QUESTION
PLSC 200 Written Question Study Guide- Exam #3
Four (4) of the following questions will be the short answer responses on Exam #1. It is an open
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not exam and you may prepare notes on all of the questions. Answers will need to be a
minimum of 200 words per short answer response.
Congress
1. What is Gerrymandering and how is it been used to create “safe seats” for Republican or
Democrats?
2. Define each of the following House Leaders, (1) How they are selected and (2) the tasks they
perform: Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Leader, Party Whip, and Committee
Chair, Sub-Committee Chair.
3. How is the Chairman of a committee selected? How is a member assigned to a committee?
What influences a member’s desire to be placed on a certain committee assignment?
4. Define and differentiate the roles a member of Congress may play: Delegate, Trustee,
Politico.
Executive
1. Describe the evolutionary increase in power of the president. What events have helped to
shape the powers of the Modern Presidency?
2. Define and outline the support given to the president through the Executive Office of the
President. What agencies are and leaders are found in this “office.”
3. Evaluate the following: “The President’s list of powers is not very impressive except possibly
his role as Commander in Chief. Rather the greatest source of presidential power is to be
found in politics and public opinion.” The power of persuasion. (Nuestadt).
Executive Bureaucracy-
1. Define and cite an example of the four types of administrative agencies, Cabinet, Independent
Executive Agency, Independent Regulatory Agency, Government Corporation.
2. Name a current Independent Executive Agencies and define its role in implementing policy?
3. Why were Independent Regulatory Agencies created? How does the theory of a “body of experts”
influence their structure, power and significance? Name a current Independent Regulatory
Agencies and discuss its power and actions
4. Oversight- How does the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches exercise oversight over the
agencies?
Interest Groups-Public Policy
1. Understand how Interest Groups influence the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches. Cite
examples of influence is used to persuade members of each Branch.- Example-You are the
National Rifle Association (NRA) or the American Association of Retired People (AARP). How
would you influence the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches to create policy favoring
YOUR organization?
ANSWER
What is Gerrymandering and how has it been used to create “safe seats” for Republicans or Democrats?
Gerrymandering refers to the practice of manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to benefit a particular political party or group. It involves drawing district lines in a way that gives one party an advantage over the other in elections (Tan, 2013). The goal of gerrymandering is often to create “safe seats” for a specific party, where the outcome of the election is virtually predetermined, favoring either Republicans or Democrats.
There are two primary techniques of gerrymandering: packing and cracking. Packing involves concentrating supporters of the opposing party into a small number of districts, ensuring that they win those districts by overwhelming majorities. This reduces their influence in other districts (McCarty et al., 2009). Cracking, on the other hand, involves spreading out the supporters of the opposing party across multiple districts, diluting their voting power and making it difficult for them to win a majority in any district.
Gerrymandering is typically accomplished by the party in power within a state, as they have the authority to draw district boundaries. They can manipulate the lines to maximize the number of districts that favor their party. This practice can be done through the redistricting process that occurs after the census, allowing the party in control to redraw the district lines based on the updated population data.
By creating “safe seats,” gerrymandering can influence election outcomes. Districts can be drawn in a way that heavily favors one party, making it difficult for the opposing party to win. This can lead to a lack of competitive races, where the real contest occurs in the party primary rather than the general election (Stewart et al., 2019). It can also contribute to political polarization and a lack of accountability, as representatives in safe seats may not face significant challenges and can prioritize partisan interests over broader representation.
Overall, gerrymandering is a controversial practice that has been used by both Republicans and Democrats to gain a strategic advantage in elections and secure “safe seats” for their respective parties. Its effects on democracy and fair representation continue to be debated, and efforts to reform the redistricting process are ongoing in many jurisdictions.
References
McCarty, N., Poole, K. T., & Rosenthal, H. (2009). Does Gerrymandering Cause Polarization? American Journal of Political Science, 53(3), 666–680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00393.x
Stewart, A. J., Mosleh, M., Diakonova, M., Arechar, A. A., Rand, D. G., & Plotkin, J. B. (2019). Information gerrymandering and undemocratic decisions. Nature, 573(7772), 117–121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1507-6
Tan, N. (2013). Manipulating electoral laws in Singapore. Electoral Studies, 32(4), 632–643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2013.07.014