Bachelor of Social Science Political Science Flashcards
7 cards from real BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Bachelor of Social Science Political Science flashcards as text
Which international organization was established after World War II with the primary goal of maintaining international peace and security?
Answer: United Nations
The United Nations was founded in 1945 with the central mission of preventing future world wars and maintaining international peace and security through collective security mechanisms.
What is 'path dependency' in the study of political institutions?
Answer: The tendency for institutional choices to persist and constrain future options
Path dependency describes how early institutional decisions create self-reinforcing mechanisms that make alternative paths increasingly costly, causing institutions to persist over time.
Which model of democracy emphasizes citizen participation and deliberation over mere electoral competition?
Answer: Deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy, associated with Jürgen Habermas and others, prioritizes informed public reasoning and discourse as essential to legitimate democratic decision-making.
What is the primary argument of 'democratic peace theory'?
Answer: Democracies rarely go to war with other democracies
Democratic peace theory holds that liberal democracies almost never go to war with each other, due to shared norms, transparency, and institutional constraints on leaders.
Which concept describes the informal rules and norms that constrain political behavior within a regime, distinct from formal constitutional rules?
Answer: Informal institutions
Informal institutions are socially shared rules not created or enforced through official channels but which nevertheless powerfully shape political behavior and outcomes.
In U.S. politics, what does the term 'divided government' refer to?
Answer: One party controls the presidency while the other controls at least one chamber of Congress
Divided government occurs when the executive branch and at least one chamber of the legislative branch are controlled by different political parties, often leading to gridlock.
Which approach to comparative politics focuses on how broad historical and structural factors shape political outcomes across nations?
Answer: Historical-structural approach
The historical-structural approach examines how long-run historical processes, class structures, and economic development patterns produce different political regimes and outcomes.