Discuss the governor’s informal powers. What are the governor’s informal powers? How do the informal powers help the governor?

What will be an ideal response?


The governor’s informal powers are personal attributes that do not depend on the office but are specific to him or her. Four such powers are identified in the text: the popular mandate, the governor’s position on the political ambition ladder, the governor’s personal future as governor, and the governor’s personal approval rating. A good answer will identify and define each of these, as well as explain its significance. Students should also explain that the informal powers are most beneficial to a governor in his or her role as legislative leader.

Political Science

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An electoral system that assigns one seat in a legislative body to represent citizens who live in a district is known as which of the following?

A. Single-member plurality system B. Proportional representation system C. Winner-take-all system D. Disproportional representation system E. Two-party system

Political Science

Cities rarely have the funds to mount major economic development plans. Which of the following statements, if true, strengthens the argument?

A. There has been a major reduction in housing values that has reduced property tax revenue. B. The economic crisis of 2008 saw a rise in the number of bailouts across the world. C. A recent poll of residents from 5 major cities in the United States suggests that citizens feel that the local government is not doing enough for the betterment of the lower sections of society. D. There has been a rise in income and sales tax revenue. E. Congress passed the American Reconstruction and Recovery Act of 2009, which included billions of dollars for road and highway construction and other state and local projects.

Political Science

The ______ is California's chief investment officer

a. controller b. treasurer c. legislative analyst d. director of finance

Political Science

The results of the 2002 Chicago Council surveys of American leaders or elite groups found all of the following except

a. that elites from outside the government generally believed that the United States needed the support of allies to take actions. b. that elites, within and outside the government, are split on the approval of the Kyoto Treaty. c. that elites, within and outside the government, are in agreement on the topic of the International Criminal Court. d. most American elites favored the United States' siding with neither Israel nor the Palestinians in the Middle East conflict with some division in the Senate and in religious groups. e. All of the above are true.

Political Science