Question 1

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views initially placed him at the L4 position and George's political views initially placed him at the C4 position. If George comes out with a statement supporting an increase in taxes on the rich, which moves him to the C3 position, while Oliver does not change his political views, the winner of the election will be ________ with a winning vote total of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Figure 13.2 :  The above figure...

Question 2

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views initially placed him at the L4 position and George's political views initially placed him at the C4 position. If George comes out with a statement supporting an increase in taxes on the rich, which moves him to the C3 position, and Oliver responds by not only stating that taxes should not be raised, but in fact should be lowered, moving him to the L2 position, the winner of the election will be ________ with a winning vote total of ________.

Accepted Answer

Oliver Cousins wins the election with a winning vote total of 5 votes.

Question 3

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views initially placed him at the L4 position and George's political views initially placed him at the C4 position. George comes out with a statement supporting an increase in taxes on the rich, which moves him to the C3 position, and Oliver responds by not only stating that taxes should not be raised, but in fact should be lowered, moving him to the L2 position. In order for George to maintain as much of his conservative credentials as possible and still win the election, he would need to align himself with the political views represented by

Accepted Answer

Given the scenario, George needs to appeal to a broader base while maintaining his conservative credentials. Moving from C4 to C3 indicates a slight shift towards more progressive taxation policies. However, to counter Oliver's move to a more extreme libertarian position (L2), George would need to find a balance that still appeals to the conservative base while also attracting moderate voters. Bobby, likely positioned between the conservative and moderate spectrum, would represent a strategic alignment for George to achieve this balance and broaden his appeal without alienating his conservative base.

Question 4

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views initially placed him at the L4 position and George's political views initially placed him at the C4 position. George comes out with a statement supporting an increase in taxes on the rich, which moves him to the C3 position, and Oliver responds by not only stating that taxes should not be raised, but in fact should be lowered, moving him to the L2 position. George counters this statement by stating that in addition to taxes being raised, the government should provide free health care to all its citizens, which moves him to the C2 position. In order for Oliver to definitely win the election, he will need to

Accepted Answer

Oliver needs to move farther to the right to differentiate his position from George's and appeal to voters who prefer lower taxes and less government intervention.

Question 5

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views initially placed him at the L4 position and George's political views initially placed him at the C4 position. The median voter theorem suggests that in an ordinary election such as that between Oliver and George, natural forces will drive these candidates to a situation where their political views each reflect the views of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Figure 13.2 :  The above figure...

Question 6

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. If the figure is viewed as a two-player game between Oliver and George, there would be

Accepted Answer

The answer of Figure 13.2 :  The above figure...

Question 7

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views place him at the L4 position and George's political views place him at the C4 position. Based on the two candidates' political views, Sam Butcher decides to enter the race as a third-party candidate. Sam will definitely win the election if he adopts political views that place him at the ________ position(s).

Accepted Answer

Sam will definitely win the election if he adopts political views that place him at the median voter position, which is typically the most centrist position, represented by M.

Question 8

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views place him at the L4 position and George's political views place him at the C4 position. Based on the two candidates' political views, Sam Butcher decides to enter the race as a third-party candidate and he espouses political views that place him at the M position. For Oliver to now win the election, he will have to

Accepted Answer

To win the election, Oliver needs to position himself closer to the median voter (Sam at M) without alienating his base. Moving to L1 is a strategic shift towards the center, making him more appealing to a broader electorate while still maintaining a distinct position from Sam. Moving to M or C4 would either directly compete with Sam or alienate his original base, and staying at L4 would likely not attract enough centrist voters to win.

Question 9

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views place him at the L4 position and George's political views place him at the C4 position. Based on the two candidates' political views, Sam Butcher decides to enter the race as a third-party candidate and he espouses political views that place him at the M position. For George to now win the election, he will have to

Accepted Answer

The answer of Figure 13.2 :  The above figure...

Question 10

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views place him at the L4 position and George's political views place him at the C4 position. Based on the two candidates' political views, Sam Butcher decides to enter the race as a third-party candidate. Oliver refuses to change his political views and so remains at the L4 position. Sam espouses political views that place him at the C2 position. Not wanting to lose any conservative votes to Sam, George decides to alter his political views so he, too, ends up at the C2 position. In this situation, who is indifferent about all three of the candidates?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Figure 13.2 :  The above figure...

Question 11

Figure 13.2 :  The above figure represents the 9 voters in a small community who are voting to elect someone as mayor. The voters are listed in order, from left to right, by their political views, from the most liberal (L4) to the most conservative (C4). The two candidates running for mayor are Oliver Cousins, a liberal, and George Glass, a conservative. Assume that all 9 voters will vote in the election, and each voter will cast his or her vote for the candidate who is most closely aligned with their political views.
-Refer to Figure 13.2. Oliver's political views place him at the L4 position and George's political views place him at the C4 position. Based on the two candidates' political views, Sam Butcher decides to enter the race as a third-party candidate. Oliver refuses to change his political views and so remains at the L4 position. Sam espouses political views that place him at the C2 position. Not wanting to lose any conservative votes to Sam, George decides to alter his political views so he, too, ends up at the C2 position. In this situation,

Accepted Answer

The median voter theorem suggests candidates will move towards the median voter's position to maximize votes. With George and Sam both at C2, they split the conservative vote, potentially allowing Oliver to win, indicating the theorem's limitations in multi-candidate races.

Question 12

If the median voter theorem is viewed as a two-player game, with the two players being the candidates running for office, a Nash equilibrium occurs when the candidates hold the most extreme, opposite political views.

Accepted Answer

The median voter theorem suggests that in a two-player game (with the players being the candidates), a Nash equilibrium occurs when both candidates position their policies toward the median voter's preferences, not at the most extreme, opposite ends of the political spectrum. This is because, in a majority rule voting system, the candidate whose position is closest to the median voter is more likely to win.

Question 13

In an ordinary election between two candidates, once both candidates have positioned themselves in the political middle, neither has an incentive to move back toward one of the extremes.

Accepted Answer

In a two-candidate election, positioning in the political middle can capture the majority of voters, as it appeals to the median voter. Moving towards an extreme could alienate centrist voters and reduce the candidate's chances of winning.

Question 14

The median voter theorem is more likely to hold true in elections with a large number of candidates.

Accepted Answer

The median voter theorem is more likely to hold in elections with fewer candidates, particularly in two-party or two-candidate systems, where candidates tend to move towards the center to capture the median voter.

Question 15

When candidates are chosen in a primary election, they may have to position themselves to win the primary election, leaving them left or right of center in the general election.

Accepted Answer

In primary elections, candidates often cater to the more ideologically extreme or committed members of their party to win the nomination, which can result in them adopting positions that are further to the left or right than the general electorate. This can necessitate a shift towards the center in the general election to appeal to a broader range of voters.

Question 16

What are the four types of bias that economist Bryan Caplan believes voters bring with them when they vote? Briefly explain each of these biases.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the four types of bias...

Question 17

In many political elections, states often hold a primary election, and the winners of the primary election face off in the general election. This method of voting is called a ________ election.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In many political elections, states often hold...

Question 18

A situation in which the outcome of an election is sensitive to the order of events is called

Accepted Answer

The agenda paradox refers to a situation where the outcome of a decision-making process (such as an election) can be influenced by the order in which options or candidates are considered or voted on. This can lead to different outcomes depending on the sequence of events, highlighting the sensitivity of the decision process to the agenda or order of consideration.

Question 19

Scenario 13.1: Sammy, Dean, and Frank are having dinner and are trying to decide which appetizer to share. The choices they have are calamari, jalapeno poppers, and potato skins. After doing a quick survey of their preferences, they discover the following:
- Sammy prefers calamari to jalapeno poppers and jalapeno poppers to potato skins.
- Dean prefers jalapeno poppers to potato skins and potato skins to calamari.
- Frank prefers potato skins to calamari and calamari to jalapeno poppers.
They decide to have a runoff election since there is no clear winner by pitting two choices against each other in a preliminary round, and the winner will face off against the remaining choice in the final round.
-Refer to Scenario 13.1. If Sammy gets to set the agenda, he will pit ________ in the first round to assure that ________ wins the first round vote.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Scenario 13.1: Sammy, Dean, and Frank are...

Question 20

Scenario 13.1: Sammy, Dean, and Frank are having dinner and are trying to decide which appetizer to share. The choices they have are calamari, jalapeno poppers, and potato skins. After doing a quick survey of their preferences, they discover the following:
- Sammy prefers calamari to jalapeno poppers and jalapeno poppers to potato skins.
- Dean prefers jalapeno poppers to potato skins and potato skins to calamari.
- Frank prefers potato skins to calamari and calamari to jalapeno poppers.
They decide to have a runoff election since there is no clear winner by pitting two choices against each other in a preliminary round, and the winner will face off against the remaining choice in the final round.
-Refer to Scenario 13.1. If Dean gets to set the agenda, he will pit ________ in the first round to assure that ________ wins the first round vote.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Scenario 13.1: Sammy, Dean, and Frank are...

Quiz 13: Voting: You Cant Always Get What You Want

If the median voter theorem is viewed as a two-player game, with the two players being the candidates running for office, a Nash equilibrium occurs when the candidates hold the most extreme, opposite political views.

In an ordinary election between two candidates, once both candidates have positioned themselves in the political middle, neither has an incentive to move back toward one of the extremes.

The median voter theorem is more likely to hold true in elections with a large number of candidates.

When candidates are chosen in a primary election, they may have to position themselves to win the primary election, leaving them left or right of center in the general election.

What are the four types of bias that economist Bryan Caplan believes voters bring with them when they vote? Briefly explain each of these biases.

In many political elections, states often hold a primary election, and the winners of the primary election face off in the general election. This method of voting is called a ________ election.

A situation in which the outcome of an election is sensitive to the order of events is called