Deck 5: Governing Institutions in Democracies

Question 1

In a symmetrical federal system all territorial units have

A)a central government
B)the same number of voters
C)the same relationship to the national government
D)the same geographic size and distribution of resources

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The lack of stare decisis in Brazil's legal system led to

A)citizens choosing not to use the courts
B)the courts being overrun with cases
C)judges being insufficiently trained
D)a lack of respect for court decisions

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In a parliamentary system, which of the following positions hold the least power?

A)president
B)head of government
C)minister of defense
D)minister of labor

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Usually, it is easier to amend the constitution of

A)consensus democracies
B)majoritarian democracies
C)federal democracies
D)unitary democracies

Question 5

In majoritarian democracies

A)There is executive dominance over the legislature.
B)There is balance between the executive and the legislature.
C)There is legislative dominance over the legislature.
D)Coalition governments create stability between the executive and the legislature.

Question 6

Horizontal accountability refers to the ability of

A)state institutions to hold each other accountable
B)individuals and groups to hold state institutions accountable
C)state officials to hold citizens accountable
D)one state to hold another state accountable

Question 7

Vertical accountability refers to the ability of

A)state institutions to hold each other accountable
B)individuals and groups to hold state institutions accountable
C)state officials to hold citizens accountable
D)the legislature to hold the executive accountable

Question 8

In a parliamentary system, a vote of no confidence

A)is less likely in a coalition government
B)forces the prime minister to resign
C)dissolves the legislature
D)forces new national elections

Question 9

A state with a large bureaucracy will most likely also have a strong

A)legislature
B)executive
C)judiciary
D)citizenry

Question 10

How does Brazil choose its president when no candidate receives a majority?

A)The candidates hold the election again from start to finish.
B)The judicial branch decides between the two leading candidates for president.
C)A second-round election is held between the two highest vote getters.
D)The majority party decides who will become the next president.

Question 11

In a parliamentary system, the head of government is not only the executive but also the

A)chief justice of the court
B)country's symbolic leader
C)primary nonpartisan figure in government
D)leader of the majority in the legislature

Question 12

The main reason the actual power of the Indian parliament and prime minister differ from that of the British parliament and prime minister is that

A)The legislative institutions are designed differently.
B)India has never had a two-party system.
C)Indian culture demands less concentration of power.
D)India is a federal system.

Question 13

The executive and legislative branches in a presidential system are both legitimized by

A)their separation
B)the judicial branch
C)their popularity
D)the electoral process

Question 14

The ability of state institutions to hold each other accountable is called

A)horizontal accountability
B)vertical accountability
C)principal-agent accountability
D)bureaucratic accountability

Question 15

In presidential systems, the president and legislators serve

A)multiple terms
B)fixed terms
C)single terms
D)flexible terms

Question 16

When the president and the prime minister are from different parties, the French call it

A)gridlock
B)cohabitation
C)jus sanguinis
D)laicite

Question 17

The central government has sole constitutional sovereignty and power in ________ systems.

A)federal
B)unitary
C)authoritarian
D)code law

Question 18

In semipresidential systems

A)The prime minister is elected directly by voters.
B)The president is elected by the Parliament.
C)The president is elected directly by voters.
D)The prime minister and the president are elected by the Parliament.

Question 19

"Cohabitation" in the French semipresidential system refers to

A)having two executives: a president and a prime minister
B)a cabinet with representatives of different political parties
C)instances in which the president and prime minister are from different parties
D)the embedding of national political systems in an international system

Question 20

Which of the following branches of government MUST exist in all modern states?

A)the executive
B)the legislative
C)the judiciary
D)all of the above

Question 21

With regard to the state, devolution is understood as

A)weakening of the state
B)distribution of wealth
C)decentralization of power
D)weakening of political relations with other states

Question 22

The head of government in a parliamentary system is

A)elected directly by the citizens
B)appointed by the monarchy
C)chosen from the members of the legislature
D)rotated frequently

Question 23

Semipresidentialism originated in

A)Britain
B)France
C)Russia
D)Nigeria

Question 24

The right of the judiciary to decide whether a specific law contradicts a country's constitution is known as

A)stare decisis
B)separation of powers
C)judicial review
D)antidemocratic

Question 25

Collective responsibility in the British parliamentary system means that

A)the legislature and executive share responsibility for all decisions
B)all cabinet members must publicly support all government decisions
C)the citizenry shares responsibility for government decisions
D)cabinet members have little influence on government policy

Question 26

A common law system differs from a code law system in that in a common law system judges take into consideration

A)international law
B)only the law as written
C)subnational law
D)previous court cases.

Question 27

The authority of the judiciary to decide whether a specific law contradicts the constitution is known as

A)judicial activism
B)judicial review
C)judicial restraint
D)stare decisis

Question 28

Rent seeking often refers to

A)politicians looking for bribes to deliver services
B)using government regulations to one's personal benefit
C)increasing production efficiency to raise profits
D)voters seeking goods or services from politicians in exchange for their support

Question 29

The power of Brazil's president is limited by

A)the highly fragmented multiparty system
B)the lack of line-item veto
C)a lack of democratic legitimacy due to not being popularly elected
D)having no written constitution

Question 30

Russia's federal system is

A)highly decentralized
B)asymmetrical
C)symmetrical
D)partially federal

Question 31

Which of the following is not among the usual purposes of federalism?

A)bringing government closer to the people
B)protecting the interests of minorities
C)decreasing the saliency of regional identity
D)limiting the power of the executive

Question 32

The ability of judges to decide cases as they think appropriate, regardless of what politically powerful officials or institutions desire is called

A)judicial accountability
B)vertical accountability
C)judicial independence
D)stare decisis

Question 33

Judicial review is an example of

A)horizontal accountability
B)code law
C)parliamentary sovereignty
D)vertical accountability

Question 34

Which of the following is most usefully thought of as a principal-agent problem?

A)the problem elected leaders have in ensuring bureaucrats carry out their wishes
B)the problems courts have in getting citizens to abide by their decisions
C)the problem politicians face in getting voters to vote for them
D)the problems presidents and prime ministers have when "cohabitating"

Question 35

The division of constitutionally assigned power to national and subnational governments, with different subnational governments (states or provinces) having distinct relationships with and rights in relation to the national government is known as

A)an asymmetrical federal system
B)a symmetrical federal system
C)a centralized system
D)autonomous regions

Question 36

The coordination of bureaucrats, business leaders, and politicians to set policy in their mutual interest is called

A)amakudari
B)an iron triangle
C)legislative oversight
D)state corporatism

Question 37

The Russian semipresidential system differs from the French in that the

A)constitution established an exceptionally strong presidency
B)parliament cannot be dissolved
C)president is elected in a two-round election
D)president has no control over some ministries.

Question 38

A coalition government arises when

A)No party has a clear majority in parliament in a parliamentary system
B)no individual wins enough popular votes to become head of government
C)a president chooses a vice president of a different party
D)voters demand an end to partisan politics

Question 39

When all the territorial units in a federal system have the same relationship to the national government it is called

A)an independent federal system
B)an asymmetrical federal system
C)a partial federal system
D)a symmetrical federal system

Question 40

The prime minister in a parliamentary system can be forced to resign through

A)impeachment
B)vote of no confidence
C)coercion
D)revolution from above

Question 41

The parliamentary model of government is also called the Westminster model.

Question 42

In parliamentary systems, impeachment can force a prime minister to resign.

Question 43

Semipresidentialism can be thought of as the hybrid compromise between parliamentarianism and presidentialism.

Question 44

Summarize the functions of a head of state.

Question 45

In presidential systems, the executive and the legislative branches are distinct and separate.

Question 46

A democratic system characterized by multiparty executives, coalition governments, executive-legislative balance, a bicameral legislature, and/or a rigid constitution not easily amended, is known as ______.

A)liberal democracy
B)illiberal democracy
C)social democracy
D)consensus democracy

Question 47

In a federal system the central government has sole constitutional sovereignty, whereas in a unitary system the central government shares constitutional sovereignty with subunits.

Question 48

In a parliamentary system, how is the head of state different from the head of government?

Question 49

In parliamentary systems, the prime minister is the head of state.

Question 50

A coalition government occurs in a parliamentary system in which at least two parties negotiate an agreement to rule together

Question 51

Problems in a semipresidential system can arise when a president and prime minister are of different genders.

Question 52

Name at least two major powers granted to the president of the United States by the Framers of the United States Constitution.

Question 53

Summarize at least two characteristics of a consensus democracy.

Question 54

In presidential systems, the president and the legislative body are elected in separate elections.

Question 55

In parliamentarian systems, if no party has a parliamentary majority a coalition government is usually formed.

Question 56

What are some of the potential effects of dual legitimacy in a presidential system?

Question 57

The president in a semipresidential system is elected by the citizens, while the prime minister is chosen by the majority party or coalition in parliament.

Question 58

The ability of the citizenry to directly or indirectly control political leaders and institutions is called political accountability.

Question 59

The tradition in Great Britain that all cabinet members must publicly support all government decisions is referred to as collective responsibility.

Question 60

List at least two ways in which the executive branch can increase its power?

Question 61

Explain the differences in the functions performed by heads of state and heads of government? Are these two important institutional figures always separate, i.e., can the same person hold both roles?

Question 62

Describe the relationship between parties and judicial independence.

Question 63

What are the problems with presidentialism, according to Juan Linz?

Question 64

How are common law and code law different? The same?

Question 65

What is the difference between "common law" and "code law?" Where did they originate? What role does stare decisis play in each of these two legal systems?

Question 66

Compare and contrast federalism as it functions in Mexico, India, and Russia.

Question 67

Explain in detail what a "vote of no confidence" is.Can it exist in presidential systems? Please explain why.

Question 68

Compare and contrast the Majoritarian and the Consensus models of democracy.Please cite at least one example for each category.

Question 69

What is the difference between a head of state and a head of government?

Question 70

In your own words, define the principal-agent problem.Use an example if necessary.

Question 71

In what two ways did the New Public Management movement seek to alter bureaucracy?

Question 72

Explain how the United States and the United Kingdom differ in respect to the influence of opposition parties.

Question 73

What is a vote of no confidence, and what is typically the result if such a vote passes?

Question 74

What are the consequences of organizing the bureaucracy around the idea of patronage, in opposition to the idea of professionalization? In your answer, please define both concepts?

Question 75

Can judicial independence be understood as a catalyst for democratic transition? If so, how?

Question 76

What is federalism and how does it apply to the United States? In particular, what kind of federalism system does the U.S.have?

Question 77

In what sense can it be said that legislative and executive power are fused in parliamentary systems?

Question 78

Does federalism increase or decrease accountability? How?