Final Exam Review Sheet Legislatures and Legislation GVPT 473 Spring 2008 The final examination is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21 from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. in our regular classroom. Part I of the exam will test your knowledge of the material we covered after Spring Break. It will consist of 10 multiple choice questions (2 points each) and two essays (15 points each). Part II of the exam will be cumulative, covering the entire course. It will consist of 15 multiple choice questions (2 points each) and one essay (20 points). To prepare for the exam, do the following (in order of importance): study your class notes (including your work on the midterm review sheet), review the articles in the coursepacket, and review the course texts (and any notes you took on them). Terms to know: Informational asymmetries priming “Christmas tree” bills the “democratic wish” “going public” budget reconciliation legislative professionalization astroturfing positive sum game War Powers Act of 1973 The Contract with America zero sum game the “Washington system” uncontrollables budget deficit vs. debt crafted talk the “sick legislature syndrome” “free votes” killer amendments zone of agreement encroachment prisoner’s dilemma iron triangles earmarks valence issues pork barrel politics formula grants omnibus bills conference committees discretionary budget Things to think about? 1. Why is it often difficult to interpret the meaning of the roll call votes that members of Congress cast? 2. Why is Congress so unpopular? Why is Congress so much more unpopular than other governmental institutions (the Courts, the Executive branch)? What reforms, if any, are likely to improve public opinion of Congress? Why? 3. How do midterm elections typically affect the president’s ability to influence Congress? 4. What strategies do interest groups use to influence members of Congress? 5. Weatherford discusses three paths to power in Congress: the “shaman,” the “warlord,” and the “godfather.” Discuss these paths to power, providing appropriate examples. 6. How has the role of the president in congressional policymaking changed over the course of American history? What are the sources of presidential influence over Congress?7. When and how can congressional-presidential relations turn into a prisoner’s dilemma in which both parties have incentives to undercut the other for strategic advantage? Illustrate your answer with appropriate examples. 8. How did Congress reform its budget process in 1974? Did the new budget process strengthen Congress’s position in bargaining over budgets with the president? Did it help bring the budget deficit under control? 9. Identify three reasons why Congress engages in pork barrel politics. Provide examples to illustrate each. 10. How can Congress design policies in order to influence public debate and understanding of an issue? (Analyze use of phase-ins, sunsets, time bombs and other tactics discussed by Hacker and Pierson.) 11. How do pork barrel politics differ in the House and the Senate? 12. In your judgment, how important is the Congress’s power to declare war? Discuss the significant changes in Congress’s power in this area over the course of the nation’s history. 13. What produces incentives for the parties in Congress to continue to disagree, even when an agreement that improves the status quo for everyone might be reached? When are the incentives to disagree strongest? What factors can diminish those incentives? 14. Jacobs and Shapiro argue that politicians today have greater incentives than in the past to pursue their own political goals at the expense of centrist public opinion. Do they make a good case for this position? Why or why not? 15. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd complains, “Polling has turned leaders into followers.” Discuss. 16. Is it possible for inattentive, uninformed citizens to control their elected representatives? Why or why