Show:
Acemoglu et al
Duverger
Iverson and Soskice
de Tocqueville
Estevez-Abe, Iverson, & Soskice
100
Describe the commonly accepted relationship between income and democracy
There is a positive relationship between income and democracy
100
What favors a two-party system?
the single-ballot simple-majority electoral system
100
What author do Iverson and Soskice often reference in this reading?
LIJPHART!!!
100
What does Tocqueville say about America
It is a model of democracy, but France does not necessarily need to imitate it completely
100
What are the three types of skills?
firm-specific skills industry-specific skills general skills
200
What is the modernization theory and why does Acemoglu disagree with it?
higher income per capita causes a country to be democratic. It is a contested theory because it only demonstrates correlation and not causation
200
Give two examples of countries that have a two-party system (besides the United States)
Turkey, United Kingdom, Jamaica, India
200
Who does the middle class ally with in a majoritarian society?
In a majoritarian society, the middle class associates more with the upper class in order to prevent the poor from exploiting them
200
What does Tocqueville say leads to democracy?
Social equality
200
What are the three assumptions about worker's economic behavior that we make?
1) People calculate overall return to their educational/training investment before deciding to commit themselves 2) People choose to invest in those skills with the highest expected returns (provided the risks are the same) 3) People are risk averse (aka Ceteris paribus)
300
What is the new hypothesis presented by Acemoglu et al concerning levels of prosperity in democratic states?
richer countries tend to be democratic because of their historical development
300
What are the two factors that eliminate third parties?
Mechanical factor: if the third party overtakes a major party, then those parties swap roles and the two-party system remains Psychological factor: a vote for a third party seems like a "wasted" vote
300
What is the main difference between majoritarian governments and proportional governments in terms of redistribution?
Majoritarian governments are more right-leaning and redistribute less than proportional governments which are more left-leaning
300
In a world with no social mobility, Tocqueville says that rulers were ____ to their subjects. Why?
Benevolent He claims that an "exchange of goodwill took place" since the nobles were not worried about commoners taking away their privilege, and commoners accepted their lower place in society.
300
What are some negative consequences of general skills systems?
For the academically uninclined, they are stuck in low-income jobs (poverty cycle)
400
What is the major factor in determining how a country will develop either into a democracy or into another form of government?
Colonization
400
What are the two factors that can propel a new party onto the main stage?
strong local backing or powerful national organization
400
Name two factors that lead to more redistribution and two factors that lead to less redistribution
More: Female labor force participation, high unemployment, low income inequality (when not controlled for variables), proportional Representation, left-leaning governments Less: Low unemployment, high income inequality, low income inequality (when controlled for variables), right-leaning governments, multiple veto points
400
What will democracy lead to in a nation, as compared with it's previous feudal system?
The nation will be "less brilliant, less glorious, and perhaps less strong; but the majority of the citizens will enjoy a greater degree of prosperity, and the people will remain peaceable, not because they despair of a change for the better, but because they are conscious that they are well off already."
400
Explain the cycle of rationality that pushes to occupational gender segregation.
Women act rationally: They need to choose careers/training with the possibility of an interruption due to children; So women want jobs that have protection against dismissal and income maintenance Employers act rationally: They don't want to do this unless someone else (the government) pays for it or there is a shortage of men willing to perform this job Women act rationally: They choose industries that have fewer men. This means segregation
500
Draw an example of two countries that demonstrate Acemoglu et al's hypothesis on the relation between democracy and wealth
US v. Columbia - who has a higher potential for democracy and wealth? Most researchers would simply assume that the US is more democratic because it is richer, however... if they beg the question: is Columbia more likely to become more democratic as it becomes richer? they will recognize that there is no positive relationship between income per capita and various measures of democracy, as originally thought.
500
Can bipartisanism be produced in places that aren't historically bipartisan? Give an example.
Yes, it would work well in West Germany (yeah, this reading is outdated...) and it would not work well in France
500
Explain the Meltzer-Richard Model and why it is wrong
The voter with the median income is the decisive voter and the median voter in the US will push for redistribution (ie tax cuts) until it no longer benefits them, so the greater the income inequality, the more redistribution. This is mostly wrong because it does not look at political and economic differences
500
Describe Tocqueville's complex interaction with religion.
Answers may vary, but something about how he calls religionists the enemies of liberty, yet still is religious himself and recognizes that Christians "espouse the cause of human liberty as the source of all moral greatness," and then uses God to justify his own theory of democracy.
500
Challenge some aspect of this reading.
Answers may vary. Possibilities include: The three assumptions (e.g. philosophy majors or people in sales) Women could rationally choose other careers