Exam 3 Guide PDF

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Study Guide for Exam 3 (Ch.4-6, 10, 12)...

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Exam #3 Review

Tuesday, Dec. 6th

[Ch. 4] Parties Party as branding mechanism Texas as one-party state Party polarization Socialization (major factor in determining what your party will be) Current Republican and Democratic Parties (SEE notes for Parties’ Organization) - Republican Party has complete control over TX state government - Republican control of state gov. gives party built-in advantage; becoming increasingly difficult for Democrats to win statewide - 34% TX voters = “vote for generic Democrat candidate” - 45& TX voters = “vote for generic Republican candidate” Current Republican Party - division in party between established pro-business republicans & Tea Party - party currently holds all major statewide elected office Current Democratic Party - minority party since losing control of TX House in 2002 - liberal - Majority of TX Dems = minorities African Americans & Latinos, but some white liberals that mainly live in urban areas - TX Dems are often from different states - Control some city-level local government (e.g., Travis county, Houston, San Antonio) Primary vs. general elections Types of primaries Third Parties (Dixiecrats, Shivercrats, Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street) - Historically, 3rd parties have arisen to do specific issues at different periods of time - Other 3rd parties have formed after feeling neglected by one of 2 main parties - In US, most have been absorbed by 1 of the 2 major political party - Dixiecrats (segregationists) & Shivercrats (business people that oppose New Deal policy) were examples of off-shoot Democratic 3rd parties in TX that did not get absorbed [Note: Dixiecrats = “Blue-Dog Democrats”] History of Parties in Texas [Ch. 5] Elections Electoral Participation – Umbrella term: who votes, different parties, etc. Types of Elections Dependency Theory (John Adams, Abigail Adams, James Kent, David Buel, Alex Hamilton) Expansion and contraction of the franchise - Ex. of expansion: 19th amendment, motor voter laws, 18-year-old allowed to vote - Ex. of contraction: voter ID laws, Texas voter qualifications Redistricting Gerrymandering (Types, political vs. racial) Reapportionment Shelby County v. Holder 2013

Exam #3 Review

Tuesday, Dec. 6th

[Ch. 6] Interest Groups What is it? Role in the Texas legislature What do they do? (Access, information, ‘revolving door’) Corruption Role in elections Capture - When interest groups’ influence becomes so strong that they “capture” the regulatory agency/commission, which then ‘forgets’ who they’re supposed to be regulating - Ex. RRC in TX - Commission becomes arm of interest groups Incumbents v. Challengers PACs – arm of interests groups, used to ?? [Ch. 10] Local Government County Gov. in TX (relation to state, legislative power?, vs. cities) Commissioner’s Court (County Judge, Commissioners, Constable) Functions Efficiency vs. democracy City Gov. in TX (relation to state, legislative power?, vs. counties) Home-rule Charter - establishes home rule in a city; rules & regulations for city (local) gov. Forms (Mayor-council, commissioners, council-manager) Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Dallas - Only info. discussed in class = forms of local government (3 types – see above) Special Districts School vs. non-school districts Hidden Governments Abuse [Ch. 12] Policy Process (Problem ID, Policy Formulation, Implementation, Evaluation) Types Education Gilmer-Aiken Laws – before laws, public school policy very localized; centralized in state gov. Desegregation (De Facto vs. De Jure) San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973) No Child Left Behind – centralized public education at the national level Vouchers and Charter Schools Centralization v. Localization - Forced Desegregation, Gilmer-Aiken Laws & No Child Left Behind = Ex. centralization - Voucher/Charter schools = ex. of decentralization Welfare – New federalism (w/ block grants) used for federal gov. control over welfare policy Poverty in Texas Prior to the 1930’s New Deal and Great Society Dependency and 1990s Welfare Reform Centralization vs. Localization Health Care – Do not need to know about Obamacare Water...