Question 1

A politician running for political office does not speak in general terms,does not try to move to the middle of the political spectrum,and does not take polls,therefore it follows that

Accepted Answer

A)  the median voter model is wrong. 
B)  rational ignorance does not exist. 
C)  the free-rider problem does not exist. 
D)  voter turnout is likely to rise. 
E)  none of the above

Question 2

A voter will tend to be more informed if the issue in question

Accepted Answer

A)  affects everyone very little. 
B)  is complicated and difficult to understand. 
C)  has an intense and a direct effect on the voter. 
D)  is of special interest to a small group to which the voter does not belong.

Question 3

Public choice theorists say that the greater the number of potential voters in an election,the __________ the perceived benefits of voting held by each voter,and so the __________ the likely percentage turnout of voters.

Accepted Answer

A)  greater; lower 
B)  greater; higher 
C)  smaller; lower 
D)  smaller; higher

Question 4

Rational ignorance refers to voter-citizens choosing to be uninformed about politics and government on an individual basis because

Accepted Answer

A)  of apathy. 
B)  of ignorance. 
C)  of laziness. 
D)  they believe the benefits of becoming informed are greater than the costs. 
E)  they believe the benefits of becoming informed are less than the costs.

Question 5

Exhibit 32-2
 
-Refer to Exhibit 32-2-(a).Two candidates are competing for an electorate consisting of 9 voters labeled A-I shown positioned with respect to their ideological stands on issues.The median voter theory would predict that candidates will assume the ideological position(s)

Accepted Answer

A)  of voter A. 
B)  halfway between that of voter G and that of voter A. 
C)  of voter C. 
D)  of voter B. 
E)  of voter G and voter I, respectively.

Question 6

Competition for votes between two political parties will cause those parties to

Accepted Answer

A)  produce quite different policy proposals. 
B)  have very similar policy proposals. 
C)  find ways to clearly distinguish themselves in order to give voters a clear choice. 
D)  a and c 
E)  none of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is impossible for a person to be uninformed on who is running for president, what the candidates stand for, and on everything else connected with presidential politics and still be rational. 
B)  Failure to vote in an election is not necessarily a sign of apathy. 
C)  Informed voters necessarily have a larger impact on elections than uninformed voters. 
D)  a and c

Question 8

The process whereby votes are exchanged to gain support for legislation is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  logrolling. 
B)  rational ignorance. 
C)  simple majority voting. 
D)  special interest voting. 
E)  a and d

Question 9

Logrolling

Accepted Answer

A)  is vote trading among elected officials. 
B)  eliminates the influence of special interest groups. 
C)  puts downward pressure on federal spending. 
D)  b and c 
E)  all of the above

Question 10

The Congress passes a law that states that the federal government will pay $100 to any American citizen who can pass a (reasonably simple)current political events test.It follows that

Accepted Answer

A)  this raises the benefits of being rationally ignorant. 
B)  this raises the benefits of becoming informed and therefore will lower the degree of rational ignorance in society. 
C)  this raises the costs of being rationally ignorant. 
D)  b and c 
E)  none of the above

Question 11

In the early 19th century,the main lobbyists behind passage of the Factory Acts were the women and children who were being exploited.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Public choice refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  the decisions and decision-making processes that individuals go through to solve public problems. 
B)  political decisions made in the interest of the public at large. 
C)  the application of economic principles and tools to public-sector decision making. 
D)  the process that individuals undergo to decide what goods and services they will purchase and consume. 
E)  the process that individuals undergo to decide whether or not they will pursue a career government service.

Question 13

Situation 32-l
 
-Refer to Situation 32-l.This episode can be seen as an instance of

Accepted Answer

A)  rational ignorance. 
B)  logrolling. 
C)  special interest politics. 
D)  a zero sum game.

Question 14

In a simple majority vote on a public project,

Accepted Answer

A)  the project will never be undertaken if the costs exceed the benefits. 
B)  the project may be undertaken even though the total costs exceed the total benefits. 
C)  the intensity of individual preferences is taken into account. 
D)  the project will always be undertaken if the total benefits exceed the total costs.

Question 15

Suppose U.S.peanut butter producers are facing increased foreign competition.Which argument is least likely to be used by the U.S.firms' lobbyists to urge legislation to restrict imports of peanut butter?

Accepted Answer

A)  Peanut butter is important in military rations, so we cannot risk losing our supply of it. 
B)  Foreign peanut butter is made by virtual slave labor, working in horrible conditions. 
C)  Economic profits of the U.S. firms are already at a very low level. 
D)  Thousands of U.S. peanut farmers face hard times without this protection against imports.

Question 16

Simple majority voting sometimes leads to projects being undertaken whose costs are greater than the benefits.How is this possible?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is not possible, unless the voting results are rigged. 
B)  Because voters have no way to express the intensity of their preferences. 
C)  Because many voters choose to be rationally ignorant. 
D)  Because free riding is pervasive.

Question 17

Exhibit 32-2
 
-Refer to Exhibit 32-2-(b).Two candidates are competing for an electorate consisting of 3 voters labeled A,B,and C shown positioned with respect to their ideological stands on issues.The median voter theory would predict that candidates will assume the ideological position(s)

Accepted Answer

A)  of voter B. 
B)  of voters C and A, respectively. 
C)  halfway between voter C and voter A. 
D)  halfway between voter B and voter A. 
E)  halfway between voter C and voter B, for one candidate, and of voter A for the other.

Question 18

Simple majority rule will almost always generate efficient outcomes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Exhibit 32-4
 
-Refer to Exhibit 32-4. Suppose that producers of this good engage in rent seeking which results in the government imposing a price floor of P?. The loss of consumers' surplus that occurs due to the price floor is

Accepted Answer

A)  B + C 
B)  A + B + C + D + E 
C)  A + B + C 
D)  C + E 
E)  A

Question 20

According to public choice theory,low voter turnouts may be the result of cost-benefit calculations on the part of voters.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 32: Public Choice and Special-Interest-Group Politics

A politician running for political office does not speak in general terms,does not try to move to the middle of the political spectrum,and does not take polls,therefore it follows that

A voter will tend to be more informed if the issue in question

Public choice theorists say that the greater the number of potential voters in an election,the the perceived benefits of voting held by each voter,and so the the likely percentage turnout of voters.

Rational ignorance refers to voter-citizens choosing to be uninformed about politics and government on an individual basis because

Exhibit 32-2 -Refer to Exhibit 32-2-(a) .Two candidates are competing for an electorate consisting of 9 voters labeled A-I shown positioned with respect to their ideological stands on issues.The median voter theory would predict that candidates will assume the ideological position(s)

Competition for votes between two political parties will cause those parties to

Which of the following is false?

The process whereby votes are exchanged to gain support for legislation is referred to as

Logrolling

The Congress passes a law that states that the federal government will pay $100 to any American citizen who can pass a (reasonably simple) current political events test.It follows that

In the early 19th century,the main lobbyists behind passage of the Factory Acts were the women and children who were being exploited.

Public choice refers to

Situation 32-l -Refer to Situation 32-l.This episode can be seen as an instance of

In a simple majority vote on a public project,

Suppose U.S.peanut butter producers are facing increased foreign competition.Which argument is least likely to be used by the U.S.firms' lobbyists to urge legislation to restrict imports of peanut butter?

Simple majority voting sometimes leads to projects being undertaken whose costs are greater than the benefits.How is this possible?

Exhibit 32-2 -Refer to Exhibit 32-2-(b) .Two candidates are competing for an electorate consisting of 3 voters labeled A,B,and C shown positioned with respect to their ideological stands on issues.The median voter theory would predict that candidates will assume the ideological position(s)

Simple majority rule will almost always generate efficient outcomes.

Exhibit 32-4 -Refer to Exhibit 32-4. Suppose that producers of this good engage in rent seeking which results in the government imposing a price floor of P?. The loss of consumers' surplus that occurs due to the price floor is

According to public choice theory,low voter turnouts may be the result of cost-benefit calculations on the part of voters.