POLS 4070 Theories of Political Choice Dougherty

POLS 4070 Theories of Political Choice Dougherty

Review Sheet for the Midterm Exam

The midterm exam is on Thursday, February 27 during regular class time. You should be prepared to answer multiple choice, problem solving, and essay type questions on the following terms. I included sample questions, after the terms, to give you a rough idea about what types of questions you can expect on the exam. However, I will not give the exact same questions on the exam! You should also review the answer sheets to the homework problems (on-line) in order to properly prepare. Some questions may come from elements of the reading that were not covered in class. I also reserve the right to test you on material not covered on this sheet.

Make-up exam: There is one and only one make up exam scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 4:00 p.m. meeting in Baldwin 408 (consult your syllabus). If you miss the midterm and have a documented excuse approved by me, you should be able to take a make-up exam during this time. Please contact me before the exam for approval. Students not taking the midterm during the regular scheduled time or during the make-up time will receive a zero -regardless of the excuse. You should also note that the make up mid-term is considerably more difficult and should be avoided.

Please schedule an appointment if you have any questions. My office is Baldwin 408. Email me at or call (706-542-2989). I'd be more than happy to help.

Terms: outcomes actions strategies rationality payoff decision node chance node one player games extensive form game backward induction sequential equilibrium normal form game dominated strategy dominant strategy dominant strategy equilibrium Nash equilibrium zero sum game Maurbury v Madison game incomplete asymmetric information game Cuban Missel Crisis

trust game the collective action problem step good games fun facts about voter turnout the rationality of voting paradox of participation civic duty selective incentives the Gilded Age political machines patronage (what's the definition?) affect of machines on local politics and

national politics the Progressive Era Australian ballot poll tax voter registration enfranchisement of women (right to vote) voter turnout during political machines and

afterward

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A. Multiple Choice.

1. According to Heckelman, and the discussions we had in class, which of the following reforms did not lead to the fall of the political machines

a. the enactment of primaries. b. voter registration. c. woman's suffrage. d. the Australian Ballot.

2. Chose the best response. The dominated strategy or strategies in the following two-player, normal form game are [hint: slow down, be careful]:

c

d

C

3, 3

1, 6

a. C. b. C and d. c. D and d. d. d.

D

6, 2

2, 1

B. Problem Solving (show your work).

3. Consider the following version of Przeworski's transition to democracy game. In this game, player 1 is the government and player 2 is civil society. The variable p is a probability.

a. What values of p would make player 1 (Govt) prefer to not reform at player 1's second decision node? What values of p would make player 1 prefer to reform?

b. What is the sequential equilibrium of this game? State your answer in terms of strategies.

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c. Now switch the government's payoffs of 5 and 4 and re-draw the game. The payoffs from (open, accept) are now (4,4) and the payoffs from (open, organize, reform) are now (5,5). Everything else remains the same. What is the sequential equilibrium of this new version of the game? State your answer in terms of strategies.

d. Based on your answer to questions a and b, can you say anything about the importance of government preferences on the transition to democracy? What might cause a government to change preferences?

4. Answer the following question from the perspective of a voter. According to the calculus of voting, the decision to vote can be captured by the following equation:

R = p2B - C + D + S

where

R is an individual's reward from voting, B is the individual's benefit from her favorite candidate winning the election, p2 is the probability of her vote influencing the outcome of the election, C is the cost of voting, D is the benefit from civic duty, and S is a positive selective incentive.

Picking up voters and driving them to the polls affects which of the variables listed most directly? In what direction? Why? (hint: possible answers include B, p2, C, D or S).

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