1. TEXAS POLITICAL CULTURE
Amb. UDO MOSES WILLIAMS, PhD.
Professor of Political Science
Lone Star College/Houston Community College

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES POLITICAL CULTURE What is Political Culture?
What are the types of Political Culture?
What type of Political Culture does Texas have?
Why Texas has this type of Political Culture?

3. Definition
Broadly shared set of values and beliefs about how government should function and limitations of government in relation to its citizens
US Political Cultural values: freedom, equality, order – all states
Bill of Rights and the first 10 Amendments

4. Types of Political Cultures
Consensus in all Text Books on the relevance:
Daniel Elazar ( ): study of how states were founded:
Conclusions:
- Shaped by immigration patterns
- Account for regional differences
- Three types of political cultures:

5. Moralistic Culture Moralistic Culture:
- The belief that government is designed to promote the public good: issues - welfare
- Big government
- It is the citizens civic responsibility to participate in politics
- Found in New England and the Mid-West

6. Individualistic Culture
- The belief that government should limit its role to establishing political order so that citizens can pursue their own economic interests
- Political competition is partisan
- Idea of individual liberty, individual capitalism
- Found in the Mid-Atlantic States

7. Traditionalistic Culture
- The belief that political power should be concentrated in the hands of a few elite citizens
- Government should maintain the status quo
- Low taxes and deference to business leaders
- Non-participation of ordinary citizens in politics
- Period before and immediately after the Civil War;
- Found in the Southern States

8. What type of Political Culture does Texas have?
Difficult to categorize Texas Political Culture into one type, as there was a combination of two types:
Elazar categorized Texas Political Culture as individualistic-traditionalistic
- Low taxes (individualistic culture): foster commerce
- Low levels of social services (traditionalistic culture): maintain a small government role
- Elites such as business leaders have a major voice in how the state is run (traditionalistic culture), business interests dominate the political culture of Texas

9. Why does Texas have this type of Political Culture?
Changing demographic
– growing and diverse population: no labor unions; no state income taxes
Domination by the elite and there is
- the constant push for limited government

10. ENDURING AND RE-INFORCING CHARACTERISTICS
Enduring characteristics of Texas:
- One Party state
i. Democratic for over a century
ii. Since 2002, the Republicans
- Provincialism
i. Narrow view of the world and a defining pattern: the myths of Culture
ii. Isolated and intolerant of diversity
iii. Low spending on social services and education
iv. Competitive two party system - changes
v. Growing influence of women and minorities

11. ENDURING AND RE-INFORCING CHARACTERISTICS
Business dominance
- Labor Unions are mostly absent
- Business maintains dominance through campaign contributions, lobbyists and low taxes
- Consumer/environmental concerns: changing
The Land
- The large size of the land

12. ENDURING AND RE-INFORCING CHARACTERISTICS
Economic Changes (from 1820)
- Cotton
- Cattle Ranching
- Oil & Gas (1901, Spindletop)
- Industrialism
- High-Tech growth
- NAFTA  

13. Video Clip-Future of Texas?

14. QUESTIONS?
QUESTIONS?

15. GROUP QUIZ!!!!
GROUP QUIZ!!!!

16. GROUP QUIZ KEY Multiple Choice True/False 1. B 1. F 2. C 2. F
3. C T
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. B