Deck 17: Democracy

Question 1

Democratic "transition" is a phase of democratization characterized by which of the following?

A) Uncertainty
B) High voter turnout
C) The solidification of democratic foundations
D) Tensions between authoritarian regimes and democratic ideals
E) Certainty over the means of reinforcing democracy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Democratic "consolidation" is a phase of democratization characterized by which of the following?

A) Uncertainty
B) High voter turnout
C) The solidification of democratic foundations
D) Tensions between authoritarian regimes and democratic ideals
E) Certainty over the means of reinforcing democracy

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The term "political regime" refers to which of the following?

A) The governing body of a given state
B) The set of principles, rules, and patterned practices that govern power relations between society and the state
C) The set of institutions responsible for governing a given state
D) The governing authority of a political unit
E) The ruling power in a political society

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is another name for semi-authoritarian regimes?

A) Combination regimes
B) Consolidated regimes
C) Soft regimes
D) Semi-democratic regimes
E) Hybrid regimes

Question 5

What is another name for the "procedural" definition of democracy?

A) Formalist
B) Minimalist
C) Technical
D) Substantive
E) Bureaucratic

Question 6

Which of the following is true according to data collected by Freedom House?

A) Worldwide, democratic governments have become more common and authoritarian regimes have become less common.
B) Worldwide, authoritarian regimes have become more common and democratic governments have become less common.
C) Authoritarian regimes continue to dominate the global political landscape.
D) Hybrid regimes are the most common form of political regime in the developing world today.
E) None of the above

Question 7

Debate(s) around democracy and democratization include______________.

A) the contested meaning of democracy
B) the contested reasons for countries democratizing or failing to do so
C) how various factors can consolidate or undermine democratic institutions and practices
D) how democracy and socio-economic development are related
E) All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following is true about the concept of democracy, according to Schaffer?

A) It is universal.
B) It only applies to nations that grant full citizenship to everyone, regardless of socio-economic group.
C) It is irrelevant in most developing countries.
D) It varies between nations.
E) It is inherently Western.

Question 9

Which definition of democracy is based on the idea that the concept of democracy should incorporate local meanings?

A) Substantive
B) Procedural
C) Structural
D) Agency-based
E) Radical

Question 10

In 1949, why did Bhim Rao Ambedkar argue India's democratic institutions were insufficient?

A) They are reflective of the multi-ethnic make-up of India.
B) They were complicit in the partition of India and the human rights atrocities associated with it.
C) They do not account for the deep socio-economic gap between castes.
D) They were too normative and not legally substantive.
E) They reflect colonial era power relations.

Question 11

The national structural approach to democratic transition was directly influenced by which theory?

A) Neoliberal
B) Modernization
C) Dependency
D) Keynesian
E) Marxist

Question 12

According to the national structural approach to democratic transition, authoritarian regimes are threatened most by increases in which of the following?

A) Urbanization and industrialization
B) Consumption and urbanization
C) Market liberalization
D) Global trade and industrialization
E) Levels of education among the wealthy of the population

Question 13

According to Adam Przeworski, what is the correlation between economic development and democratic transition?

A) Positive
B) Negative
C) Insignificant
D) Poorly researched
E) Based on faith

Question 14

According to the international structural approach to democratic transition, democratic transition is most heavily influenced by which of the following?

A) Economic transformations in the state
B) International pressure
C) The "boomerang effect"
D) Major transformations of the international system
E) Civic participation

Question 15

According to the national actor approach to democratic transition, democratic transitions are usually marked by which of the following?

A) Economic gains
B) Uncertainties and contingencies
C) Increases in civic participation
D) Economic and social stability
E) Cultural loss

Question 16

The national actor approach to democratic transition can be illustrated by __________________.

A) the different political regimes of Benin and Togo, though their structural factors are the same
B) the democratization of South Africa
C) recent regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 17

Keck and Sikkink use the term "boomerang effect" to refer to which of the following?

A) Government bodies pushing for change in one place by pressuring governments or citizens in another
B) "Investments" in developing countries that financially benefit developed countries
C) Non-governmental organizations counteracting the negative effects of capitalism
D) Multinational corporations pushing for change in one place by pressuring governments or citizens in another
E) Non-state actors pushing for change at home by pressuring external governments or institutions

Question 18

Which factor of democratic consolidation is fundamental to success?

A) Increased GDP
B) Popular support
C) Ethnic heterogeneity
D) Colonial legacy
E) Support by the UNDP

Question 19

According to research done for the Afrobarometer, the majority of Africans prefer what type of regime?

A) Patriarchal
B) Authoritarian
C) Democratic
D) Traditional
E) None of the above

Question 20

Which of the following are key factors that contribute to the success of democratic consolidation?

A) Popular support
B) The institutionalization of defeat
C) Partisanship
D) Both A and B
E) All of the above

Question 21

Which of the following is often an obstacle to the process of democratic consolidation?

A) Multiculturalism
B) Environmental stress
C) Religion
D) Foreign direct investment
E) Socio-economic inequality

Question 22

What kinds of rules may connect state leaders to citizens?

A) Informal
B) Formal
C) Informal or formal
D) Written
E) Oral

Question 23

What is an example of a formal political rule?

A) A revolution
B) A constitution
C) A dictatorship
D) A coup
E) Oral tradition

Question 24

How do democratic regimes separate from authoritarian regimes?

A) In democracies, citizens do not participate in decision making
B) In democracies, citizens avoid participating in decision making
C) The degree in which societies are surveilled
D) The degree in which societies participate in decision making
E) The degree in which societies can do business

Question 25

Authoritarian regimes prevent open participation in decision making ________________.

A) by the use of systematic freedom
B) by bipolar systems
C) by international aid and through donors
D) by the use of nonviolent means
E) by the use of arbitrary violence

Question 26

The two most recent waves of democratization took place ________________.

A) in the aftermath of World War II and at the end of the 1980s
B) at the end of the 1980s and the early 2000s
C) in the aftermath of World War I and World War II
D) in the late 1960s and in the early 1990s
E) None of the above

Question 27

When are regimes considered to be in a democratic consolidation phase?

A) When traditional elites are consolidated in power
B) When political actors are no longer in debate over adopting an authoritarian regime
C) When political actors are debating over adopting a democratic regime
D) When political structures are no longer democratic
E) When political actors are no longer in debate over adopting a democratic regime

Question 28

What happens when democratic regimes revert to authoritarianism?

A) They are considered to be in a democratic consolidation phase
B) They are considered to be in a democratic backsliding phase
C) They are considered to be hybrid states
D) They are considered to be in transition
E) They have moved from a transition phase to a consolidation phrase

Question 29

When can a state be considered in a democratic breakdown?

A) When it has become totally democratic
B) When it has begun its transition to a democracy
C) When it has begun its transition to an authoritarian state
D) When it has become totally authoritarian
E) When it has minimum democratic fundamentals

Question 30

When a regime enforces certain basic but fundamental political rules and principles, how do researchers talk about it ______________.

A) from a national structural-based approach to democracy
B) from a substantial approach to democracy
C) from a procedural approach to democracy
D) from an international structural-based approach to democracy
E) from a national actor-based approach to democracy

Question 31

Neither scholars nor political actors agree on a common definition of democracy.

Question 32

Democratic consolidation is a phase of uncertainty when authoritarian institutions are in the process of being reformed.

Question 33

The term "political regime" refers to the set of formal or informal principles and rules governing power relations between the state and society.

Question 34

The two main definitions of democracy are the "procedural" and "structural."

Question 35

The procedural definition of democracy focuses on how wealth is distributed in a given country as an important aspect of democracy.

Question 36

Mali provides a good example of the evolution of political regimes toward democracy as observed by Freedom House.

Question 37

According to Schaffer, "democracy" is a variable concept.

Question 38

The substantive view of democracy argues that we cannot understand democratization if we focus only on electoral results and parliamentary reforms.

Question 39

For supporters of the procedural view of democracy, a democratic regime grants all adult citizens a wide range of universal social and political rights.

Question 40

The Dalit have the most structural advantages in the Indian caste system.

Question 41

To the extent that democracy is a system in which conflicts and tensions between political actors are managed in a peaceful, predictable, and legitimate way-not arbitrarily or through oppression-the risks of political instability and violence are significantly reduced.

Question 42

The two main explanations of the causes of democratic transitions are the "systemic" and "agency-based" views.

Question 43

The national structure approach to democratic transition was directly influenced by dependency theory.

Question 44

According to the national structure approach to democratic transition, authoritarian regimes are often overturned as urbanization and industrialization grow.

Question 45

Adam Przeworski has presented evidence that authoritarian regimes do not produce more wealth than democracies.

Question 46

The national actor approach to democratic transition studies the role of social movements in democratic transition.

Question 47

For the international actor approach to democratic transition, the leverage a democratic state can use against an authoritarian state rarely plays a role in transitions to democracy.

Question 48

Non-state actors have little to no role to play in democratic transitions.

Question 49

Using international actors to put pressure on the state is an example of using the boomerang effect.

Question 50

Actors accept defeat in democratic regimes because they either have the public or the military as allies.

Question 51

The "institutionalization of defeat" is important for the consolidation of democracy.

Question 52

A regime is substantially democratic if it only enforces a minimum number of democratic elements.

Question 53

A substantive approach emphasizes the importance of looking at the procedures of a democracy, not only its substance.

Question 54

Proponents of a substantive approach focus on cultural and socio-economic components.

Question 55

The cultural-substantive definition to democracy is based on the idea that the concept of democracy should incorporate universal meanings of the term.

Question 56

The meaning of the word "democracy" varies from one society to another but never within a given society.

Question 57

The procedural approach is criticized for ignoring the distribution of wealth and economic well-being in political systems.

Question 58

Economic crises can be used by populist leaders to justify the dismantling of democratic norms and institutions.

Question 59

From the substantive point of view, distribution of wealth has nothing to do with the definition of democracy; in the procedural approach, this issue is at the very heart of democracy.

Question 60

Political violence and socio-economic inequality are important factors that can derail a country from democratic consolidation.

Question 61

Define a "competitive authoritarian" or "hybrid" regime.

Question 62

What are some key features of the democratic transition phase?

Question 63

Define and describe "democratic consolidation."

Question 64

Discuss the "procedural" definition of democracy, including several criticisms of it.

Question 65

Discuss the work of the organization Freedom House in the context of democratization.

Question 66

Describe the "cultural-substantive" definition of democracy.

Question 67

Discuss the socio-economic aspect of the "substantive" definition of democracy.

Question 68

How do the debates when drafting India's constitution shed light on substantive democracy?

Question 69

Explain how socio-economic inequality can weaken a democracy.

Question 70

Discuss the "national structure" approach to democratic transition.

Question 71

Discuss the "international structure" approach to democratic transition.

Question 72

Explain why "popular support" is fundamental to democratic consolidation.

Question 73

Why does South Africa serve as a good case study for the "national actor" approach to democratic transition?

Question 74

Discuss the "national actor" approach to democratic transition.

Question 75

Discuss the "international actor" approach to democratic transition

Question 76

What is the "institutionalization of defeat"?

Question 77

Why is it argued that developing states would be ill advised to adopt democracy early?

Question 78

Briefly define and describe four theoretical approaches that explain changes in political regimes.

Question 79

Why is the very definition of democracy contested?

Question 80

In what ways do researchers disagree in relation to the concept of democracy?