POSC 215Part 1
Kesselman, pgs. 4-13, C:CP1-12
THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OFCOMPARATIVE POLITICS
True or False Questions
1. For years after 2008, unemployment hovered at post–World War II record levels, and job creation was sluggish. True or False
2. College graduates, similar to their non-college graduates, have equal levels of bleak job opportunities since the economic catastrophe of 2008. True or False
3. In spite of the bad economic times, young people and middle-age workers are cooperating with one another to find solutions to the serious economic troubles afflicting the United States. True or False
4. Political analysis, argues Kesselman, et. al., requires more than blogging, talking-head debates but involves both a longer historical context and a framework for understanding unfolding developments. True or False
5. According to Kesselman, et. al, the study of comparative politics requires that analysts focus on a single national perspective and avoid the role of trade, mass communication, and culture because it detracts from the goal at hand. True or False
6. According to Kesselman, et. al., there is no reason to include the study of the United States within the field of comparative politics. True or False
7. There is little difference between the study of international relations and comparative politics, argue Kesselman, et. al. True or False
8. According to Kesselman, et. al., despite increased international economic competition and integration, countries are still the fundamental building blocks in structuring most political activity. True or False
9. The comparative approach principally analyzes similarities and differences among countries by focusing on selected political institutions and processes. True or False
10. Although comparativists focus on the legislature, executive, political parties and court systems, they avoid such specialty areas such as education or the environment. True or False
11. Rational choice theory is an approach used to analyze political decision-making and behavior that assumes that individual actors rationally pursue their aims in an effort to achieve the most positive net result. True or False
12. In comparative politics, the state refers to the key political institutions responsible for making, implementing, and adjudicating important policies in a country. True or False
13. Political legitimacy is greatly affected by the state’s ability to “deliver the goods” to its people through satisfactory economic performance and at least a minimum distribution of economic resources, argue Kesselman, et. al. True or False
14. Because countries are the basic building blocks in politics and because states are the most significant political organizations within countries, these are two critical units for comparative analysis. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 2011 began with an inspiring democratic surge where young people took to the streets in: a) Bahrain and Morocco, b) Jordan and Libya, c) Tunisia and Egypt, d) Syria and Lebanon.
2. The death of Osama bin Laden in the spring of 2011: a) assured that global terrorism would dramatically decrease, b) brought to rest the anger, sadness, and frustration for the relatives of the people who died on 9/11, c) eliminated Al Qaeda as an organization with no possibility of ever resurfacing, d) has most knowledgeable observers believing that his brand of terrorism may have lost traction but it is too early to tell.
3. According to Kesselman, et. al., “an important historical moment when political actors make extraordinary choices, which shape institutions and future outcomes” is referred to as: a) historical centerpiece, b) critical juncture, c) conducive event, d) cognizant alignment.
4. Kesselman, et. al., refers to the groups with which people identify, including gender, class, race, region, and religion, and which are the “building blocks” for social and political action: a) consolidated analysis, b) holistic approach, c) apex hypothesis, d) collective identities.
5. The ancient philosopher who analyzed and compared the city-states of Greece in the fourth century BCE according to whether they were ruled by a single individual, a few people, or all citizens: a) Socrates, b) Plato, c) Aristotle, d) Cicero.
6. The following involves comparing domestic political institutions, processes, policies, conflicts, and attitudes in different countries: a) international relations, b) comparative politics, c) political theory, d) public policy.
7. An approach that gives priority to government regulation over the economy: a) libertarianism, b) supply-side, c) Keynesianism, d) mercantilism
8. Neoliberalism emphasizes: a) extensive government regulation over key sectors of the economy, b) the importance of market-friendly policies, c) government ownership of the utilities industry and other monopolistic enterprises, d) the need for establishing a social safety net for individuals suffering from the vagaries of the free market.
9. The intensification of worldwide interconnectedness associated with the increased speed and
magnitude of cross-border flows of trade, investment and finance, and processes of migration,
cultural diffusion, and communication: a) International consolidation, b) Cross national diffusion, c) World Assimilation, d) Globalization.
10. The most powerful political institutions in a country, including the executive, legislative,
and judicial branches of government, the police, and armed forces: a) the nation, b) the political system, c) the state, d) the political culture.
11. A belief by powerful groups and the broad citizenry that a state exercises rightful authority: a) governmental values, b) consolidated authority, c) integrated hierarchy, d) political legitimacy.
12. When a state's geographic boundaries coincide with a citizen's collective identity, the resulting formation is called: a) nation-state., b) state hegemony, c) government legitimacy, d) political integration.
13. A theory that focuses on how individuals act strategically in an attempt to achieve goals that maximize their interests applying deductive and quantitative methods to construct models and general theories of political behavior that they believe can be applied across all types of political systems and cultures: a) Cooperative-level Theory, b) Rational Choice Theory, c) Structural Functional Theory, d) Dialectical Materialism.
14. Theories focusing on specific features of the political world, such as institutions, policies, or classes of similar events, such as revolutions or elections: a) Mid-level Theories, b) Deductive Reasoning, c) Comparative Advantage, d) Moral Hazard.
Fill-in Questions
1. In scarcely more than twenty years, we have
a) witnessed the collapse of the ______in 1989,
b) which ushered in the end of the ______era;
c) the attack on the ______towers in 2001,
d) ushering in a new era of global insecurity in the face of mounting ______; and
e) the ______of 2008, which threw the global economy into a tailspin, heightened political conflict, and heightened anxiety about the future for most people.
2. What are the four themes incorporated by Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph, in analyzing comparative politics?
a) The world of ______,
b) Governing the ______,
c) The ______idea,
d) The politics of ______identities.
3. What are the policies followed by the Keynesian approach to regulating the economy to achieve stable economic growth?
a) During recession, state budget ______are used to expand ______in an effort to boost both consumption and investment, and to create employment.
b) During periods of high economic growth when ______threatens, cuts in ______spending and a tightening of credit are used to reduce demand.
4. One widely-used approach in doing such comparative analysis involves developing causal theories:
a) ______that can be expressed formally in a causal mode:
b) “If X happens, then Y will be the ______.”
c) Such theories include factors (the ______variables, symbolized by X)
d) that are believed to influence some outcome (the ______variable, symbolized by Y) that the analyst wants to explain.
Answers
True or False Questions
1. True
3. False
5. False
7. False
9. True
11. True
13. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. c
3. b
5. c
7. c
9. d
11. d
13. b
Fill-in Questions
1. a) Berlin Wall, b) Cold War, c) World Trade Center, d) terrorism, e) Great Recession
3. a) deficits, demand, b) high, inflation, government
A:CP1-12