Via Kevin Drum, I wasted 10 minutes that should have been spent doing actual work taking this civics test from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. I got 32 of 33 right, and the one I missed was really stupid. So I guess I’m relatively aware on these things – not surprising given that I’m in a Ph.D. program in politics – but the whole thing feels a little fishy to me.
Some of the questions are reasonable (branches of government, who gets to declare war, etc.), some are a little silly in practical terms but deal with the Western “canon” to a sufficient degree that I don’t have a problem with them (the role of the Anti-Federalists, questions about the linkages between Plato and Aquinas, Puritan history), but some are a little troubling.
See #25: “Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as…” Am I the only one who isn’t enthusiastic about the idea that an ideological concept like “free enterprise” being treated as synonymous with capitalism? And then there’s #27: “Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because…” Or #31: “International trade and specialization most often lead to which of the following?” (hint: the correct answer is “an increase in productivity”) Now, I’m pretty supportive of trade – definitely more than many of my liberal cohorts – but not so confident that I don’t feel a little discomfort at the unquestioned premise built into these questions. “Free markets” are imaginary, purely hypothetical. In practice, the question is about what kind of freedom, and to what degree. Surely such factors cannot simply be ignored. Even worse, suppose we do ultimately judge that “free trade” as a concept is on balance positive, even with the relevant caveats (my position). Even so, isn’t it a little troubling that free market boosterism is considered a valid test of our civic identity? Surely those who think differently are no less legitimately “civic” simply by virtue of holding those opinions.
Finally, there’s #30: “Which of the following fiscal policy combinations would a government most likely follow to stimulate economic activity when the economy is in a severe recession?” This seems to completely elide the possibility that there could be a gap between the correct response and the likely response.
All in all, tests like this don’t matter much. Railing against subtle bias here may amount to tilting at windmills. Still, this stuff deserves to be aired, I think, for what it says about how we conceive of our collective national identity.