Study Guide for midterm

State and Local Government / Andrews

Spring 2017

Midterm Review

During the exam, you will have 50 minutes to respond to 5 questions – i.e. 10 minutes each. You will do well on the Midterm if you can write good 10-minute answers to the following study guide questions:

1) What is a “faction”? Use your textbook to define this term. Provide a concrete example.

2) What is “devolution?” Which of our speakers so far has addressed topics relating to devolution most explicitly? What perspective did he or she share on this topic?

3) Distinguish between “lobbyists,” “interest groups,” and “PACs.” Provide concrete examples of each using either your community partner or one of our speakers. Is your CP/the speaker a lobbyist? An interest group? A PAC? Does your CP / the speaker hire such individuals or groups?

4) The authors of your textbook note that “the condition of contemporary American political parties has been described with words such as decline, decay, and demise” (93). Do you agree that this describes American political parties in 2017? Give examples to support your answer.

5) What is meant by the “capacity” of a government or an organization? Where does your community partner reach the limits of its capacity?

6) In what ways is your community partner an active or passive participant in the community in which it operates? Use the criteria outlined in Figure 4.1 on page 71 of your textbook to guide your answer.

7) In what ways does your community partner provide opportunities for citizen volunteerism? Do volunteers become active or passive participants in the community? Use the criteria outlined in Figure 4.1 on page 71 of your textbook.