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

Question 1

Power is to realism, as __________ is to economic structuralism.

A) wealth
B) military strength
C) gender
D) education

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The fundamental actor in politics for economic structuralism is the

A) class.
B) state.
C) individual.
D) industrialist.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Classes differ from each other based on the

A) political power of the class.
B) ownership of capital by a class.
C) number of people in each class.
D) degree of cooperation within a class.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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

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

Question 5

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 6

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

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

Question 7

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 8

Economic determinism implies

A) money is the root of all evil.
B) national economic well-being is of secondary importance.
C) behavior is driven by economic motivations.
D) the pursuit of wealth is the state's primary goal.

Question 9

According to Marxist language, the bourgeoisie refers to the

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

Question 10

Economic structuralism is more commonly known as

A) capitalism.
B) Marxism.
C) socialism.
D) fascism.

Question 11

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 12

In the most recent election, what were voters in France most concerned about?

A) The influx of migrants from North African countries
B) The end of benefits such as free college education and universal health care
C) The riots and demonstrations caused by protesting youths
D) The Greek financial crisis.

Question 13

The text refers to the "double evil" espoused by economic structuralists. What does this refer to?

A) Distribution of power and justice
B) Military power and profit
C) Economic power and purpose
D) Poverty and political inequality

Question 14

According to the text, 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 15

The bourgeoisie and the proletariat are examples of

A) social groups.
B) economic classes.
C) government bureaucrats.
D) religious groups.

Question 16

As power plays an important role in realism, wealth plays an equally important role in

A) economic structuralism.
B) constructivism.
C) institutional liberalism.
D) feminism.

Question 17

What was the term given to Spanish protestors who set up camps in parks to demonstrate their opposition to current economic problems?

A) Ocupantes
B) Manifestantes
C) Opositores
D) Indignados

Question 18

What is economic determinism?

A) It is the idea that economics is determined by politics.
B) Economics drives political behavior and political outcomes.
C) It suggests that class is more important than wealth.
D) The owners of capital are known collectively as the bourgeoisie, and the workers are known as the proletariat.

Question 19

Which three Latin American countries recently called for "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 20

According to Marxism, the world is divided into

A) nationalists and communitarians.
B) nations with shared interests.
C) military powers and the powerless.
D) classes with opposing economic interests.

Question 21

According to economic structuralism, the role of the state is to

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

Question 22

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 23

According to economic structuralists, the Stamp Act and the Navigation Acts were 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 24

Marx believed that __________ 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 25

According to economic structuralism, a person has more in common

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

Question 26

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 27

Vladimir Lenin is famous for being a

A) Russian democratic leader.
B) Russian revolutionary leader.
C) Serbian nationalist.
D) Russian leader during World War II.

Question 28

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

A) surplus value.
B) exploitation.
C) marginal cost.
D) inelastic demand.

Question 29

Which of the following does NOT describe the comparison between realism and economic structuralism?

A) Realists are concerned with politics among the "great powers," whereas economic structuralists are concerned with the relations between the strong and the weak.
B) Realists and economic structuralists both agree with the statement that "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
C) Realists accept the exploitation of the weak as a fact of life, but economic structuralists believe that fact is unacceptable and must be changed.
D) Realists believe that cooperation can mitigate the consequences of the structural imbalances that economic structuralism seeks to correct.

Question 30

In examining international institutions that govern the global economy, economic structuralists are

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

Question 31

According to Karl Marx, capitalism would eventually

A) develop incrementally into an embryonic socialist stage of development.
B) overtake socialism as a more efficient and robust economic system.
C) be overthrown in a worldwide, violent revolution.
D) be transcended peacefully by communism.

Question 32

An economic structuralist might argue that free trade

A) hurts the worker, because it gives more power to the owner.
B) helps the worker, because it decreases the power of the owner.
C) is not favorable to the global economy.
D) is better than outsourcing.

Question 33

Structural power is a concern for economic structuralists because it can lead to

A) conflict between states.
B) a rise in the power of developing countries.
C) inequality and injustice.
D) the empowerment of the state.

Question 34

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 rich and 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 35

A new version of the economic structuralist theory was created based upon Latin American countries' inability to achieve economic development after World War II. This theory was called

A) world system theory.
B) dependency theory.
C) modernization theory.
D) revisionist Marxist theory.

Question 36

According to Karl Marx, when a worker applies labor to some set of raw materials,

A) the capitalist will surely exploit them.
B) the materials will have been immorally obtained from colonial undertakings.
C) the resulting product becomes the property of the worker.
D) value is added.

Question 37

Lenin believed that

A) 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) powerful states have many reasons to collaborate and can do so.
C) capitalism would lead to war as the great powers expanded their economic power.
D) capitalism would eventually lead to peace through the increased wealth throughout the world.

Question 38

From the constructivist perspective, realism, liberalism, and economic structuralism are considered to

A) be remarkably different from constructivism.
B) take an essentially similar approach.
C) be in some ways closely connected to constructivism.
D) be important precursors to constructivism.

Question 39

The economic structuralist argument about free trade is that

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

Question 40

Vladimir Lenin's belief, which imperialism ultimately leads to war, was apparently vindicated by the beginning of what major conflict?

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

Question 41

According to the feminist empirical school, women in international politics have been considered

A) highly visible.
B) powerful.
C) invisible.
D) meaningful.

Question 42

According to constructivism, norms are important because they

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

Question 43

According to constructivism, the difference in the way the United States views the nuclear weapons of Britain versus North Korea is based on

A) the U.S. view that Britain is our friend and North Korea is our enemy.
B) the assumption that North Korea is more likely to attack the U.S. than Britain.
C) the U.S. view that we never will know 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 44

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 45

Feminist theory argues that the less desirable feminine characteristics ascribed to women have resulted in

A) greater cooperation among states.
B) expanded understanding of international politics.
C) greater visibility of women.
D) subordination of women.

Question 46

__________ is discussed as a biological category and refers to genetic and physiological traits.

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

Question 47

Socially constructed interests refer to the way in which

A) power impacts interests.
B) economic classes affect interests.
C) groups of people define interests.
D) state agencies impact interests.

Question 48

According to the text, which of the following countries developed the apartheid system?

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

Question 49

The U.S.-Israel alliance is best explained by

A) balance of power.
B) domestic politics.
C) the perception of shared values.
D) economics.

Question 50

Why do economic structuralists believe 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 51

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 52

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 53

Feminist theory generally has three basic schools of thought that include all of the following but

A) feminist empiricism-real issues of women in the real world.
B) feminist standpoint theory-issues can be better understood if examined from a "feminine" perspective.
C) feminist postmodernism-the attempt to analyze politics is a product of a specific power position.
D) feminist structural realism-the disparity in economic wealth determines the direction of international politics.

Question 54

Norms can be defined as

A) the expectations about the balance of power.
B) the goals that actors maintain.
C) shared rules or principles that influence behavior.
D) the cultural difference leading to the clash of civilizations.

Question 55

Gender is the analytical concept that is defined as

A) a socially constructed set of ideas that are attached to genetic and physiological traits.
B) the sexual relations between men and women.
C) an emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectionate attraction toward others.
D) self-perceived sexual identity.

Question 56

If the other theories focus on power in international politics, constructivism focuses on

A) materialism.
B) purpose.
C) wealth.
D) institutions.

Question 57

Some liberals accept the constructivist argument since

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

Question 58

Which of the following two countries fought three major wars in less than a hundred years?

A) Germany and Russia
B) France and England
C) Germany and France
D) England and Austria

Question 59

The clash of civilizations argument suggests that

A) cultural differences create a permanent barrier to further homogenization of global interests.
B) civilizations clash because of differences in the distribution of power.
C) civilizations conflict because of economic inequalities.
D) civilizations conflict due to misperceptions and misunderstandings.

Question 60

Constructivism focuses on all of the following kinds of ideas except

A) interests.
B) identities.
C) norms.
D) security.

Question 61

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 62

Power is interpreted differently by these theories of international politics. In particular, how would a feminist and a constructivist define power?

Question 63

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

Question 64

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 65

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 66

Realists and liberals agree on all the following points except

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

Question 67

Feminist postmodernists differ from other feminist scholars by

A) aligning themselves more closely with traditional liberals.
B) asserting there is an identifiable truth that will be discovered.
C) believing all claims about truth are social constructions.
D) insisting on a more collaborative effort to realize their goals.

Question 68

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

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

Question 69

Feminist standpoint theory asserts that

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

Question 70

Feminist theories of international relations remain on the edge of conventional academic studies and policy discussions. What are the primary reasons for this marginalization of feminist approaches?

Question 71

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

Question 72

The feminist school of thought that is skeptical of all claims to objective truth is

A) postmodernism.
B) standpoint theory.
C) feminist liberalism.
D) empiricism.

Question 73

While postmodern feminists assert that all truth and moral views are socially constructed, other types of feminists

A) are in essential agreement.
B) argue that postmodernism creates a situation where no one can say anything about truth.
C) claim that truth and morality are ambiguous and impossible to grasp.
D) assert that the framing of questions sheds no light on our understanding of international politics.

Question 74

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

Question 75

Recent elections in Europe have shown

A) an inexorable rise in support for left parties, as opposed to parties of the center or right.
B) increasing support for centrist parties, as well as those in support of European integration.
C) a collapse in support for extremist parties in Greece, Spain, France, and Germany.
D) frustration with incumbents and support moving from the center parties to both the left and right.

Question 76

While Morgenthau treated realism as having universal laws, the feminist critic J. Ann Tickner argues that Morgenthau's theory should emphasize

A) context and contingency.
B) unchanging traits of human nature.
C) the constancy of power.
D) power and identity.

Question 77

According to the book, the impact of feminist thought in international politics has been most pronounced in the debate on

A) military power.
B) trade unions.
C) education.
D) development.

Question 78

All of the theories presented in this chapter attempt to explain the conditions for conflict and cooperation. Consider the main assumption of economic structuralism and constructivism and compare their explanations for the outbreak of war.

Question 79

Explore at least three points of criticism of the economic structuralist perspective. Were any of these responsible for the demise of communism in 1991?

Question 80

According to feminist theory, the artificial separation of private and public spheres

A) ignores the role of international institutions.
B) accurately reflects human nature.
C) is gender-based and gender-biased.
D) takes into account all costs of war.