basic concepts and gov institutions

Question 1

what index measures income inequality

Answer 1

Gini Index

Question 2

what index measures people’s access to civil liberties, freedoms, and political rights

Answer 2

Freedom House

Question 3

what Index is used by the UN to rank countries’ levels of social and economic development

Answer 3

Human Development Index (HDI)

Question 4

what measures a country’s TOTAL economic output

Answer 4

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Question 5

what measures a country’s economic output per person by taking GDP divided by population

Answer 5

GDP per capita

Question 6

what international economic group is China a part of

Answer 6

(FOCAC) Foundation Of China Africa relations

Question 7

what does FOCAC do

Answer 7

China provides aid and loans to Africa, aiming to strengthen political alliances in Africa, although Africa may lose sovereignty to China due to huge amounts of debt

Question 8

if a candidate wins 40% of the vote (not a majority but more than any other candidate) what country would the candidate be elected (no runoff with top candidates)

Answer 8

Mexico as it is the only AP country where the president is elected through a plurality system

Question 9

if no candidate won a majority (over 50%) of the vote, in what 3 countries would a runoff between the top 2 be held?

Answer 9

Iran, Nigeria, and Russia. these are the 3 AP countries that the president must win a majority of the vote or a runoff between the top 2 is held (two-ballot system)

Question 11

Which of the following would be an example of a corporatist system?

A. Environmental groups protest loudly as oil companies lobby the government for drilling rights on protected lands.
B. Numerous groups boycott voting to protest rigged elections.
C. Both business and labor groups compete for influence over the drafting of new healthcare regulations.
D. Many civil rights groups form coalitions to put public pressure on the legislature to pass antidiscrimination laws.
E. Peak associations of business and labor negotiate tax policy with government officials

Answer 11

E. Peak associations of business and labor negotiate tax policy with government officials. Corporatism is a system of a few government-recognized interest groups directly negotiating public policy with government officials.

Question 12

what is an advantage of using a Single-Member District voting system (SMD)

Answer 12

voters get to select a single individual that represents them, unlike in a PR system where voters can only choose parties

Question 13

what government system involves many competing interest groups competing for access to work with government officials on policy by using different strategies such as lobbying, protests, and boycotts

Answer 13

pluralism

Question 14

in what system can the PM be removed from office with a vote of no confidence

Answer 14

parliamentary

Question 15

the purpose of the cabinet is to:

Answer 15

provide political management over bureaucratic agencies, develop policy

Question 16

T/F: bicameral legislatures are more likely to gridlock than unicameral legislatures, especially when the bicameral legislature is symmetrically

Answer 16

true; it is often difficult to obtain the majority vote in both houses needed to pass a law, thereby resulting in gridlock especially organized symmetrically.

Question 17

why is a unicameral legislature more efficient than a bicameral one?

Answer 17

because it has fewer checks on the will of the majority and policy only needs to get passed in one house to become law, rather than 2 houses.

Question 18

T/F: correlation is one event causing another, and causation is two events occurring together

Answer 18

false; correlation is an apparent association of two things and causation is when one event CAUSES the other

Question 19

a claim or assertion that is fact and can be tested and verified through observation or experimentation is also called a:

Answer 19

empirical statement

Question 20

the ability of the citizens in a country to observe and learn about government decision making processes is:

Answer 20

transparency, this is a critical component of democratic regimes.

Question 21

a government system that is a mix of democratic and authoritarian is a:

Answer 21

hybrid political system

Question 22

an investment made by a company or individual in one country into a business or asset located in another country is:

Answer 22

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),

Question 23

T/F a country increasing FDI means that the country is liberalizing the economy

Answer 23

True

Question 24

a set of economic policies implemented by a government to reduce budget deficits through measures like spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both is a:

Answer 24

Austerity program: Increase taxes, Decrease spending

Question 25

a formal document that outlines an organization's commitment to integrating sustainable practices into its operations and decision-making is a:

Answer 25

sustainability policy: policy that is yay-earth yk wt im syin gng ts pmo

Question 26

expresses a value judgment or opinion about what should be, rather than what is or can be proven (opinion without proof) is a:

Answer 26

normative statement

Question 27

political culture shapes:

Answer 27

how citizens expect political actors to conduct themselves in the seeking and exercising of political power

Question 28

institutions that that connect people to the public policymaking process

Answer 28

linkage institutions

Question 29

the local government structure within a city, town, or village, responsible for providing services and managing the affairs of that community, such as the police, is the:

Answer 29

municipal government

Question 30

used to form evaluate and implement public policy. The four steps are as follows: problem identification, identification of policy options, selection and implementation, and evaluation. This model is based on economic models for decision-making. this is called the:

Answer 30

Rational-Comprehensive Model

Question 31

an example of a linkage institution is a: 1. National Legislature 2. Bureaucratic agency 3. independent media outlet

Answer 31

3. independent media outlet

Question 32

T/F: an advantage of a multiparty system is stability

Answer 32

FALSE: a two party system tends to be more stable

Question 33

a state that provides universal access to healthcare, education, and pensions

Answer 33

welfare state

Question 34

cause and effect, correlation and causation. One event or variable directly results in the occurrence of another event or variable

Answer 34

Causal relationship

Question 35

system where expertise and skills are valued over political affiliation

Answer 35

merit-based system

Question 36

a way to compare and contrast cases and draw conclusions. By comparing countries or subsets within them, scholars seek out conclusions and generalizations that could be valid in other cases

Answer 36

Comparative method

Question 37

apparent association between certain factors or variables.

Answer 37

Correlation

Question 38

Starts with the hypothesis and then seeks out the evidence (all Siamese cats are yellow and black; my cat Megatron is yellow and black, therefore he is a Siamese cat)

Answer 38

DEductive reasoning

Question 39

Starts with the evidence and pattern recognition as a way to uncover the hypothesis. (I get cold in the winter, therefore this winter I will get cold)

Answer 39

INductive reasoning

Question 40

The variable that doesn’t depend on changes in other variables and is the presumed cause (If someone was studying the amount of water a plant gets as a factor of the size of the plant, the amount of water is the independent variable).

Answer 40

Independent variable

Question 41

The variable that is dependent on, or affected by, the change (If someone was studying the amount of water a plant gets as a factor of the size of the plant, the size of the plant would be the dependent variable).

Answer 41

Dependent variable

Question 42

the problem of distinguishing between cause and effect. Even if we’re certain that we have found cause and effect, we can’t easily ascertain which is which

Answer 42

Endogeneity

Question 43

based on officially sanctioned rules that are relatively clear. They are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake. Something so embedded in people’s lives as a norm or value that is not easily changed. Generate legitimacy

Answer 43

Formal institutions

Question 44

unwritten and unofficial, but not less powerful

Answer 44

Informal Institutions

Question 45

the study of how and why people make decisions. More specifically, it is ‘the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers’

Answer 45

Game Theory

Question 46

the theory that, as societies developed, they would become capitalist democracies, converging around a set of shared values and characteristics. Basically, all countries would catch up to the US and other western countries unless diverted by alternative systems

Answer 46

Modernization theory

Question 47

many variables interact to produce particular outcomes

Answer 47

Multicausality

Question 48

the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for a larger group. The competition for public power.

Answer 48

Politics

Question 49

the ability to influence others or impose one’s own will on them.

Answer 49

power

Question 50

often narrowly focused, deep investigations of one or a few cases drawing from scholarly expertise. Exploratory “how” and “why” questions. Typically inductive, beginning with case studies to generate theory

Answer 50

Qualitative Method

Question 51

favor a wider use of cases unbounded by area specialization, greater use of statistical analysis, and mathematical models often drawn from economics. More likely to use deductive reasoning, starting with a theory that can be tested with an array of data

Answer 51

Quantitative Method

Question 52

a set of guidelines that help understand economic and social behavior. It is closely related to game theory.

Answer 52

Rational Choice

Question 53

a bias on the dependent variable, or sampling on the effect, rather than the cause

Answer 53

Selection Bias

Question 54

centralized authority/political power, the locus of power. A set of institutions that wields the most force within a territory, establishing order etc

Answer 54

State

Question 55

the state’s ability of self-government, supreme power and authority

Answer 55

Sovereignty

Question 56

the fundamental rules and norms of that establish the proper relation between freedom and equality and the use of power. It embodies the long-term goals of the state.

Answer 56

Regime

Question 57

leadership that runs the state.

Answer 57

Government

Question 58

shorthand for the political system that combines state, regime, and government, as well as the people that live in the system. The entire political entity and its citizens.

Answer 58

Country

Question 59

Individuals are brought together by a ruler who imposes authority and monopolizes power. Security though domination, threats, etc

Answer 59

Coercion

Question 60

a value whereby something or someone is recognized and accepted as right and proper. Creates power that relies not on coercion, but consent

Answer 60

Legitimacy

Question 61

the idea that someone or something is valid because it has always been that way

Answer 61

Traditional Legitimacy

Question 62

based on the power of ideas or beliefs. Typically embodied by individuals who can move and persuade the public through ideas and the way they present them

Answer 62

Charismatic Legitimacy

Question 63

based on a system of laws and procedures that are presumed to be neutral or rational. Leaders gain legitimacy through the rules by which they come to office

Answer 63

Rational-legal Legitimacy

Question 64

Political leaders in many countries have wielded a great deal of charismatic power and have become the centers of this. They portray the leader as the ‘father’ of the nation and imbue him with almost superhuman powers.

Answer 64

Cult of Personality

Question 65

power is divided between regional bodies (asymmetric federalism is an uneven distribution). Reflects a view that overcentralization is dangerous

Answer 65

Federalism

Question 66

political power is concentrated at the national level and local authority is limited

Answer 66

Unitary State

Question 67

states that are able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, enforcing rules, or collecting taxes

Answer 67

Strong state

Question 68

cannot execute such tasks very well, rules are haphazardly applied, tax evasion etc is widespread, rebels may control regions of the state, corruption, etc

Answer 68

weak state

Question 69

the very structures of the state become so weak that they break down.

Answer 69

failed state

Question 70

the ability of the state to wield power in order to carry out the basic tasks of providing security and reconciling freedom and equality

Answer 70

Capacity

Question 71

the ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public or international actors.

Answer 71

Autonomy

Question 72

laws based on a codified, written document such as a constitution. Opposite of common law

Answer 72

code law system