Comparative Politics Final This is a practice exam for Emizet Kasagnani's Comparative Politcs Final Fall 2013 joaks01 published on December 18, 201325 responses 0 « Previous Next » Questions in vertical order 1/109 German reunification took place in October 1990. This refers to the reunification of: Germany and Poland. Germany and Austria. West Germany and Slovakia. East Germany and West Germany. 2/109 Portugal, Spain, and Greece experienced transitions to democracy in which decade? 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 3/109 South Korea experienced a transition to democracy in which decade? 1960s 1970s 1980s None of the above; South Korea is in a suppressive dictatorship. 4/109 Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay experienced transitions to democracy in which decade? 1970s 1980s 1990s 5/109 The non-interventionist policy of which Soviet leader was instrumental in the democratic transitions of 1989 across much of Eastern Europe? Joseph Stalin. Mikhail Gorbachev. Nikita Khrushchev. Boris Yeltsin. 6/109 The “velvet revolution” is a reference to the peaceful democratic transition in: Czechoslovakia. Romania. 7/109 According to recent studies of attempts to externally impose democracy on a country by using military force, there is very little evidence, if any, to support the claim that such intervention increases the level of democracy in the target countries. True False 8/109 Some politicians like to refer to cases in which the United States intervened successfully in order to establish democracy; Japan and West Germany after WWII are the favorite examples. However, according to the recent empirical research discussed in Chapter 8 (on democratic transitions), evidence shows that although attempts at the external imposition of democracy may promote some democratic-seeming reforms in the short-run, they ultimately produce political instability in the target countries and are unlikely to lead to a stable democracy. True False 9/109 The introduction of elections, legislatures, and parties in many dictatorships around the world is a sign that these countries are definitely moving toward democracy. True False 10/109 A “public good” is: Excludable and rivalrous. Non-excludable and rivalrous. Excludable and non-rivalrous. Non-excludable and non-rivalrous. 11/109 Public goods are, by their nature, desirable. Thus, anyone who would benefit from such a good can be expected to contribute to its provision. True False 12/109 Collective action theory indicates that individuals will automatically act collectively to achieve their goals whenever they share common interests (such as wanting to listen to NPR, protect environmental resources, or promote democracy). True False 13/109 When groups are small enough that members can monitor each other’s behavior, solving the free-rider problem becomes: More difficult Easier 14/109 Collective action theory suggests that minority groups may actually be more powerful than majority groups in some circumstances. This might explain why business lobbies are usually considered to be more effective at influencing political elites than trade unions are. True False 15/109 Collective action theory helps explain why: Protests in Eastern Europe were rare throughout most of the cold war. There were massive protests across Eastern Europe in 1989. 16/109 The tipping, or threshold, models presented in Chapter 8 are used to explain why the public protests in Eastern Europe in 1989 were a surprise to most political observers, both inside and outside of Eastern Europe. According to the reading and lectures, why are revolutions always going to be a surprise? Revolutions tend to be irrational. Preference falsification. Revolutionary cascades. None of the above. 17/109 Collective action theory, which highlights the incentives for free riding, is better at explaining why: Protests in Eastern Europe were rare throughout most of the cold war. There were massive protests across Eastern Europe in 1989. 18/109 The textbook distinguishes between the types of dictatorships based on: Size of the country Title of the leader Identity of their support coalitions Type of election 19/109 The three basic types of authoritarian regime outlined in the textbook include all of the following EXCEPT: Monarchies Oligarchies Military Civilian 20/109 Those dictators that hold elections and tolerate some degree of pluralism yet violate democratic standards are called: Electoral authoritarian Democratic pluralism Liberal democracy Pluralist dictatorship 21/109 Dictatorships that rely on their family and kin network to come to power and stay in power are called: Monarchies Military dictatorships Dominant-party dictatorships d. Personalistic dictatorships 22/109 In the country of Qatar, the successor to the king is selected by the ruling family by consensus based on their own best interests. Based on this information, Qatar can be labeled a: Monarchy Military dictatorship Dominant-party dictatorship Personalistic dictatorship 23/109 A dictatorship ruled by a “junta” is a: Monarchy Military dictatorship Dominant-party dictatorship Personalistic dictatorship 24/109 Military dictatorships often claim the “guardians of the national interest”: True False 25/109 Military dictatorships rule in an altruistic manner and are unburdened by economic interests: True False 26/109 The unstable nature of the regime in Guinea demonstrates: That personalistic dictatorships are prone to being overthrown via popular revolution That military dictatorships are prone to military coups That dominant-party dictatorships are prone to external invasion That monarchies make efforts to slowly liberalize institutions 27/109 Dictatorships that rely on the support of a “junta” of leaders of the armed forces to remain in power are called: Monarchies Military dictatorships Dominant-party dictatorships Personalistic dictatorships 28/109 Dictatorships that do not rely on either the support of the military or a ruling family or kin network are called: Monarchies Military dictatorships Civilian dictatorships 29/109 When we see a dictator removed from power, we are likely to see the dictator replaced by a dictator of a similar type: True False 30/109 The most common form of dictatorship from 1946-2008 has always been: Monarchies Military dictatorships Civilian dictatorships 31/109 . The Communist Party in the former Soviet Union is an excellent example of this type of regime: Democracy Monarchy Military dictatorship Personalistic dictatorship Dominant-party dictatorship 32/109 Dominant-party dictatorships rely on the following to stay in power: Controlling the military Tying monetary and nonmonetary benefits to membership in the party Restricting the ability off opposition parties to effectively compete Only b and c All of the above 33/109 Dominant-party and personalistic dictatorships are both subcategories of the following type of dictatorship: Monarchies Military dictatorships Civilian dictatorships 34/109 The military in personalistic dictatorships is often deliberately kept weak so as to not act as a power base for a potential rival: True False 35/109 Personalistic dictatorships are often characterized by the following: Strong parties, strong militaries, and weak leaders Free press, competitive elections, and multipartism Weak press, strong secret police, and arbitrary uses of force 36/109 Personalistic dictators rely on ____ to maintain the loyalty of their support coalition and the citizenry more generally: Cult of personality Strong parties Free media Supportive military 37/109 The difference between hegemonic electoral authoritarian regimes and competitive authoritarian regimes is that: The former is where the major party wins only half the time and the latter is where the major party wins the vast majority of the time The former is where the opposition parties win substantial minorities and the latter is where opposition parties often win in presidential elections The former is where the leader’s party wins with overwhelming majorities and the latter is where the opposition parties win substantial minorities in elections. None of the above 38/109 . The dictatorship type that will be in office the shortest time is expected to be: Military dictatorships Personalistic dictatorships Dominant-party dictatorships 39/109 The dictatorship type that is most likely to be followed by competitive elections is: Military dictatorships Personalistic dictatorships Dominant-party dictatorships 40/109 What is the basic assumption behind the Selectorate Theory? That dictators care more about staying in power than democratic leaders do. That dictators use elections to discourage internal rivals from attempting coups. That all political leaders are motivated by the desire to gain and maintain office. All of the above are important assumptions of the Selectorate Theory. 41/109 According to Bueno de Mesquita and others, what is the selectorate? These are all of the people who could elect the leader. These are all of the people who do elect the leader. These are all of the people who could select the leader. These are all of the people who do select the leader. None of the above. 42/109 According to Bueno de Mesquita and others, what is the winning coalition? The party that wins. The government coalition that wins. The group of people who keep the leader in power. The group of people who can select the leader. The group of people who actually selected the leader. 43/109 To stay in power, leaders must keep members of their winning coalitions happy. True False 44/109 If members of a winning coalition get “paid” with things like money, special legal protections, or special business advantages, then this is an example of the government providing: Public goods. Private goods. 45/109 If members of a winning coalition get “paid” with things like national security, rule of law, primary and secondary education, then this is an example of the government providing: Public Goods Private Goods 46/109 A key part of the Selectorate Theory is that the actions of the leader (for example, setting the tax rate) can affect the level of economic growth for the entire country. True False 47/109 When will leaders have an incentive to provide public goods? When S is small. When S is large. When W is small. When W is large. 48/109 According to the Selectorate Theory, when are the members of the winning coalition likely to have the highest loyalty to their leader? When W/S is large. When W/S is small. When W/S is average size. t doesn’t matter whether W/S is large, average, or small; they are always loyal. 49/109 If you were the leader, what type of institutions would you want to set up (assuming that you wanted to stay in power)? Institutions that would generate a small W and a small W/S. Institutions that would generate a small W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a small W/S. 50/109 If you were a member of the winning coalition, what type of institutions would you want to set up (assuming that you wanted to receive as many goods as possible)? Institutions that would generate a small W and a small W/S. Institutions that would generate a small W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a small W/S. 51/109 If you were a member of the selectorate but not the winning coalition, what type of institutions would you want to set up (assuming that you wanted to receive as many goods as possible)? Institutions that would generate a small W and a small W/S. Institutions that would generate a small W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a large W/S. Institutions that would generate a large W and a small W/S. 52/109 Loyalty toward the incumbent leader declines as the winning coalition grows relative to the selectorate (that is, as W/S gets larger). True False 53/109 In the United States of America, who belongs to the selectorate? Everyone who lives in the United States. Everyone who lives in the United States legally. Everyone who is eligible to vote in presidential and congressional elections. Everyone who actually does vote in presidential and congressional elections. 54/109 One way to describe the relationship between corruption and kleptocracy is to say that kleptocracy is corruption on a large scale–for example, when corruption is actually organized by a country’s political leaders with the goal of their personal enrichment. True False 55/109 What set of institutions makes kleptocracy most likely? A large W/S and a small W. A small W/S and a small W. A large W/S and a large W. 56/109 Once we apply the Selectorate Theory to our usual typology of regime types (democracies as well as various types of dictatorships), it provides us with a potential story both for why democracies produce a relatively high level of material well-being and for why some dictatorships perform better than others. True False 57/109 Let’s say we want to apply the insights from the Selectorate Theory to analyze some question we have about democracies and dictatorships. In the language of the Selectorate Theory, the key factor that distinguishes democracies from dictatorships is the size of the winning coalition. If we further want to distinguish among dictatorships, we would examine the countries with small winning coalitions and look at variation over the size of the selectorate (so we would be comparing W/S). True False 58/109 According to the Selectorate Theory, when are we likely to see the best economic performance? When W is big. When W is small. When W/S is big and W is big. When W/S is small and W is big. 59/109 If a country has an independently elected president, then we necessarily consider it to be a presidential regime. True False 60/109 Is it possible to have a monarch as a head of state in a democracy? Yes, this can occur in semi-presidential regimes. Yes, this can occur in presidential regimes. Yes, this can occur in parliamentary regimes. No, it is impossible for a country to be considered a democracy if it still has a monarchy. 61/109 When we talk about “the government” in terms of distinguishing parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systems (for example, when we say that the government depends on the legislative majority as well as the president in a mixed system) we mean: The state. All of the elected officials in a country. The cabinet (made up of the prime minister and the other ministers). 62/109 If the opposition in the legislature proposes a vote on whether or not the current government should stay in power, then this is an example of: An investiture vote. A no confidence vote. 63/109 If an incoming government must face a formal vote before it can officially take office, this is referred to as: An investiture vote. A no confidence vote. 64/109 Which of the statements best describes a vote of confidence? A new government must pass a vote (on the cabinet's composition and proposed policies) in the legislature before it can take office. A government declares that a vote on a particular piece of legislation is also a vote of support for the government itself; if the legislators do not support the legislation, then the government will resign (and new elections might result). A group of legislators propose a vote on the support of the incumbent government. If the government passes the vote, then it stays in office. If it fails the vote, then it must resign (and new elections might result). 65/109 When you classify countries in terms of presidential versus not presidential (that is, either parliamentary or semi-presidential), whether or not a country has an investiture vote is more important than whether or not they have a no confidence vote procedure. True False 66/109 What is a constructive vote of no confidence? When the legislature votes to approve an incoming cabinet. When the members of the legislative majority propose a no confidence vote. When the no confidence vote specifies an alternative government that will be installed if the no confidence vote is successful. 67/109 To stay in power in a parliamentary democracy, the government must keep a majority of the members of the legislature happy. True False 68/109 In which system(s) is the government not responsible to the legislature? In a parliamentary regime. In a presidential regime. In a semi-presidential regime. All of the above. Only (a) and (c) above. Only (b) and (c) above. 69/109 . In which system(s) is the government responsible to the legislature but not the president? In a parliamentary regime. In a presidential regime. In a semi-presidential regime. Only (a) and (c) above. Only (b) and (c) above. 70/109 In which system(s) is the government responsible to the legislature and the president? In a parliamentary regime. In a presidential regime. In a semi-presidential regime. Only (a) and (c) above. Only (b) and (c) above. All of the above 71/109 In which system(s) is the government responsible to the legislature? In a parliamentary regime. n a presidential regime. In a semi-presidential regime. All of the above. Only (a) and (c) above. Only (b) and (c) above 72/109 In which system(s) is the government responsible to the president? In a parliamentary regime. In a presidential regime. In a semi-presidential regime. All of the above. Only (a) and (c) above. Only (b) and (c) above. 73/109 Which of these defines a presidential regime? Independently (directly or indirectly) elected president. Government is responsible to the president but not to the legislature. Both (a) and (b). 74/109 In a semi-presidential regime, who is the primary political actor during periods of cohabitation? The president. The prime minister. Both, depending on the issue–prime minister has more control over domestic politics, but president still has a role in foreign policy. 75/109 Canada held an early general election on January 23, 2006, after the Liberal Party's minority government was toppled in a no-confidence vote on November 28, 2005. Canada does not have an independently elected president. Based on these two pieces of information, is Canada a presidential, parliamentary, or semi-presidential democracy? Presidential. Parliamentary. semi-presidential. 76/109 The difference between premier-presidential regimes and president-parliamentary regimes is: The former is responsible to the legislature while the latter is not The former is responsible to the president while the latter is not The former is not responsible to the legislature while the latter is The former is not responsible to the president while the latter is 77/109 A good example of a premier-presidential regime is the following country: China Ireland United Kingdom Italy 78/109 A good example of a president-parliamentary regime is the following country: China Netherlands Japan France 79/109 Presidents have more influence on policy in president-parliamentary regimes than premier-presidential regimes: True False 80/109 The allocation of cabinet seats among parties is more proportional in presidential regimes than parliamentary regimes. True False 81/109 Coalition governments rarely occur in presidential regimes. True False 82/109 Nonpartisan ministers are more common in parliamentary regimes than presidential ones. True False 83/109 Votes of no confidence do not exist in presidential systems. True False 84/109 Which of the statements best describes a vote of confidence? A new government must pass a vote (on the cabinet’s composition and proposed policies) in the legislature before it can take office. A government declares that a vote on a particular piece of legislation is also a vote on support for the government itself; if the legislators do not support the legislation, then the government will resign (and new elections might result). A group of legislators propose a vote on support for the incumbent government. If the government passes the vote, then it stays in office. If it fails the vote, then it must resign (and new elections might result). None of the above. 85/109 About half of the legislative and presidential elections that took place between 1946 and 2000 were held in dictatorships. True False 86/109 Some scholars argue that elections in dictatorships serve a purpose even if they are not the mechanism for selecting leaders. They argue that elections can stabilize the dictatorship by: Discouraging opposition groups from challenging the dictator. Dividing the opposition by allowing some groups to participate but not others. Presenting a democratic “appearance” to satisfy international organizations. All of the above are reasons given to explain why dictatorships have elections. 87/109 What is (are) the key difference(s) between majoritarian and proportional representation (PR) electoral systems? In majoritarian systems, the winning candidate(s) must win a majority or plurality of the vote, whereas this is not necessary in PR systems. PR systems use large district magnitudes or two-round systems in single districts to elect candidates. All PR systems use party lists. All of the above are differences between majoritarian and PR systems. 88/109 What is the district magnitude in a single-member district? 1 2 10 89/109 Is it possible for a candidate to win in a majoritarian electoral system, such as single-member district plurality (SMDP), without receiving a majority of the votes? Yes No 90/109 SMDP systems are sometimes criticized because they: Do not allow voters to hold their representatives accountable very easily. Can produce very unrepresentative electoral outcomes at the district level. Both (a) and (b) above are common criticisms of SMDP systems. 91/109 We can characterize all proportional representation systems as those with multimember districts and in which either a quota or a divisor is used to determine which candidates are elected in a district. True False 92/109 All proportional electoral systems have natural thresholds. Some have formal thresholds written into the electoral law as well. True False 93/109 The discussion of federalism in the chapter contains a distinction between de facto federalism and de jure federalism. The latter is referred to as “federalism in structure.” To be classified as federal in structure, what features must a country have? A unitary state. Constitutionally regional governments that cannot be unilaterally abolished by the national government. Both the regional and the national government govern their own citizens directly, and both have independent bases of authority. A bicameral legislature, in which legislative deliberations occur in two distinct assemblies. Devolution All of the above 94/109 The majority of independent countries in the world today are federal in structure. True False 95/109 It is nearly always the case that a researcher can determine how centralized a country is by looking at its constitution. True False 96/109 When researchers study federalism in practice (de facto federalism), what measure do they use to estimate how centralized a country is? The effective number of parties. The central government’s share of tax revenue. The number of regional subunits in the country. 97/109 Political scientists tend to view federalism (de jure federalism) as a constitutional issue but decentralization (de facto federalism) as a budgetary one. True False 98/109 According to political scientists, what is the relationship between federalism and government accountability? Federalism enhances accountability. Federalism undermines government accountability. Different political scientists have argued both (a) and (b) above. 99/109 The majority of independent countries in the world today are bicameral in structure. True False 100/109 In which of the countries would you expect to see legislators engaging in more credit-claiming behavior? In bicameral parliamentary democracies. In unicameral parliamentary democracies. 101/109 Even upper houses that are generally considered to be weak can, in some circumstances, significantly influence the legislative process. True False 102/109 In most bicameral systems, the upper house represents the citizens of subnational geographic units. Thus, the upper chamber often suffers from malapportionment. True False 103/109 The majority of bicameral countries in the world today are characterized by symmetric bicameralism in structure. True False 104/109 Over time, most countries have moved away from having class-based upper chambers, though territorially based upper chambers tend to be able to retain their legitimacy. True False 105/109 Imagine that the status quo policy shown in Figure 2 were actually at 5 (assume that nothing else has changed). Would this different status quo affect the answers to the previous questions concerning Figure 2? Yes, because the acceptable ranges for each median voter would be different. In fact, in this case the status quo could not be overturned in favor of any new policy. No, all of the answers to the preceding questions would be the same. 106/109 Constitutionalism” refers to constitutions that are written in a single document, as opposed to constitutions that have several sources, some of which may be unwritten. True False 107/109 The majority of independent countries in the world today have codified constitutions. True False 108/109 In which of the types of democracies would it be easier for the legislature to enact any policy change that it wanted to make (assuming a majority of legislators were in agreement), no matter how radical? In a country with a legislative supremacy constitution. In a country with a higher law constitution. 109/109 . In the U.S. case, are actors such as the president and the Congress considered to be institutional veto players or partisan veto players? Institutional veto players. Partisan veto players.
