Government Review 3
What is the GATT? What is the WTO? How does these organizations differ? What are some of the norms, principles, and rules associated with the GATT and WTO? How does the dispute settlement mechanism in the WTO support international trade?
General Agreement on Tarrifs and Trade World Trade Org WTO has a dispute settlement and judicial panel (to settle conflict when accused of cheating) ? pushes honor by having a punishment (deterrent)
How did the stress of globalization change the domestic political order in the United States, particularly within the Republican party?
Globalization backlash reoints political interests of manufacturing workers to trump and republicans
How did the challenge of a rising China change the political support for globalization in the international order?
Globalization fuels chinas rise Trump wants to rethink relationship and trade w china -Remake the Republican Party: to leverage backlash (ex: trade policy and trade war)
How did Donald Trump harness the backlash against globalization and a rising China into a domestic constituency for his America First foreign policy and trade policies?
Globalization is resetting domestic political orders in the US- changes in Rep Party likely to endue after trump These changes alter larger international order -declining political support for us leadership - growing us-china tensions
How did the Cold War and the Soviet threat help increase political support for globalization (and temper distributional concerns) within the U.S. and among its allies?
Globalization(gold) destabilizes German politics through the Great Depression. Provided political interest support for globalization & tollerence
What is the tragedy of the commons? Why is it rational for individuals to overuse public goods? How does this phenomenon help to explain the difficulty of managing the sustainable use of commonly held public property? Know some examples.
(Overuse of common pool resources) Emerges with public property or resources for which it is difficult (costly) to restrict their use (consumption) Divergence between private benefits and social costs: Individually rational for people states to consume, but diffused costs to society insufficient to prevent overuse
What are the main components of the Paris Climate Accord? How should it operate to limit the growth of carbon dioxide emissions?
-Goal to limit temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius, hope to change this to 1.5 -Binding process for monitoring and reporting pledges on emissions targets and progressPlans made public every 5 years. -Each plan needs to be stronger than previous. -Foreign aid to developing countries to ease costs of alternative energies
Why did the United States launch a trade war against China in 2018?
-Grand Strategy of Am. First -Deeper skepticism of free trade (hurting am jobs) -Trumps demands specific trade w china (wants to cut imports from china by inc. price and by inc tariffs) -Reorientation of US economic policy with trump elements
Module 16: What are institutions? What is the difference between institutions and organizations? What are some examples of institutions in domestic and international politics?
- Institutions: Rules of the game: humanly devised constraints that structure incentives and interaction (ex- sovereignty, chemical Weapons taboo) - Organizations: Political actors in the international system (ex: United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Org (NATO), World Trade Org
What emergency actions did the Federal Reserve undertake to help prevent a broader global financial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- unprecedented actions to prevent shutdown (2008 Playbook) 1. Federal Reserve 2. FED Balance Sheet 3. FED Monetary Policy 4. The structural power of the dollar
How is international migration a part of the broader phenomenon of globalization? How does the international flow of labor through international migration create winners and losers within domestic economies?
-As the increased movement of goods and services through international trade increases the aggregate wealth of countries, the movement of labor across national borders also increases economic growth in the aggregate -However, like international trade, migration creates income distributional effects, creating economic winners and losers
Module 21: What is the basic scientific claim about the causes and extent of climate change? What are the main environmental consequences that scientists fear will result from climate change?
-Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping gas -Carbon dioxide levels have increased significantly since the Industrial Revolution began -From 280 ppm in 1800 to 400 ppm in 2015 -Average global temperatures +5.5 degrees F. from 1800 to 2050 at current rate of CO2 emissions (Mann and Toles, The Madhouse Effect)
How and why has Democracy Promotion been a more or less important element within U.S. foreign policy over the years?
-Democratic peace theory has long justified American efforts to expand democracy...means more partners for cooperation, more trade, and more peace -Post-cold war brought new idea that the spread of democracy aligned with greater security for the US
3. What is an externality?
-In economics, an externality is the cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit. -Air pollution from motor vehicles is an example of a negative externality. The costs of the air pollution for the rest of society is not compensated for by either the producers or users of motorized transport. Consequence of economic activity that unrelated 3rd parties experience (can be positive or negative).
4. What is the collective action problem? How might it be applied to the challenges of managing climate change? What are some of the political solutions to the collective action problem in the case of carbon dioxide emissions?
-Multiple parties should come together but don't 1. it can be costly to limit free-riders consumption of clean air 2. Free riders can still benefit from clean air w out participating 3. make agreements but little insenative to stick w bc fossil fuels are profitable -Allow affected parties to negotiate some solution that would preserve sustainability and distribute the burden of doing so according to their joint preferences -Institutions set clear limits on the use of common pool resources, also set rules for monitoring the behaviour of parties to ensure compliance and establish inducements, like fines or rewards, for compliance with the rules
Module 17: What is democracy? Describe Robert Dahl's three "procedural minimal" conditions of democracy.
Definition: competitive elections makes a country a democracy 1. Public Contestation (multiple parties competing + freedom of speech) 2. Inclusion (must allow universal & equal participation of all segments of society 3. Democratic sovereignty (democracy elections must stay true to big bodies ex: Legislative pwr)
Describe some of the efforts by the United States to promote democracy around the world. What are the political challenges associated with American efforts to promote democracy? What are the benefits associated with promoting democracy around the world?
-Wilson sought to leverage American participation in WWI to expand democracies in the world-promoting democracy took a back seat after WWII >primarily to contain communism -United States used democracy promotion in Germany and Japan after WWII -The end of the cold war was a boom for democracy promotion and democracy promotes greater security for the US -After the Cold War, Clinton intervened in Yugoslavia under humanitarian grounds (to stop genocide) with the goal of democracy promotion -Iraq: Bush (neo-conservatives) with regime change and democracy promotion in the Middle East was his strategy of countering terrorism after 911 resulted in invasion through military forces greater skepticism (distrust) thru the use of am military force, cost, Help keep communist forces from power Neo Conservative Regime change other democracies means that there is less chance for war and this means a more stable world order. This means that it is in the interest of big democracies to promote more democracies.
Module 18: What is the Ricardian model of trade? Describe the processes by which it suggests that trade and specialization can increase aggregate national income.
-states that globalization helps to raise national income through specialization and trade. -Ricardo used the principle of comparative advantage to illustrate how international trade could generate economic benefits. -These gains from trade stem from differences in the relative efficiency of individuals, firms, or whole economies in the production of some mix of goods
5. What are the three different distributional struggles related to the problem of climate change?
1. Distributional struggle within countries (coal vs solar) 2. Distributional struggle among countries (developed vs developing) 3. Distributional conflict across generations (countries against each other
What are the two main dilemmas facing NATO and how has the Trump administration addressed these dilemmas?
1. European shrinking (not fulfilling responsibilities (selfish) 2. Trump Admin challenging basic foundations of NATO (questions leadership and threatens whole security)
What the political significance of the dollar's reserve currency status in the global economy?
1. Money as a medium exchange, facilities economic growth and specialization 2. National Governments supply for domestic economy, who supplies money for the global economy 3. Dollar as general reserve to safety (fight to safety)
According to the Krasner reading, what are the two main tendencies within US foreign policy regarding democracy promotion and dealing with authoritarian regimes? What third option does Krasner propose in how the U.S. should deal with long-standing dictatorships?
1. On the one hand, presidents like George W. Bush have tried to transform dictatorships into liberal democracies 2. On the other hand, presidents like Donald Trump and Barack Obama have taken a more hands off approach, choosing to demonstrate the virtues of democracy by example through a well-functioning American political system, but doing little to promote democratic regime change. promote good enough governance, which emphasizes greater security, economic growth, and better provision of some services
How might international economic organizations, like the WTO and the IMF, facilitate economic cooperation among states and higher levels of international trade?
1. Provide enforcement mechanisms - agreements/punishments 2. Helping to reveal information about states interests 3. Monitor compliance 4. Reducing distributional challenges
Describe historical waves of democracy and the possible causes of these waves such as demonstration effects, neighborhood effects, conditionality of international organizations, and the influence of hegemons.
1. Wilson post WW1- First wave of democratization- Leverage participation in WW1 to expand the number of democracies around the world- Facilitated democracy in Germany and self determination in colonial countries 2. Democracy Promotion During Cold War- Promotion took a back seat to containment- US talked about superiority to communism, but in practice, the US would ally itself with friendly, authoritarian regimes if it kept communist forces from seizing power 3. End of the Cold War- Boon for democracy- Collapse of communism undermined the idea that the US had to choose between pursuing democracy promotion or containment- Collapse of Soviet Union suggested that promotion of democracy equated to increased security because pressure from citizens living under communism wanted more individual freedoms, thus democracy caused the collapse of communism 4. Democracy promotion after the Cold War- Has highs and lows- Clinton admin justified Yugoslavia as human rights and the spread of democracy- Height of optimism for spread of democracy in 1990's
What is the International Monetary Fund? What are its main functions? What is the main source of its influence in the international economy? What is conditionality and how does the IMF use it to promote economic reforms within countries? Why does the U.S. have so much influence within the IMF?
Acts like a bank: overseas pool of capital created by member countries Limit exchange rate function currency wars Lender of the last resort Conditionally: demands conditions that change economic conditions in country and enhance long term ability to repay. Loans as multipule dispursements US is biggest shareholder
What is an exchange rate? How do shifts in exchange rates alter patterns of imports and exports? How can exchange rate changes influence trade policy?
An exchange rate reflects differences in value with respect to a different currency. As the dollar appreciates, imports from the foreign country becomes cheaper, so they tend to increase. It is the opposite when the dollar depreciates. Exporting firms seem to like falling dollar, because it makes their exports cheaper to foreign customers.
What are the two main political bodies of the UN? How can they confer legitimacy? Which states have the most power within these political bodies?
Bodies: General Assembly & Security Council Legitimacy - abroad (domestic public more likely to support policies that have secured UN approval) & at home (UN reflects global public opinion, easier to gain allies if support) (UN) - US, UK, China, Russia, France
How can global capital markets discipline or influence the economic policy of governments?
By selling deficit bonds When foreign capital holders lose confidence in a government's monetary policy, they tend to sell assets denominated in that currency -currency deperacites -govs can reassure investors (or bring them back) by a. raising taxes, interest rates, - foreign policy implications
What is the democratic peace theory? How do the factors that contribute to democracy's influence over foreign policy in general - electoral constraints, institutional constraints on power such as checks and balances, and a shared democratic identity - help to explain, in particular, peaceful relations between democracies?
Claim that military conflict (low levels, including threat to force; and war) is less likely bt 2 democratic states -democracies will be peaceful toward other democracies, but not peaceful toward autocracies 1. Electoral constraints: >Elections raise the domestic political costs of going to war >Fear of electoral punishment helps prevent democratic leaders from entering war in the first place 2. Checks and balances/institutional constraints: >Can help solve the commitment problem (peace settlements) >Empower domestic groups to block FP changes that they oppose >Solves commitment problem by ensuring deal hold over time as democracies are expected to keep deals because of pressure from domestic audience 3. Shared democratic identity: >Fosters expectations of nonviolent compromise >There is less public support for using military force against fellow democracy
Which group of countries will be the recipients of foreign aid under the Paris Climate Accord? How did this aid help facilitate the construction of this international agreement? And how might this aid help countries fulfill their emission targets?
Developing countries receive foreign aidEases cost of alternative energies and compensate for costs of climate change
According to the Baker reading, what are the economic and national security benefits of ambitious U.S. leadership in combatting climate change? What are the four pillars of the Baker-Schultz plan to reduce carbon emissions?
Economic costs and Free Rider problem (environmental) protections and economic growth complementary not mutually exclusive Pillars: 1. Economy wide reduce- neutral carbon fee 2. Revenue from carbon free returned to American citizens as dividends 3. Carbon pricing would replace many environmental regulations 4. Carbon tariff would be applied to every intestine imports to level playing field
Discuss how restrictions on voting rights affected American democracy. How has expanded voting rights affected descriptive representation of women and ethnic minorities? How has universal suffrage affected election outcomes?
Expanding changes election outcomes ex- white men all red all - diverse
According to your reading for this module, how does international migration affect the demographic composition of countries? How do these demographic changes create conflict within countries over issues of national identity?
Helps alter races Threatens whites, English lang Europe concerned w Christianity
Module 19: What does globalization in financial terms look like?
Inauguration of national markets into a single global economy Globalization connects global markets. It generates economic growth, can reverberate recessions, and fosters peace between states. It connects markets through imports and exports of capital.
Understand, explain, and give examples of how international institutions/organizations shape international politics.
Institutions as rules to structure behavior, provide information on how states might act, facilitate interstate cooperation
INN #5: What is globalization and how has it affected the international order since World War I? What are the economic and political benefits of globalization? How does globalization foster peace among states?
Integration of international markets into larger global marketplace Economic - consumer gains (lower prices), Innovation, new market opportuniteis Political - fosters peace -political interests among states -eliminates incentives for territional conquest -strengthens domestic constituencies that support open markets and restrained foreign policy -fosters democratic political reform Institutions of capitalism have stabilized and fostered peace
What is interstate cooperation? What are some of the primary impediments state face when trying to reach cooperative settlements with each other?
Interstate cooperation: occurs when a collection of states subordinate their sovereignty in order to establish a supranational set of rules that governs conduct between them to achieve a desirable outcome for all states involved Collective action problem: when everyone agrees about the benefits of a common goal, but no one will pay to realize that goal -Free rider problem -Many actors would much rather avoid costs that come with reaching a cooperative settlement -Sometimes there is a lack of rules or a lack of enforcement of the rules placed to avoid the free rider problem -The problem of distributing the burden of collective goods provision can activate intense struggles among interested parties, -There are some winners and some losers; in a perfect world, nobody would lose but that isn't the case so those on the losing side would want to push back
How is immigration policy related to partisanship in the United States?
It effects the ability of candadites to get any resolution
Describe how President Obama's use of executive orders to commit to the Paris climate accord made the U.S. commitment to the agreement vulnerable. Describe how President Trump undermined the Paris climate accord when he came into office and then withdrew the U.S. from the agreement.
Made them vulnerable because the next president can reverse them Clean power plan withdraw- started undermining before formally announcing withdraw
What are remittances? How do remittances help to redistribute wealth from wealthy countries to poorer ones?
Money sent from migrants to family and friends back home -Represent one of the largest transfer of capital across international borders-A much greater redistribution of wealth from wealthy countries to poorer ones than foreign aidAdvantages:>Cannot be withdrawn and are unconditional>Avoid government structures and thus avoid corruption>Provide a valuable form of social insurance, credit and investment in countries that lack these markets
What is a trade deficit? How are trade deficits related to foreign capital inflows and investment in the United States?
Occurs when imports exceed exports in a current year They are related because when U.S. has a trade deficit with foreigners, they take a loan from the foreigners which indicates a healthy investment climate inside the United States (improving reputation) and improve capital account surplus which bring foreign capital into the state.
How has the coronavirus pandemic accelerated some of the challenges associated with the backlash against globalization?
Policy response by most states to the pandemic was to pull back from globalization (travel, supply chains, trade deals) Pulling back reinforced skepticism of globalization!
What are the pros and cons of the Paris climate accord?
Pros- 1. Broad Collective Agreement 2. New voluntary approach 3. Addresses needs of developing countries Cons- 1. Challenge Is executing and deepening Paris 2. Wont meet target of 2 degrees c 3. Not meeting voluntary NDCs
How does international migration intersect with national security? According to your reading for this module, how does international migration present challenges for national security but also resources that can enhance a country's security?
Raises fears of immigration by terrorist through lack of regulation Challenge security: -Immigration raises fears of infiltration by terrorists through lack of regulation -Challenge state sovereignty and worries about the slippery slope if others perceive them as weak -Leads to stricter control/regulation of access through borders, especially of refugees and migrants from countries experiencing war Enhance security: -Accepting migrants increases security by improving relations with other nations by taking in their migrants, or pressuring adversaries by taking in the refugees the adversaries oppressed
How have domestic political considerations (and the distributional consequences of trade) in the United States contributed to this trade war?
Reorientation of the US economic policy with Trump election
How do trade and globalization shape political relations and order in the international system?
Specialization + Trade = wealthier The desire to harness these economic gains from trade can spur cooperative International agreements like the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) that facilitate the coordination of economic policy among states and sustain globalization. -Alternatively, the heightened economic competition associated with globalization can also activate a deeper economic and political backlash that tries to limit these market pressures and reassert national political control over economic outcomes.
According to the reading (Chapter 20: Global Governance), what are the incentives for global governance through international institutions? How are efforts at global governance confronted by the collective action problem? Once international agreements are established, what types of problems of compliance and enforcement do international organizations face?
States have incentives for global governance because of negative externalities, high transaction costs, and collective action problems.
What are some critiques of the democratic peace theory?
States undergoing democratic transitions experience more conflict Explanations: 1. A common enemy in the Soviet Union explains peace in Western Europe after WW2 (GB, F, Germ): they have a common enemy SU 2. Great power settlements, not democracy, explains peace settlements after WW2
Why is there a gap between public opinion regarding the preferred levels of immigration and immigration policies adopted by democracies? How does the collective action problem help to explain this gap?
States w high flow allow this through their policies and some don't agree w this Because of the free rider problem, costs are distributed widely - Powerful interests experience concentrated benefits from immigration while costs are distributed widely across less organized interests
What is a market? What factors shape equilibrium conditions within a market?
Systems, institutions, all coming together to sell Gov, Supply & Demand, International transactions, and speculation and expectation
What are the Cold War origins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)? What did Lord Ismay mean when he said the goal of NATO was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down"?
The alliance of NATO was originally created in 1949 to oppose the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact alliance. Member states essentially wanted to contain the Soviet threat by providing security for Western Europe against any possible military attack by the Soviets. NATO has remained a powerful International Organization since the end of the Cold War due to the multiple benefits it provides to member nations including general protection from attackers, acknowledgment and respect of territorial claims, and maintenance of democracy represent the benefits of NATO -protection of Europe from Soviet threat (from nukes) -binding mechanism for American military power -peace between democratic powers in Europe
If trade makes states wealthier, why is there political resistance to globalization? What are the domestic distributional consequences of globalization? Which groups win and lose from globalization inside the United States?
There are disproportional gains within subset of international economies Benefits aren't distributed equally so tariffs are made Winners: -Tech industries and jobs that require high skilled labor -helps create jobs in sectors that rely disproportionately on resources (factor endowments) that US possess in abundance Losers: -Manufacturing industries -Jobs are lost in sectors that rely disproportionately on resources that are scarce in the US...such as unskilled labor in manufacturing
How does the status of the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the global economy help the Federal Reserve to take such dramatic steps during the pandemic to support the U.S. economy? What do the Fed's actions say about the costs and benefits of American hegemony/leadership in the global economy?
US dollar as the reserve currency: hegemonic stability and US leadership *Covid changes to federal deficit and balance federal reserve --STEADY DEMAND FOR US DOLLARS -deficit 4 trillion dollars and the rest of the world will help the US!
How might a future President Biden reverse President Trump's decisions on the Paris climate accord? Why would other countries potentially question the stability of the U.S. commitment to the agreement of a Democratic president reenters the Paris accord?
US remains part of the agreement officialy until Feb 4 and the election is 3 Questions stability- don't know if they can trust us because they change every 4 years
Module 20: What is the Bretton Woods economic order? What were the main forces that served as an impetus for the U.S. to construct the Bretton Woods order? What are the main organizations that emerged from Bretton Woods?
US supports the creation of international organizations to ensure economic growth through international trade Impetus from - Great Depression & WW2 IMF (world bank)
Module 22: What are the main differences between voluntary and forced migration?
Voluntary: legal vs illegal or undocumented (moving for personal gain job) Forced: refugees; escape war, repression, national disaster, human trafficking
What is the Paris climate accord? How might it operate to reduce carbon emissions and limit the increase of average temperatures? How did it navigate the tension between developed and developing countries?
Wanted to reduce carbon emmisons Each nation sets its own goals and publically states policies as a way of binding them to reaching their targets $100 billion in "climate finance" to help developing countries fund higher cost of using cleaner energ
Discuss the global patterns of international migration. What are the countries with the largest inflows of international migration and which countries have the largest inflows of refugees?
from 2000 it grew 50 percent Middle East - 88 % of population is migrants Saudia Arabia - 34% Germany is the top 10 of largest for receiving refugees
What is a Nationally Determined Contribution?
post-2020 climate actions countries intended to take under the new international agreement, set at U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change
What are some of the important stages in this trade war between China and the United States?
raised 25% tariffs china doubled trade and US tripled 1. reduced trade 2. raised prices Phase/Trade deal: Jan 2020 progress was made, then covid caused deeper tensions that made it harder to rely on the trade agreement
Describe the tradeoffs associated with participation in international organizations and national sovereignty.
to not allow political conflict between two states by allowing each to determine their own set of domestic laws that will regulate how people will live within their borders
