It is well known that research is one of the primary tools that is used for improving peoples knowledge in various areas of expertise. Different types of research designs can be utilized, such as descriptive, experimental, analytical, correlational, and so on. Choosing an appropriate method depends on the type of investigated objects. In this essay, an effective research design that should be used in revealing the relationship between the date of political elections and the number of voters will be included. In addition, the research design that aims to assess the impact of the crackdown on the spread of prostitution in California will be chosen.
The first study contains a hypothesis that holding national elections on the first Sunday in November rather than the first Tuesday in November increase voter turnout. To test if this statement is right, it is necessary to choose an appropriate research method.
In the case of the number of voters in elections, the most effective research design is a case-control study, which is with the help of correlation methods. A case-control study implies observation of two or several groups of people or subjects that are different in terms of outcomes. These groups are examined and compared based on a causal attribute. This type of study is usually utilized for identifying certain factors that affect the outcomes of several groups of subjects.
In the situation described in the hypothesis, this study can be used to count the number of people who can attend the elections on Sunday. Then, it is necessary to count the number of individuals who can participate in the elections on Tuesday. Calculations can be performed through the conduction of surveys and online interviews before the elections. Thus, there will be two groups of citizens whose answers will be examined and counted to reveal whether the date of elections is a defining factor of attendance. Therefore, the most effective research design for the hypothesis mentioned above is the case-study control. Other methods, such as interviews, questionnaires, and surveys, can also be utilized as additional research tools.
The second study implies the conduction of a program evaluation that aims to assess the impact of the crackdown of prostitution in one of the districts of California. In this case, I would choose an observational study as a research design that would help to reveal the effectiveness of the suggested program in improving the situation with prostitution. The observational study is a method utilized in various fields, such as statistics, political sciences, or psychology. This method implies monitoring a variable that is independent and is not under the control of researchers. The observation aims to reveal the effect of measures that are introduced into a controlled group.
Therefore, the main research design that would allow evaluating the effect of the suggested anti-prostitution program is observation. The number of arrests for prostitution is a variable that is going to be controlled by researchers. Monitoring the situation should be performed with the help of other research tools, such as statistic calculations and comparison. These tools will help to count the number of arrests before and after the implementation of the program and compare the results. Therefore, the best research design in the case of arrests for prostitution is an observational study and several additional tools, namely, statistic calculations and comparison.
Thus, it can be concluded that even though there are various research tools and methods, it is necessary to choose an appropriate design for each study to achieve better results. In the first situation, the case-control study was defined as the most effective research design for revealing the relationship between the date of political elections and the number of voters. In the second case, the observational research design was chosen to assess the impact of the crackdown on prostitution in California.
This paper provides an explicit comparison and contrast of Iran, Turkey, and Israel regarding their political institutions and context. It extracts and critically compares various dominant domains; the political institutions and context, political cultures, civil relations and behavior, and governance system. Besides, it shows the difference in the political science of the nations since they offer a shared type of historical background. The change of compared cultures has enabled this research by providing a platform where individuals with a shared history can be reviewed.
Introduction
In regards to geographic proximity and geopolitical aspects, Turkey, Israel, and Iran have a wide range of political ties, including conflicts. The research of these countries is a topic of great concern that requires detailed review. This comparative paper focuses on the republic of Turkey, the state of Israel, and Iran due to two critical reasons. First, the countries share a common geopolitical location, and, secondly, they have had long-term and historical-political ties. The two reasons above have brought the necessary attention needed to have a shaped and better-understood comparison of the political institution in the three nations. Geopolitical position refers to the Middle East, where the states are located. However, Turkey is not entirely perceived to be in the Middle East. The Middle East is diverse on political science grounds, and alterations of any kind in the region affect the countries positioned in this region geographically.
Besides, the relationship ties among these three nations are another reason to draw attention and interest in matters of political institution understanding. The transformation from the old Ottoman Government system into a modernized newly nation of Turkey, stabilization of Iran, and establishment of the state of Israel with the political values along irrevocable political cultures and behavior are vital and essential elements to consider while comparing and contrasting the states in terms of Political Institutionalism and context. This paper will demonstrate the various diverse domains of political science. In this comparative analysis, a special focus is on the political context and institution, political culture and behavior, system of governance, and the political economies of the three states.
Political Institution; historical background
This section of the paper compares the political system of the three states and seeks to reconcile diverse domains in the complex Middle East region. The validity of the use of comparative aspects in political science is well-grounded; comparative political science is one of the most effective ways of having a better understanding of political contexts. By comparing and contrasting political contexts, people gain meaningful information hence facilitating explanation and interpretation of the experiences in the three states. In the early period of the Middle East, Iranian, Turkish, and Israeli cultures were informed and thus took part in the establishment of various states by acting together. For instance, Iran and Turkey share a common system of governance, the Ottoman system of governance before modernization. The two political cultures were also Islamized; however, the Islamic sects set their paths and diversified. The similarities in culture and system of governance continued, and they became states of their respective Islamic sects. Modern Turkey and Modern Iran share political context in this respect. Iran and Turkey transferred their system of governance from the Ottoman form of the monarchy to constitutionalism. On the other hand, before being recognized as a state, the UN recommended the apportioning of the area into the Jewish and Arab states giving birth to the Israel /Palestine political conflicts.
Political Institution and context; present
From the historical-political background, Iran and Turkey share the most through the adaption of their respective sects. The distinction between these sects forms the key lines of differences in regard to political traditions. Presently, elections are held after a term of five years in Turkey Based on proportional representation and the majority vote. Thus, a party is necessitated to get 10% of the popular vote; if not, the partys votes are divided among the other parties that attain the verge of 10%. Members of parliament are tasked with nominating a prime minister who is in charge of the dominant party in the Assembly and whose responsibility will be appointing ministers. However, there is a powerful president that makes key government decisions. The general assembly members elect the President to serve a 7-year term. The president is head of the executive as he heads the state and makes certain of constitution implementation and government policies.
The Judiciary arm of the government has a Supreme Court headed by the chief justice as the apex court mandate to pronounce the passed laws as legitimate or illegitimate. Therefore, this necessitates the general assembly to consult the Supreme Court on bills on constitutionalism grounds. In summary, these institutions play a significant role in making key decisions, however liable to the political system in the country and for this reason, secularism comes to play. Turkey is completely a secular society with a complete secular parliament as compared to Israel. Turkeys government is secular and democratic as in its constitution. Modernization has, however, improved the current circumstance of turkey in regards to political secularism as compared to the previous years and this change on the platform of the ruling party ideologies.
Iran became an Islamic republic after the monarchial system of governance was overthrown in 1979. The Supreme Guide is the most powerful authority in Iran, and largely secular authorities ought to seek his approval in the law-making process. The Supreme Guide controls most assets of the government, including the army, the Bureau of Justice, and the intelligence facilities. Various religious institutions have powerful functions; the expediency council, the council of Guardians, and the assembly of experts. The assembly of experts is tasked to choose an appropriate Supreme Guide and hence facilitates the transfer of power. The Expediency Council, on the other hand, is tasked with analyzing and reviewing the legislation and facilitates smooth integration among the branches of power hence smooth running of the state. The Supreme guide has its president and council who represent the secular law.
Presently, Iran has two conservative and reformative engagements: extremists seek to maintain the prevalence of religion in law legislation and sustenance of a socialist economy. The extremists seek to propagate the Islamic revolution aspect to foreign countries and are largely supported by the working class. Conversely, the conservatives seek a conversation with the extremists on the religious ground. Still, they are favored by the government and have an insignificant intervention of government both economically and politically. The conservatives are supported by the supreme guide and the various religious institutions. Liberals of Iran have much of their focus on human rights. They highlight the significance of human rights and social justice and attempt to reduce the influence of religious law.
Israel and Palestine form fascinating political conflicts in the current world. Foremost, Israel is a democratic state that gives it the supremacy to dictate the political environment. Even though the outdated complexity of the coalition government includes various parties, each of which has its respective religious or rather political ideologies. Israel is governed by a parliamentary through a democratic system that has 120 members assigned based on the national wide proportion illustration. Electorates do not elect political candidates however they vote in a closed list of candidates unwavering by respective parties. A political party that attains more than 2% of the statewide vote is allotted a proportional number of seats in the assembly.
After the assemblys elections, a president or prime minister is selected as the head of government business who can be a party leader formidable to form a government. The term of a prime minister is four years; however, this can be shortened by a vote of no confidence, and a new government is established to replace the candidate. The Knesset is the legislative arm of the Israeli government. It is mandated to enact laws, oversee government business, and is authorized to remove the head of state. The Knesset is separate from the judicial arm of the government, which includes the religious and secular courts. The judges are civil servants that are obligated to espouse the general law, and the High Court of Justice is the apex court for all courts. The apex court is active and leans towards superior intervention compared to other states.
Civil Relations among Iran, Turkey, and Israel
This section gives the comparison and analysis of civil relations within the political science domain. Over the past decades, Israel, Turkey, and Iran have been strained. However, there have been positive relations presently. Currently, civil relations have been improved especially in regard to civil-military relations. The military plays a significant role in the politics and economics of a country. For instance, Israel and Iran have military interventions with differing consequences for democracy in each instance. There is an open animosity between Israel and Iran. Disparate Israels longstanding disagreements with its neighbor countries in the Middle East, Iran and Israel had close ties before the Iranian revolution.
The Islamic republic is viewed with a negative attitude by the Israeli government due to the regime governing it. Issues that touch the Israeli national security are significant and regarded as high profile. Irans involvement in acts of terrorism and conventional conflicts in contradiction with Israel has sparked animosity. Nevertheless, it is vital though limited on the variations that exist among the Israeli policy creators in regards to the challenges postured by the Iranian administration and the strategies Israel can use to counter the troubles brought by the regime. There are expressive variances among the mainstream Israeli policyholders about how to create and deal with the nuclear program. There are differences in opinion; however, the spectrum is narrow, and the variation is insignificant. Therefore, there is a need for the states to have a roundtable to discuss their relations.
One of the most momentous developments was the inception of tactical relations between Turkey and Israel. The civil relations between these countries culminated in the late 1990s in a multifaceted liaison that includes the political, cultural, and economic dimensions. These countries bilateral relations are up and were on the verge of forming an informal alliance against Iran owing to the fact there are mutual threat acuities. Besides, as a concern of the warming relations between the Turkish and Israeli governments, the citizens of both countries enjoy mutually owned facilities. However, the countries have also had negative developments in their civil relations following the recent storming of an aid flotilla attempting to break the barricade that the Israeli government had imposed on the Hamas-run Gaza. The growing power of turkey and its security operation with Israeli to deal with Iran has improved the civil relations between these countries.
Political Behaviors and Cultures
The various changes cutting across the Middle East, especially through; Turkey, Israel, and Iran, in regards to political cultures and behaviors are vibrant and evident. For instance, Turkey has established a version of Islamist democracy. These developments are making a new culture and behavior in the political arena, which can be emulated by other Islamists in the Middle East regions. The new political cultures among the states sought to bring peace and good relations among the countries and help those sign agreements. The complete political rebar-gaining of the social contract in the Middle East states this has improved the domestic political balance of authority.
Conclusion
The comparative relations between the Arab countrys political contexts and institutions are essential for a better understanding of the political developments in the region. In this regard, it is evident that there exist various similarities in terms of political developments among the countries due to the geopolitical positions and proximity. The system of government differs a bit in a few aspects in comparison. Civil relations are significant, especially in political development. In comparison, there are similar initiatives carried out by the various countries to make relations with the countries and neighbors better. The aspect of civil-military cut across all the discussed and analyzed countries shows the animosities between the countries and the countries of the initiative have taken to solve the challenges faced among the countries.
James Daniel Jordan is a United States republican representing Ohios fourth congressional district for the last three years. I am particularly drawn by his authenticity in his politics, as demonstrated by his stand on matters affecting the people he represents. Upon visiting his website, the first thing that attracts you is its theme. The websites have contrasting shades of black and red colors to illuminate his art awareness. Additionally, there is an inclusion of articulately-written articles tracking down his work, which sheds light on who Jim Jordan is and what he stands for. I also loved that his website has been segmented into his manifestos, making it easier to navigate through the website. To me, this is worth recognition as it makes people, especially the younger generation, connected to their representative and can follow through his works journey.
Jim Jordan has a soft spot for children and the human race in general. He mostly champions the rights and freedom of the people of Ohio, which has at times left him in hot seats. One of the issues that Jordan holds at heart is that of immigrants in Ohio. He was the one who raised the alarm on how immigrant children are oppressed in the supposedly safe shelters. Personally, I have been to one of the shelters in the line of my work, and it is surprisingly authentic that a shelter supposed to host thirty children has over five hundred children. Jordan campaigned that the operational policies in the immigrants department should be reinforced to prevent the numbers from swelling. What amazes me about this great man is his eye on matters affecting his people. The fact that he was on the facility tour was enough to catch his attention is an accurate indication of what he stands for. More details on this issue are available in the blogs segment of his website. There is also an immigrant segment that sheds light on related matters.
It is indeed a great pleasure you having the time to read this email, acknowledging that you are a busy man. Your commitment and persuasive leadership have left visible prints on many peoples lives, who at one point had given up on the systems of justice. I must also recognize and appreciate your tremendous efforts in fighting for the voiceless in the community. My family and I reside in Duck district and can courageously testify of the fruits reaped from your leadership, exceptionally when you are persuading hard to offer justice to the immigrant children in Ohio State. It is in full realization that I have read your Biography on your website; you seem to understand the need for making the state feel home to everyone. Despite the state having a wide range of job opportunities and low cost of living, it is a hotbed for immigrants whose significance is in uplifting the number of skilled labor, diversifying culture, and growing the city both economically and culturally.
Despite the benefit of immigrants, as mentioned above, they face discrimination against the law, denying them various social rights like scholarships at public Institutions and inadequate working opportunities. Consequently, this injustice brings about intentional inflation of income in respect to food stamp eligibility. The documentation process of these immigrants takes an extended period due to complexities in the current system (National immigration forum, 2019). Therefore, many immigrants give up on the way and become Ohios residents illegally. I, for instance, have a neighbor who went through all the legal steps of documentation, and till today, she is yet to be documented.
I understand that you are a man of diligence and wisdom, thus comprehends the implications of justice denied. There are vlogs and blogs that Ohio State will and maybe redistricted according to census results. These undocumented immigrants are excluded from the statistics. Thus the data may be considered inaccurate to be used in this process. If the districts are divided using this data, there are likely deficits in each districts budget that will constrain public resources. I also fully understand your proposals on this persistent issue of immigrants. However, the proposals may be implemented way long after redistricting, which will be too late. I suggest that you use your utmost power to leverage the current systems and make them simpler and faster.
Like how your campaign for immigrant children is being placed in hostile and overcrowded environments, I believe your voice in abridging the documentation procedures will positively challenge the government to adjust it. I am optimistic that this move will enhance your legacy in Duck District and Ohio in general, years after your leadership. It will also create a clear path for the young leaders who look up to you in governance matters. If there is any way I can assist and support this project, you can use this email address to let me know. Again, I am honored by your humble act of time to read my mail and have a fantastic day.
The studies under analysis are characterized by the use of different methodologies. The study by Yi Xu is comparative research based on the utilization of quantitative content analysis (Xu 7). Michelangelo Landgrave employs a different methodology, and he implements an experiment to identify policymakers behaviors related to ace responsiveness (Landgrave 621). Xu explores the peculiarities of public diplomacy by analyzing social media communications (7). The researcher examined 60 news articles from the USA and 304 articles from Pakistan (Xu 29). It was found that the American policymakers used more linear communication patterns, while Chinese officials utilized top-down communication. Landgrave sent emails from fictional applicants to 1,600 legislative offices that asked about scholarship data (623). The researcher reports that Hispanics were discriminated against in terms of reply rate and the content of the reply (Landgrave 626). Thus, the two studies are different based on the methodology used (quantitative content analysis and experiment) and the bulk of data analyzed.
The researchers identified different variables in their studies as well. Xu concentrated on such variables as functional, normative, and aesthetic dimensions (8). The researcher analyzed the content of news articles with the help of a set of codes related to the identified dimensions. Landgrave focused on such variables as the response rate and helpfulness of the information provided by officials (625). Although content analysis is utilized in the two studies, they are still different in other aspects. Moreover, Landgrave has a narrower scope of topics that help the researcher to evaluate the helpfulness of their responses (625). It is clear that researchers have a wide range of methods to explore diverse issues in political science and analyze trends and behaviors of politicians and the public.
Works Cited
Landgrave, Michelangelo. Do Politicians Ethnically Discriminate Against Hispanics? Evidence From a Field Experiment with State Legislative Offices. Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 3, 2020, pp. 621-636.
Xu, Yi. Framing Advocacy Event: Comparing News Coverage and Facebook Comments of the Belt and Road Forum in Pakistan and the USA. Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia, vol. 20, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1-23.
Theory plays a significant role in all academic disciplines and is essential for both theoretical and empirical research. According to Patton (2018), theory is not only a belief system but is a way to demonstrate how the world is organized. In general, the goal of a majority of research works is to test a theory (Patton, 2018). For example, deductive research aims to apply a particular part of the theory in the real world. On the other hand, inductive research starts with data collection and ends with the formulation of a theory (Babbie, 2017). Therefore, in any study, theory serves as the perspective from which one explores the world.
In public policy, theory explains various viewpoints on how society is organized and what defines social behavior. An example of a theoretical framework in this academic area is institutional theory. According to this conception, schemes, rules, and beliefs are what controls people’s behavior. For example, it suggests the central role of law and structure and focuses on both formal institutional rules and individual actors’ roles (Peters, 2019). Answering Burkholder and Burbank’s (2020) question, it is possible to say that to accept this theory, one should believe that humans’ behavior is controlled by rules. Moreover, this theory implies that institutional power is what defines social norms and the way society is organized.
The theory that attracts a researcher’s attention generally reflects their beliefs. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the underlying assumptions of the theory and compare them to personal worldviews (Burkholder et al., 2020). The major ideas of the mentioned theory of institutionalism are that institutions are considered the regulative force of society. Moreover, the norms they dictate contribute to providing social stability. I can say that these assumptions reflect my philosophical perspective. I believe that human behavior is mainly regulated by various norms established by the government, local authorities, or other institutions. Otherwise, the poor control over people’s actions would make society chaotic and disorganized. Rules, such as traffic regulations and governmental laws, establish social equality and harmony. Therefore, this theory can be considered my personal perspective of viewing public policy and society.
References
Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., Crawford, L. M., & Hitchcock, J.H. (Eds.) (2020). Research design and methods: An applied guide for the scholar-practitioner. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Patton, M.Q. (2018). Theory [Interview]. Laureate Education.
Peters, B.G. (2019). Institutional theory in political science: the new institutionalism (4th ed.). Edward Elgar Publishing.
It is well known that research is one of the primary tools that is used for improving people’s knowledge in various areas of expertise. Different types of research designs can be utilized, such as descriptive, experimental, analytical, correlational, and so on. Choosing an appropriate method depends on the type of investigated objects. In this essay, an effective research design that should be used in revealing the relationship between the date of political elections and the number of voters will be included. In addition, the research design that aims to assess the impact of the crackdown on the spread of prostitution in California will be chosen.
The first study contains a hypothesis that “holding national elections on the first Sunday in November rather than the first Tuesday in November increase voter turnout.” To test if this statement is right, it is necessary to choose an appropriate research method.
In the case of the number of voters in elections, the most effective research design is a case-control study, which is with the help of correlation methods. A case-control study implies observation of two or several groups of people or subjects that are different in terms of outcomes. These groups are examined and compared based on a causal attribute. This type of study is usually utilized for identifying certain factors that affect the outcomes of several groups of subjects.
In the situation described in the hypothesis, this study can be used to count the number of people who can attend the elections on Sunday. Then, it is necessary to count the number of individuals who can participate in the elections on Tuesday. Calculations can be performed through the conduction of surveys and online interviews before the elections. Thus, there will be two groups of citizens whose answers will be examined and counted to reveal whether the date of elections is a defining factor of attendance. Therefore, the most effective research design for the hypothesis mentioned above is the case-study control. Other methods, such as interviews, questionnaires, and surveys, can also be utilized as additional research tools.
The second study implies the conduction of a program evaluation that aims to assess the impact of the crackdown of prostitution in one of the districts of California. In this case, I would choose an observational study as a research design that would help to reveal the effectiveness of the suggested program in improving the situation with prostitution. The observational study is a method utilized in various fields, such as statistics, political sciences, or psychology. This method implies monitoring a variable that is independent and is not under the control of researchers. The observation aims to reveal the effect of measures that are introduced into a controlled group.
Therefore, the main research design that would allow evaluating the effect of the suggested anti-prostitution program is observation. The number of arrests for prostitution is a variable that is going to be controlled by researchers. Monitoring the situation should be performed with the help of other research tools, such as statistic calculations and comparison. These tools will help to count the number of arrests before and after the implementation of the program and compare the results. Therefore, the best research design in the case of arrests for prostitution is an observational study and several additional tools, namely, statistic calculations and comparison.
Thus, it can be concluded that even though there are various research tools and methods, it is necessary to choose an appropriate design for each study to achieve better results. In the first situation, the case-control study was defined as the most effective research design for revealing the relationship between the date of political elections and the number of voters. In the second case, the observational research design was chosen to assess the impact of the crackdown on prostitution in California.
The Feeling of Rationality is written by Rose McDermott and details recent advances in neuroscience and their implications for political sciences.
The paper is based on the fact that emotions play significant and pivotal roles on political decisions, and while its role in political science has not been studied in depth, McDermott observes that emotions can offer alternative grounds for explaining and predicting political decisions and action.
McDermott begins by making reference to the Iraq war and how the Bush administrations’ decision to wage war against Iraq were motivated by a feeling of revenge against Saddam Hussein, who had tried to assassinate the president’s father.
Such is the importance of emotional motivations in politics. Recent advances in neurosciences have offered a wealth of information on the workings of the brain and the interactive processes between the body and mind.
McDermott begins by defining emotion as it is very central towards understanding the topic under discussion. She contends that there is no universally accepted definition of emotion and the aspects surrounding it.
Nevertheless, she relies on Gerald Clore and Andrew Ortony who define the term as “one of a larger set of differentiated biologically based complex conditions that are about something” (McDermott, pp. 692). The author then proceeds to outline the various contemporary theories that have arisen to explain the nature of emotion. The paper presents five theories and their possible connection to political decisions.
Studies show that emotion is a very important element in political decisions. Indeed, several of these studies have shown a link between facial expressions and voting, judgment and political behavior. Related studies in psychology have also had similar findings.
One of the emotional aspects that can affect political decisions is mood. McDermott point out that mood and memory are very important in decision-making as outlined by the theory of mood congruence. For instance, mood may affect information processing.
Similarly, emotional memories can significantly affect political decision-making. Reference is made to a recent study which showed that hostile communications between two political leaders may increase the propensity for violence in the future.
Further, it is shown that different emotions elicit different responses and this may greatly affect the political decisions made by a leader. Interestingly, the author mentions that emotions are affected by gender differences: men are known to be more predisposed than women. Further studies show that perceptions of risk are also linked to emotions.
It has also been shown that the emotional responses after decisions play a significant role in future decisions. Emotional responses such as regret and disappointment affect decision-making and this finding is consistent with the predictions of the prospect theory.
Besides, anticipated emotion to certain actions and events can also affect political decision-making. In making a decision, a person wants to maximize the likelihood of having happiness out of the decision, but minimizing grief.
The fact that all decisions involve some prediction of how the outcome will make us feel only serves to show the role of emotion in political decisions. The final aspect of investigation into the link between emotions and decision making is found on the rubrics of memory.
McDermott writes that people tend to best recall the peak intensity and the end of an emotional experience. Consequently, they repeatedly make choices that involve more instead of less pain.
The findings of this study have important implications for political science. The first relates to rational choice. McDermott writes that modern formulations of rational choice should be reconciled against emotional assessments.
Secondly, emotions should function as motivators and directors of attention rather than the sole component of decision making.
Policy implications of the findings of the study include less emphasis by governments on incomes and more on employment and job programs, encouraging leisure activities, and supporting marriage and other family relationships. This can best be implemented through education.
Works Cited
McDermott, Rose. The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science. Perspectives on Politics, 2(4), 2004. 691-705
Security has always been a matter of concern in the country. It is commonly understood as a state of how someone/something is free from danger and anxiety.
Though USA had made a crucial step and was about to regain its strength in terms of defense, Ronald Reagan insisted that much was yet to be achieved for the sake of citizen’s safety. In the year 1985, there were several plane hijacks experienced in different countries such as Columbia, US, Malta and Italy.
In political terms, it meant calamity to Reagan’s administration since it failed to maintain security consequently breaking promises. Even though it impacted negatively on the president and his administration, it also created an opportunity to improve security and win the citizen’s trust. The event was an opportunity for opposition leaders to criticize the administration for perceived political gains.
As part of Reagan’s introductory address, he mentioned the urge for minimizing expenses on state security. This could be achieved by holding tranquility talks with the Soviet Union. Negotiations carried out aimed at inclusive disarmament of nuclear weapons (Infoplease, 2009). Such an achievement will not only mean security achievements in USA but also to the world.
As a matter of certainty from danger of nuclear attacks, Reagan confirmed his approval for research intended to create a security guard capable of destroying a missile before meeting its target. As added by Barrack Obama in his inaugural speech, he remained optimistic on an endless approach in the fight against nuclear weapon. This will make Americans live without threats of insecurity. He further declared combat on terrorists who carry their activities at the expense of people’s life.
In light of an awful racist history, Americans were experiencing a transition illustrated by equal opportunities for everyone. This was noted in 2009 when Barrack Obama assumed the role of president. In political terms, it was an opportunity to test whether a black president would offer good leadership in curbing insecurity issues.
As a way of surrendering arms, disarmament is the act of eradicating weapons. Reagan’s approach to disarmament was nonviolent and a less expensive one. This is evident in holding peace meetings with the Soviet Union aimed at not only minimizing nuclear weaponry but also completely eliminating them (Infoplease, 2009). According to Jimmy Carter, the world was full with armaments as evident in the emergence of lethal weapons among potential enemies.
He argued that the approach that would limit weaponry was to let intelligence and patient prevail when handling such a sensitive matter. In 1977, a concurrence to reduce nuclear armaments was signed between US and Russia. This was an attainment by Jimmy Carter, a situation that gave him an edge over his political opponents. At the expense of his opponents, he won people’s confidence that was a boost to his presidency and government.
Defense is the level of fortification put in place against danger. George Bush was exceptionally sensitive to defense matters; he affirmed a strong position that would uphold defense especially against attacks. He insisted on creating a defense with minimal limits.
His approach meant more money will be injected on security so as to improve various defense aspects such as military, protection machineries and technology. USA experienced one of the most horrible radical attacks in 2001 that resulted in a different political thinking. It meant that Bush’s government had failed to preserve the country with opposition leaders using the opportunity to criticize and convince the public thus gaining their trust.
Reference
Infoplease, (2009), World events, Pearson education. Web.
The total structure of a federal government may differ from other kinds of federal government body depending on the institution. A federal government is a type of government which has different institutions inside the government concerning various areas and possesses its own authority through their territory. The government of the United States is using the federal government as the centralized body governing the US and backed up by the constitution. And it is considered as the first contemporary federation.
After the freedom of United States from Britain, it established its very first constitution in 1781, the Articles of Confederation. That was the start of attaining the form of government they have right now which is federalism. The governing body has three branches which are the legislature, judiciary and executive. Each of the branches performs different kinds of powers and exercises it through a legitimate action.
The three have various tasks and positions in the government; somehow they regulate and have authority on other branches. The laws or policies which are implemented by the federal government have a lot to do with the domestic and foreign affairs of the United States. The constitution limits the power and authority of the federal government though (Watts, 1999).
On the other hand, the Government of Texas is also exercising federalism. Texas government is comparable to US government which has three branches, executive, legislative and judiciary. It patterns the positions of officials that are lead by the Governor as well, just like what is in US government. The Constitution of Texas was adopted in 1876 that states and declares the powers and authority of the head and directly attaches the bill of rights in Article I. The bill of rights in this constitution is longer than the federal Bill of Rights which has provisions exclusive to Texas (Mapsoftheworld.com, 2008).
Texas and US Government have the same form of government and branches under it. Thus, this paper will focus on the executive body of Texas and US, comparing the two territories’ functions, operations and structure and be able to differentiate different areas concerned in this topic.
Discussion
Initially, the executive branch of a Government is the body responsible for managing the State everyday. It contains the head of the government and the head is not thought to make the laws for it is the duty of the Legislature or perhaps study and interpret them because it falls under the judiciary. Hence, the executive branch should be the one to enforce or execute the laws.
The executive power of a federal government attributes to the President of the United States though the power is not solely exercised by His Excellency because it has to comprise the Cabinet members and other officials. The leaders, President and Vice- President respectively, are voted and elected by the people. Likewise in the Government of Texas, the head of the state is also elected by the people and the number of votes matters.
Governor of Texas is the head of the executive body of Texas Government unlike in the US Government. However, they have the same process of election which is by voting and terms in the position that is four years of being the President (for US Government) and Governor (for Texas Government) (Office of Citizen Services and Communications, 2008).
As what the Constitution stated, the term for Presidency is limited to a four- year term. This is to control the power of the leader and exercise authority in just a definite span of time because the longer term might cause an abuse for the power and position of being the President of the State. The executive branch of the US Government serves as the body that governs the implementation of laws of the territory. The leaders involve in this body includes; the President who Leads the country and will be the Commander- in- Chief of the military, Vice- President who will be the one to take over the place of the President if the President can not attend to the duties and responsibilities of the position and be the President of the Senate as well.
Also, the executive body composes of different Departments where in the heads of each Department advises the President about the policies and helps implement those. Another composition of the executive body is the Independent Agencies that carry out policies and give special services for the country. So basically, the President of the US Government is the executor of the laws created by the Lawmakers with the help of the Vice- President and the Cabinet members.
Conversely, the executive body of the Texas government composes of the following; Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. Primarily, the Governor leads the State and the military system (Blanton, 2005). Thus, the president of the US Government has the same function as the Governor of Texas. Both can reject and accept the bills that are passed by the legislature and request for a special meeting or session for the Legislative body.
The Governor and president can appoint the members of different executive branches or Departments directly and fill up the vacant positions for the judicial body as well (LAITS, 2005). The comptroller is the one who decides about the expected income of the state to be able to know if it is enough to wrap up a budget for a particular project. However, the power of Governor is quite limited to a certain degree because of many elected officials and sometimes the governor is viewed as a head of the State only because the Lieutenant governor has more duties and responsibilities than the Governor.
Comparing the Texas government and US in structural, operations and functions sense of having executive branch is quite vague because there is only a minimal distinction between the two. Firstly, both have the head of the state which serves as the leader and got the most power among the positions. Both are the leaders of the military forces of the state too.
The Structure of the executive branch officials have different names but technically they somehow appeared to be similar and correspond to each other just like the President for Governor, Vice- President for Lieutenant Governor, Cabinets or Delegates for the Different agencies that the Texas Government have (Watts, 1999). If the Texas Government has a finance or budget administrator, the US Government also has the Department of Finance that takes care of the budget for the State.
Conclusion
Generally, the power over the State of Texas and US government are much likely alike though US is viewed to be a broader sense of Political affair because it comprises a bigger responsibility for the whole country. The policies are observed to be affected when it comes to the execution and enforcement of the laws. As what the head of the States are responsible for, a bill should be passed first and signed by the President or Governor before making it a law.
Informal and formal power appears on both States in terms of the execution of their personal decisions for a particular issue. An informal power can be seen on appointing officials for the vacant positions in the judiciary which is just solely decided by the president or the Governor. It may sometimes appear biased because they heads will appoint the officials of their own liking and will not consult the preferences of the people in the Territory (Watts, 1999). However, the functions of each and the leaders operate according to the provisions of the Constitution and guided by the law.
The benefits of having such structure and functions are that, the States can divide the duties and responsibilities accurately according to the expertise of each department or area. Excessive power for the head of the State can not be abused because it is separated and segmented for the following positions that will help decide fro the welfare of the State.
Perhaps, a disadvantage will be into the possibilities of being irresponsible and dependency by some of the officials and may lead to an unethical outcome of their integrity. Possessing such power is a dominant sense for the State but sometimes the positions under the head are the ones who greatly affect and manipulate the making and completion of the whole role of the governing body.
References
Blanton, C. K. “The Campus and the Capitol: John B. Connally and the Struggle over Texas Higher Education Policy, 1950-1970” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 2005 108(4): 468-497.
Mapsoftheworld.com. (2008). Texas Government and Politics. Web.
Office of Citizen Services and Communications. (2008). U.S Federal Government. Web.
Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services. (2005). Texas Politics: Governor. Web.
Watts, R., “Comparing Federal Systems” (2nd ed.) SPC Queen’s U (1999) pp. 20-26.
High prices for oil and gasoline have resulted in increased interest in finding alternative fuels to replace petroleum fuel used in the transport sector. This coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emission have led to the promotion of ethanol as a viable fuel for use in automobiles. The promotion of fuel ethanol has been one of the main goals of the United States Energy Policy. Various significant incentives and policies have been developed by the federal government to promote the ethanol industry.
The fuel Ethanol market depends heavily on federal regulations and incentives. To encourage the production of ethanol, the government has introduced a tax credit of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol produced. This incentive is aimed at making it possible for ethanol to compete with gasoline. Small-scale ethanol producers qualify for production credit in addition to the tax credit.
Renewable fuel standard (RFS) was established through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the act was further expanded by the Energy Independence Act of 2007. The act requires the United States to use 9 billion gallons of renewable energy in 2008, with usage increasing each year to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Ethanol is expected to take a higher portion in meeting this requirement.
In South America, the production of ethanol is relatively low compared to the United States. To take advantage of this situation, the federal government has come up with incentives that will reduce tariffs on imported ethanol to 2.5% with an added duty of $0.5 per gallon. This incentive is part of a wider policy to reduce the barrier to the importation of ethanol.
Under various state and federal incentives and laws, the production and consumption of ethanol have increased. 6.8 billion gallons of ethanol was consumed in 2007 compared to 1.8 billion consumed in 2001. At the beginning of 2008, over 8 billion gallons of ethanol were produced, with domestic production expected to grow by 13 billion gallons per year.
One barrier to large-scale fuel ethanol consumption is the cost compared to that of gasoline. The fuel ethanol is more expensive than gasoline per gallon, even with tax incentives on ethanol production and importation. Another setback is the fact that ethanol has lower energy per gallon compared to gasoline, this means that a lot of fuel ethanol is required to travel the same distance using gasoline. With the continued rise in gasoline prices, these setbacks are becoming less significant and ethanol is seen as the best alternative fuel to gasoline.
Currently, Congress is in the process of reauthorizing all existing farm programs to pave way for the 2008 Farm Bill. The bill seeks to extend and expand many provisions in the 2002 energy farm bill. When passed, the bill will pave way for increased funding to ethanol production and create new tax incentives for ethanol producers. Besides the 2008 Farm Bill, there is ongoing research that will facilitate shifting the production of fuel from corn-based starch to cellulose. When fully implemented, all these plans and incentives will see a significant increase in the use of renewable energy for transportation in the United States.
Reference
Energy Security for the 21st Century, 2008. Web.
Ethanol Grows as Gas Alternative, 2008. Web.
Fuel Ethanol; Background and Public Policy Issues, 2008. Web.
Wilfred Kohl (1990) Methanol as an Alternative Fuel Choice, United States, International Energy Press.