Describe pluralist theory and discuss the major criticisms of pluralism.
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. Pluralism is a group theory of democracy. According to pluralism, society contains a variety of groups with access to government officials, and these organizations compete and cooperate to influence policy decisions.
2. One criticism condemns pluralism for emphasizing how the political game is played rather than why people play it. Critics say that the pluralists do not give enough importance to how benefits really are distributed.
3. Other critics point out that pluralists believe that groups will balance off each other, producing a self-regulating stable system. But what if everyone sees the value in forming a group to gain more benefits from the government? Political inflation leads to so many competing groups making so many demands that the government begins to choke on unnecessary programs that-since no one wants to pay more taxes-can only be funded by ever-higher budget deficits.
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The main difference between empirical and normative
judgment is that: a. empirical analysis can be used in comparative political analysis but normative judgment cannot. b. empirical judgment is descriptive and based on observation while normative judgment is based on assumptions about what is better or more desirable. c. empirical judgment is used in sciences such as chemistry and physics but not in political science. d. empirical and normative judgment are very different kinds of judgment that cannot be combined to increase our understanding.
Country B has threatened country A. If A does not give B a disputed port city on the border between the two countries, B will take the city by force. The leaders of A believe that there is a 0.4 probability that they can repel B’s army if it attacks. A’s value if it retains the port city is 8 and its value if it loses the port city is ?4. The leaders of A believe they have two choices: fight or capitulate. What is country A’s expected utility of "fight"?
a. 0.8 b. 2.4 c. 3.2 d. 5.6
An intergovernmental organization is NOT considered a global actor in its own right because it has no independent foreign policy—only that of its members
a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false
Which of the following statements best describes the Bill of Rights?
A. The rights guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights are selfexecuting and have required little interpretation. B. The Bill of Rights has always been equally applied to both the national and state governments. C. The Bill of Rights consists of additions to the civil liberties initially discussed in the Constitution. D. The Bill of Rights narrowly defines basic freedoms, requiring great consideration by the Supreme Court in interpreting them. E. The rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights change over time, depending on interpretation by the Supreme Court.