Quiz 22: Political Choices

The median-voter theorem suggests that: A) politicians maximize their votes by taking the policy position preferred by the median voter, under certain conditions. B) Politicians always receive more votes in general elections when they appeal to extremists in their party. C) the middle voter is generally influenced by the side they have more information on concerning an issue. D) voters tend to vote with a "mob-mentality," all voting the same.

The theorem that suggests that politicians maximize their votes by taking the policy position preferred by the median voter,under certain conditions is called the: A) average voter theorem. B) mid-voter theorem. C) median-voter theorem. D) moderate vote theorem.

All of the following conditions must exist for the median-voter theorem to hold except that: A) there is a single one-dimensional policy question. B) candidates win by majority vote. C) there are only two candidates. D) the policy being voted on must be uncontroversial.

One of the conditions that must exist for the median-voter theorem to hold is: A) there is a simple in-favor/not-in-favor position held by each candidate. B) candidates win by majority vote. C) there must be a run-off election in the event of a tie vote between two or more candidates. D) voters may vote for a policy even if it not close to their own beliefs.

According to the median-voter theorem,the chosen policy will be the one preferred by the: A) median voter. B) greatest average of voters, rather than the majority of voters. C) the average voter, rather than the largest number of voters. D) largest number of voters, rather than the average voter.

Suppose a vote was taken in a small town of 11 people to determine how much of the budget should go toward education spending.Five individuals want 10 percent,five individuals want 80 percent and one person wants 25 percent.According to the median-voter theorem,the chosen amount to spend on education will be ______ of the budget. A) 10 % B) 80 % C) 45 % D) 25%

Suppose a vote was taken among 7 district representatives about how much of the city budget should be spent on tourism advertising.Two prefer it to be 10 percent,two prefer 15 percent,and three prefer 50 percent.According to the median voter theorem,the chosen amount to spend on tourism advertising is ______ of the budget. A) 10 % B) 15 % C) 50 % D) 30 %

The median-voter theorem can help explain one reason why politicians tend to change their position on a given issue over the course of an election from: A) extreme to moderate. B) moderate to extreme. C) extreme to more extreme. D) one extreme to the other.

The median-voter theorem would suggest the reason politicians go from extreme to moderate positions on an issue over the course of an election is because they are appealing to the: A) average voter in their party in the primary, and the average of all voters in the general election. B) majority of voters in their party in the primary, and the majority of all voters in the general election. C) median voter in their party in the primary, and the median of all voters in the general election. D) people in their party and opposing party.

Once voting preferences become more complicated than those assumed by the median-voter theorem: A) the way in which votes are cast becomes important. B) the policies preferred by the average voter become more important. C) the politicians stay more extreme in their views. D) economists cannot analyze voting preferences successfully.

Which economist defined the characteristics of an ideal voting system in his book Social Choice and Individual Values? A) Gary Becker B) Kenneth Arrow C) Dean Karlan D) Jonathan Morduch

Which of the following is not a criterion for an ideal voting system,according to economist Kenneth Arrow? A) Unanimity B) No dictator C) Transitivity D) Fairness

In thinking about the criteria for an ideal voting system,unanimity means if: A) the median in the group prefers option X to option Y, then X beats Y. B) the majority of the group prefers option X to option Y, then X beats Y. C) everyone in the group prefers option X to option Y, then X beats Y. D) no one in the group prefers option X to option Y, then it must still be possible for X to beat Y.

Which of the four criteria for an ideal voting system is demonstrated when everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and transportation spending wins? A) No dictator B) Unanimity C) Transitivity D) Independence of irrelevant alternatives

An ideal voting system must not have: A) a person who has the power to single-handedly enact his or her own preferences. B) a person who can convince everyone to vote for his or her preferences, and not their own. C) a one-dimensional issue being voted on. D) transitivity of preferences

An ideal voting system will not function if a _________ is present,and has the power to enact his or her own preferences. A) bully B) representative C) consul D) dictator

In thinking about the criteria for an ideal voting system,needing no dictator means: A) one person cannot have the power to enact his or her own preferences. B) those in power must be forced to listen to the will of the people when enacting policy. C) the presence of pure democracy is needed, so everyone gets a vote. D) one person cannot have their preferences represented in what voters decide upon.

When considering voting options,if option X beats Y,and Y beats Z,then transitivity says that: A) Z beats X. B) Y beats X. C) X beats Z. D) Z beats Y.

Suppose everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and prefers spending on public parks instead of building a public zoo.An ideal voting system would ensure that: A) public transportation spending could beat zoo funding. B) zoo funding could beat public transportation. C) public parks could beat transportation spending. D) zoo funding could beat public parks.

Suppose everyone in a town prefers spending on improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,and prefers spending on public parks instead of building a public zoo.A voting system that would ensure that zoo funding would never beat spending on transportation would demonstrate which criteria for an ideal voting system? A) No dictator B) Transitivity C) Independence of irrelevant alternatives D) Unanimity

To have an ideal voting system in place,if a group is voting on option X versus option Y,this decision should not depend on any information or preference about another unconnected option,Z.In other words,which of the following criteria must be present in the voting system? A) Independence of irrelevant alternatives B) Transitivity C) No dictator D) Unanimity

Suppose everyone in a town votes that they prefer improved public transportation systems instead of public parks,then according to the criteria of ________________,that preference should not change even if a third option,like a public zoo,is included. A) Transitivity B) No dictator C) Unanimity D) Independence of irrelevant alternatives

Suppose everyone in a town votes that they prefer improved public transportation systems instead of public parks.According to the criteria of independence of irrelevant alternatives that preference should ___________ even if a third option not likely to win,like a public zoo,is included in the vote. A) stay the same B) change to the median C) change to the average D) change to the majority

The voting system for most elections in the United States is called: A) pair-wise majority voting. B) first-past-the-post voting. C) approval voting. D) instant runoff voting.

First-past-the-post voting entails: A) a series of votes with two options; the winner of the first vote is paired with another option until all options have been voted on in pairs and there is one winner. B) voters ranking all available options and the option most approved of wins. C) one vote with many options, and the option with the most votes wins. D) one vote with many options, and the option that gets to 51% wins.

Another name for plurality voting is: A) instant runoff voting. B) first-past-the-post voting. C) pair-wise majority voting. D) approval voting.

One of the merits of plurality voting is: A) its simplicity. B) it has all four criteria for an ideal voting system. C) it guarantees the best option will win. D) it produces a result that most participants are happy with.

Arguably the simplest voting system is: A) instant runoff voting. B) pair-wise majority voting. C) first-past-the-post voting. D) approval voting.

Plurality voting fails which of the criteria for an ideal voting system? A) Transitivity B) No dictator C) Unanimity D) Independence of irrelevant alternatives

The "independence of irrelevant alternatives" criterion is also known as the: A) majority options problem. B) third-party problem. C) swing-vote problem. D) misalignment problem.

Commentators on the presidential election between Bush and Gore in 2000 believe that the presence of Nader,a third party candidate: A) drew votes away from Gore and caused him to lose the election. B) pushed more people to vote for Bush than otherwise would have, causing him to win the election. C) drew votes away from Bush and caused him to lose the election. D) drew votes away from Bush and caused him to win the election.

In considering the criteria for an ideal voting system,the idea of an irrelevant alternative refers to: A) when an option is added to a vote and is unrelated to the issue being voted on. B) different voting methods that could alternatively be used, but would not change the outcome. C) when an option is added to a vote and has no realistic chance of winning. D) different voting methods that could alternatively be used, and could change the outcome.

Plurality voting ___________ the ideal voting-system criteria. A) meets all B) fails one of C) fails two of D) fails all of

Pair-wise majority voting eliminates which problem? A) Majority options problem B) Swing-vote problem C) Misalignment problem D) Third party problem

Pair-wise majority voting entails: A) voting on options that is done in pairs, and the majority vote wins. B) one vote with many options, and the option with the most votes wins. C) voters ranking all available options and the option most approved of wins. D) None of these describes pair-wise majority voting.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,assuming public parks and the zoo was the first pair to be voted on,which option would win overall? A) Public transportation B) Public zoo C) Public parks D) Both Public parks and zoo.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,assuming public parks and transportation was the first pair to be voted on,which voter will be happiest with the outcome? A) Abby B) Carlo C) Bob D) Bob and Carlo will be equally happy.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,assuming transportation and the zoo was the first pair to be voted on,which option would win overall? A) Public transportation B) Public parks C) Public zoo D) Public parks and zoo.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,assuming public zoo and transportation was the first pair to be voted on,which voter will be happiest with the outcome? A) Bob B) Carlo C) Abby D) Abby and Bob will be equally happy.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,which option would win overall? A) Public transportation B) Public zoo C) Public parks D) It is impossible to predict which option would win.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held,the voters' preferences are shown in the table,and Carlo is setting the agenda for votes,which pair will he put up for vote first? A) Public zoo and public parks B) Public transportation and public zoo C) Public parks and transportation D) It will not matter, as it will not affect the outcome of the voting.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held,the voters' preferences are shown in the table,and Bob is setting the agenda for votes,which pair will he put up for vote first? A) Public zoo and public parks B) Public transportation and public zoo C) Public parks and transportation D) It will not matter, as it will not affect the outcome of the voting.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held,the voters' preferences are shown in the table,and Abby is setting the agenda for votes,which pair will she put up for vote first? A) Public zoo and public parks B) Public transportation and public zoo C) Public parks and transportation D) It will not matter, as it will not affect the outcome of the voting.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,which of the following is true? A) The preferences of each member is transitive. B) The collective preferences of the group are transitive. C) The outcome of the vote will not change, regardless of voting method. D) The most efficient outcome for the group will occur if pair-wise majority voting was used.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are in the given table,which option would win the first round of voting? A) Public transportation B) Public zoo C) Public parks D) It depends on which pair was considered first.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held to determine which school project gets funded and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,which option would David like to see voted on first? A) Library and computer lab B) Computer lab and gym C) Gym and library D) It doesn't matter which options are considered first.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held to determine which school project gets funded and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,if Ernie sets the agenda which option would he see was voted on first? A) Library and lab B) Computer lab and gym C) Gym and library D) It doesn't matter which options are considered first.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held to determine which school project gets funded,the voters' preferences are shown in the table,and the gym and library are voted on first,which project will win in the end? A) Library B) Computer lab C) Gym D) It is impossible to predict which project would win.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held to determine which school project gets funded and the voters' preferences are in the given table,who will be happiest if the lab and library are voted on first? A) Ernie B) Fiona C) David D) All people would be equally happy.

If a first-past-the-post vote was taken by the school board on which project gets funded and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,which project is most likely to win? A) Computer lab B) Library C) Gym D) It will result in a three-way tie.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,which of the following is true? A) The preferences of each member is transitive. B) The collective preferences of the group are not transitive. C) The outcome of the vote will change, depending on the order of the vote. D) All of these are true.

If a pair-wise majority vote was held to determine which school project gets funded and the voters' preferences are shown in the table,in order for the library to win overall,which items must be voted on first? A) Computer lab and gym B) Library and computer lab C) Gym and library D) The order will not affect the outcome of the vote.

The Condorcet paradox is a situation in which the preferences of each individual member of a group are ___________,and the collective preferences of the group are _________. A) not transitive; not transitive B) transitive; not transitive C) transitive; transitive D) not transitive; transitive

The Condorcet paradox can arise with: A) first-past-the-post voting. B) approval voting. C) run-off elections. D) pair-wise majority voting.

Pair-wise majority voting ______________ the criteria of an ideal voting system. A) fails to meet one of B) fails to meet two of C) fails to meet all of D) meets all of

Pair-wise majority voting fails to meet which of the following criteria? A) Transitivity B) Independence of irrelevant alternatives and transitivity C) No dictator and transitivity D) No dictator and independence of irrelevant alternatives

When voting systems fall short of the ideal by violating the principle of transitivity,the ____________ is sometimes crucial in shaping the final outcomes. A) order in which voters get to cast their votes B) order in which the votes get tallied C) power to set the agenda D) ability to say how much one option is preferred over others

Arrow's impossibility theorem tells us: A) most voting systems meet the criteria for an ideal system, yet politicians cannot seem to change the way in which elections are held. B) no voting system can aggregate the preferences of voters of three or more options while meeting all of the criteria for an ideal system. C) political pressures will always corrupt a voting system, making none ideal. D) no voting system can ever attain all four criteria for an ideal voting system.

Which theorem tells us that no voting system is perfect? A) Arrow's impossibility theorem B) Median-voter theorem C) Condorcet paradox D) Bowman's problematic theorem

Research demonstrates that elections can be swayed by factors other than the rational policy considerations of well-informed voters,such as: A) handshaking. B) eating food at a county fair. C) mudslinging. D) All of these can sway a vote.

When a voter chooses to remain ignorant when the opportunity costs of gathering information outweigh the benefits,it is called: A) irrational voting. B) trigger mechanisms. C) rational ignorance. D) instinct theorem.

If we think of good governance as a public good created by well-informed voters,we can predict that it will be: A) oversupplied. B) undersupplied. C) in market equilibrium, if left unchecked. D) in market equilibrium, despite market interference.

Research has shown that the chances of one vote making a difference in an election is: A) 0.001 %. B) 0.10 %. C) 0.01 %. D) 99.999 %.

Research has shown that voters are more likely to turn out in elections with ________ electorates and when the election is likely to be ____________. A) small; very competitive B) large; very competitive C) small; not very competitive D) large; not very competitive

Despite the fact that most votes have virtually no impact on the outcome of a vote,and knowing people incur opportunity costs to vote,we recognize that people vote for all of the following reasons except they: A) feel pressure to fulfill their civic duty. B) altruistically decide to contribute to the democratic process by voting. C) get utility from participating in a civic event. D) are obligated legally to do so.

Mail-in ballots are designed to: A) increase your ability to fulfill your civic duty. B) increase utility derived from voting. C) decrease the costs associated with voting. D) increase the accuracy voting process.

An unintentional consequence of using mail-in ballots in a small community is: A) decreased costs associated with voting. B) decreased pressure from others to fulfill their civic duty. C) increased costs associated with tallying the votes. D) increased pressure from government to vote.

By using mail-in ballots,voter participation may fall.This can be explained as the decreased: A) costs of voting are outweighed by the decreased benefits of being seen voting. B) benefits of being seen voting are smaller than the decreased costs of voting. C) benefits of being seen voting are smaller than the increased costs of voting. D) costs of voting are larger than the decreased benefits of being seen voting.

The problem caused when people are often reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services that provide benefits for everyone,even for those who don't pay is called the: A) drop in the bucket hypothesis. B) rational ignorance problem. C) moral hazard problem. D) free-rider problem.

The consequence for society of the free-rider problem is: A) valuable goods and services are oversupplied. B) valuable goods and services are undersupplied. C) goods and services not valued by the society will be oversupplied. D) valuable goods and services are underdemanded.

Political advocacy: A) and political engagement can suffer from the free-rider problem. B) is not affected by the free-rider problem, but political engagement is. C) can suffer from the free-rider problem, but political engagement does not. D) and political engagement are not affected by the free-rider problem.

If the free-rider problem affects political advocacy,the result may be that the: A) best ideas will always win because those supporters value the outcome the most. B) best ideas will always win because free-riders are not typically supporters of relevant alternatives. C) best ideas might not win out if lots of people fail to lend their support. D) irrelevant alternatives are eliminated from the options, increasing the efficiency of the vote.

We refer to situations in which individuals need to act collectively to reach solutions that will make everyone better off as: A) collective-action problems. B) free-rider problems. C) moral hazard problems. D) public-mind problems.

When a group of people stand to gain from an action that is not rational for any of the members to undertake individually,it is referred to as a: A) free-rider problem. B) collective-action problem. C) moral hazard problem. D) societal-wellbeing problem.

A collective-action problem is a situation in which: A) people are often reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services that provide benefits for everyone, even for those who don't pay. B) people are reluctant to voluntarily pay for goods and services because they believe their individual contribution will not make a difference. C) a group of people stand to gain from an action that is not rational for any of the members to undertake individually. D) a small group of individuals gains power that sways the decisions of society to their personal gain at the expense of the larger society.

The time and money it takes to organize a group or a campaign and to get the attention of lots of busy people is the: A) cost of collective action. B) reason why collective action does not happen in the real world. C) reason why all individuals never participate in any collective action. D) initial set-up costs of the campaign or group.

When organizing a collective action,it is generally true that the larger the group the: A) lower the costs and benefits per person. B) higher the costs and lower the benefits per person. C) lower the costs and higher the benefits per person. D) higher the costs and benefits per person.

The likelihood of successful collective action: A) can be lower for large groups. B) can be higher for large groups. C) can be lower for small groups. D) generally does not depend on the size of the group.

If two groups disagree about a policy,a smaller group that experiences higher benefits per person can be: A) the one less likely to get its way. B) as successful as a larger group with smaller benefits per person, but typically not more. C) more difficult to bargain due to the small size of the group. D) the one more likely to get its way.

At its extreme,the use of the powers of government by public officials to achieve personal gains is: A) collective action. B) corruption. C) bribery. D) a moral hazard.

Rent-seeking behavior creates: A) waste and inefficiency. B) waste, but is efficient. C) inefficiencies, but not waste. D) efficiency without waste.

Lobbying can shape regulations through: A) collusion. B) objective cost benefit analysis. C) rent-seeking behavior. D) forced action.

Steel producers lobbying to keep imports out is an example of: A) objective cost-benefit analysis. B) rent-seeking behavior. C) rational ignorance. D) corruption.

Why doesn't the process of electing officials prevent rent-seeking and corruption? A) The cost of gathering such information is often too costly. B) Those who win special favors through this behavior simply pay others off to keep them from whistleblowing. C) It actually does prevent this behavior in the real world. D) People are generally disinterested in preventing both of these in government.

Bureaucratic capture is: A) a specific avenue through which corruption and rent-seeking can occur. B) when government positions are filled with people who have close ties to the group they are supposed to regulate. C) a source of bias or personal sympathy that interferes with efficiency. D) All of these are true.

What situation arises when government positions are filled with people who have close ties to the group they are supposed to regulate? A) Bureaucratic capture B) Collective action C) Governmental lobbying D) Rent-seeking

Bureaucratic capture occurs when: A) lobbyist groups become so powerful that they essentially have a stranglehold on policymakers. B) professionals from one particular industry hold the majority of positions in one particular government office. C) industries become halted in their ability to continue operating due to over-regulation of the market. D) government positions are filled by people with close ties to the group they are supposed to regulate

The amount of corruption that occurs in a government is hard to measure because: A) its costs are mostly indirect and nearly impossible to measure. B) it is illegal, and therefore hidden. C) the benefits subtracted from the costs often go to a small number of people and distort the reality. D) All of these are true.

The intent of the liberum veto was ___________,and the outcome was _____________. A) complete consensus; often chaos and corruption B) majority rule; complete consensus C) efficiency; inefficiency D) efficiency; efficiency

If the liberum veto is used in a policy-making setting,it means: A) complete consensus is needed for legislation to pass. B) it is easy to halt policies, because only one person needs to be bribed to stop them. C) that government is an easy target for an area to become corrupt or taken advantage of. D) All of these are true.

Political structure,or the process by which laws become enacted: A) has no effect on policy created. B) is virtually the same everywhere. C) affects the outcome of policy. D) has one feature that is present in every government structure in existence.

__________ countries have explicit requirements about the number of parties that can participate in an election. A) Most B) Few C) None D) All

First-past-the-post voting structures tend to lead to a: A) two-party system. B) three-party system. C) one-candidate system. D) multi-party system.

When smaller political groups wish to have influence in a government with pluralistic voting,they will: A) drop from races, and consolidate with larger parties. B) stay in political races, in the hopes of swaying the vote away from the candidate the majority favors. C) drop from races, and campaign instead to sway the vote away from the candidate the majority favors. D) stay in political races, in the hopes of a miracle.

Many countries use a proportional-representation system,which means that: A) if a party gains a certain percentage of the popular vote, then they are awarded the same percentage of representative seats in the government. B) smaller parties can carve out niches and still have political influence. C) everyone's preference gets represented proportionately with everyone else's. D) All of these are true.

Compared to proportional-representation systems,two-party systems are thought to lead to: A) more centrist politics. B) less centrist politics. C) a greater variety of policy getting passed. D) very little legislation actually getting passed.

Compared to two-party systems,proportional-representation systems are thought to: A) lead to more centrist policies. B) offer a wider variety of platforms among which voters can choose. C) create unwieldy combinations of policies within one platform. D) be much less efficient and lead to very few compromises when voting.

Compared to proportional-representation systems,two-party systems are thought to: A) lead to more diverse views in the policy process. B) offer a wider variety of platforms among which voters can choose. C) create unwieldy combinations of policies within one platform. D) be much less efficient and lead to very few compromises when voting.

Term limits on political offices have all of the following properties except: A) prevent officials from holding office for longer than a certain amount of time. B) discourage corruption by ensuring that one person isn't allowed to hold onto power for too long. C) can encourage corruption in reality by placing an official in power with no incentive to answer to his constituency. D) encourage people to run for multiple different political offices.

An example of term limits in the United States would be that U.S.presidents cannot hold more than: A) four 2-year terms. B) four 4-year terms. C) two 4-year terms. D) two 2-year terms.

A political structure's enfranchisement refers to: A) who has the right to vote. B) which territories are protected under particular laws. C) which territories are restricted by particular laws. D) the government's ability to expand its power.

In the past,voting systems in most countries required that you be: A) male in order to vote. B) both male and hold property in order to vote. C) both male and white in order to vote. D) white, male, and hold property in order to vote.

Historically,controlling who was able to vote was an important tool: A) for those who wanted to keep other groups out of power. B) to discourage some from participating in policy making. C) to attract greater participation in the political system. D) for those seeking to create policy that was beneficial for all.

Poll taxes are: A) a way to disenfranchise the poor. B) a tax that must be paid in order to cast a vote. C) used to disenfranchise those groups even when the right to vote exists. D) All of these are true.