the following is the fundamental actor in politics according to economic structuralism?

A)Class
B)The state
C)The individual
D)The economy

Question 7

Power plays an important role in realism. In which of the following does wealth play an equally important role?

A)Economic structuralism
B)Constructivism
C)Institutional liberalism
D)Feminism.

Question 8

Which three Latin American countries recently called for or made a move toward "Twenty-first Century Socialism?"

A)Cuba, Mexico, and Chile
B)Brazil, Costa Rica, and Peru
C)Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador
D)Argentina, Chile, and Peru

Question 9

In the United States in 2018, which self-described democratic socialist surprised analysts by defeating a long-term incumbent to win a seat in Congress?

A)Elizabeth Warren
B)Bernie Sanders
C)Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
D)Beto O'Rourke

Question 10

In 2015, as part of a larger European trend, the Greek's voted the Syriza party into office. What did this party, which stands for "Radical Coalition of the Left" vow to do if elected into office?

A)Reduce the influx of migrants from North African countries
B)Establish benefits such as free college education and universal health care
C)Stop the rioting and demonstrations caused by protesting youths
D)Overturn the fiscal austerity measures that had been part of the economic bailout plan

Question 11

What long-held socialist policy has made "a comeback?"

A)State ownership of firms
B)Equalization of incomes
C)Private control of higher education
D)Militarization of society

Question 12

How do classes differ from each?

A)On the amount of political power held by each class
B)On the amount of ownership of capital by each class
C)On the number of people in each class
D)On the mortality rate in each class.

Question 13

What are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat examples of?

A)Social groups
B)Economic classes
C)Government bureaucrats
D)Religious groups

Question 14

When discussing "double evil," what are economic structuralists concerned about?

A)Marxism and socialism
B)Capitalism and free trade
C)The notion that economic inequality often goes hand in hand with political inequality
D)The notion that the richer you are, the smaller effective tax rate you tend to pay

Question 15

What is economic determinism?

A)It is the idea that economics is determined by politics
B)It is the idea that economics drives political behavior and political outcomes
C)The idea that class is more important than wealth in determining whether a person will be successful in life
D)A political determination to lessening social inequality

Question 16

For the first time in almost two decades, which European country elected a Socialist president in 2012?

A)Germany
B)Spain
C)France
D)Norway

Question 17

What event caused the global shift away from state control of the economy some twenty years ago?

A)The rise to power of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher
B)The end of communism in Europe
C)The resurgence of terrorist action against western powers
D)The election of left-leaning leaders in South America

Question 18

Which South American president accused the United States of attempting to "preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation, and pillage of the peoples of the world?"

A)Evo Morales
B)Rafael Correa
C)Hugo Chavez
D)Fidel Castro

Question 19

Which of the following South American countries defaulted on its $93 billion international debt in 2001, but later, after restructuring its economy, did make good on its debts?

A)Ecuador
B)Brazil
C)Venezuela
D)Argentina

Question 20

What does the bourgeoisie refer to?

A)The owners of capital
B)The workers
C)The shopkeepers
D)The middle class

Question 21

A newer version of the economic structuralist theory, which focuses on how the economies of poorer countries are dependent on wealthier states in ways that ensure the gaps are reinforced, is known as which of the following?

A)World system theory
B)Dependency theory
C)Modernization theory
D)Revisionist Marxist theory

Question 22

Which of the following statements lines up with Lenin's beliefs?

A)That the owners of capital and the governments of powerful states are smart enough to recognize that, rather than fighting each other, they are better off collaborating to exploit the weak
B)That powerful states have many reasons to collaborate and can do so
C)That capitalism would lead to war as the great powers expanded their economic power
D)That capitalism would eventually lead to peace through the increased wealth throughout the world

Question 23

According to economic structuralism, which of the following is true?

A)A person has more in common with a person from their same class in their own country than with people of the same class in another country.
B)A person has more in common with a person from another class in their own country than with people of the same class in another country.
C)A person has more in common with a person of the same class in another country than with people of a different class in their own country.
D)A person has more in common with a person from another class in their own country than with people of a different class in another country.

Question 24

According to economic structuralists, what were the Stamp Act and the Navigation Acts examples of?

A)Trade provisions aimed at giving firms in the colonizing country an advantage over those in the colony
B)Investment policies that gave an advantage to businesses in the colonial territories
C)Burdensome economic policies that cost England's treasury dearly and eventually encouraged them to free the American colonies
D)Important trade subsidies that allowed the American colonies' enterprises to grow rapidly

Question 25

Economic structuralists believe that structural power is a concern because it might lead to which of the following scenarios?

A)A conflict between states
B)A rise in the power of developing countries
C)Inequality and injustice
D)The further empowerment of the state

Question 26

According to economic structuralist theory, why do the owners of capital look abroad for investment purposes?

A)In order to exploit additional bourgeois classes
B)Because, as their domestic economies develop, inflation eats away the value of their currency
C)Because opportunities to invest profitably at home have been exhausted
D)In order to make the world a more successful and equitable place

Question 27

What is the role of the state according to economic structuralism?

A)To act as an umpire among the various classes
B)To serve the interests of the capitalist class
C)To develop rules that level the playing field
D)To support the interests of the workers

Question 28

Which of the following do economic structuralists believe about free trade?

A)That it benefits both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
B)That it is necessary to increase a country's wealth
C)That it works well for some countries
D)That it is a way for owners of capital to increase their power over workers

Question 29

A newer version of the economic structuralist theory, which stresses that rather than being divided into countries or into a first, second, and third world, the world consists of a single economy with a single division of labor, such that the wealth of core states is directly connected to the poverty of states in the periphery, is known as which of the following?

A)World system analysis
B)Dependency theory
C)Modernization theory
D)Revisionist Marxist theory

Question 30

From the constructivist perspective, what can be said about realism, liberalism, and economic structuralism?

A)They are fundamentally different from constructivism.
B)They take an essentially similar approach.
C)They are the next steps in the evolution of constructivism.
D)They were important precursors to constructivism.

Question 31

Marx believed that which of the following was used as a method to keep the working class from realizing their true class interest?

A)Colonialism
B)Religion
C)Trade unionism
D)Capitalism

Question 32

Which of the following is true according to economic structuralism?

A)An upper-class person will have more in common with an upper-class person in another country than with a lower-class person in their own country.
B)An upper-class person will have more in common with a lower-class person in their own country than with an upper-class person in another country.
C)International movements of workers based on their common interests have occurred frequently throughout history.
D)A successful transnational alliance of labor unions has occurred as a result of the oppression of the lower classes around the world.

Question 33

Which of the following most holds with what an economic structuralist would say about free trade?

A)Free trade hurt workers by giving more power to the owners.
B)Free trade helps the workers, because it decreases the power of the owners.
C)Free trade is not favorable to the global economy.
D)Free trade has no impact on the relationship between workers and owners.

Question 34

Who was Vladimir Lenin ?

A)Russia's first democratic leader
B)Russia's revolutionary leader
C)A Serbian nationalist
D)Russia's leader during World War II

Question 35

According to Marx's theory, what is the difference between the value of a raw material and the actual product called?

A)Surplus value
B)Exploitation
C)Marginal cost
D)Inelastic demand

Question 36

If an economic structuralist analyzed the United States, what would they conclude?

A)They would disagree with any effort to limit the power of large financial institutions.
B)They would be worried by the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
C)They would be pleased to see the rapid rate at which the rich are becoming richer, while the poor become poorer.
D)They would disagree with any effort to raise the minimum wage.

Question 37

According to Karl Marx, when a worker applies labor to some set of raw materials, which of the following occurs?

A)A capitalist will surely exploit that worker
B)Value is subtracted
C)The resulting product becomes the property of the worker
D)Value is added

Question 38

Karl Marx would be a proponent of which of the following statements about capitalism?

A)Capitalism develops incrementally into an embryonic socialist stage of development.
B)Capitalism overtakes socialism as a more efficient and robust economic system.
C)Capitalism needs to be overthrown in a worldwide, violent revolution.
D)Capitalism will peacefully evolve into communism.

Question 39

Which of the following statements best describes economic structuralists views on international institutions that govern the global economy?

A)They are strong advocates of these organizations.
B)They are supporters of greater institutionalization.
C)They are highly skeptical of these organizations.
D)They are neutral toward these organizations.

Question 40

The start of which war vindicated Vladimir Lenin's belief that imperialism ultimately leads to war?

A)World War I
B)The Cold War
C)World War II
D)The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905

Question 41

Interests, identities, and norms, are all main focuses of which theory?

A)Liberalism
B)Realism
C)Constructivism
D)Economic Structuralism

Question 42

According to constructivism, what explains the different ways in which the United States views the nuclear weapons of Britain versus those of North Korea?

A)The U.S. views Britain as our friend and North Korea as our enemy.
B)The assumption that North Korea is more likely to attack the U.S. than Britain
C)The U.S. view that there is constant uncertainty about who will use nuclear weapons against us
D)A false assumption; there is no difference in how the U.S. views the nuclear weapons of other countries

Question 43

What kinds of ideas does constructivism focus on?

A)Political, historical, and cultural
B)Interests, identities, and norms
C)Economic, structural, and cultural
D)Beliefs, paradigms, and norms

Question 44

What term is discussed as a biological category and refers to genetic and physiological traits?

A)Gender
B)Sex
C)Feminism
D)Determinism

Question 45

Feminist theory argues that the less desirable feminine characteristics ascribed to women have resulted in which of the following?

A)The focus on "feminine" traits in international conflict
B)The reverence of women
C)The greater visibility of women
D)The subordination of women

Question 46

Why are norms important according to constructivism?

A)Because they affect the distribution of power in the international system
B)Because they create more democracies leading to a more peaceful world
C)Because they emphasize the importance of non-interference
D)Because they are a crucial factor in shaping the behavior of international actors

Question 47

In 1999, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was very concerned about the atrocities being committed by various governments against their own citizens. As a response, what did he do?

A)He asserted that the doctrine of "noninterference in the internal affairs of sovereign states" was obsolete.
B)He called on the U.S. to intervene in Somalia.
C)He sent U.N. peacekeepers to Yemen.
D)He sent an order for Saddam Hussein to be tried by the International Court of Justice.

Question 48

If realism and liberalism focus on power in international politics, what does constructivism focus on?

A)Materialism
B)Purpose
C)Wealth
D)Institutions

Question 49

What is gender defined as?

A)A socially constructed set of ideas that are attached to genetic and physiological traits
B)A biological category referring to genetic or physiological traits
C)An emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectionate attraction toward others
D)A self-perceived sexual identity

Question 50

What are social constructs?

A)Materialist sources of power
B)Shared identities and assumptions about reality
C)Interest groups for specific areas
D)State agencies created to gather information for special interest groups

Question 51

According to constructivists, what is the U.S.-Israel alliance best explained by?

A)By balance of power theory
B)By each state's domestic politics
C)By the perception of shared values
D)By economic interests

Question 52

According to the feminist empirical school, which of the following have women in international politics been considered?

A)Highly visible
B)Powerful
C)Invisible
D)Meaningful

Question 53

Feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint theory, and feminist postmodernism are all examples of which of the following?

A)The three basic schools of thought of feminism
B)The responses to feminism.
C)The three main critiques of feminism
D)Feminist structural realism

Question 54

What are norms?

A)Expectations about the balance of power
B)Goals that actors maintain
C)Shared rules or principles that influence behavior
D)Cultural differences leading to the clash of civilizations

Question 55

In economic structuralism, what are the interests of actors dictated by?

A)By the actors' place in the economic hierarchy
B)By the actors' hereditary lineage
C)By socialization
D)By law

Question 56

Why do some liberals accept the constructivist argument?

A)Because it reinforces the possibility of cooperation in an anarchic world
B)Because liberals accept the notion of identity
C)Because liberals support the concept of ideas as the motivating force in world politics
D)Because liberals are simply "realistic constructivists"

Question 57

Why do economic structuralists believe that states collaborate?

A)In order to increase the wealth of the world's proletariat
B)Because states want to divide up the spoils after major wars
C)In order to continue to exploit the world's poor
D)Because international organizations facilitate cooperation

Question 58

What is the difference between "gender" and "sex"?

A)Gender is a social construction whereas sex is a biological category.
B)There is no difference.
C)Gender is a biological category whereas sex is a social construction.
D)Both are social constructions, but feminists are more concerned with sex.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is correct in terms of constructivism?

A)It focuses primarily on the distribution of military power.
B)It focuses primarily on the distribution of economic power.
C)It focuses primarily on material incentives leading to cooperation.
D)It focuses primarily on the role of ideas.

Question 60

Which of the following countries developed the apartheid system?

A)Venezuela
B)Iran
C)Soviet Union
D)South Africa

Question 61

How has feminist theory influenced the study of international politics? How are women's lives affected by international politics?

Question 62

Feminist theory is most consistent with which theory of international relations?

A)Realism
B)Liberalism
C)Economic structuralism
D)Constructivism

Question 63

Feminist theories of international relations remain on the edge of conventional academic studies and policy discussions. In which areas have feminist approaches been influential? Why?

Question 64

Feminist empiricists point out that casualty statistics of warfare include killed and injured soldiers, but fail to include which of the following statistics?

A)The starvation of children and the rape of women
B)Battle deaths
C)The loss of crops and cattle
D)The loss of territory

Question 65

While liberalism and economic structuralism agree to a large extent that there is a large degree of collaboration among states, which of the following points do they fail to agree on?

A)The centrality of states as actors
B)That actors are self-interested
C)The positive effect of collaboration
D)The problem created by anarchy

Question 66

What does feminist standpoint theory assert?

A)That women are excluded from theories of international politics, thus confusing human nature with masculine nature
B)That women have tended to be "invisible" in thinking about international politics
C)That all claims about truth, and especially claims about truth involving social relations, are social constructions
D)That jobs that are identified with women, such as "housewife," are devalued and hidden compared to those associated with men, such as "businessman"

Question 67

To a certain extent, many theories share similar characteristics with constructivism. In particular, how do realism, liberalism, and economic structuralism identify with the constructivist argument?

Question 68

As women are the primary breadwinners in many families and often work in factories owned by foreign companies, economic globalization affects them in what way?

A)Economic benefits are fairly distributed to women
B)Women receive benefits equal to that of men in the factories
C)Economic globalization has no impact on women
D)Women are disproportionately affected by changes of globalization

Question 69

What is the main criticism of constructivism? How can this criticism be mitigated? Give examples.

Question 70

The impact of feminist thought in international politics has been most pronounced on which debate?

A)The debate about military power
B)The debate about the role of trade unions
C)The debate about the importance of education
D)The debate on development

Question 71

Power is interpreted differently by these theories of international politics. In particular, how would a feminist and a constructivist define power? Elaborate whether any particular branch within each theory would be most helpful in this analysis.

Question 72

While postmodern feminists assert that all truth and moral views are socially constructed, other types of feminists believe which of the following?

A)Like postmodern feminists, they agree that all truth and moral views should be questioned.
B)They argue that postmodernism creates a situation where no one can say anything about truth, so there is no basis for deciding what should be agreed upon.
C)They claim that truth and morality are ambiguous and impossible to grasp.
D)They assert that the framing of questions sheds no light on our understanding of international politics.

Question 73

How do feminist postmodernists differ from other feminist scholars?

A)Feminist postmodernists align themselves more closely with traditional liberals.
B)Feminist postmodernists assert that there is an identifiable truth that will be discovered.
C)Feminist postmodernists believe that all claims about truth are social constructions.
D)Feminist postmodernists insist on a more collaborative effort to realize their goals.

Question 74

What are the three schools of thought within feminist theory? How do they compare to each other?

Question 75

Consider the main assumptions of economic structuralism and constructivism and compare their explanations for the outbreak of war. Which do you think has more value?

Question 76

Which feminist school of thought is skeptical of all claims to objective truth?

A)Postmodernism
B)Standpoint theory
C)Feminist liberalism
D)Empiricism

Question 77

Morgenthau treated realism as having universal laws. The feminist critic J. Ann Tickner argues that Morgenthau's theory should have emphasized which of the following?

A)Context and contingency
B)Unchanging traits of human nature
C)The constancy of power
D)Power and identity

Question 78

According to feminist theory, in what way does the artificial separation of private and public spheres result?

A)In ignoring the role of international institutions
B)In accurately reflecting human nature
C)In gender-based and gender-biased notions, such as that of the "state"
D)In the accounting of all costs of war

Question 79

What is the likely stance of postmodern feminists on the morality of female genital mutilation?

A)Western feminists should not impose their own standards on women in other societies.
B)All global efforts should be used to ban the practice.
C)It should be accepted as a religious practice.
D)The practice is an example of the oppression of women.

Question 80

The definition of power as the ability of two or more actors to work together to achieve what they cannot achieve alone is supported by which theory?

A)Liberalism
B)Institutionalism
C)Feminism
D)Constructivism