POLI 365 1st Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I. Levels of GovernmentOutline of Current Lecture I. Advantages of State Control II. Disadvantages of State ControlIII. Government pre-1776IV. Articles of Confederation Current LectureI. Advantages of State Control over Policya. Closer to the people: geographically, and it is easier to represent the opinions of a smaller and more homogenous population.i. Policy makers will be more able to tailor policies to the needs of citizensii. It is easier for citizens to contact and communicate with elected officialsb. Allows for more experimentation (innovation): it is easier for states to change laws, and if an experimental policy goes awry, the consequences are more limited.II. Disadvantages of State Control over Policy (Advantages of Federal Control)a. Low visibility of states: low levels of citizen knowledge about policy at state and local levels.b. Duplicate efforts: if the federal government already has a policy, it would be inefficient and costly for the state to have and enforce the same policy.c. Creates inequality between states: for example, if one state legalizes gay marriage and another does not, there will be dissent and tensions between states.i. This can lead to conflict between statesd. Spillover effect and competition between states: States may change environmental policies to encourage business relocation to their state, etc. III. Government pre-1776These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.a. We were British colonies in which British governors resided in each colony and represented the King. i. Home rule: delegation of authority from a British governor to locals in each colony to “self-govern”ii. Colonial assemblies: colonial self-governing bodies such as the House of Burgesses in Virginia b. When we declared independence from Britain, we were not starting over from scratch; we had some experience with self-governing even as British colonies. IV. Articles of Confederation (1777)a. Congress was the only governing body under the Articles; there was no Legislative or Judicial branchb. There was a “loose league of friendship” between the states and federal government, and the states delegated little power to the federal government c. Each state was represented equally under the Articlesi. 9 out of 13 states were needed to pass legislationii. All 13 states were needed to revise of amend the Articles d. Problems under the Articlesi. There was no enforcement of laws, or taxation ii. There was inadequate revenue iii. There were 13 separate currencies 1. This affected commerce and trade greatly between states and between states and foreign buyers iv. Disagreement between states could not be settled because there was no federal
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