Socioeconomic and Political Context of State and Local Government

Vocabulary flashcards covering key governance structures, policy concepts, demographic trends, and constitutional features from Chapter 1 notes on Texas and U.S. state/local government.

Dual Sovereignty

The constitutional concept that state governments and the federal government each control specific policy areas exclusively while sharing power in others.

Dillon's Rule

The legal doctrine holding that local governments derive all their authority to govern directly from state governments and are fully subject to state government decisions.

Commerce Clause

A federal power regulating interstate commerce that courts have broadly interpreted since the 1930s to address national issues, including civil rights legislation against racial discrimination in the 1960s.

Council-Mayor System

A form of municipal government where voters directly elect both the mayor and city council members, with the mayor functioning as a strong or weak executive.

Council-Manager System

A form of municipal government where an elected city council establishes policies and appoints a professional city manager to oversee administrative operations.

Urbanization

The movement of people from rural areas or foreign nations into cities, increasing urban populations in the U.S. from about $40\%$ in the 1900s to over $80\%$ today.

Heat Island Effect

An environmental result of urbanization where dense concentrations of paved surfaces absorb heat, making cities noticeably warmer than rural surroundings.

Police Powers

The inherent powers reserved to state governments to pass legislation regulating the health, safety, welfare, and morals of their citizens.

Political Ideology

As defined by M. Freeden (2001), a recurring set of ideas, beliefs, values, and opinions that competes to offer plans of action for public policy making and justify political arrangements.

Recapture (Robin Hood Plan)

A Texas public school financing method where the state collects local property tax revenue from wealthy school districts and redistributes it to lower-wealth districts.

Restrictive Constitution

A state constitution, such as the 1876 Texas Constitution, deliberately structured to limit the size and power of government, curtail taxation, and restrict lawmaking capacity.

Grange Movement

A 1870s political movement of populist Democratic farmers who fought corporate interests like railroads and pushed for a restrictive Texas constitution with lowered government salaries and restricted taxing powers.

Special Session

A legislative session called exclusively by the Texas governor to address specific policy priorities outside the regular biennial meeting cycle.

Lieutenant Governor of Texas

A key executive official who serves as president of the state Senate, directs the legislative budgeting process, and appoints all Senate committee members.

Bifurcated Judicial System

A high-court framework utilized in Texas and Oklahoma that splits final appellate authority between two supreme courts: one for civil cases and one for criminal cases.

Sweatt v. Painter

A federal court ruling that opened Texas graduate and professional school programs to African American students.

Figure 1.5: White Population in Texas Counties (2014)

A county map demonstrating that non-Hispanic white residents comprised $70\%$ or more of the population mainly in East and North Texas, while forming less than $25\%$ in border counties.

Figure 1.6: Latino Population in Texas Counties (2014)

A county map showing that Latino populations made up $65\%$ and above of the population primarily along the Texas-Mexico border and in South Texas counties.

Figure 1.7: African American Population in Texas Counties (2014)

A county map showing that African American residents accounted for $15\%$ or more of the population mainly in East Texas counties and major metropolitan areas like Dallas and Houston.