Chapter 13: Politics and Economic Life

Identify whether each action is more characteristic of participatory democracy or direct democracy.

(Participatory Democracy) Citizens gather together regularly to make major decisions. A small minority of ancient Athenians participated in politics as citizens. (Direct Democracy) A large number of Americans participate in politics as citizens. Citizens vote on policies, but do not gather together to do so.

percent of private sector workers unionized in 2020

6.4%

Identify the rights that are associated with being a citizen.

Associated Right(s) civil political social Not Associated Right(s) membership welfare

What is the best example of the international division of labor?

Clothing produced in Bangladeshi factories is sold in U.S. retail stores by trained store staff.

Identify the contributing factors to the shrinking of the average work week in many non-U.S. industrialized nations.

Contributing Factor(s) changes to the retirement age restrictions on work hours Not Contributing Factor(s) rising unemployment workers working "off the clock"

Why are U.S. employers increasingly relying on part-time and temporary workers?

Corporations save money by using part-time and temporary workers.

Suffrage is a term that refers to the legal right to vote.

True

Place the countries in order of voter turnout rate in 2018 from highest to lowest.

Turkey Mexico United States Egypt Haiti

Amazon has grown by squeezing out other companies who sell similar goods.

benefit to large business

A researcher conducts a series of interviews with individuals on corporate boards in order to understand how business decisions for one firm may have to consider the impact on other firms.

ethnography

the enacting of policies on the part of officials within a political apparatus

government

capitalistic enterprises organized on the basis of institutional shareholding

institutional capitalism

What is the term for a small number of firms that dominate the market in a given industry?

oligopoly

social right

the right to earn a minimum wage

a practice in which large corporations protect their employees from the vicissitudes of the market

welfare capitalism

Identify the following groups as having either higher or lower voter turnout.

(Higher Voter Turnout) high-income compared to low-income individuals more highly educated compared to less highly educated individuals (Lower Voter Turnout) younger compared to older individuals Hispanic compared to Black individuals

Identify each scenario as either part or not part of the informal economy.

(Part of the Informal Economy) making candles for one's own home selling drugs to acquaintances (Not Part of the Informal Economy) working at a small business that records and reports its earnings working as a nanny through an online service that handles booking and payment

Identify the following as describing either a participatory or direct democracy.

(Participatory Democracy) This system is ideal for a relatively small number of people. The people regularly assemble to make decisions about proposed policies. (Direct Democracy) This system is ideal for a relatively larger number of voters, or those scattered over a large region. Voters participate in decision making by voting for or against proposed policies, without meeting face-to-face with other voters.

Identify whether or not each statement describes populist authoritarianism.

(Populist Authoritarianism) Security is valued over civil liberties. Strong nationalism that is anti-immigrant is promoted. (Not Populist Authoritarianism) Citizens should regularly assemble to make major decisions together. Government should abolish classes, resulting in no divisions between the rich and poor.

The Raise the Wage Act of 2019 proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. Identify each political argument as generally made by the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party.

(Republican Party) An increase in the federal minimum wage will hurt businesses. This bill mostly benefits young people who are likely to go on to higher-paying work. (Democratic Party) Full-time minimum wage workers should not live below the poverty line.

Identify each as describing either winner take all or proportional representation.

(Winner Take All) This electoral system is prevalent in the United States. Countries with this electoral system typically end up with two dominant political parties. (Proportional Representation) Elected representatives in countries with this electoral system often have to form coalitions in order to form a government. Countries with this electoral system typically end up with several political parties, representing divergent interests.

percent of total workforce unionized in 2018

11%

percent of total workforce unionized in 1980

23%

percent of government workforce unionized in 2020

34%

_________ refers to the general process by which production processes are enacted by machines, whereas _________ refer specifically to the machines performing functions that are ordinarily done by human workers.

Automation robots

Identify the true and false statements about work and automation.

Correct Answer(s) Changes in employment and the number of jobs is in part due to offshoring and advances in technology. The percentage of adults in the United States seeking work has decreased over the twenty-first century. More than 1 million new jobs must be created each year just to avoid an increase in the unemployment rate. False Statement(s) Some estimates suggest that as many as 25 percent of all jobs in the United States could be replaced by software.

According to Max Weber, identify the necessary conditions for a democratic government to be effective.

Correct Answer(s) There must be different political parties that represent different interests. There must be political leaders who can rise above governmental bureaucracy. Incorrect Answer(s) Bureaucrats must play a limited role in running the government. Citizens must be able to vote directly for all proposed policies.

Identify the defining characteristics of a liberal democracy.

Defining Characteristic(s) Voters choose among representatives of a small number of political parties. The majority of adults in a liberal democracy have a right to vote. Not Defining Characteristic(s) The elected government in liberal democracies manages a free market economy. Liberal democracies ensure the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, and the right to vote.

Identify the defining characteristics of capitalism.

Defining Characteristic(s) free competition private ownership of the means of production business expansion and individual investments profit as an incentive Not Defining Characteristic(s) avoidance of workers' rights organizations government limits on corporate practices

Identify the defining characteristics of global capitalism.

Defining Characteristic(s) shareholders, top management, and executive officers come from more than one country. corporations conduct operations in more than one country. Not Defining Characteristic(s) global corporations are not obligated to follow any federal level laws. corporations are located within one country, but do business with other corporations around the world.

Contrary to the general downward trend in union membership in Western countries, union membership in the United States has increased since 1980.

False

Democracy is thwarted by small groups of rich and powerful individuals whose interests ultimately shape government policy.

How do the ten wealthiest individuals in the United States relate with political leaders?

Although direct democracy may not be possible in large-scale societies, it can be achieved nonetheless, since interest groups emerge that represent competing interests in society, such that each group ultimately has a voice that is heard. Examples of such competing interests are business organizations, trade unions, ethnic groups, environmental organizations, and religious groups.

How does the influence of today's social movements like Black Lives Matter compare with the influence of trade unions in the early twentieth century?

What change in investment strategies has contributed to our economic system evolving into institutional capitalism, according to some analysts?

Investors now bundle money into grouped accounts, and this money is then used to invest in several corporations.

Four members of the Santee family consider themselves "up on the news." Mr. Santee gets the local paper, and a national paper, delivered to his doorstep each morning. Mrs. Santee gets news online from her social media feed, and from CNN. Hanska, their son, gets most of his news from Facebook. Hawk, their other son, gets news online from a variety of sources, including political right, political left, and international.

Mrs. Santee Hanska

Identify the structural reasons why Americans are less likely to vote than citizens in many other countries.

Reason(s) Many voters feel that the current system is unresponsive to their needs. Voters face a lack of viable candidates that address their concerns. The registration process is more complex in the United States than in other countries. Not Reason(s) Elections are less well publicized and staffed in the United States compared to other countries.

Identify the required elements of a workers' strike.

Required Element(s) Those involved in a strike make their grievances known. All work is suspended for an indefinite period. A group of employees engages in the same action. Not Required Element(s) Workers quit their jobs. Workers slow down their productivity.

Identify the roles nation-states still play in the current era of globalization.

Role(s) Nation-states form alliances with one another. Nation-states enforce laws. Nation-states facilitate communication between their citizens and citizens of other countries. Not Role(s) Nation-states prevent corporations from outsourcing jobs to other countries.

Which scenario is the best example of worker alienation, according to Marx's view?

Sergio works in a warehouse pulling products people have ordered from an online merchant to be shipped to them the next day. His accuracy and speed are closely monitored by his immediate supervisor, which he resents.

Which example best supports a pluralist theory of democracy, as opposed to the theories of democratic elitism and the power elite?

State and national laws have been passed in response to efforts made by the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), with input from auto industry representatives and privacy advocates.

What primary role does technology play in economic change and development?

Technological innovations help companies produce more goods and services at a cheaper cost.

What is the role of interest groups, according to pluralist theories of modern democracy?

They establish a balance of power.

Which statement best explains why transnational corporations may be described as "stateless"?

They pursue higher profits without loyalty to the nation in which they may be headquartered.

Over the past twenty years, in all of the industrialized countries except the United States, the average length of the working week has become shorter.

True

In societies with large populations, direct democracy (in which everybody participates in making policy) is not possible. What is possible is government by elected representatives, although such representative democracy may be weakened when political parties emerge that establish elite control over public policies.

What are the costs and benefits when one political party controls both the U.S. House and the Senate?

Based on these statistics, which person most likely voted for Trump?

a White woman with only a high school education

What is a welfare state?

a state in which the government provides certain material, or economic, benefits for its citizens

Which of the following is an example of economic interdependence?

a woman buying meat from a butcher, clothing from a retailer, and working for a pet grooming service

a government's legitimate use of power

authority

Governments exercise _______, a form of ______________ legitimized by a belief system that justifies its use. Those who are subject to a government's rule voluntarily _________ to it.

authority power consent

Amazon announced it will spend $700 million to retrain some of its workforce for high-tech tasks.

benefit to workers

A researcher examines the differences in individuals' multiple memberships on corporate boards in the United States vs. in Europe.

comparative research

Politicians may fuel anti-immigrant backlash and pit the least well-off people against each other to keep the focus away from their own actions and bigger issues such as inequality.

conflict theory

What does the "race to the bottom" refer to, according to Bonacich and Appelbaum?

corporations' efforts to manufacture goods in countries with the lowest wages, the fewest environmental restrictions, and the most lax governmental regulations

Main Street Toys went out of business because customers seek lower prices online.

cost to small business

Tia is a Lyft driver. She is underpaid and lacks basic benefits such as retirement and health care.

cost to workers

Democratic governments rely on the expertise of bureaucrats, which are balanced by strong political leaders elected by a free citizenry.

democratic elitism

A group of citizens put forth a petition to regulate the amount of pollutants that business can dump into public water sources. The government accepts the petition and this month, everyone can vote yes or no to make this a law.

direct democracy

the system of production and exchange that provides for the material needs of people in a society

economy

A researcher asks individuals (randomly) on the street their opinions about only one of the two following conditions: (1) corporate misconduct in a U.S.-based firm, or (2) corporate misconduct in a transnational corporation.

experiment

The industry that was impacted first, and most deeply, by automation was the textile industry.

false

capitalistic enterprises owned and administered by entrepreneurial families

family capitalism

Place the five stages of capitalism in order from earliest to most recent.

family capitalism managerial capitalism welfare capitalism institutional capitalism global capitalism

Allowing the most desperate and economically needy people into a country allows employers to fill undesirable jobs that normally would be very difficult to fill.

functionalism

Which term describes the previous economy (which some argue was replaced by today's knowledge economy)?

industrialism

capitalistic enterprises administered by managerial executives rather than by owners

managerial capitalism

Political scientists have documented that voter turnout is highest historically among ______people and lowest among _______ people. People who have ________ incomes are more likely to vote than those with _______ incomes. Generally, turnout increases directly with _______ .

non-Hispanic White Hispanic higher lower age

In the United States, many adults have _______ where they earn a ______ wage or salary. Collectively, this ______ forms the basis of the ________.

occupation regular work economy

Interest groups compete among themselves to have power over decision making, providing a balance of power within democracies.

pluralist theories

A democracy is a _______ in which the _________ __________

political system people rule

the ability of individuals or groups to achieve aims or to further their interests

power

A small and unrepresentative group of leaders hold enormous sway over governmental policy.

power elite

Martha runs for a national political position representing her state. She only receives 30 percent of the vote but receives the most votes for her party. Her party is awarded three seats based on all of the votes tallied and Martha is elected for one of those seats.

proportional representation

A researcher distributes paper questionnaires to corporate board members at forty major transnational corporations asking them about their strategies to lower costs.

survey

Some government bureaucrats and leaders may publicly agree with citizens and make token moves to restrict refugees while simultaneously believing that the overwhelming majority of refugees pose no threat.

symbolic interactionism

Place the following in order from lowest to highest percentage.

the percent of voters identifying as Republican in 2020 the percent of voters identifying as Democrat in 2002 the percent of voters identifying as Independent in 2020 the percent of voters identifying as Democrat in 1964

civil right

the right to own property the right to equal justice

political right

the right to run for public office

What is the primary goal of scientific management (Taylorism)?

to maximize output

The type of capitalism referred to as ________ capitalism provides services to its employees such as __________, which are offered primarily as a way to prevent _________.

welfare paid vacation unionization

Tom runs for a national political position representing his state and receives one more vote than his opponent. He is thus elected as the representative from his state.

winner take all

Lupita is a woman who has immigrated to the United States. She works as a nanny in a household where both parents work. She is paid in cash. When the parents reduce or delay her pay, she seeks legal counsel and uses tax documents as evidence.

woman who has immigrated works as a nanny paid in cash