Deck 1: Introducing Comparative Politics

Question 1

The term political economy refers to

A) how much a country spends on elections.
B) whether a country practices a command economy or a free market system.
C) how states and political processes affect the economy and how the economy in turn affects a country's political processes.
D) the global economic system.
E) the ratio of GDP compared to percentage of voting citizens.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

All of the following are sources of collective identity EXCEPT

A) ethnicity or race.
B) occupation.
C) religion.
D) region.
E) language.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

As demonstrated by Freedom House, the spread of democracy has

A) consistently increased over the years.
B) consistently decreased over the years.
C) been consistently static over the years.
D) achieved the status of being taken as generally right.
E) been most affected by the shift of Russia from "partly free" to "free".

Answer 3

D

Question 4

As compared with consolidated democracies and authoritarian regimes, transitional democracies are characterized by

A) more legal protection than consolidated democracies but less than in authoritarian regimes.
B) more legal protection for economic and social rights but less for political rights.
C) more protection for civil liberties than either consolidated democracies or authoritarian regimes.
D) fewer legal protections of citizen rights and liberties than in a consolidated democracy but more than in authoritarian regimes.
E) fewer legal protections than in either consolidated democracies or authoritarian regimes.

Question 5

According to your text, globalization includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) increased speed and magnitude of cross-border trade.
B) increased speed and magnitude of cross-border communications.
C) increased cultural diffusion.
D) increased migration of peoples.
E) the global spread of democracy.

Question 6

The 2010 Failed States Index identified all of the following as being most vulnerable to political collapse EXCEPT

A) Iraq.
B) Afghanistan.
C) Pakistan.
D) Sudan.
E) Somalia.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT identified in your text as an event that made 2011 a critical juncture?

A) A pro-democratic uprising in Egypt
B) The death of Osama bin Laden
C) A major earthquake and tsunami in Japan
D) A pro-democratic uprising in Tunisia
E) United Nations authorized military intervention in Libya

Question 8

Which of the following statements about the Human Development Index is CORRECT?

A) It is compiled by the World Bank.
B) It includes measures for sustainable development.
C) It is used to measure and compare levels of achievement in health, knowledge, and the standard of living.
D) In 2010, the countries with the highest HDI rankings were the United States, New Zealand, and Norway.
E) It assesses the level of interaction between people in a political system.

Question 9

A critical juncture is

A) a period of economic instability.
B) an important historical moment when political actors make decisions that shape institutions and future outcomes.
C) an event that triggers a war or revolution.
D) when the leadership of a country changes.
E) the border between two traditionally hostile countries.

Question 10

Classifying states according to their level of democracy is an example of a

A) typology.
B) causal theory.
C) model.
D) levels of analysis.
E) hypothesis.

Question 11

A failed state is one in which

A) the leaders of the state violate the rule of law and prey on their own citizens.
B) the leaders of the state fail to pay their United Nations dues.
C) the government is authoritarian and denies its citizens political freedoms.
D) the state is in a state of war with another nation.
E) large numbers of citizens try to leave either legally or illegally.

Question 12

Political legitimacy

A) means that the broad citizenry believe that the state exercises rightful authority.
B) is possible only in a democratic political system.
C) refers to when the United Nations recognizes a state.
D) is possible only when the citizenry comes from the same ethnic group.
E) refers to when voting is significantly high in a country.

Question 13

Authoritarian regimes are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) power (or authority) is highly concentrated in a single individual, small group of people, single party, or institution.
B) they have a totalitarian system that seeks to control every aspect of their citizen's lives and allows no personal freedoms whatsoever.
C) those in power claim an exclusive right to govern and use various means, including force, to impose their will on their citizens.
D) they lack an effective procedure for selecting political leaders or holding them accountable.
E) All of these are characteristics of authoritarian regimes.

Question 14

All of the following are frequent characteristics of transitional democracies EXCEPT

A) control of the media.
B) intimidation and violence against opponents in order to limit criticism of the government.
C) ritualistic expressions of support for the ruling party.
D) undermining opponent's parties.
E) ensuring that the ruling party is re-elected.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) GDP per capita is a good measure for determining which countries are rich (developed) and which are poor (developing).
B) GDP per capita is the same as GDP according to purchasing power parity.
C) GDP per capita is the best way to determine the overall size of a country's economy relative to other countries.
D) GDP per capita is not a factor taken into account in determining the Human Development Index.
E) GDP per capita is a good measure for determining how environmentally sustainable a country's economy is.

Question 16

In comparative politics, the term state refers to

A) subnational units of government like Missouri.
B) the total area of a country.
C) the key political institutions in a country.
D) the government in power in a country.
E) a group of people with a common ethnicity.

Question 17

All of the following have been proposed as necessary conditions for democracy to succeed EXCEPT

A) parliamentary system government.
B) secure national boundaries.
C) widespread acceptance of democratic values.
D) minimal level of economic development.
E) All of the above are necessary for democracy.

Question 18

The text defines a major source of political instability as

A) lack of democracy.
B) low levels of economic development.
C) intervention by international organizations.
D) intervention by neighboring states.
E) a lack of a strong sense of national identity, resulting in nationalist movements that challenge the established nation-state.

Question 19

Democratic transitions describe a process in which

A) the president of a country resigns from office and is replaced by the vice president.
B) there are elections involving the peaceful transfer of power between administrations.
C) a democratic country becomes a dictatorship.
D) two countries resolve a conflict by peaceful means rather than using military force.
E) authoritarian governments develop more participatory and democratic regimes.

Question 20

The difference between comparative politics and international relations can best be described as

A) the study of comparative politics involves comparing political parties between countries, whereas the study of international relations involves the examination of why wars occur.
B) the study of comparative politics refers only to domestic politics, whereas the study of international relations refers to globalization.
C) the study of comparative politics involves comparing domestic political institutions, processes, and politics in different countries; whereas the study of international relations involves examining the foreign policy of and interactions among different countries.
D) the study of comparative politics involves comparing nations, whereas the study of international relations involves examining international organizations, such as the United Nations or International Monetary Fund.
E) There is no difference between the two.

Question 21

Explain what is meant by middle-level theory and assess the advantages of its use in comparative politics.

Question 22

Describe the difference between a transitional democracy and a consolidated democracy.

Question 23

Describe the six conditions that must be met for a country to be considered a democracy.

Question 24

Explain several ways in which comparative politics is limited as a scientific approach.