What are the pros and cons of lobbyists as a tool for special interest groups? Should former members of Congress be allowed to become lobbyists? Explain your answer. Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Individuals and nonprofit organizations can also lobby as an act of volunteering or as a small part of their normal job.

What led to the rise of conservatism in the 1980s? What effects did conservativism (political, economic, and social) have on U.S. society from the 1980s to the present? (Your response must address politics, economics, and society, and must include historical events or developments). Conservatism is a type of political belief that supports emphasis on traditions and relies on the individual to maintain society. The term was first used by François-René de Chateaubriand in 1818, during the Bourbon Restoration, which wanted to roll back the policies of the French Revolution.

Should Public sector employment reflect political demographics (that is, workforce 47 percent Democrats if community 47 percent Democrats), ethnic demographics, partisan patronage, political responsiveness, or politically neutral competence? Defend your answer, Political demography is the study of the relationship between politics and population change. Population change is driven by classic demographic mechanisms – birth, death, age structure, and migration.

This assignment focuses you to think about identity and ideology as they relate to you, your assigned group and global citizenship. Reflective Assignment 1 is completed individually and Reflective Assignment 2 will require you to work collaboratively with your assigned group.

Overall, this assignment encourages you to work together to identify a compelling topic to study for the final course project. Read the assignment instructions for Reflective Assignment 1 below. Instructions for Reflective Assignment 1 — Individual (15%): Write a reflection (approximately 200 words in total) on your identity, using the given template.  Answer the following questions:

How has your sense of who you are been shaped by your environment (social institutions) and various ideological beliefs? Remember, ideological beliefs can include both the ways that you see and understand the world and the dominant narratives about the world that still influence you whether you agree or not. Finally, consider the next set of questions in your answer:

How is your identity connected to characteristics of global citizenship? Is your identity dependent on others? Is it connected to other people, groups, and cultures, close and abroad? How so? Your answers to these questions need to draw on concepts and ideas from modules 1—6 from the OER textbook. Use the given template (in .doc form) to complete your assignment. Download the template from here. Your submission in total should be around 200 words.

Describe the three types of direct democracy in California. While the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land, the California Constitution sets forth the duties, powers, structure, and functions of the state government. California is one of the few states in which voters have special powers such as the ability to recall officials and the ability to pass initiatives which are laws made directly by the voters instead of by the legislature.