Test 2 Flashcards
Lichbach and Zuckerman, 1997
The reading argues that all of the three main comparativist ideologies, rationalism, culturalism, and structuralism, seek to understand important events of both the past and present by employing and applying unique modes of comparison.
Lerner, 1957
This reading argues that the people of Balgat would desire more than life inside of their small village if they are exposed to the world outside of Balgat.
Weber, 1918
The reading argues that modernization has led to the expropriation of political organization from numerous lords to the state, leading to states becoming more bureaucratic, with the political power residing with one body and staff being delegated jobs that keep them dependent upon the state.
Rotberg, 2002
The reading argues that a nation-state fails when it is unable to provide adequate goods or services to its people due to bad leaders or groups in the state, removing the legitimacy of its government and causing a power vacuum that can be filled by unsanctioned violence and corruption.
Herbst, 1990
The reading argues that Africa has not seen the political organization and state development that Europe experienced because it has not had significant interstate war to cause a more efficient tax system and a national identity to develop.
Posner, 2004
“I argue that the political salience of a cultural cleavage will depend on the sizes of the groups that it defines relative to the size of the arena in which political competition is taking place.”
Fearon and Laitin, 2003
This reading argues that civil war cannot be predicted by ethnic or religious differences, but by how favorable conditions in a state are for insurgency.
Acemoglu, 2003
This reading argues that while geographic conditions in an economically underdeveloped country may contribute to its lagging economy, bad institutions are actually the cause of the lack of economic development.
Krugman, 1994
This reading argues that rapid Asian economic growth can be accounted for, like the growth seen in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, due to growth inputs such as labor and capital, instead of gains made in efficiency, thus Asian economic growth is not sustainable.
Schmitter and Karl, 1991
This reading argues that democracy is a regime in which people placed in authority are held accountable by citizens, often indirectly through their elected representatives, but democracy is not necessarily more efficient economically and administratively, more orderly and governable, or economically free, often because of the ability of citizens to hold their leaders accountable.
Ansell and Samuels, 2014
This reading argues that democracy emerges when economically up-and-coming groups act to limit the power of the elite, which is particularly likely during times of high economic inequality that has created fragmentation among the elite.
Linz and Stepan, 1996
This reading argues that solely using democracy, totalitarianism, and authoritarianism to classify regimes is too limiting, and the addition of post-totalitarianism and sultanism as classifications would help further the study of how prior regime type affects democratic transition.
Berman, 1997
This reading argues that civil society is neutral in the promotion or downfall of democracy, but, rather, the strength of political institutionalization determines the success of democratization.
Levitsky and Way, 2002
This reading argues that competitive authoritarianism’s distinct mix of democratic institutions and authoritarian leadership means that democratic norms are often widely ignored, and it sets a significant historical basis in each state that is impactful for its economy, human rights, and chances of democracy.
King, Pan, and Roberts, 2013
This reading argues that the Chinese government censors internet posts based not on how critical it is of the government, but how likely the post is to incite collective action.
Which of the following is an argument against having the state regulate trade?
keep the cost of goods low
Laissez-faire economics characterizes which of these political economic systems?
liberalism
___ is a period when prices rise because there are too few goods and wages and savings lose their value as a result
inflation
___ is a political economic system that may employ neocorporatism to govern relations between the state, labor, and businesses.
social democracy
Which of the following countries is an example of a modern mercantilist state?
Brazil
According to the section on Japan’s economic decline, what lesson should we learn from this case?
Any set of political-economic systems that work well under some conditions can still become out of sync as a result of broader changes over time.
Which of the following is an example of a public good?
national defense
Which of these traits is typical of a mercantilist political economic system?
state-owned or parastatal industries
___, one measure of economic wealth, compares the different costs of living across countries
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
Edward Bernstein is a major contributor to theory about
social democracy
The Gini index measures
economic inequality
Which of these traits is typical of a liberal political economic system?
low taxes
Despite recent economic crises, the two political economic systems that remain the most prevalent type around the globe are
liberalism and social democracy
The United States is best classified under which political economic system?
liberalism
___ seeks to replace the free market with a centralized, planned economy and an extensive welfare state
communism
___ is a period when the prices and value of goods, services, investments, and wages drop, and unemployment and less spending may result
deflation
__ exemplifies the interaction between the forces of supply and demand
markets
____, created by the UN Development Program, seeks to measure the overall well-being of a country’s people
Human Development Index
A state’s central bank
controls the state’s flow of money and interest rates
In the development of democracy, what did 13th century England Contribute?
the Magna Carta, the document that laid the foundation for the idea of individual liberty
In democracies, political parties do a number of things. What is something they do not do?
guarantee the separation of powers
Which society provided the earliest form of indirect democracy with republicanism, or representation through elected officials?
Ancient Rome
Which electoral system tends to have the most political parties (and the ones with the most party discipline)?
proportional representation
The governmental institution in which national politics is considered and debated is called the
legislature
An electoral system in which seats in a legislature are allocated based on the percentage of votes each party receives in the election is called
proportional representation (PR)
Of the following, which did the ancient Greeks contribute to the development of democracy?
a system that allowed the people to participate directly in government
Some argue that ___ is more effective because the executive and the legislature are fused, increasing legislative efficiency and reducing possible deadlock.
a parliamentary system
When each constituency elects only one member to the legislature, (whether they win a plurality or a majority of the votes), this system is called
a single-member district (SMD)
Which of the following is generally true about prime ministers?
They are members (and leaders) of parliament.
In a democracy, the executive has two roles: the ____ represents the nation at home and abroad, and the ____ deals with the everyday tasks of running the government.
head of state; head of government
Which of these organizations would not be a part of civil society?
the military
Though they vary greatly in how they act and how much power they have, three key institutions in democracy are the
executive, legislature, and judiciary
Democracy can be defined as political power exercised either indirectly or directly through
participation, competition, and liberty
A policy measure that is voted on by the people is called
a referendum
Some who criticize modernization theory argue that one of the key predictors for whether a country will be a democracy or not is the
level of income inequality
When a court considers the constitutionality of legislation when triggered by a court case, this is called
concrete review
In 2012, Hungary adopted a new constitution in a move that received domestic and international criticism. Which of the following was a change made in this new constitution?
reducing the power of the constitutional court
Some argue that modernization leads to democracy. Which of the following best represents this reasoning?
As societies become more economically and socially sophisticated, the population will desire more control over the state so they can protect their own interests.
Which of the following is not true about presidents?
They are members (and leaders) of parliament.
Patrimonialism is
nondemocratic rule in which leaders trade benefits with a small group of insiders for their political support.
Illiberal or hybrid regimes are growing in prominence around the world. The key feature is that they
have democratic features with important qualifications
Co-optation is the appropriate term when
the state establishes a beneficial relationship with the people
Military rule usually emerges due to a
coup d’état
Which type of regime, which is present in all cases of totalitarianism, is often associated with communism and fascism?
one-party rule
Modernization theorists argue nondemocratic regimes emerge
when poverty is rampant and income inequality is high
The political system in Iran, where religious faith is the foundation of politics, might be called
a theocracy
Which of the following is not a feature of nondemocratic regimes?
constitutionally mandated accountability to the people
Cultural arguments hold that democracy requires a society that emphasizes
individualism and secularism
Nondemocratic regimes often compel individuals by threatening harm to their lives and livelihoods. This is known as
coercion
Some nondemocracies maintain control by creating or sanctioning a limited number of organizations to represent the interests of the public and restricting those not approved by the state
corporatism
Turkmenistan’s former leader, Saparmurat Niyizov, called himself “Father of the Turkmen,” named months of the year after himself and his mother, and constructed a large public statue of himself. We would consider his rule an example of
personality cult
States with an abundance of oil and minerals often struggle with democratic development for a number of reasons. This is known as
the “resource trap” theory
Kleptocracy, or “rule by theft,” may be thought of as an extreme example of
clientelism
Under bureaucratic authoritarianism, the military and the state bureaucracy believe that the problems of the country can be solved by:
rational, technical expertise rather than emotional ideology
International actors can either help or hinder the democratic process. Which of the following countries has not been a key supporter of nondemocratic regimes?
Norway
__ lacks a consistent ideological foundation; instead, it emphasizes hostility toward elites and established state institutions and the need for people to “take back” the state
populism
Countries like Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union, or modern North Korea possess a highly centralized state and regime with a well-defined ideology that seeks to transform and fuse the institutions of state, society, and the economy. This form of nondemocratic rule is
totalitarianism
Over the last 40 years, the number of
nondemocratic regimes has dramatically declined
Another commonly used term for nondemocratic rule is
authoritarianism
