POS 100 (CH 2)
_________ theorists have a narrower view of the scope of social and economic rights that should be guaranteed by a d emocratic government than _________ theorists.
Conservative, liberal
The online communication channels that allow citizens to register opinions and complaints to government officials is called...
E-government
__________ allows a person to acquire information and documents online and also provides a medium to register opinions and complaints to government officials.
E-government
The concept of democracy was initially defined centuries ago in ancient...
Greece
What rules govern the use of referenda at the federal level?
No provisions exist for the use of referenda at the federal level.
_________ theory implies that a group should determine what the majority of its participants want to do.
Procedural
_____ addresses the questions "Who should participate in decision making? and How many votes are needed to reach a decision?"
Procedural democratic theory
According to the text, in the past few years, there has been ________ in the number of democracies around the world.
a slight decline
Studies of the congressional agenda of the United States demonstrate that it is characterized by an emphasis on...
business-related legislation
Whether a political system is "democratic" is chiefly defined by which of the following?
cannot be simply defined as it is not a "yes or no" question
In a system of participatory democracy,
citizens govern themselves, without electing representatives.
The basic standard of substantive democracy is that government must guarantee...
civil rights and liberties.
The Greek word demos, which is the root of the term democracy, means...
common people
The text suggests that the United States struggled to promote democracy in countries that...
could not accept high degree of tolerance and freedom allowed to all groups in society.
A politician who appeals to and often deceives the masses by manipulating their emotions and prejudices is a(n)...
demagogue
Deciding on the legality of marijuana through ballot propositions is an example of...
direct democracy.
The text suggests that there are _________ forces that may be pushing authoritarian governments toward democratization.
economic
Suppose that top government jobs for both political parties are filled only from an inner circle of top corporate leaders. This would be evidence for...
elite theory.
The idea that the most important government decisions are made by an identifiable and stable minority that shares certain characteristics -- particularly wealth and business connections -- is called...
elite theory.
A sign that pluralist democracy might NOT be working well in the United States is the...
fact that the best represented sectors in Washington are business and professional groups.
The main disadvantage of the pluralist model is that it...
favors groups who need help the least.
The principle of responsiveness requires that legislators...
follow the general contours of public opinion.
The procedural view of democracy is most concerned with...
how government decisions are made
A citizen's group gathers enough signatures on a petition to force a popular vote on a statewide lottery proposal. This proposal would represent a(n)...
initiative.
When citizens circulate petitions to gather a certain minimum number of signatures to put a policy question on the ballot, it is called a(n)...
initiative.
Any organization of individuals formed on the basis of common interest to influence public policy is called a(n)...
interest group.
Although they are instruments of majoritarian democracy, initiatives are often sponsored by...
interest groups.
One of the weaknesses of the procedural model of democracy is that...
it permits policies that violate standards of substantive democracy.
Studies on decision making concerning public policy issues suggest that much of the elite's power comes from the ability of elites to...
keep issues off the political agenda.
In 2014, voters in Switzerland approved an initiative to...
limit immigration.
A popular election is the primary mechanism for democratic government in which model?
majoritarian model
Cohesive political parties with well-defined programs contribute to the...
majoritarian model of democracy.
Established procedures and organizations that translate public opinion into government policy, like elections, are known as institutional...
mechanisms.
All of the following are principles of procedural democracy except...
minority rights.
An important problem with the procedural view of democracy is that it can clash with...
minority rights.
In most democracies other than the United States, there is __________ support for the view that jobs and incomes for the unemployed are a right.
much more
A form of government that puts power in the hands of an elite is a(n)...
oligarchy
An autocracy is a political system ruled by...
one individual
New England town meetings are an example of...
participatory democracy.
Portland's incorporation of neighborhood associations into its municipal government is an example of...
participatory democracy.
While majority rule is defined as decision making by 50 percent plus one person, _________ is defined as decision making by most participants.
plurality rule
A country abiding by the principle "one person, one vote" is practicing...
political equality.
The Greek word kratos, one of the roots of the word democracy, means...
power
According to the ____________ view of democracy, anti-gay marriage laws are democratic.
procedural
Democratization is the...
process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one.
Participatory democracy today is...
rare in the United States and in other democracies.
An election on a public policy issue is called a(n)...
referenda
Twenty-four states allow for _____ which is a policy question that the state legislature places on the ballot and allows citizens to vote on it.
referenda
In 2015 the government of Ireland held a(an) __________, in which voters legalized gay marriage.
referendum
One primary challenge to democratization in Iraq after the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein is the...
religious conflict between Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam.
Most democracies give power to...
representatives.
Agreement among substantive theorists breaks down when the discussion moves from civil rights to...
social rights and economic rights.
Freedom of religion or freedom of speech are _________ principles.
substantive
The ____________ view of democracy is likely to see anti-gay marriage laws as undemocratic.
substantive
The anti-gay marriage laws and amendments passed in many states in recent years w ere overturned in by the Supreme Court in 2015. In other words,
substantive democratic theory outweighed procedural democratic theory.
The Bill of Rights is at the core of our...
substantive theories of democracy.
Compared with majoritarian thought, the pluralist model of democracy shifts the focus of democratic decision making from __________ to _________.
the mass electorate; organized groups
The ancient Greeks classified governments as autocracies, oligarchies, or democracies based on...
the number of citizens involved in governing.
In America, when the wealthy and the rest of the population have differing policy goals...
the preference of the wealthy will most often prevail.
According to the text, it is difficult for a country with a market economy to remain _________ in its internal politics.
undemocratic
The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making is...
universal participation.
The idea that all adults within the boundaries of a political community should be allowed to vote is known as...
universal participation.
According to procedural theory, the government should do...
whatever the majority wants.
Although public opinion does not fluctuate erratically, change can occur...
when different generations with different experiences enter the electorate.