POLS
220
BERCH
SPRING
14
Review
for Exam #1
Exam
#1 takes place during class time on Monday, February 3. You simply need to bring pen and photo
ID. The exam will consist of 5 sections;
4 of these will be short essays, and the other will be 5 true-false
questions. Each section is worth 5
points, and you must do a total of 3 sections (either 3 short essays, or two
short essays and all of the true-false).
DO THREE SECTIONS, BUT ONLY THREE SECTIONS.
To prepare for the exam, you should read through the blog assignments, In terms of material covered in class, you should be familiar with the first set of lecture notes. Specifically, from class, you should be familiar with:
Why we compare states.
To prepare for the exam, you should read through the blog assignments, In terms of material covered in class, you should be familiar with the first set of lecture notes. Specifically, from class, you should be familiar with:
Why we compare states.
The
three types of political culture.
The
origins of the federal system.
The
major events in the development of federalism over time.
The
different types of fiscal federalism.
The
importance of conditions of aid.
The
changes to fiscal federalism under Ronald Reagan.
Why
some states get more federal aid than do others.
The
interaction between Dillon's Rule and Home Rule
Why some states give more power to local government than do others.
Why some states give more power to local government than do others.
The
role of regional bodies.
I will have my usual office hours on the day of the exam, in case you want to ask questions. You can also email them to me at the email address on the syllabus, until 9 pm on February 2. Finally, you may post questions to the blog under this topic. I’ll answer any questions posted on the blog by 8 pm on February 2. Good luck!--NB
I will have my usual office hours on the day of the exam, in case you want to ask questions. You can also email them to me at the email address on the syllabus, until 9 pm on February 2. Finally, you may post questions to the blog under this topic. I’ll answer any questions posted on the blog by 8 pm on February 2. Good luck!--NB
Was looking through notes from class and lecture outline... Can't find info on "Why some states give more power to local government than do others" AND "The role of regional bodies." If anyone could help me that would be awesome. NB, was hoping you could shed some light also.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Dustin Seabolt
It is an example of home rule in that passing a law that would cover the whole state of new york or texas would be tough to pass through state legislature some power would rest in cities like new york city or dallas to make rules governing these cities.
Deleteregional bodies would enable boarder states to governor themselves without laws of state affecting that body. new york and new jersey have the port authority to allow these regional bodies dictate traffic between both states instead of relying on laws from Albany in new york of Trenton in new jersey say what can happen
DeleteMr. Wakim's answer is pretty good with respect to regional bodies. I'll expand on his other answer. Home rule is away to get around Dillon's rule, which said that states can grant power to local government whenever they wish but can take it away when they wish. Home rule allows for cities setting up a Home Rule charter to govern themselves, getting approved by the state legislature, and then the state can't take the powers away (except in emergencies). As for why some states give more power to local government than others, Mr. Wakim hints at the key. The more homogenous a state is, the more power it puts in the hands of the central government. One example I gave was that the state government in New York state might have a tough time agreeing on a statewide gun policy, so they put the power in the hands of local government. That way, New York City can adopt a restrictive gun policy, while small towns in upstate New York can adopt more permissive policies.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYa I am having a bit of a hard time figuring out what exactly what "The importance of conditions of aid" is?
ReplyDeleteallow policy control that cannot be mandated ie speed limits drinking age and blood alcohol level
DeleteMs. Kerns has the right idea, but let me expand a bit. Even after the 10th Amendment lost a lot of its power with the McCulloch v. Maryland decision, there are still things the national government can't mandate. Instead, it put conditions on the aid it gives states. So, the national government can't require a state to make the drinking age 21, but it can say that if they don't, the national government will reduce the state's highway aid by 10%. These conditions of aid give the national government more power.
Deletecan anyone tell me why we compare states and the origins of the federal system? as well as what individualistic culture is?
ReplyDeleteWe compare states because that's as close to a laboratory that political scientists get. States are similar in many respects so we can look at differences on one dimension (demographics and geography) and see if they also lead to policy differences.
DeleteOrigins
1. problems with the articles of confederation
- lack of unity (didn't think of themselves as americans, but as delawarians, Virginians, etc.
-lack of coordination
- different currencies, terrifs, etc
2. options
- Unitary system
One central government, no states
- Confederation
Circular central government, square state, triangular citizens, power in hands of the states
-Federalism
Individualistic culture
- politics as marketplace
-tend to find this culture in Northeast cities and Midwest cities
- Good about moderating diversity
Thanks Rachel
DeleteThose answers look great to me. Thanks, Rachel!
DeleteCan someone explain the major events in the development of federalism over time? Especially in regards to feds vs. anti-feds, civil war, 13th-16th amendments, government assumes welfare role, and the civil rights decisions. Thanks.
ReplyDeletethe 13-16 amendments gave more power to the federal government 13 abolish slavery, 14th due process, 15 amed rights for African-Americans right to vote, 16 est federal tax policy. feds-wanted more power to national government led by john adams anti-feds power to the states led by Jefferson
Deletein addition the 16th was est. of federal tax more power to the states, 13-15 was the rationale for fighting the civil war free the slaves and states must be apart of the union and can not leave
DeleteMr. Wakim's answer is a good outline. It's hard to expand upon that here (they were more than 1 lecture), except to note that you'll be in good shape if you know what each of the events listed in the outline under Federalism (items C through M) are about. If you want further discussion, please come by on Monday during office hours (1:45-3:20, and I'll probably be in before that).
DeleteDr NB, could you answer the President Reagan limits on federal power with respect to grants, please?
ReplyDeleteIm not obviously not Dr. NB but Reagan was big on combining lots of categorical grants (smaller amounts of $ with specific uses attached) into one Block Grant (more $ with less limitations it can be used on). He would give states these Block grants with the idea that the states could use the money more wisely. The catch was that he said if states can use money better then they can also do more with less. States then had to do more with less money and this resulted program cuts or tighter regulations with in states and citizens outrage at their Governors.
DeleteAn excellent answer from Mr.Jarvis. The only other thing I would add is that Reagan also got rid of General Revenue Sharing.
DeleteI will keep the comments section open (and answer questions here) until at least 10 pm.
ReplyDeleteThe geometry part of political science is confusing me. Could someone explain triangles, squares ,etc info, please?
ReplyDeleteI assume you're talking about the drawing I did on the board when I talked about the unitary, federal, and confederal systems. One symbol represented the national government, another the state governments, and another represented individual citizens. The particular shapes were made up at the time (circles, squares, and triangles, I would guess). They don't mean anything.
ReplyDeletewhen the state give more power to local Gov and some states dont Are we talking about the state who more centralized and least centralized ? pls if some one can explain this!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the interaction between Dillon's Rule and Home Rule?
ReplyDeleteAgain, see the answers to Mr. Seabolt's question at the very top the comments on this thread.
DeleteYes, when we say a state is more centralized, that means power is in the hands of the state government, and it gives little to the cities. When it's less centralized, it keeps less power and gives more to the cities. For more info, see the answers to Dustin Seabolt's question near the top of this thread.
ReplyDeleteWhat should we know about government assuming the welfare roll?
ReplyDeleteIn the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the national government assumed the role of providing welfare (making sure people didn't starve in the streets). Over time, this has become a major function of the national government, and it's another way that the national government has expanded its scope and power.
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain the Unitary system to me? I know it is a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government, but is there more to it?
ReplyDeleteWhen you say Unitary system you mean all the power on the hand of National Gov there is no place for state in the unitary system as far as i know
DeleteNick: About 80-90% of the countries in the world, including England and France, have a unitary system of government. In a unitary system, virtually all power is in the hands of the central government (states are either powerless or non-existent). This was one of the choices facing the Constitution writers. The others were a confederal system (all power in the hands of the states) or, the one they chose, a federal system (with shared power). They rejected the unitary system because the centralized power was what they had just escaped from.
ReplyDeleteOK, folks, I'm calling it a night. I'm going to leave the comments open so that you can still ask each other questions. I'll try to comment if possible between now and the exam, but I can't guarantee it. I will say, though, that the questions in this thread have been excellent. If you simply master the material in the comments section of this post, you should already have a B or C on the exam.
ReplyDeleteI know it's pretty late but I was looking over my study guide and realized I never wrote, why some states get more federal aid that others do. Anybody still awake that can help me out?
ReplyDeleteOlivia, I do know that one reason is that states who do the most lobbying tend to get the most federal aid.
DeleteThank you!
Delete