Deck 10: Executives

Question 1

Which of the following is not a role of the executive?

A) Execute laws
B) Create laws
C) Implement laws
D) Enforce laws

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Where do executives have substantial roles?

A) Determining which laws and policies pass
B) Running major offices and agencies in the bureaucracy
C) As heads of states and/or heads of government
D) All of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Queen Elizabeth is a:

A) Chief Justice
B) Prime Minister
C) Head of Government
D) Head of State

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A significant difference between parliamentary and presidential systems are the kinds of:

A) Lobbyists
B) Executive-Legislative Relations
C) Populism
D) Coalition politics

Question 5

When a new President is sworn in, a new _________ begins.

A) Administration
B) Party
C) Congress
D) System

Question 6

Which of the following states is seen as the archetypal example of parliamentarism?

A) France
B) The United States
C) The United Kingdom
D) Germany

Question 7

A system in which the populace at large votes in elections for a chief executive is called:

A) Presidentialism
B) Parliamentarism
C) Democracy
D) Populism

Question 8

What is a veto?

A) A decision by an executive to approve passage of a bill
B) A decision by an executive to reject passage of a bill
C) A rejection of the passage of a bill by a proportion of senators
D) A passing of a bill by popular referendum

Question 9

A system in which the head of government is elected by and accountable to the legislature is called:

A) Presidentialism
B) Parliamentarism
C) Democracy
D) Populism

Question 10

Which of the following nations uses a "runoff" to determine the Presidency?

A) France
B) The United States
C) The United Kingdom
D) Germany

Question 11

Which of the following is not a role of the president of the United States?

A) Titular head of government
B) Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
C) Spiritual leader of the populace
D) Ceremonial head of state

Question 12

The election of the prime minister in parliamentary systems like that of the United Kingdom is best described as:

A) Popular
B) Unpopular
C) Direct
D) Indirect

Question 13

Which of the following is not a name for a head of government in a parliamentary system?

A) Chancellor
B) Premier
C) President
D) Prime Minister

Question 14

Which of the following statements is true of parliamentary systems in comparison to presidential systems?

A) They do not have terms of fixed length
B) They are more democratic
C) They are more representative of popular interests between elections
D) There are no checks or balances

Question 15

The abilities of an executive to veto or dissolve the legislature are examples of:

A) Formal powers
B) Informal powers
C) Partisan powers
D) Bipartisan powers

Question 16

An order made by a chief executive that determines how the bureaucracy should enact or interpret a law is called:

A) A veto
B) A decree
C) A filibuster
D) An executive order

Question 17

In presidential systems, the process by which a legislature determines whether an official should be removed from office is called:

A) Filibuster
B) Impeachment
C) Vote of no confidence
D) None of the above

Question 18

In which country does the parliament use the constructive vote of no confidence?

A) Germany
B) United States
C) Iran
D) Brazil

Question 19

An executive with a high level of partisan power would likely experience:

A) Relative ease in passing laws
B) Difficulty in passing laws
C) A high level of partisanship within the legislature
D) A divided government

Question 20

In a parliamentary system with three or more parties, when a party does not obtain a majority vote, what must happen for a government to be formed?

A) Parties must negotiate and compromise.
B) Party leaders decide they would rather participate in a coalition than be in the opposition.
C) A vote of no confidence in the new coalition government will cause a new election to be called.
D) All of the above

Question 21

Coalitions are most likely to form under what electoral system?

A) Single-member districts
B) First-past-the-post
C) Indirect voting
D) Proportional representation

Question 22

Any governing coalition that contains no surplus parties beyond those required to form a government is known as:

A) A maximum connected winning coalition
B) A maximum winning coalition
C) A minimum connected winning coalition
D) A minimum winning coalition

Question 23

A minimum connected winning coalition is defined as:

A) No extra or surplus parties that are needed to govern
B) Minimum winning and parties are "connected" on policy spectrum
C) Fewest number of parties needed to form majority
D) Minimum number of "spaces" between parties on a policy spectrum

Question 24

A minimum range coalition is defined as:

A) No extra or surplus parties are needed to govern.
B) Minimum winning and parties are "connected" on policy spectrum.
C) Fewest number of parties needed to form majority.
D) Minimum number of "spaces" between parties on a policy spectrum.

Question 25

Times of crisis can lend themselves to the formation of which extraordinary coalitions?

A) A minimum winning coalition
B) A minimum connected winning coalition
C) A grand coalition
D) A bicameral coalition

Question 26

To what does the "bully pulpit of the presidency" refer?

A) The ability of the president to use communication as a means to shape public opinion
B) The power of the president to use congressional funds for campaigning
C) The right of a president to remove cabinet members
D) The tendency of the president of the United States to commandeer the decision-making process in regards to international affairs

Question 27

Which is an extraordinary power of some presidents, considered to be a hallmark of poor governance?

A) The legal authority to shape public opinion.
B) The ability to suggest new legislation.
C) Appoint party members to government positions.
D) The use of patron-client politics to provide jobs or other benefits to supporters.

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of a partisan power?

A) Influencing public opinion and public debate
B) Issuing decrees and executive orders
C) Appointing party members to executive office
D) Campaigning for individuals or causes

Question 29

Juan Linz argues that:

A) Parliamentary systems are better for democracy than presidencies.
B) Presidencies are better for democracy than parliamentary systems.
C) Presidentialism makes clear that the executive heads the government.
D) Parliamentary systems make it difficult to change an unpopular government.

Question 30

In which of the following regions are parliamentary systems of government most common?

A) Latin America
B) Western Europe
C) Central Africa
D) West Africa

Question 31

Who coined the term "delegative democracy"?

A) Guillermo O'Donnell
B) Scott Mainwaring
C) Sinead O'Connor
D) Juan Linz

Question 32

A political approach in which leaders make direct appeals to "the people" and seek to develop direct political ties with the masses is known as:

A) Popularism
B) Populationism
C) Populism
D) None of the above

Question 33

Arend Lijphart demonstrates the theory of consociational democracy in which:

A) Different groups share access to power in a government.
B) One group has a monopoly on power in a government.
C) The executive and the legislative share power in a government.
D) The executive maintains all power in a government.

Question 34

What are some ways an executive leader might have power over a legislature?

Question 35

Name as many as possible of the five reasons offered by Juan Linz for why presidentialism is problematic.

Question 36

Identify two countries that have shown presidential power can be problematic, and explain what the two examples illustrate.

Question 37

What problem is Germany's "constructive" variant of the vote of no confidence intended to solve?

Question 38

Identify the difference between a minimum winning coalition and a minimum connected winning coalition.

Question 39

What is a minimum size coalition?

Question 40

What incentive is typically offered do minority parties to induce them to participate in a coalition?

Question 41

What are the major arguments in favor runoff elections for chief executives?

Question 42

What is the difference between the formal and partisan powers of an executive?

Question 43

In a presidential system, what does the executive consist of besides the president himself or herself?

Question 44

Describe the phenomenon of populism and how it relates to the executive branch of government.

Question 45

Summarize Arend Lijphart's discussion of "consociational" government.

Question 46

What are the main causes of climate change and how can they be addressed?

Question 47

Summarize Juan Linz's argument on the relative merits of presidential and parliamentary government, as well as the critique of Linz by Mainwaring and Shugart. Discuss both the theoretical and empirical bases for this critique.

Question 48

Explain why many of the types of coalitions formed in governments around the world are "minimum coalitions" rather than "maximum coalitions." Why would the parties forming coalitions seek a "minimum" rather than a "maximum"?

Question 49

Using examples, show how chief executives draw upon different types of powers-including formal powers and partisan powers-to achieve their political goals.

Question 50

Many of the theoretical works on presidentialism emphasize its drawbacks and problems, as contrasted with the virtues of parliamentarism. Make the most compelling case you can for why presidentialism should be preferred to parliamentarism. Base your argument on a theoretical premise and use empirical examples as possible.

Question 51

Explain why a comparativist must take care in choosing what countries to use as cases in their studies. What rules should guide these decisions? Give examples, with details, of reasonable and unreasonable comparisons.