Studying Texas Politics and Government

A Framework Pulls together facts and places them in context Explains the history of Texas politics and government Results  An appreciation for Texas’s political past  A comprehension of contemporary politics and government  An understanding of change

Components of the Framework Conceptions of Politics and Government Central Role of Ideas: The American Creed Analyzing Politics  Individualism  Liberty  Equality Analyzing Government  Constitutionalism  democracy Analyzing Political Change

Politics and Government Politics involves “the authoritative allocation of values for a society.” Government consists of those institutions and process for making public policy  Public policy is any government decision  Institutions include the structures of government that make the decisions  Processes include the way decisions are made

American Creed America was built on a set of ideas These ideas have been strongly supported since the late 18 th century The ideas perform two functions:  Provide a national identity  Limit government

Five ideas: Individualism Most important and source for other ideas Confirms the worth of each individual Grants a person the right to pursue life, liberty and property free from social constraints Allows person to act in accordance with his/her own conscience

Five Ideas: Liberty Different from individualism Freedom from government Disagreement over how much liberty a person should have Conflict between liberty and social order

Five Ideas: Equality Greatest problem for Americans Three meanings  Political equality  Economic equality  Social equality

Five Ideas: Constitutionalism Places limits on government Contract among members of the political community Provides the structure of government Distributes the powers of government

Five Ideas: Democracy Rule by the people Procedures for making decisions  How government decisions are made  Who participates in government decisions  How much weight is assigned to each participant’s preferences

Conditions of Democracy: Fiskin Political equality  Each person’s preferences given equal consideration, and each person has an equal opportunity to formulate his or her preferences Nontyranny  Public policy must not infringe on the fundamental rights of any member of society.

Conditions of Democracy Participation  A significant percentage of the population is engaged in politics and government. Deliberation  There is a meaningful discussion of political issues so that each person can make an informed choice on issues and candidate.

Forms of Democracy & Conditions Majoritarian democracy  Majority rules  Values majority rule; formal political equality  Direct or indirect  Protection of minority may present a problem

Forms of Democracy & Conditions Pluralist democracy  Interest-group democracy  Values protection of minority rights; representative government in diverse society; deliberation

Institutions & Forms of Democracy Majoritarian Democracy  Unification of authority; centralized politics  Institutions: executive and political parties  Separation of powers: undesirable  Judicial review: undesirable

Institutions & Forms of Democracy Pluralist Democracy  Separation of authority; decentralized politics  Institutions: legislature and interest groups  Separation of powers: desirable  Judicial review: necessary

Non-democratic Alternative Elitism  Power is concentrated and held by those who control the economy.  The conditions of democracy are not met.  Decisions made by the elite flow down to the masses, who do not influence those decisions.  Most politicians are merely intermediaries between the elites and the masses.

Political Change IvI Gap Attempt to create institutions that reflect all five ideas Impossible since the ideas are often in conflict Creates a cognitive dissonance: discrepancy between what we believe (five ideas) and what we do (institutions)

Factors Influencing Responses Strength in belief in the ideal  Strong  Weak Clarity of perception of the gap  Clear  Unclear

Responses to the IvI Gap Moralism (eliminate gap) Hypocrisy (deny gap) Cynicism (tolerate gap) Complacency (ignore gap) Perception of the Gap ClearUnclear Strong Strength of Belief in Ideal Weak

Historical Responses to the IvI Gap Moralism: 1965 – 1975, reaction to U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Civil Rights Movement, Voting Rights, Women’s Movement Cynicism: 1975 – 1980, removal of a president, war continued, improvement in many areas, gap was not eliminated. Complacency: 1980s + Hypocrisy: , Kennedy’s inaugural address, Peace Corps,

Factors Associated with Periods of Moralism (Creedal Passion) Economic growth followed by downturn Disparities in wealth in society Large number of young people in society Leadership—people who point out that America has not achieved the ideal