POLS 382: State Government

Professor John Wilkerson

Details• Syllabus

– http://faculty.washington.edu/jwilker/382/382syllabus.htm– Note ‘resources’ at the bottom of the syllabus

• Goals of the Course– 1) Develop an appreciation of state variations and their possible

causes

– 2) Develop an appreciation of the structure and politics of State Government in Washington State

– 3) Be prepared to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of a federalist system of government by discussing specific policies or decisions

–

• Memorize the states – quiz on Monday

Why study States?

• Many political decisions take place at the state level

• States have different policies, which means that citizens receive different treatment depending on where they live

• Why do these differences exist? Are they a good thing or a bad thing?

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Welfare Spending

Minimum Wage

Education Spending

Spending per student

Class Size

SAT scores

Percent taking SATs!

Infrastructure Spending

State Policies have dramatic consequences for citizens

• But Why do states vary in their policies? – Demographics?

• Need• Available resources

– Politics?• Partisan control• Political participation

– Culture?• Historical development• Religious and other social differences

For Friday

• Review the Syllabus

• Purchase texts and complete the assigned readings for this week

• Start memorizing the states!