question

An institution can be defined as any:

answer

organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake

question

Politics is defined in the text as the

answer

struggle in any group for the power to make decisions for the larger group

question

What is deductive reasoning?

answer

the means by which we go from a hypothesis to studying evidence

question

What is inductive reasoning?

answer

the means by which we go from studying a case to generating a hypothesis

question

In case study research, one problem that can emerge is the choosing of only cases that match the expected results of the research question, or what is known as:

answer

selection bias

question

Which of the following could be considered a major challenge faced by political scientists in their use of the comparative method?

answer

the difficulty in controlling variables

question

Which of the following would be an example of selection bias?

answer

studying causes for the emergence of democracy by looking only at case studies where democracy emerged

question

Endogeneity refers to:

answer

the problem of distinguishing cause from effect

question

Which of the following statements about the current institutional approach to comparative politics is accurate?

answer

It shares an emphasis on the importance of institutions with pre-1950s comparative politics research.

question

A true comparative approach to politics only emerges with the work of:

answer

Machiavelli

question

A major criticism of comparative politics at the turn of the twentieth century was that it:

answer

was descriptive rather than explanatory

question

Which of the following served as a major modern turning point for the study of comparative politics?

answer

World War I

question

Modernization theory can be defined as the view that:

answer

as societies develop, they will become capitalist democracies

question

The shift in comparative politics away from political institutions (such as legislatures and constitutions) and toward individual political behavior is known as the:

answer

behavioral revolution

question

In which of the following ways were behaviorialism and modernization theory similar?

answer

They both constituted new, more scientific attempts to study politics.

question

Critics of the behavioral revolution accused it of which of the following?

answer

It had come to emphasize methodology over knowledge.

question

One big rift within the study of comparative politics is:

answer

quantitative versus qualitative research

question

Which of the following statements about game theory is accurate?

answer

It assumes rational, predictable behavior by individual human beings.

question

Which of the following best describes the current trend in comparative politics research?

answer

There is hopeful talk of moving away from models that describe politics, but much research in comparative politics remains descriptive and focused on a single country.

question

Recent discussions of the future of comparative politics and political science have called for:

answer

a greater connection to real-world concerns and contribution to the ideals of civic life.

question

Which of the following is true of the concept of political institutions?

answer

U.S. democracy is an institution in both the formal and informal sense.

question

To a comparativist, which would be of more value: discovery of a correlation or discovery of a causal relationship? Why?

answer

correlation, because it demonstrates more empirically that two variables are interrelated

question

A greater focus on individual freedom is most likely to require:

answer

a smaller state.

question

A greater focus on collective equality is associated with:

answer

greater government control of private economic assets.

question

The substance of politics is inevitably bound up in the struggle between:

answer

individual freedom and collective equality.

question

In which of the following ways can multicausality affect comparative politics research?

answer

It complicates the comparative method and makes it more difficult to develop concrete explanations about real-world phenomena.

question

Which of the following is true of the work of most comparativists?

answer

When they expand study outside of a single country, they tend to limit their focus to a single geographic region.

question

Which of the following forms of research or data would more likely be used by a quantitative research study than by a qualitative research study?

answer

economic data

question

In which of the following ways does quantitative research differ from qualitative research?

answer

It favors a wider use of cases not restricted by area specialization.

question

In which of the following ways did behavioralism differ from modernization theory?

answer

It was more of a method than a general hypothesis.

question

Political scientists, based on the work of Max Weber, define the state as:

answer

an organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory.

question

Sovereignty is defined as the ability of:

answer

states to carry out actions or policies within a territory independent of external actors or internal rivals.

question

What phenomenon is most responsible for bringing the organization of the modern state into adoption by most of the world?

answer

a centuries-long process of wars and indigenous development of the state

question

Which of the following can be said about the concept of a regime?

answer

The differences between regimes are most likely to be unwritten and informal, though they can appear in written constitutions.

question

Thomas Hobbes believed that people gave up their rights to the coercive power of the state in order to:

answer

escape anarchy.

question

Which of the following might be a characteristic of a state with low autonomy?

answer

a limited ability to disobey the public

question

Government can be defined as:

answer

the leadership that runs the state.

question

The shorthand term for the combination of regime, state, and government is:

answer

country

question

In which of the following ways does a government built primarily on charismatic legitimacy differ from one based on traditional legitimacy?

answer

Charismatic legitimacy would likely be much shorter-lived.

question

Which of the following can be said about the relationships among states, regimes, and governments?

answer

States are more institutionalized than governments.

question

Asymmetric federalism refers to a system in which power is divided unevenly between:

answer

regional bodies.

question

An endogenous explanation of early urbanization and state building would suggest that:

answer

early forms of political institutions developed simultaneously with early communities.

question

Recent research suggests that the rise of political organizations came about in large part because:

answer

pre-state societies were extremely violent.

question

The emergence of the modern state is closely tied to which of the following specific developments?

answer

the collapse of the Roman Empire

question

Which of the following is most likely a reason for the emergence of the modern state in Europe rather than in another region?

answer

a widespread collapse of law and civilization and the rise of a form of organized crime

question

The development of the modern state in Europe was partly encouraged by:

answer

linguistic and ethnic fragmentation.

question

Which of the following was a key characteristic of the first modern states that emerged from the European Dark Ages?

answer

increased domestic stability

question

An institution that is recognized and accepted as right and proper by the public is seen as:

answer

legitimate.

question

Which of the following lists Max Weber's three forms of political legitimacy?

answer

traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal

question

Which of the following statements about the development and spread of the modern state is accurate?

answer

China's inability to forge a powerful state structure before Europe led to its marginalization in world affairs for over a thousand years.

question

Modern states are built primarily on what form of legitimacy?

answer

rational-legal

question

The text suggests that the difficulty of amending the U.S. Constitution is evidence of the power of:

answer

traditional legitimacy.

question

Which of the following characteristics is more likely to be seen in a unitary state than in a federalist state?

answer

limited local policymaking

question

Capacity can be defined as the:

answer

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

question

Devolution is a process by which states:

answer

move power from the central state to local levels.

question

Which of the following statements about Pakistan's slide toward state failure is accurate?

answer

Pakistan's lack of a central government at the time of formation may have contributed to its continued weakness.

question

Which of the following statements about the process of devolution is accurate?

answer

Devolution sometimes, but not often, leads to a change from a unitary to a federalist structure.

question

A small state government successfully makes major changes to its public education policy out of belief that it is the best thing for the people, even though the public largely opposes the new policy. At the same time, the state proves largely incapable of maintaining law and order or providing food and medical care in a region that is suffering through a drought. In which of the following ways could this state be categorized?

answer

low capacity, high autonomy state

question

The United States is a good example of a state with:

answer

high capacity but low autonomy.

question

Autonomy can be defined as the ability of the state to:

answer

wield power independent of the public or international actors.

question

Which of the following best characterizes the nature of the conflict of recent years in Afghanistan?

answer

ethnic

question

Why might the term patriotic fail to characterize the Palestinian people?

answer

Patriotism refers to pride in one's state, and Palestinians lack a formal state.

question

Ethnic identity can be defined as:

answer

a set of institutions that bind people together through a common culture.

question

Following from the work of Bruce Lawrence, fundamentalism can be defined as:

answer

an ideology that seeks to unite religion with the state.

question

Which of the following concepts is held in common by both communist ideology and liberal and social democratic ideology but is lacking in fascist ideology?

answer

a belief in the potential of individuals

question

Ascription occurs when:

answer

a particular quality or characteristic is assigned at birth.

question

Which of the following statements about fundamentalism is accurate?

answer

Fundamentalists seek to solve the problems of the modern world.

question

Which of the following statements about ethnicity is accurate?

answer

Ethnic solidarity can lessen willingness to share resources with groups that are ethnically different.

question

An institution that binds people together through common political aspirations is:

answer

a national identity.

question

Which of the following concepts is inherently political?

answer

nation

question

Which of the following is one of the two most important components of national identity?

answer

self-government

question

National identity is:

answer

often derived from ethnic identity.

question

Citizenship is best defined as:

answer

an individual's or a group's relation to the state.

question

Which of the following statements about citizenship, national identity, and patriotism is accurate?

answer

Citizenship is likely to be more flexible than ethnic identity.

question

Which of the following concepts has the most potential to be inclusive or flexible?

answer

citizenship

question

The specific concepts of ethnic identity and national identity have their origins in:

answer

Europe toward the end of the eighteenth century.

question

In which of the following ways do both conservatives and liberals differ from radicals?

answer

They do not advocate the removal of existing institutions.

question

A state that encompasses one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent is known as:

answer

a nation-state.

question

Which of the following concepts or phenomena was first and most directly connected to state development?

answer

growing ethnic identity

question

Which of the following was among the results of the growing linkage between ethnic and national identities in state development?

answer

a growing capacity of the state to generate tax revenue

question

In which of the following ways does national conflict differ from ethnic conflict?

answer

National conflict has an independent state as a core goal; ethnic conflict does not.

question

Power sharing as a way to solve ethnic and national conflict:

answer

sometimes causes concern about "freezing" group divisions.

question

Political attitudes refers to views regarding:

answer

the necessary pace and scope of change in the balance between freedom and equality.

question

Radicals are those in the political spectrum who favor:

answer

dramatic change of the existing order.

question

Conservatives are those in the political spectrum who favor:

answer

little or no change to existing institutions.

question

Reactionaries are those in the political spectrum who favor:

answer

restoring structures and values that they believe once existed.

Comparative Gov. Exam 1 – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards