Institutional Design
Political Parties
Elections
Political Economy
WILD
100
Which person/institution has the power to veto laws passed by the Majles?
Guardian Council
100
What is the dominant party in Russia?
United Russia
100
How are members of the Federation Council chosen?
Appointed (one by governor, one by leader of local legislature)
100
Name 3 countries we have studied so far that would be considered rentier states.
Iran, Russia, Nigeria
100
Which two states that we have studied so far are unitary states?
Iran and Britain
200
Under which president were political parties finally encouraged?
Khatami
200
Who can vote for the Assembly of Experts?
general electorate (all citizens 18+)
200
Term for a society and economy that are sharply divided into a modern, usually richer, and a traditional, usually poorer sector
dual society
200
The two dynasties that did the most to instill Shi'i religion in Iran were:
Safavids, Qajar
300
How does the prime minister in Russia get his job?
Appointed by the president
300
Which opposition party in Russia receives the most votes?
CPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation)
300
What is two-round voting and which states that we've studied so far use this for presidential elections?
Candidate does not just win by getting the most votes, but must also reach a certain number/percentage to win the election. If no one reaches this number/percentage, there is a second round of voting between the top candidates.
300
What event in the late 1990s helped make Russian goods more competitive with foreign ones?
1998 Financial Crisis (led to foreign goods becoming expensive and hard to find)
300
This religious minority group in Iran receives the worst treatment, because they are considered heretics and their religion, which is relatively new (19th century) is considered ungodly.
Bahai
400
Iranian institution created by Khomeini and then legalized by constitutional amendments after his death
Expediency Council
400
Who licenses political parties in Iran?
Minister of the Interior
400
What voting system is used for electing the Duma?
mixed system (some plurality from single-member districts; others elected through proportional voting from party list)
400
Why doesn't "privatization" in Iran strictly meet the definition of privatization?
In Iran, most state-owned businesses are not being sold to private owners, but to semipublic institutions or the Revolutionary Guards.
400
Lenin's idea; party leaders are elected by lower-level members, but lower level members must then strictly follow the commands of the leadership.
democratic centralism
500
To increase national control over local government, Putin created a hierarchy called the ________________ and removed governors from the _____________ (institution).
Power vertical; Federation Council
500
This Russian party is right-wing, nationalistic, anti-Western, and very concerned with "law and order". Many of its supporters are working class men and members of the military. (There is a similarly named party in Britain, but it is left-wing.)
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
500
List 4 factors that have compromised the fairness of Iranian elections any time between 1979 and 2016.
1. Government controls media. 2. Vigilantes/club-wielding gangs attacking anti-regime voters 3. Voting held in mosques before 4. Revolutionary Guards oversee voting 5. Imams (clerics) helped illiterate people fill out ballots 6. Guardian Council has power to approve/deny candidates 7. Minister of the Interior has power to approve/deny political parties and interest groups the right to organize/exist
500
Why does the Russian state have such strong ties to companies/industries that are owned or partially owned by the state? How do the Russian people feel about this?
Leaders of public/semi-public institutions/businesses are appointed by the government, giving government influence over these leaders. People like this, because they distrust free market capitalism after the experience of the 1990s.
500
Name for the Iranian penal code, which follows shari'a and describes such punishments and stoning, amputation, and live burial.
Retribution Law