Political Science Answers

How has federalism influenced the United States’s response to COVID-19?

Has federalism been an asset for or an obstacle to effectively responding to the various challenges posed by the pandemic?

Which one of the following was responsible for Botswana’s political stability and economic prosp erity (study guide)?

1. The government followed sound advice from International Financial Institutions. 

2. The government had good leadership and made sound policy decisions.

3. The government followed sound advice from the South African government.

4. The government abolished the capitalist system after colonialism’s end.

Making climate change, an integral part of development policy remains difficult because of  emphasis on economic and infrastructural development over environment.

What does this example of a public policy lack?

1. Legitimacy and universality

2. Legitimacy and coercion

3. Universality and coercion

4. Universality and commitment

5. Coercion and institutional support

Identify the correct statement explaining China’s relationship with Africa. (Refer to e-reserve  reading by Hanauer and Morris)

1. The origins of bilateral relations between China and Africa can be traced to the initiation of  the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. 

2. China’s involvement in Africa is primarily motivated by its desire to enhance development  and promote peace and stability on the continent.

3. China is a communist regime, however, it conforms to the practice of trade liberalization with  African countries.

4. China subscribes to a conventional notion of human rights emphasizing the protection and  consolidation of political liberties.

5. China’s adherence to the principle of non-interference implies that unlike the West, it does  not attach any conditions to aid and trade agreements and has no bearing on the development trajectory of African countries.

Indicate whether the following statement is True or False. 

According to American scholar Francis Fukuyama, the collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in  states adopting a less compromised position, as liberal capitalism emerged as the dominant  ideology in the global political and economic order. 

1. True

2. False

Identify the one option that does not characterize the ‘new imperial order’. (Refer to Ayers  article available on ‘e-reserves’)

1. Infusion of liberal values in governmental systems and political institutions not only  legitimize, but also create and entrench the economic conditions necessary for the  reproduction of neoliberal capitalist accumulation. 

2. Has its foundations in an idea of democracy that emerged with the inception of liberal  capitalism in western European society.

3. Represents a post-colonial era where colonialism and imperialism are very much part of an  ancient world order that has long past. 

4. Is unique because it exploits a humanitarian discourse to justify a form of domination, which  is endemic to the state, civil society and the individual self. 

5. Emphasizes the fact that ideology plays less of a role than ‘real’ politics in determining the  trajectory of global political economy.

Which one of the following options does not represent Claude Ake’s (1996) view on  development as a paradigm in Africa? (Refer to book chapter available on ‘e-reserves’)

1. Rejected the assumption that progress is a dynamic process that was spatially transferrable  through proximity and interaction.

2. Scientific value was an intrinsic feature of the knowledge that agents possessed of the  development process. 

3. Part of the legacy of the colonial state was that efforts at state building was completely resistant to the hybridization of institutions and did not accommodate the complexities of  indigenous society. 

4. Development was not just a strategy employed by African leaders to capitalize on the  objective need for development, but also was an idea exploited by former colonizers to  ensure they maintained a certain level of control and influence in the colonies. 

5. Option 2 and 3 are incorrect.

Which one of the following options is not an advantage of a centrally planned economy?

1. The economy is more considerate of human interests and not primarily governed by the 

maximisation of profits.

2. Promotes the spirit of entrepreneurship and leads to the enhancement of state bureaucracy. 

3. Material wealth is more equitably distributed in society.

4. Protects the economy against fluctuations in commodity prices associated with the market 

economy. 

5. Options 2 and 4.

Which one of the following options is not a feature of a liberal democracy?

1. Places greater emphasis on granting and protecting civil liberties (i.e. rights and freedoms) in 

terms of collective groups rather than the individual. 

2. Institutional specialisation and fragmentation of government structures ensuring that there 

are checks and balances.

3. Promotion of universal franchise through the holding of regular elections that are 

transparent. 

4. Law is predicated on a strict adherence to constitutional principles. 

5. Political parties are allowed to contest for political power without fear, favour or prejudice 

because premium value is placed on political pluralism.

Indicate whether the following statement is True or False.

Samuel Huntington postulates that Third World countries are prone to political decay in the early 

phase of democratisation because they have weak political institutions that are unable to keep 

up with social modernisation. 

1. True

2. False