diversity

State Capitals

• The lecture begins with a visual map of the United States, highlighting various state capitals.

• Key capitals mentioned include:

  • Seattle and Olympia in Washington.

  • Salem in Oregon.

  • Boise in Idaho.

  • Sacramento and Carson City in California.

  • Other state capitals across the U.S.

State Models: Texas vs. California

• Texas Model vs. California Model: These represent different approaches to regulation, taxation, and spending.

• Spectrum: The models are at opposite ends of a spectrum.

• Potential Pitfalls: Pushing too far in either direction can be problematic.

  • Over-taxation: Can lead to wealthy individuals and businesses leaving the state.

  • Under-spending: Results in inadequate transportation infrastructure and education.

The Delaware and California Effects

• Delaware Effect: This refers to the "race to the bottom" phenomenon, where states excessively deregulate or cut taxes to attract businesses.

  • David Vogel's "Trading Up" defends free trade but this is a counter example.

  • Delaware's Strategy: In the late 19th century, Delaware began changing its laws to attract businesses from New York by offering easier incorporation and lower tax/regulatory burdens.

• California Effect: California's stringent regulations (e.g., automobile emissions standards) force businesses to meet those standards to access its large market.

  • Leadership Role: California has been a leader in pollution abatement expenditures since the early 1970s, shaping business strategy.

  • Similar concept: The largest and strongest economy (e.g., Germany in Europe) forces smaller economies to meet their standards.

• Free Trade Debate: These arguments can be used to oppose or defend lowering trade barriers between countries.

Texas Demographics

• County Wealth: Loving County (population 82) is the richest, while Zavala County is the poorest.

• Hays County: It is the 39th richest county in Texas, making it richer than average.

• Number of Counties: Texas has 254 counties.

Voter Turnout

• Voter Turnout in 2016: Presents voter turnout percentages across different states, based on votes cast as a share of the citizen voting-age population.

• Ranges:

  • 47% - 71%

• Source: Data from the U.S. Census and MIT Election Data & Science Lab, visualized by The Washington Post.

Dependence on Federal Aid

• States Most Dependent on Federal Aid: States like Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Missouri are highly dependent and tend to be Republican-led.

• Percentage Breakdown: Provides a list of states and their percentage of federal aid as a proportion of state general revenue, along with their ranking.

• Examples:

  • Washington: 28.6% (#37)

  • Vermont: 34.8% (#18)

  • Montana: 39.0% (#6)

  • South Dakota: 40.8% (#4)

State Paradoxes

• Inconsistencies: Highlights contradictions between a state's political leaning and its policies.

• Examples:

  • Washington: A blue state with no income tax.

  • North Dakota: A red state with a state government-operated bank.

  • Massachusetts: A blue state with no local sales taxes.

  • Louisiana: A red state with the most occupational requirements.

  • Vermont: A blue state and one of the least restrictive states.

• North Dakota's Bank: Started by socialists in the early 20th century to support farmers; now supported by contemporary Republicans.

Abortion Restrictions

• State Legislation (2011-2019): Details the types of abortion restrictions enacted by state legislatures.

• Categories:

  • Ban on abortions before 13 weeks.

  • Ban on abortions between 13 and 24 weeks.

  • Ban or restriction on a type of abortion or for a specific reason.

  • Restrictions on clinics.

  • Restrictions on women seeking an abortion.

  • Insurance Restrictions

• Examples: Includes states that require ultrasounds, states with no new restrictions, and states with bans after 18 weeks.

• Source: FiveThirtyEight, data from Guttmacher Institute.

Well-Being Index

• Gallup-Healthways: West Virginia has been ranked as the most miserable state for six consecutive years.

• Happiest States: Alaska and Hawaii are consistently ranked as the happiest.

• Bottom States: Arkansas, Ohio, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky have consistently been in the bottom 10 since 2008.

• West Virginia's Economy: Heavily reliant on coal production, a declining industry.

Theories of State Variation

• State Variation: Discusses the ways states vary and how this contributes to the success of the U.S. political system.

• Louis Brandeis: States are "laboratories of democracy," allowing for experimentation with policies at the state level before national implementation.

Alaska's Unique Characteristics

• Size: If Alaska were split in two, Texas would be the third-largest state.

• Population: Fewer than 750,000 residents, with 300,000 in Anchorage; sparsely populated.

• Kotzebue: Located 175 miles east of Russia, with the nearest road to the outside world in Fairbanks (450 miles away).

• Transportation: Flying is the primary mode of transport in Alaska’s bush country.

• Kodiak Island: Few miles of paved road, continuous rain (Rain Festival from Jan 1 - Dec 31), and a small population of 5,594.

Immigration and State Character

• 19th Century: The American Party (Know Nothings) called for reduced immigration, especially from Ireland and Eastern Europe.

• National Origins Act of 1926: Imposed quotas on countries from which people could immigrate.

Immigration Statistics

• Immigration Trends: In 1920, immigrants made up 13.4% of the U.S. population; in 2011, 13.7%.

• Immigrant Distribution in 2011:

  • Latin America: 22 million

  • Asia: 12 million

  • Europe: 6 million

Twin Study

• Identical Twins: Brittany and Briana Deane, identical twins from Delaware, married identical twin brothers Jeremy and Josh Salyers.

• Twins Days Festival: The two sets of siblings met at the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio.

Largest Ancestry by County

• Ancestry Map: Shows the largest ancestry group by county in the U.S.

• Categories:

  • African American, Aleut/Eskimo, American, American Indian, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hispanic/Spanish, Irish, Italian, Mexican, Norwegian, Puerto Rican.

• Other Ancestries: Chinese (San Francisco County, CA), Cuban (Miami-Dade County, FL), Dominican (New York County, NY), Filipino (Kauai and Maui counties, HI), French Canadian (Androskoggin County, ME), Hawaiian (Kalawao County, HI), Japanese (Hawaii State; Honolulu County, HI), Polish (Luzerne County, PA), Portugese (Bristol County, MA and Bristol County, RI).

The American Nations

• Regional Cultures: Map of different cultural regions within the U.S., including:

  • First Nation, The Left Coast, The Far West, El Norte, The Midlands, New France, Greater Appalachia, Yankeedom, New Netherland, Deep South

Elazar's Political Culture Theory

• Political Culture: Each state has its own political culture shaped by the original settlers.

• Moralistic Culture: Settled by Puritans and Scandinavians, who believed politics should improve the community.

  • Characteristics: High political turnout, progressive politics, less party elite control.

• Individualistic Culture: Settled by the Irish and Jews, who saw politics as a way to improve their own conditions.

  • Characteristics: Higher corruption, more party elite control, lower turnout.

• Traditionalistic Culture: Shaped by the plantation lifestyle, focused on preserving hierarchy and the status quo.

  • Characteristics: High party control.

Political Culture Traits

• Individualists: Use government for utilitarian reasons; politics is a business.

• Moralists: Want government to help them find the "good life;" government service is public service.

• Traditionalists: Combine hierarchical views with ambivalence about government; social connections and elite participation matter most.

Texas Political Culture

• Traditionalistic/Individualistic Mix: Texas's political culture combines traditionalistic and individualistic elements.

• Traditionalistic Aspects: Long history of one-party dominance, low voter turnout, social and economic conservatism.

• Individualistic Aspects: Support for private business, opposition to big government, faith in individual initiative.

Diversity's Impact on Policy

• Hero and Tolbert: Race and ethnic diversity help explain policy variations among states.

• State Classifications: Homogeneous, heterogeneous, and bifurcated.

• Elazar's Subcultures: Moralistic, traditionalistic, and individualistic.

• Diversity Measures: Minority diversity and white ethnic diversity.

• Texas Diversity: Has a Traditionalistic/Individualistic Culture and a minority diversity ratio of 0.504, making it the most diverse in the country.

• Education Outcomes: Highest in homogeneous (moralistic) states.

• Graduation and Suspension Rates: Measures of education success; homogeneous states have lower black graduation rates than bifurcated states.

Culture and Understanding States

• Culture's Role: Culture helps answer: Who am I? How should I behave? What is legitimate?

• Subcultures: These are subcultures rather than distinct cultures like those in Belgium, Canada, India, and Switzerland.

• County Clusters: Heartland, Latino, Nordic, Border, Mormon, Global, Blackbelt, Native America, Germanic, Rurban, and Anglo-French.

• Christian Subculture: The Nordic subculture is the most Christian; Elazar saw Minnesota as the most moralistic state.

• Individualistic and Traditionalistic Subcultures: The Global subculture is the most individualistic, and the Blackbelt is the most traditionalistic.

Population Density

• Population Density Map: Shows population per square mile across the U.S., ranging from <1 to >5000.