Comparative Politics Вопросы

Key difference with federalism: less.....

The idea of legal institutions to which everyone is subject is known as:a. the reign of democracy. d. majority rule.b. the rule of law. e. authority of power.c. the authority of the governed.

A political scientist notes that in a particular voting district, an elected representative has formed an especially close bond with her constituents, and that during her past term she even voted against the will of her party in order to better support the popular will of the people in her district. This political scientist would most likely use this observed relationship to argue that:a. mixed electoral systems are superior to single-member district systems.b. single-member district systems are superior to proportional representation systems.c. parliamentary systems are superior to presidential or semi-presidential systems.d. more referenda and initiatives are needed to allow for greater participation by voters in the policymaking process.e. proportional representation systems are superior to single-member district systems.

Civil rights typically refers to the promotion of:a. equality. d. mass participation.b. freedom. e. devolution.c. republicanism.

In a parliamentary system, the prime minister serves as:a. head of state.b. head of government.c. both head of state and head of government.d. neither head of state nor head of government.e. the final court of appeal.

Which of the following statements about constitutional courts in the world is accurate?a. Trials have more influence on constitutional interpretation in countries with a fused appellate and constitutional court.b. In those countries that have it, the right of judicial review is typically implicit (like in the United States).c. Most countries have a constitutional court, but less than half have endowed the constitutional court with the power of judicial review.d. Constitutional courts implementing abstract review usually do so at the request of the head of state or through referenda.e. Almost all constitutional courts in modern democracies ensure lifetime tenure for their judges.

Proportional representation systems can be defined as:a. electoral systems in which the candidate with the majority of the vote in a district wins the seat.b. electoral systems in which the candidate with the plurality of the vote in a district wins the seat.c. electoral systems in which the percentage of votes a party receives in a district will determine how many seats that party will win.d. two-round systems for referenda and initiatives.e. two-round systems for electing presidents and prime ministers.

Single-member district systems are:a. electoral systems in which a candidate must win an absolute majority of the vote in a district to win the seat.b. electoral systems in which the candidate with the largest share of the vote in a district wins the seat.c. electoral systems in which the percentage of votes a party receives in a district will determine how many seats that party will win.d. two-round systems for referenda and initiatives.e. two-round systems for electing presidents and prime ministers.

Which of the following statements about referenda and initiatives is accurate?a. National referenda in the United States and Canada are largely used for taxation and economic policy matters.b. Constitutional reform is not subject to reform by referenda because of the ease with which most referenda are passed.c. Formal power to call national referenda lies with the head of state in many European countries.d. Initiatives in most European countries can be started by either the legislature or the head of state, but rarely by the head of government.e. Referenda in the United States are more often used at the national level than at the local or state level.

Which of the following best describes the correlative relationship between the type of executive in a country and the type of electoral system used to elect the legislature?a. Countries that use a single-member district system have presidential executives, while those with prime ministers rely on proportional representation.b. Countries that use a single-member district system have prime ministers, while presidential systems rely on proportional representation.c. Semi-presidential systems rely on a mixed single-member district and proportional representation system.d. There is no correlation between type of executive and the kind of electoral system used to elect the legislature.e. Semi-presidential systems use proportional representation to elect both the president and the legislature.

In which of the following ways does a parliamentary system differ from a presidential one?a. Prime ministers serve for shorter fixed terms than presidents.b. Prime ministers must command a majority to stay in office; presidents do not.c. Election dates are more easily altered in presidential systems than in parliamentary systems.d. Presidents are more easily removed from office than prime ministers.e. Prime ministers are directly elected by the people, while presidents must be elected indirectly through an electoral college.

The electoral system that tends to produce a large number of political parties is:a. the single-member district system.b. proportional representation.c. the mixed electoral system.d. the single transferable vote.e. binomial proportional voting.

The ability of constitutional courts to strike down legislation even in the absence of a specific court case is known as ________ review.a. Abstract d. Preemptiveb. Concrete e. Proactivec. Hypothetical

In a presidential system, the president typically serves as:a. head of state.b. head of government.c. both head of state and head of government.d. neither head of state nor head of government.e. the final court of appeal.

The executive in charge of dealing with running the state and formulating policy is the:a. head of state. d. chief executive.b. head of government. e. head of authority.c. ceremonial head.

Which of the following statements about semi-presidential systems is accurate?a. The president typically makes foreign policy and relies on the prime minister to implement it by representing the country internationally.b. Prominent semi-presidential systems typically place most of the power with the prime minister.c. The prime minister is typically the initiator of policy.d. Constitutional courts are often less powerful as a result of appointment by the president.e. Semi-presidential systems have gone out of favor and have decreased in number during the last two decades.

4. Which of the following statements about the relationships among democratization, modernization theory, and political elites is accurate?a. Scholars have shown that contrary to modernization theory, poverty typically does not serve as an obstacle to democratization.b. A core assertion of modernization theory is that a country with political elites will allow democratic institutions to flourish if the country develops enough natural resources to become wealthy.c. According to modernization theory, economic development is important to democratization, but a focus on elites shows that the type of wealth or resources has a big impact on the success of democratization.d. Concentration of economic assets in the hands of a few elites in power ultimately advances democracy because those elites feel secure in their positions and thus allow democratization to flourish.e. Decline of natural resources or economic stagnation typically forces an entrenchment of elites and a reduction of the chances for democratization.

Republicanism can be defined as:a. a system rooted in the ideology of liberalism, with its emphasis on individual rights and freedoms.b. a system that emphasizes separation of powers and representation of the public through elected officials.c. a political value that values individual rights above equality among individuals.d. a political value that values equality among individuals above individual rights.e. a system that emphasizes conservative political values.

A national vote initiated by the government on a particular policy issue is commonly known as:a. a referendum. d. a voluntary ballot.b. a plebiscite. e. a mass ballot.c. an initiative.

The executive who symbolizes and represents the people is the:a. head of state. d. chief executive.b. head of government. e. head of authority.c. ceremonial head.