Comparative Politics Quiz

According to the findings regarding regime stability, what is the typical relationship between economic development and the likelihood of a transition to dictatorship?

• Higher levels of economic development decrease the likelihood of a transition to dictatorship.

• Higher levels of economic development increase the likelihood of a transition to dictatorship.

• Economic development has no impact on regime stability.

• Countries with high economic development are more prone to political instability.

Answer explanation

Economic development generally stabilizes a country by improving the standard of living, infrastructure, and the overall wealth of the population.

What is the worst outcome for the United States in the Nuclear Arms Race Game?

• Both the United States and the Soviet Union reduce their nuclear arsenal.

• The United States reduces its nuclear arsenal, while the Soviet Union builds up theirs

• The United States continues to build up its nuclear arsenal, while the Soviet Union reduces theirs

• Both the United States and the Soviet Union build up their nuclear arsenals

Answer explanation

In the Cold War-era nuclear arms race, the worst-case scenario for the United States would be to disarm while the Soviet Union continues to build up its nuclear capabilities.

This situation would leave the U.S. vulnerable to a nuclear strike without sufficient deterrent power.

In game theory, this scenario is asymmetric and disadvantages one side significantly, making it a strategic loss for the U.S. as it would be at a critical disadvantage in terms of national security

Why is mutual defection a suboptimal outcome in the Prisoner's Dilemma?

• It leads to a higher payoff for both players

• It results in a lower payoff than cooperation

• It punishes only one player

• It creates long-term cooperation between players

Answer explanation

Mutual defection is a suboptimal outcome because while each player is trying to avoid being exploited by the other, they both end up with a worse result than if they had cooperated.

Cooperation, though risky, would provide both players with a higher payoff, showing that trust and collaboration can lead to better mutual outcomes.

However, fear of betrayal typically leads players to defect, resulting in both receiving a less favorable outcome, which is why mutual defection is considered suboptimal.

What does Charles Tilly mean by "economies of scale in the use of violence"?

• Larger political units have higher costs of violence

• Greater rulers are more efficient at using violence because their unit costs decrease as they expand

• Small rulers are better at managing violence due to local knowledge

• The cost of violence remains constant regardless of the size of the ruling group

Answer explanation

Charles Tilly’s concept of "economies of scale in the use of violence" suggests that larger political entities can spread the cost of violence over more people or resources.

As a ruler controls more territory and resources, the relative cost of maintaining order through coercion decreases.

Larger rulers can deploy resources more efficiently to suppress uprisings or external threats, making violence a less expensive tool in maintaining power, compared to smaller political units where costs are higher due to limited resources.

In the Civil Society Game shown in Figure 4.9, what happens when both individuals refrain from stealing?

• They both receive a payoff of 2

• They both receive a payoff of 3 - t

• One individual gains, while the other loses

• They are forced to return to the state of nature

Answer explanation

In the Civil Society Game, when both individuals refrain from stealing, they benefit through mutual cooperation, but their payoff is reduced by a transaction cost, represented as "t".

This demonstrates that while cooperation is beneficial, there are still costs involved in maintaining a peaceful society, such as enforcement costs, surveillance, or other mechanisms that prevent theft.

The result shows that societal order comes at a price, even when both parties are willing to abide by the rules.

What was the primary goal of the winners of the Glorious Revolution in 1688,

according to North and Weingast?

• Expanding colonial territories

• Securing property rights and eliminating confiscatory government

• Increasing taxation on the nobility

• Centralizing all power in the monarchy

Answer explanation

The revolution was driven by the fear that the monarchy would expropriate wealth from landowners and merchants without due process or consent.

The victors of the revolution sought to create a system that limited the power of the monarch and secured private property, thus fostering a more predictable and stable economic environment.

Rogowski argues that changes in exposure to international trade lead to predictable political cleavages based on a country's factor endowments.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Rogowski's theory posits that shifts in a country’s exposure to international trade create political cleavages based on the country's factor endowments, such as labor, land, and capital.

When a country is open to trade, those who benefit from it (usually the abundant factors) support free trade, while those harmed (typically the scarce factors) push for protectionism.

This economic alignment of interests shapes political coalitions, making Rogowski’s argument a significant theory in political economy.

According to Rogowski's (1987) theory, which political coalition was most likely to support protectionist policies in Argentina during its industrialization phase?

• Landowners and workers

• Industrial capitalists and workers

• Industrial capitalists and landowners

• Workers and foreign investors

Answer explanation

During Argentina’s industrialization phase, industrial capitalists and workers formed a coalition supporting protectionist policies.

Capitalists wanted to protect their emerging industries from foreign competition, and workers aligned with them because protectionism helped preserve domestic jobs.

By shielding local industries from international competitors, protectionist policies offered both groups economic security, which fostered a political coalition aimed at safeguarding domestic production.

What form does the following argument take?

Major premise: If two civilizations have significantly different cultural values, conflict is likely to occur.

Minor premise: Conflict occurred between Islamic and Western civilizations.

Conclusion: Therefore, Islamic and Western civilizations have significantly different cultural values.

• Affirming the antecedent

• Affirming the consequent

• Denying the antecedent

• Denying the consequent

Answer explanation

This argument takes the form of affirming the consequent, which is a logical fallacy. The major premise states that if two civilizations have different cultural values, conflict will occur.

The minor premise observes that conflict occurred between Islamic and Western civilizations. From this, the conclusion assumes that the conflict must have been caused by differing cultural values.

However, this reasoning is not valid because there could be other reasons for the conflict that are not addressed by the premises.

The DD measure follows a minimalist or procedural definition of democracy,

focusing on the presence of elections rather than the outcomes of the regime.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

• The DD (Democracy-Dictatorship) measure defines democracy in a minimalist or procedural sense, focusing primarily on whether elections are held rather than on the outcomes or quality of governance.

• This definition emphasizes the presence of competitive elections as the hallmark of democracy, without considering factors such as the protection of civil liberties, the functioning of institutions, or the overall fairness of the political process.

• It is a simple, binary classification that separates regimes based on whether elections are regularly held.