Chapter 1 - Foundations

Question 1

Interests

Answer 1

What actors want to achieve through political action; the preferred outcomes that might result from their political choices.

Question 2

Theory

Answer 2

A logically consistent set of statement that describe the phenomenon of interest. They help us describe, predict and prescribe.

Question 3

Interactions

Answer 3

The ways in which the choices of two or more actors combine in order to produce political outcomes.

Question 4

Institution

Answer 4

A set of rules shared by a community that shape interactions in specific ways.

Question 5

Bargaining

Answer 5

An interaction in which actors must choose outcomes that make one better off at the expense at the other one. It is redistributive - requires allocating fixed sum of value between different actors.

Question 6

Cooperation

Answer 6

An interaction in which two or more actors adopt policies that make at least one actor better off relative to the status quo, without making the other one worse.

Question 7

Realism

Answer 7

Interests: the state is a dominant actor which seeks security and power
Interactions: Generally about bargaining
Institutions: International system is anarhic and they reflect the interests of powerful states only.

Question 8

Liberalism

Answer 8

Interests: No single actor dominates, wealth is a common goal
Interactions: Cooperation
Institutions: Setting out rules, providing information, and democratic political institutions

Question 9

Constructivism

Answer 9

Interests: many important, influenced by culture, identity and appropriate behavior
Interactions: socialize actors to hold particular interests
Institutions: define identities and shape norms of just and appropriate behavior

Question 10

Mercantilism

Answer 10

An economic doctrine based on a belief that military power and economic influence complemented each other (applied to colonial empires 16th to 18th century). It favored the mother country over its colonies. They used the military power to enrich themselves and then used those riches to support the military power.

Question 11

Peace of Westphalia

Answer 11

The settlement that ended the Thirty year war (1618 - 1648). It included a general recognition of sovereignty and nonintervention.

Question 12

Sovereignty

Answer 12

The expectation that states have legal and political supremacy (ultimate authority) within their territorial boundaries.

Question 13

Hegemony

Answer 13

Predominance of one nation state over others.

Question 14

Pax Britannica

Answer 14

“British Peace” from 1815 to 1914 in which Britain’s economic and diplomatic influence contributed to economic openness and peace.

Question 15

Gold Standard

Answer 15

The monetary system (1870 - 1914) in which countries tied their currencies to gold at a legally fixed price.

Question 16

Treaty of Versailles

Answer 16

The peace treaty between the Allies and Germany that formally ended World War I in 1919

Question 17

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Answer 17

An alliance formed in 1949 among US, Canada and western Europe in response to threat posed by the Soviet Union.

Question 18

Bretton Woods System

Answer 18

Economic order negotiated between allied nations involving a commitment to relatively low barriers to international trade and investment.

Question 19

Warsaw Pact

Answer 19

Military alliance formed in 1955 to bring together the Soviet Union and its cold war allies in Eastern Europe

Question 20

Decolonization

Answer 20

Process of shedding colonial possesions

Question 21

State systems

Answer 21

Liberal - A liberal state system is rooted in the principles of classical liberalism, which emphasizes individual freedoms, limited government intervention in the economy, and protection of private property rights. The state plays a minimal role in regulating economic and social activities, favoring free markets, competition, and personal responsibility
Communist - A communist state system is based on the ideology of communism, where the state seeks to abolish private ownership of the means of production and instead advocate for collective ownership. Under communism, the state typically controls all economic activity, and resources are distributed according to need, rather than market forces or individual wealth.
Social democratic - A social democratic state system blends elements of capitalism with substantial government intervention to promote social welfare and equality. It combines a commitment to democratic governance with policies that address income inequality, provide universal healthcare, education, and other essential services, and regulate markets to ensure they operate in the public interest.

Question 22

Defection

Answer 22

Conscious abandonment of a party, agreement, duty