1. Chapter 18 The People, Economy, and Political Culture of Texas American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 10/e Neal Tannahill

2. Case Study: The Need to Educate More Texans When it comes to competing with other states to attract and retain business, Texas is at a competitive disadvantage because the Lone Star State lags behind other states in educational attainment. Addressing this problem is made more difficult by the fact that the fastest growing segment of the state’s population is also the least well educated. Because income and educational attainment are directly related, the future of the Texas economy will depend on whether or not Texas is able to do a better job of educating more of its citizens.

3. Case Study: The Need to Educate More Texans –Texas has the lowest graduation rate in the nation. In 2004, only 78 percent of Texans over age 25 had graduated from high school. –Nationally the high-school graduation rate was 85 percent. –In 2001, Latinos were 32 percent of the Texas population but only 23 percent of its college students; likewise African Americans are underrepresented in Texas colleges. These disparities are worrisome; by 2030, Hispanics and African Americans will make up well over 50 percent of the population of Texas. –If the educational, occupational, and income status of Hispanic and African American Texans doesn’t improve, soon a majority of the state’s working-age population will be poorly educated, low-income minorities. –If Texas lacks a well-educated workforce it will not be able to attract business into the state and tax collections will fall. –This will lead to falling revenues for the state government and inevitably funding for social services will have to be cut.

4. The People of Texas The large population of Texas (22,490,022, based on a 2004 U.S. Census estimate) is growing and becoming increasingly diverse. By early next century, racial and ethnic populations will make up a majority of the residents of Texas.

5. The People of Texas Population Size and Growth –Texas is the nation’s second most populous state. –The state’s population grew the most rapidly between 1970 and 1980, which was a decade of significant economic growth. –Since 1980, the rate of growth of the state’s population has slowed, although it has continued to outpace the national average. –The growth rate during the 1990s averaged 2.3 percent a year and in the early part of the current decade the state’s growth continued at close to 2 percent per year, much faster than most states. –Both natural population increase and immigration account for the state’s relatively rapid rate of population growth. –Rapid population growth has led to greater representation for Texas in Congress, a bigger share of federal grant money, and an enlarged tax base. –Rapid population growth has also placed a considerable strain on public services in Texas.

6. The People of Texas

7. Population Diversity –The population of Texas is more diverse than the population of the United States as a whole, primarily because of the size of the state’s Latino population. –The population makeup in Texas is 50 percent non-Hispanic white, 35 percent Latino, 12 percent African American, and 3 percent Asian. –Texas’ ethnic communities are distributed unevenly about the state. –Most African American Texans live in the rural areas and small towns of East Texas, along the Gulf Coast, and in the state’s metropolitan areas (one-third live in Houston or Dallas). –Latinos are concentrated in South and West Texas, especially along the Mexican border. Ninety percent of foreign-born residents live in metropolitan areas.

8. The People of Texas Population Distribution –The population of Texas is not evenly distributed about the state. –The most populous regions of the state are Central, South, North, and East Texas, and the Gulf Coast region. –Texas is also an urban state. Most of the population growth in the state’s metropolitan areas is taking place in the suburbs rather than the central cities.

9. The People of Texas

10. The Texas Economy An Economy in Transition –For most of Texas history, the state’s economy was based on the sale of agricultural commodities and raw materials. –Having an economy built on agriculture and oil has had a major impact on the state’s development. First, Texas’ economic fortunes were tied to commodity prices. Second, having an economy based on agriculture and oil drilling contributed to a relatively lopsided distribution of income in the state. –Texas is changing. –The economy of Texas (and of the United States as a whole) has diversified and become part of the global economy, which is the integration of national economies into a world economic system in which companies compete worldwide for suppliers and markets. –In 2000, Texas companies exported nearly $112 billion of goods to 233 countries around the world.

11. The Texas Economy

12. Wealth, Poverty, and Economic Growth –By aggregate measures the economy of Texas is very large. –In 2004, the Texas Gross State Product (GSP) was $771 billion. –If Texas were an independent nation it would have the seventh largest economy in the world. –Despite its wealth of natural resources, average household income in Texas has been relatively low in comparison with other states for the better part of this century. –The income differential between the wealthiest and the poorest families is also greater in Texas than it is in other states. –Furthermore, census data show dramatic disparities in household income among the state’s major ethnic groups. –In Texas and the United States as a whole, poverty is concentrated among racial minorities.

13. The Texas Economy

14. Political Culture Political culture refers to the widely held, deeply rooted political values of a society. Professor Daniel Elazar identifies three strains of political culture found in the United States: individualistic, moralistic, and traditionalistic. Elazar says that Texas’ political culture is a hybrid, including both traditionalistic and individualistic elements, and he identifies some aspects of state politics that reflect these two strains of political culture. Political scientists Rice and Sandberg examine the concept of civic culture, which is a political culture conducive to the development of an efficient, effective government that meets the needs of its citizens in a timely and professional manner. Their findings suggest that Texas has a low level of civic culture. Political culture is a useful concept for students of public policy because it leads to a focus on a state’s history and development as important factors influencing politics and policy.