Study Guide For GOVT 2305 Exam 1 (Fall 2024) PDF

Study Guide for Exam 1 GOVT 2305 (Fall 2024) This study guide lists important points to study that we covered in lectures. For important points from readings, use the Chapter Outlines on for each textbook chapter on Canvas. Lecture...

Study Guide for Exam 1 GOVT 2305 (Fall 2024) This study guide lists important points to study that we covered in lectures. For important points from readings, use the Chapter Outlines on for each textbook chapter on Canvas. Lecture 1 – Intro to GOVT 2305 / Collective Dilemmas Political institution -Institution that influences political decisions Collective dilemmas (note: specific dilemmas came from other lectures) o Coordination problem - better off if each player chooses the same course of action, BUT there may be a disagreement about which course of action is best. ▪ Example: parties choosing a candidate o Race-to-the-bottom –States lower their laws to be more lenient than surrounding states to attract businesses ▪ Example: workplace safety regulations o Negative externalities –When individual state decision affects other states ▪ Example: polluting shared water sources o Cycling problem- some solution to collective dilemma 🔥 ▪ Example: forming stable issue coalitions o Collective action problem- collective dilemma 🔥 ▪ Example: organizing to protect a diffuse interest Lecture 2 – American Founding Principles The three founding principles of American government: Equality, Liberty, Popular sovereignty Forms of government o Autocracy- Individual holds all power o Oligarchy- Small group holds all power o Democracy- Mass public holds all power Forms of democracy o Direct democracy- Citizens vote directly on laws and policies o Representative democracy- Citizens select representatives via elections on who vote on laws and policies Direct democracy institutions o The initiative- Citizens can initiate the process to place a law on the ballot o The referendum- Legislature drafts a law, and citizens vote to approve or reject it  Trust, participation, and knowledge o High or low in modern US? -Lower in modern US o Changes over time? -Trust, participation, and knowledge lower over time How elections produce good government o Selection effects- When voters know which candidate will represent them better and vote for them, elections result in higher-quality candidates winning o Accountability effects- When re-election motivated politicians know voters will recognize and reward good representation, they represent them more effectively Lecture 3 – The American Constitution Federalist vs. Anti-Federalists o What did each want? - o Federalists wanted a strong central government while Anti-Federalists wanted power to be reserved for the states Checks and balances / veto points – Checks and balances is basically when each form of government has power over the other. Veto point is a step in policy process where a political actor can prevent a government action o Examples? Checks and balances = The president can appoint justice and veto legislation court can rule laws. Veto point = A bill to pass both in the house and senate can be vetoed by the president. Influences on the U.S. Constitution = British political traditions, Dissatisfaction with British rule, Experience under the articles of confederation, bargaining within states, Bargaining between Federalist and Anti-Federalist Seven articles of the U.S. Constitution o What is the theme of each? o Article 1 – The legislative branch o Article 2 - The Executive branch o Article 3 – The Judicial branch o Article 4 – Relationship between the states o Article 5 – The Amendment Process o Article 6 – Authority of the constitution o Article 7 - Ratifications Rights in the U.S. Constitution o Which rights are included in the Bill of Rights? o Enumerated rights (right to bear arms) Powers in the U.S. Constitution  o Expressed powers doctrine – Only those powers explicitly mentioned in the constitution are given to the federal government. o The elastic clause - grants Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers o The commerce clause – Congress shall grant power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states. Approaches to legal interpretation o Living Constitutionalism – Constitutional law is shaped by tradition, evolving case law and present-day conditions, new rights come from different interpretations. o Originalism – Constitutional law is what the people who adopted each provision understood it to mean at the time. Lecture 4 – The Texas Constitution Eras of Texas political history 1. (1821 – 1845) Mexican control and independence 2. (1845 – 1865) The civil war and preceding events 3. (1865 – 1877) The Reconstruction era 4. (1878 – 1994) The Era of Democratic Dominance 5. (1994 – today) The Era of Republican Dominance The seven constitutions o 1866 Cons #5 – The bare minimum constitution Banned De Jure slavery but includes de facto slavery through forced labor for criminal offences. o 1869 Cons #6 – gave African American the right to vote, gave strong powers by the Governor’s office o 1876 Cons #7 – limited executive power by dividing it amongst several elected (not appointed) offices Structure of the Texas state government o What are the three branches? The legislature, Executive, and the Judiciary. o How are they like/different from their federal counterparts? The Texas constitution is much longer than the US constitution (16 articles, 530 amendments as opposed to 27). It is more specific than the US Constitution as well. The amendment process in Texas differs from the US version. Similarities and differences between the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution o Length o Amendments o Rights  o Relationship to lower levels of government Lecture 5 – American Federalism Definition of federalism - “Federalism is a political organization in which the activities of government are divided between regional governments and a central government in such a way that each kind of government has some activities on which it makes final decisions.” - William Riker Eras of federalism o Dual (1789 – 1937) ▪ Limited role of federal government, primarily concerned with defense, international commerce, and interstate infrastructure ▪ States (or cities) were responsible for property, intrastate commerce, health, education, and penal law o Cooperative (1937 – 1969) ▪ Federal government begins regulating working conditions, providing social services, and establishing public works projects ▪ Amount of funding given to states increased o New federalism (1969 – today) ▪ Trend has been deregulation back to state and local governments ▪ States still get funding, but with more discretion Government size o How has this changed over time? The Government size stayed the same. o How do the size of various levels of government (national, state, local) compared to each other? Local Government – provides most of the funding for schools (via property taxes), school boards make decisions about day-to-day operations. State Government – pass laws about compulsory attendance, teacher certification curriculum standards, etc. Federal Government – Became more involved with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965) and the No child left behind Act (2001), but loss with every student succeeds Act (2015). Provides grants for specific purpose (disadvantaged schools), but responsible for < 10% if school funding. Types of federalism o Layer cake - Programs and authority are clearly divided among the national, state, and local governments o Marble cake - Programs and authority are mixed and intertwined between national, state, and local governments Tools of federal power  o Grants - Provide funding to states to implement desired programs ▪ Categorical grants – Grants given for narrow purposes, with details on how to implement ▪ Formula grants – Grants that consider state factors (population, number in poverty, etc.) and use a formula to determine how much money states get ▪ Block grants – Grants that allocate a large amount of money to a broad purpose, with states given discretion on how best to spend it o Regulations - Establish rules governing industries or individuals ▪ The second main tool of Federalism: Passing regulations Examples: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Sometimes combined with the provision of grants ▪ The process: Congress passes law delegating rulemaking to an agency Agency proposes, then enacts rule (according to set process) Regulation is then binding across states o Preemption - When a higher-level government prevents lower-level governments from legislating in a specific area or manner ▪ Some types of federal preemption set a baseline or minimum Examples: Insurance requirements in the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage law ▪ Other types of federal preemption prevent state governments from legislating on a subject entirely Example: Regulation of television or radio, labeling of medical equipment Lecture 6 – Texas Federalism Tools of resisting federal power o Control over the electoral process o Amendments o Selective enforcement o First mover advantage - States can often address a problem more quickly than federal government ▪ There is lots of partisan conflict/gridlock at the national level. Less in most states o Lawsuits Cities in the Texas Constitution o General law - Municipalities with 5,000 are governed by general law – laws provided by the state of Texas  o Home rule - Municipalities with > 5,000 can adopt a charter to establish home rule – can pass laws, so long as they are not prohibited or preempted by the state Counties in the Texas Constitution o Structure (what are the three branches?) ▪ Legislature: County commissioners and the country commissioner’s court ▪ Executive: Country judge ▪ Judicial: County courts Schooling in the Texas Constitution o How are schools funded? ▪ School districts are described in Article 7. The legislature can regulate the formation of school districts and how they collect taxes. ▪ Like elsewhere in the U.S., education is primarily funded at the local level Independent school districts (ISDs) oversee collecting taxes Most of the taxes come from property taxes o Edgewood ISD v. Kirby 1989 and recapture Lecture 7 – American Political Parties Party eras in American history (what were the major cleavages?) o Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans - Major cleavages: anti-tariffs vs. pro-tariffs, pro-Britain vs pro-France o Whigs vs. Democrats - Major cleavages: Commercialism and manufacturing vs. agrarian interests, Constitutionalism vs. populism o Republicans vs. Democrats (Civil War and Reconstruction era) - Original cleavages: Anti-slavery vs. pro-slavery o Republicans vs. Democrats (today) - Cleavages today: Small government vs. large government, traditional social values vs. progressive social values Third parties and independent candidates o Do they play a significant role? Know Duverger’s Law. - Plurality (“winner- take-all”) elections tend to produce two-party systems Definitions of political party o Party in government - A collection of officeholders who cooperate to achieve policy goals o Party as organization - A collection of individuals and groups who cooperate to win elections o Party in electorate - A collection of beliefs and policy positions that help individual voters understand and participate in politics Lecture 8 – Organized Interests and Donors  Definition of pluralism - Pluralism is a political and social theory that recognizes and affirms the coexistence of diverse groups, interests, and values within a society. It emphasizes that various cultural, ethnic, religious, and ideological groups can coexist and contribute to a vibrant democratic society. o What are the key features? o Groups can freely organize o Groups can influence government action o Because many groups compete, no one group dominates coalitions and compromise are necessary. Which interests can organize more easily (go from latent to organized interest)? o Political resources o Group size o Selective incentives Types of interest groups o Business/trade organizations - Groups that represent a specific business or a broader industry/trade o Professional associations - Groups that represent a particular occupation o Labor groups - Groups that represent organized labor or unions o Ideological groups - Groups that organize in support of a particular ideological goal who mostly work with a single party o Public interest groups - Groups that represent some general good rather than specific ideological or economic interests. Usually work with both parties o Government groups - Groups representing a lower0level government or a collection of such governments Lobbying o Inside lobbying - Efforts by organized interests to contact and persuade policymakers directly o Outside lobbying - Activities by organized interests to mobilize constituents and others outside of the policymaking community o The informational perspective - The information perspective on inside lobbying is that politicians listen to the lobbyists who know the most o The access perspective - The access perspective on inside lobbying is that politicians listen to those they have social connection with o Revolving doors - The exchange of people from government (Congress, executive branch, staffers, etc.) to private sector lobbying o Iron triangles - Mutually beneficial relationships between interest groups, legislative committees, and executive branch agencies Campaign finance o How are campaigns funded in the U.S.?  ▪ All campaign contributions above $100 trigger disclosure, spending limits for candidates, contribution limits to individual campaigns and aggregate giving o Federal Election Campaign Act and Buckley v. Valeo ▪ Limits on contributions to candidates are constitutional to avoid corruption. Limits on campaign spending are an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. o Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act ▪ banned “soft money,” unlimited contributions to parties, and banned electioneering ads immediately before an election o Citizens United and McCutcheon v. FEC ▪ Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – Limits on independent expenditures by groups are an unconstitutional restriction on free speech ▪ McCutcheon v. FEC (2014) – Limits on aggregate spending by donors are an unconstitutional restriction of free speech Lecture 9 – Mass Media Why is the media important in democracies? Mass media keeps the public informed and is crucial for a functioning democracy. Eras of media in U.S. history o The Partisan Press ▪ Founding to 1830s Most presses were sponsored by supporters of a political party o The Penny Press ▪ 1830s to 1890s Papers were cheaper, leadership increased. Supported by advertising o The Tabloid Press ▪ 1890s to 1910s Wealthy media magnates take over newspapers. The papers were sensationalistic. Readership increased further. o The Age of Objectivity ▪ 1910s to 1950s – Newspapers and Radio Technology led to consolidation and less polarization Norm of objectivity in journalism emerges ▪ 1950s to 1980s - Broadcast TV The “Big Three” news networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) dominate Fairness Doctrine (1949) – FCC rule requiring broadcast news to discuss issues of public importance and give airtime to both sides  o Fragmentation and Polarization ▪ 1990s to 2000s - Broadcast TV Fairness Doctrine is revoked in 1986 24-hour cable news emerges (CNN, Fox) ▪ 2010s to today – The Internet Many get their news from the Internet and social media Layoffs and closures of local newspapers Why does the media cover what it covers? o The profit motive – Most media outlets are funded by for-profit companies o The Rule of Anticipated Importance – Media will devote attention to stories in proportion of importance to the perceived effect on readers/viewers lives The Opportunity-Ability-Motivation framework o Opportunity – Opportunity exists (widely available news sources) o Ability – People have the ability to consume news ▪ Literacy, ease-of-understanding, etc. o Motivation – People are motivated to consume news ▪ Either they seek news out, or get it as a by-product New forms of political media o Infotainment – Mass media intended primarily to entertain, but also provide political news o Fake news - News that is intentionally and verifiably false, with the potential to mislead readers Media bias o Definition – Media being subjective in a way that serves a political interest o Statement bias - The media straying from the facts and injecting opinions into reporting o Coverage bias – Media giving more time to certain types of stories, or less time to other types o Sources of bias - Three reasons we might expect media to demonstrate bias: ▪ Owner preferences – owners of the media outlet want to push a specific position ▪ Journalist preferences – content creators want to push a specific position ▪ Consumer preferences – audience of an outlet prefer news from a particular perspective Research suggests consumer preferences drive bias among bid media outlets