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Political Science

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Texas Politics and Government: Ideas, Institutions, and Policies, Election Update, 3/E
Stefan Haag, Austin Community College
Gary A. Keith, University of the Incarnate Word
Rex C. Peebles, Austin Community College

ISBN-10: 0321175077
ISBN-13: 9780321175076

Publisher: Longman
Copyright: 2003
Format: Paper
Status: Out of Print

Suggested retail price: $82.20
This item is out of print and is no longer available for purchase.

Texas Politics and Government provides a coherent, analytical introduction to Texas politics that is both comprehensive and engaging.

Framing the book around five ideas that have shaped Texas politics past and present, the authors explain how conflicts over these ideas have altered political processes, institutions, and public policies in Texas. The unique coverage of topics is supported by lively and fresh discussions that capture students' interest and provide them with the conceptual tools they need to enrich their understanding of politics and government in Texas. Additionally, the authors' involvement in Texas politics gives students an insider's view of their state and local government.

  • A highly interactive Companion Website offers enriching chapter-by-chapter resources for both students and instructors. Log onto www.ablongman.com/haag3e and explore the site's outstanding features.
  • “Critical Thinking” exercises throughout each chapter ask students to critically consider the material they have just read.
  • Engaging “Chapter Scenarios” at the beginning of each chapter provide a compelling story about Texas politics that interests students and focuses them on the topics addressed in that chapter.
  • “Texas Index”: This series of brief statements or statistics provides perspective on how Texas compares with other states, helping students realize that other states have different goals and values and pursue different public policies.

  • “Analyzing the Data.” Designed to encourage visual literacy and interpretative skills, this feature helps students make sense of quantitative information and enables them to get the most out of graphic representations. Topics range from “Amendments to the Texas Constitution, 1877-2001” in Chapter 3 to Chapter 8's “Ideological Voting Patterns in the Texas House of Representatives (2001).” Using annotated leaders and pointers to explain data in bar graphs, line graphs, maps, and charts, these visual learning features appear once in every chapter.
  • NEW TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGE—“Web Explorations.” Web Exploration icons in the margins of the text direct students to these interactive exercises on the book's Companion Website. Web Explorations encourage students to learn more about a specific issue or concept and to expand their critical thinking skills.
  • NEW “Highlights” boxes focus on material that illustrates the colorful nature of Texas politics and government. The topics range from Chapter 1's “Establishing Majoritarian Democracy Through the Initiative Process” to unique Texas terminology, such as Chapter 8's “A Glossary of Legislative Lingo,” to profiles of interesting people, such as Chapter 4's profile of “Billie Carr: The God-Mother of Texas Democrats.”
  • NEW “Texas's Heritage” sections at the beginning of each chapter provide historical background for that chapter topic. This new section enables students to clearly see the evolution of Texas's political institutions, processes, and policies as well as providing a context for the description and analysis of contemporary Texas politics and government.
  • Updated Material. Every chapter has been thoroughly updated to include the results of the 2000 census, the 2001 legislative session, and elections conducted through 2001. Includes the most recent and authoritative research on Texas politics and government, including relevant and reliable Internet sources and their materials.

I. THE CONTENT FOR TEXAS POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT.

1. Studying Texas Politics and Government.

Politics and Government.

The Central Role of Ideas: The American Creed.

Analyzing Politics.

Individualism.

Liberty.

Equality.

Analyzing Government.

Democracy.

Constitutionalism.

Analyzing Political Change.

The Ideal-Reality Gap.

Responses to the Ideal-Reality Gap.

The Rest of the Story.

2. The Ideological and Socioeconomic Context for Texas Politics and Government.

Texas's Social and Economic Heritage.

The Peoples and Their Cultures.

The Political Heritage.

The Economic Heritage.

The Peoples of Texas.

Ethnic Diversity.

Urbanization.

The Political Culture of Texas.

Ideas and Texas Politics: The Texan Creed.

The Acquisition of Political Ideas.

The Texan Creed and Political Ideology.

The Economy of Texas.

3. The Legal Context: The Constitution and Federalism.

Why Constitutions?

Texas's Constitutional Heritage.

The Current Constitution.

Constitutional Revision.

The 1876 Constitution: Good or Bad?

Federalism.

Types of Government.

Heritage—The Evolution of Federalism.

Federalism and Political Change.

Constitutions, Federalism, and Democracy.

II. THE PROCESS OF TEXAS POLITICS.

4. Political Parties in Texas.

Texas's Political Party Heritage

The Political Party Organization.

Formal Organization.

Functional Organization.

Party in the Electorate.

Distribution of Party Attachments.

Party Coalitions: Social and Geographic Distribution.

The Party in Government.

In the Executive Branch.

In the Legislative Branch.

In the Judicial Branch.

Parties and Political Change.

Political Parties and Democracy.

5. Interest Groups in Texas.

Texas's Interest Group Heritage

Goals of Groups: Why Groups Are Involved in Politics.

Primary Goals.

Secondary Goals.

Types of Interest Groups.

Business Groups and Trade Associations.

Professional Associations.

Labor Groups.

Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Public Interest Groups.

Interest-Group Influence.

Political Activities of Groups.

Lobbying.

Electioneering.

Litigation.

Interest Groups and Political Change.

Interest Groups and Democracy.

6. Political Communications: The Media and Public Opinion.

Texas's Political Communications Heritage

The Political Roles of the Media.

Factors Shaping the News.

What Is News?

News People and Their Values.

The Economics of the News.

The Media in Contemporary Texas.

Television.

Newspapers.

Radio.

Magazines.

Internet.

The Political Effects of the Media.

What People Think About.

What People Think.

How People Think.

How People Feel.

Public Opinion in Texas.

Texans' Responses to the Issues.

Interpreting the Poll Results.

The Media, Public Opinion, and Political Change.

The Media, Public Opinion, and Democracy.

7. Political Participation, Campaigns, and Elections.

Texas's Electoral Participatory Heritage.

Political Participation.

Forms of Political Participation.

Modes of Political Participation.

Elections in Texas.

Primary Elections.

Special Elections.

General Elections.

Local Elections.

Political Campaigns in Texas.

Money: The Mother's Milk of Politics.

Media: Linking the Candidates and the Voters.

Marketing: Selling the Candidates.

The Voter's Decisions.

Voter Turnout.

The Vote Choice: Parties, Issues, and Candidates.

Campaigns, Elections, and Political Change.

Campaigns, Elections, and Democracy.

III. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS.

8. Texas Legislative Politics.

The Texas Legislature's Heritage.

The State Constitution and the Texas Legislature.

Constitutional Provisions Affecting Legislators.

Sessions of the Legislature.

Legislative Membership Representing the Public.

Variables Affecting Members' Elections.

Personal and Political Characteristics of Members.

Organizing for Power and Influence in the Legislature.

Leaders.

Committees.

Leadership and Opposition in the House.

Leadership and Opposition in the Senate.

The Legislative Process.

What Is a Bill? What Is a Resolution?

Rules, Procedures, and Internal Government.

How a Bill Becomes Law.

The Budgeting Process.

Influences on Legislative Behavior.

Legislative Staff.

Staffing for Technical Assistance, Specialized Information, and Political Assistance.

Relations with the Governor.

Relations with Lobbyists.

The Ethics of Lobbying the Legislature.

The Legislature and Political Change.

The Legislature and Democracy.

9. The Governor of Texas.

Texas's Gubernatorial Heritage

Terms of Office.

Minimum Requirements for Office.

Length and Number of Terms.

Salary.

Impeachment.

Succession.

Gubernatorial Roles.

Powers of the Governor.

Moralism and Restrictions of Governors' Powers.

Comparing the Texas Governor with Other Governors.

The Power of Staff and Budget.

The Governor as a Political Leader.

Social and Political Characteristics of Governors.

Race, Gender, and Age.

Education and Religion.

Party and Ideology.

Prior Experience.

Post-Gubernatorial Careers.

Governors and Political Change.

Governors and Democracy.

10. The Executive Branch.

The Plural Executive Heritage.

Organizing the Bureaucracy.

Elected State Officials.

Attorney General.

Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Land Commissioner.

Agriculture Commissioner.

Railroad Commissioners.

State Board of Education.

Modern Texas Bureaucracy.

Secretary of State.

Public Utility Commissioners.

Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commissioners.

Insurance Commissioner.

Public Counsels.

Commissioner of Health and Human Services.

Boards and Commissions.

The Sunset Process.

Staff Size and Pay.

Bureaucracies and Political Change.

Bureaucracies and Democracy.

11. The Texas Justice System: The Law, The Courts, and Criminal Justice.

Texas's Heritage: The Basis of the Judicial Branch.

The Judicial Branch.

Organizing Principles of the Judicial Branch.

The Structure of the Judicial Branch.

Criticisms of the Judicial Branch.

Reforming the Court Structure.

Judges and Judicial Selection.

The Criminal-Justice System.

Enforcing the Law: The Police, Sheriffs, Highway Patrol, and Texas Rangers.

Representing the People: Prosecuting Crimes.

The Fulfillment of Justice: The Correctional System.

The Courts, Criminal Justice, and Political Change.

The Courts, Criminal Justice, and Democracy.

12. The Local Governments: Cities, Counties, and Special Districts.

Texas's Local Government Heritage

Cities.

The Types of Cities.

The Forms of City Government.

Electing City Councils: The Struggle for Fair Representation.

How Cities Make Laws: Ordinances.

How Cities Grow.

What Cities Do with Their Money: Revenues and Expenditures.

Counties.

County Government: The Plural Executive.

What Counties Do with Their Money: Revenues and Expenditures.

Keeping County Government Effective: Criticisms and Reforms.

Special Districts.

How and Why Special Districts Are Formed.

The Governance and Revenues of Special Districts.

The Varieties of Special Districts.

Keeping Special Districts Effective: Avoiding the Problem or Focusing on Issues?

More Than Local, Less Than State: Coordination and Cooperation Between Local Governments.

Metropolitan Solutions for Metropolitan Problems.

Councils of Government: Solving Problems Together.

Local Governments and Political Change.

Local Governments and Democracy.

IV. PUBLIC POLICIES IN TEXAS.

13. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

Texas's Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Heritage

Civil Liberties.

Speech and Press (Expression).

Remonstrance.

Religion.

Rights of the Accused.

Civil Rights.

Citizenship.

Voting.

Equal Protection.

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights and Political Change.

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights and Democracy.

14. Economic and Social Policies.

The Texas Economic and Social Policy Heritage.

Economic Policy: Who Wins, Who Loses?

Subsidizing and Regulating Businesses.

Wealth and Poverty.

State Finance: Public Money and Public Policies.

Budgeting and Borrowing.

Revenue.

Spending.

Education Policy: Endless Skirmishes Over Equity and Quality.

Public Education: Fulfilling Our Constitutional Mandate.

Educational Quality.

Higher Education: From Community College to Universities.

Health and Human Services Policy: Providing the Necessities of Life.

The Federal-State Partnership.

Assistance for Food, Shelter, and Clothing.

Health Care.

The Adequacy of Health and Human Service Programs in Texas.

Economic and Social Policies and Political Change.

Economic and Social Policies and Democracy.

Glossary.

Photo Credits.

Index.

For Texas Politics


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