PSC 2225 Study Guide - Final Guide: Centrism, Radiative Transfer Equation And Diffusion Theory For Photon Transport In Biological Tissue, Early Voting
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State & Urban Policy Problems Notes
Sept 5, Day 2 —
Federalism // Intergovernmental Relations
Political science models can be used to predict future behavior based upon past actions
Variables can be used to see how we can get different outcomes
Examples of independent variables:
Geography - borders, population density/urbanization
Economic Variables - unemployment rate, SDP (state domestic product), % growth per
capita income
Sociodemographic - education, immigration, crime rate
Political - partisan power, intergovernmental relations
History -
Systems of government
Unitary government: very centralized, people elect national govt which staffs local govt
Confederal: Reversal of unitary direction of power. Power very decentralized
Federal: Autonomous state and local government // direct & independent election //
ability to pass & implement own policies (tax, spend, borrow)
Dual federalism - founding to New Deal
Fiscal federalism:
Cooperative federalism - New Deal to Great Society, categorical grants
Coercive federalism - Great Society to Reagan
New federalism - 1880 to present? block grants
Fractured//fragmented federalism
— Sept 12, Day 3 —
characteristics//stereotypes of the South:
-conservative ideology
-religious: southern baptist, evangelical
-agrarian
-military
1.
2.
-anti-federal government // “states rights”
-populism
-racially polarized
-more patriotic
Rational choice
Sociological // psychological — microsociological partisanship. groups u belong to,
ur parents beliefs
Racial Threat Hypothesis:
% minority increases, majority efforts to restrict increase
Economic Threat Hypothesis:
Group Position Theory:
— Sept 19, Day 4 —
Eleazar: regions of the US are tied together by their political subcultures
What is a political subculture? 3 different underpinnings in US politics, ideologies that
correspond to what kinds of institutions are acceptable
Individualistic
-mid Atlantic region westward, middle America (not in midwest terms used rhetorically
but like the literal middle going west-east), little bit southwest
-marketplace
-ability of individuals to take control of government
-laissez faire idea of politics, hands off
-government is best when limited, serving people in the utilitarian sense
-politics used/seen as a business
Moralistic
-commonwealth, politics as a higher calling
-political expertise not as necessary, amateurs can step right in and get elected
-a matter of concerns for all citizens not just politicians
-stems from New England, puritans, initially religious concept (not so much anymore but
an important beginning).
-Northerners, Jews, Scots, Swiss, Scandinavians, e.g. groups that feel this way
Traditionalistic
-status quo
-South-east
Macropartisan
1 migration/immigration
2 mobilization of new voters
3 dealignment // realignment
4 generational
— Sept 26, Day 5 —
Research Paper discussion:
1 introduction — so what? pages 1-5
policy adoption
Why did this jurisdiction adopt X policy?
2 theory pages 5-10
literature review - what have other people written on this? (scholarly articles)
3 your own theory pages 10-12
e.g. hypothesis 1: states with higher percentages of latinos will be more likely to adopt
expansive immigration policies than will states w lower percentages of latinos
4 research design
how u would test your hypothesis
what kind of data would u need?
5 sources
**doesnt give a fuck about the outcome of policies, just wants to know why some
jurisdictions adopted it and why some didn’t
stay objective in analysis, no normative judgements
labor union policies - Vegas versus Miami? DC versus Vegas?
affordable housing policies - DC versus Vegas?
-TOPA?
LECTURE
Styles of local governments:
-mayor-council
-council-manager
Document Summary
Political science models can be used to predict future behavior based upon past actions. Variables can be used to see how we can get different outcomes. Economic variables - unemployment rate, sdp (state domestic product), % growth per capita income. Unitary government: very centralized, people elect national govt which staffs local govt. Federal: autonomous state and local government // direct & independent election // ability to pass & implement own policies (tax, spend, borrow) Cooperative federalism - new deal to great society, categorical grants. New federalism - 1880 to present? block grants. Sept 12, day 3 characteristics//stereotypes of the south: Sociological // psychological microsociological partisanship. groups u belong to, ur parents beliefs. % minority increases, majority efforts to restrict increase. Eleazar: regions of the us are tied together by their political subcultures. 3 different underpinnings in us politics, ideologies that correspond to what kinds of institutions are acceptable.
