Chapter 12

Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.

1. Why is the composition of government so important to policy advocates?

2. What specific advantages does the Party obtain that gets a majority in a legislative chamber?

3. What powers does the head of government, such as a Governor or a President, possess that gives him or her extraordinary powers in shaping public policy?

4. Are the Democrats and the Republicans “tweedle-dee” and “tweedle-dum”—or are they significantly different from each other in terms of their policy preferences?

5. What are the pros and cons of voting for a candidate from a third party such as the Green Party?

6. How important is money to campaigns? Do affluent candidates always or mostly win?

7. Why are incumbents often at a considerable advantage over challengers?

8. What do candidates aim to discover when they conduct analyses of voters in their districts?

9. What are the array of power resources that candidates possess in trying to convince voters to support them?

10. Are “negative campaigns” effective?

11. Why are low-income Americans averse to voting?

12. How does strategy evolve during the course of a campaign?

13. What roles can policy advocates undertake during campaigns?

14. Why is NASW’s PACE so important to the profession and to policy advocates?

15. What is a “public-service career”—and why is it important that some social workers develop such careers?