Spatial Organization of Government Chapter 8 section 2 Text pages 234 - 242 Spatial Organization of Government

Richard Hartshorne 1950’s Believed there are two forces within states Centripetal Forces Hold states together Centrifugal Forces Tear states apart Largely replaced by the idea of nation-building Comprising nations within Defining and defending boundaries Expressing control over territory and those in it

Forms of Government Promote nation-building and limits divisive forces States choose the form they feel is most appropriate Unitary Governments Highly centralized with power center near a capital Little regard for minorities Ex. Soviet Russia Federal Governments Organizes territory into regions, sub-states, provinces, etc. Strong federal systems have powerful regions Weak federal systems have weak regions Most are in the middle though Ex. United States How does this relate to the History of the U.S.? (Articles of Confederation v. Constitution)

Devolution Movement of power from central to regional governments 3 types (these may overlap or combine) Ethnocultural Economic Spatial

Ethnocultural Devolution Movement of power from central to regional governments based on: ethnic, religious, or religious aspects Examples: Czechoslovakia Yugoslavia Scotland Wales Basque Hawaii

Economic Devolution Movement of power from central to regional governments based on: Unequal economic factors Examples Wealthy Catalonia wanting to be independent of Spain

Spatial Devolution Movement of power from central to regional governments based on: Distance from power centers How might physical geography and location impact this? Being separated by mountains or bodies of water Being located far from power centers Examples Basque Hawaii Alaska

Electoral Geography How spatial configurations of electoral districts and voting patterns that emerge reflect and influence social and political affairs Territorial Representation Representation based on territorially defined districts (House of Representatives) Census every ten years leads to Reapportionment The process by which districts are moved according to population shifts so each district has similar numbers

Minority Voters Splitting Majority-minority districts Gerrymandering Attempts to dilute minority voters by spreading them across districts Majority-minority districts Districts drawn so a majority of the population is minority, through legally enforced maximizing of representation What problems might arise from this? Gerrymandering Redistricting for advantage racial or ethnic groups or political parties can be advantaged from this