IR
What is the main subject of study in International Relations?
The interactions among states and other actors in the international system, including conflict, cooperation, and global institutions.
What major intergovernmental organization was created after World War II to promote peace and cooperation?
The United Nations
What do we call the basic economic problem of having unlimited wants but limited resources?
Scarcity
What trade organization works to reduce barriers and resolve disputes between countries?
Exports
What do we call the total number of babies born in a population in a year?
Birth rate
Give an example of “collective goods problem”
Climate change, overfishing, ocean pollution, or arms control
What term do we use for a country’s ability to influence others using culture and values instead of military force?
Soft power
If the price level in a country rises from 98 to 120 in one year, what is the approximate inflation rate?
Approximately 22%
What trade organization works to reduce barriers and resolve disputes between countries?
WTO
How do we call the movement of people from countryside to cities?
Urbanization
According to the main principles of international relations, which one relies on hierarchy and the use of power to enforce order?
Dominance
What is the main difference between an intergovernmental organization (IGO) and a non-governmental organization (NGO)?
IGOs are created by states through treaties and consist of member governments, NGOs have people as members.
What is GDP used to measure?
the total value of goods and services produced in a country
A tax on imported goods is known as what?
A tariff
A country with a rapidly aging population will face what major economic challenge?
Higher healthcare and pension costs / smaller workforce
Of the principles of International Relations which one explains why members of the European Union or the Nordic countries often cooperate based on shared values rather than self-interest?
Identity
What long-standing political principle states that each country has full control within its borders?
Sovereignty
If a country has 50 million people in its labor force and 5 million are without work and actively looking, what is its unemployment rate?
10%
A company in Ghana sells cocoa beans directly to foreign buyers under a fair trade label. What is the main purpose of the fair trade system in this example?
To ensure producers in developing countries receive fair wages and better working conditions, even if it means paying higher prices.
If the population of a country was 20 million and grew to 21 million in a year, what is the growth rate?
5%
Because the international system is anarchic, states must rely on themselves for security. What concept describes this condition, where actions taken by one state to increase its safety (for example, building more weapons) make others feel less safe?
The security dilemma
What is one potential benefit of living in a unipolar world system?
It can bring stability and order because a single dominant power can deter conflicts, enforce rules, and reduce rivalry among other states.
What is not counted in GDP?
Sale of used items, informal or illegal trasactions.
Give a specific example of a non-tariff barrier used to limit imports.
Restrictions, strict product standards, quotas, subsidies to domestic firms
A country has high birth rates and rapidly falling death rates due to improvements in medicine and sanitation. According to the Demographic Transition Model, in which stage is this country?
Stage 2 – Early Expanding, when population grows quickly because deaths drop while births remain high.
In a trade dispute, if both countries lower tariffs, each earns 10 billion in trade growth. If both raise tariffs, each loses 5 billion. If one lowers tariffs while the other raises them, the one who raises gains 15 billion, while the other loses 10 billion. What is the total global gain if both choose cooperation instead of protectionism?
20 billion total gain, compared to a combined loss or imbalance in other cases.
Imagine a conflict between two nuclear powers. One explanation blames the aggressive personality of a leader; another blames the balance of power in the international system. Identify both levels of analysis being used, and explain briefly how they differ.
The first uses the individual level, focusing on personal traits and decision-making; the second uses the systemic level, emphasizing the structure of international anarchy and distribution of power.
The central bank of a country raises interest rates from 3% to 6%. What is the most likely short-term effect on consumption, investment, and aggregate demand?
Higher interest rates discourage borrowing, so consumption and investment fall, leading to a decrease in aggregate demand.
Country A can produce 10 tons of rice or 5 cars; Country B can produce 6 tons of rice or 2 cars with the same resources. Which country has the comparative advantage in cars, and why?
Country A’s opportunity cost for 1 car is 2 tons of rice (10 ÷ 5 = 2), while Country B’s opportunity cost for 1 car is 3 tons of rice (6 ÷ 2 = 3). Therefore, Country A has the comparative advantage in producing cars, and Country B in producing rice, since each gives up less of the other good when specializing.
Country Y’s pyramid shows a shrinking base and a bulging middle, with few children and many working-age adults. What demographic challenges is this country likely to face in the next decades?
A rapidly aging population, labor shortages, and pressure on pension and healthcare systems.