Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
State and Local Gov
Chapter Concepts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the scope of state and local governments? | state and local governments educate us, protect us, provide roads and highways, provide recreation, tax us, and take care of all state license professions |
| What is the capacity of the government? | capacity is the ability of the government to address the challenges that face them |
| What are the fundamental components of capacity? | Legal Authority, Human Resources, and Financial Resources, |
| Legal Authority | the power to make and enforce laws; laws empower and limit public officials |
| Human Resources | the labor intensive nature of workforce, HR capacity is the availability of expert talent |
| Financial Resources | the availability of financial resources to meet the needs of the government to deliver services and programs |
| Participation | most commonly occurs through voting |
| Face-to-Face contact with Government | normally occur in matters of regulation rather than service |
| Rule Compliance | circumstances where government strictly enforce the rules and the citizens cooperate |
| Arbitrary | situations where government officials are unpredictable or whimsical, or may disadvantage some ppl b/c of race, religion, gender, or other characteristics |
| Confrontational | a setting where government officials are limited by rules or resources and cannot respond to the needs and wishes of the governed |
| Popular Sovereignty | holds that political power resides in the ppl, not in the government itself; government exists at the people's behest and they can replace their elected reps |
| Limited Government | government should be limited in what it can do and in how it can affect the lives of its citizenry; aims to prevent government authority and discretion from being exercised arbitrarily or tyrannically |
| The Rule of Law | the law applies to all equally; regardless of personal circumstances, everyone, including government officials, is under the law, and all acts of gov must be justified as consistent with the law |
| Individual Liberty | holds that each individual is in the best position to decide what is in his or her own best interest; gov has the rightful obligation to protect the right or ppl to pursue those interests as long as that pursuit doesn't infringe on the liberty of another |
| Equality | the principle of equality stipulates that all ppl have the right to equal protection under the law, and one person's vote counts the same as another's, regardless of personal circumstances |
| Equality of Opportunity | all individuals should possess an equal opportunity to get ahead in life, and that artificial barriers should not disadvantage them in their quest |
| Political Cultures | the combined effects of historical experiences, tradition, patterns of immigration, and religious identities that shape political attitudes and views |
| Individualistic Political Culture | values politics as a means to improve a person's economic and social position; individuals attempt to use gov for their own ends and those purposes may require gov restraint |
| Moralistic Political Culture | accords government a positive role in society; government intervention is seen as good b/c it can advance the collective public welfare |
| Traditionalistic Political Culture | oriented towards protecting the interests of traditional elites and that often entails preserving the status quo |
| Federal Powers | coin money, conduct foreign relations, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, declare war, provide for national defense, etc. |
| State Powers | establish local governments, regulate intrastate commerce, ratify amendments, take measures for health and public safety, execute other powers not prohibited by national constitution |
| Concurrent Powers | tax, establish courts, enforce laws, spend and borrow money |
| Federalism | a system of government where two governments share power over the same people |
| Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution | Congress shall have the Power...to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the gov of the U.S., or in any dept or officer thereof |
| Categorical Grant | Fed financial aid that can be used only for the specific purposes identified in congressional legislation or prescribed in the federal administrative code |
| Formula Grant | fed financial aid provided to cover the costs of a specific project and usually awarded following a review of competing proposals |
| Block Grant | fed financial aid that can be used for a number of related purposes consistent with congressional authorization |
| Implied Powers Clause | served as the basis for Congress's expansion of its enumerated powers |
| Concurrent Powers | authority given by the U.S. Constitution to both the federal gov and the states to exercise |
| Regulatory Federalism | a variety of mechanisms employed by the federal government to enlist state compliance with federal policy or administrative requirements |
| Reservation Land | land designated in a treaty that is under the authority of a Native American nation and is exempt from most state laws and taxes |
| Trust Land | land owned by a Native American nation and designated by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs as exempt from most state laws and taxes |
| Bill of Rights | provisions in a constitution that prohibit government from restricting certain individual liberties |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | law passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation that established the process by which the territories of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin would be governed and admitted as states |
| Confederation | a league of independent states loosely united in a common government |
| Carpetbag Constitution | a state constitution established during the aftermath of the Civil War in the former Confederacy by individuals who came from Northern states and acquired positions of formal authority |
| Charter | state or local laws that establish the basic authority, rules, and procedures for municipal government, and in some cases, schools |
| Constitution | Written document establishing the basic authority, rules, and procedures for national, state, and tribal governments |
| Progressive Movement | a popular reaction against machine politics and corrupton that was located primarily in Northern and Western states and began in the 1890s. Progressives favored open government, party primaries, and citizen control of agencies |
| Special District | a local government created for a narrowly defined purpose and with a restricted source of revenue |
| Town | a local government with general responsibilities for orer and services in a midsize community |
| Township | a 6-mile-square geographic area created by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to be used for local governance in the affected territories |
| Indirect Initiative | a process where citizens can petition to have a proposed law on a ballot and, if passed, the law goes to the legislature for adoption, modification, or rejection |
| General Referendum | a state or local government is required to place items like a constitutional amendment or a bond for borrowing money on a ballot and get approval from voters |
| Advisory Referendum | Legislators place a question on the ballot to get the sentiment of voters; legislators are not obliged to enact laws that reflect the way the majority voted |
| Popular Referendum | voters can veto a bill passed by their state legislature id enough citizens sign a petition to get it on the ballot and then a majority vote to nullify the law |
| Open Meeting Laws | state requirements that meetings of committees and officials that are part of the policy-making process must be open to the public; exceptions are allowed for personal matter and for contract negotiations |
| Open Records Law | State laws that require all written and electronic records, except individual personnel files to be open to the public |
| Responsible Parties | advocate for certain public policies, bring together groups and individuals interested in those policies, use an ideology or set of principles to: screen new members, reward or sanction existing members, get all to conform to the same strategies and objs. |
| Electoral Parties | vehicles candidates use to get elected to political office; provide an organizational shell that gets filled each electoral period |
| Formal Organization | state laws establish political parties and how they operate; the laws differ state by state; different committees (hierarchy) |
| Candidate-centered organizations | informal & formal organizations within political parties that work in support of a particular candidate. Organizations that exist solely for the purpose of getting a person elected to a political office. |
| Factions | informal and ongoing organizations within political parties that work in support of a particular set of ideas |
| Incentives | material (jobs, contracts), solidary (belonging; opportunity to work with those of like values), purposive (inherent satisfaction of pursuing values and goals) |
| Consultants | major force in campaigns; job is to get their client elected, make the strategic and tactical decisions about the campaign |
| Party Image | a voter's perception of what republicans or democrats or independents stand for |
| Party Identification | a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other (republican, democrat, or independent) |
| Ticket Splitting | voting with one party for one office and a different party for another |
| Party Machines | a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements to win votes and to govern |
| Patronage | a job, promotion or contract given for political reasons rather than merit; used by party machines to elicit support, work, commitment |
| Closed Primaries | only ppl who have registered with the party can vote for that party's candidates |
| Open Primaries | voters decide on Election Day (at the polls) whether they want to vote in the Democrat or Republican primary |
| Single Primary | a primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, for the same office appear on the same primary ballot and, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, the top two vote earners run in the general election |
| Iron Triangle | made up of Congress, the Bureaucracy, and Interest Groups |
| Special Interest Group | an organization that seeks to influence government policy to serve the ned and/or pursue the beliefs of the members of the organization |
| Federalist Paper Number 10 | a document written by James Madison that anticipated the emergence of interest groups and warned about the ill effects of them |
| Amicus Curiae Briefs | "friend of the court"; interest groups can argue orally and in writing in a certain court case that concerns them even though they aren't directly involved in the issue |
| Contract Lobbyist | an individual or firm who, for an agreed amount, lobbies on behalf of clients |
| In-house Lobbyist | an individual who or agency that, within an organization, lobbies on behalf of the organization |
| Neighborhood Association | a volunteer organization that works to preserve or to improve the nature of a particular neighborhood |
| Political Action Committee | a registered organization that raises funds and makes campaign contributions on behalf of a particular interest group |
| Trade Association | an organization of similar businesses or professionals |
| Hard Money | regulated funds collected and spent by candidates |
| Soft Money | unregulated funds collected and spent by political parties |
| Issue Ad | campaign advertisements sponsored by someone other than the candidates that are designed to influence voters but do not explicitly advocate voting for or against anyone. These ads are not covered by campaign finance reforms. |
| Cabinet Government | as applied to state governments, this term refers to agency heads who are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the governor |
| General Veto/Pocket Veto | the rejection by a governor of an entire bill that has been passed by the legislature. The bill does not become law unless the veto is overridden by a legislative vote. |
| Line Item Veto | the rejection by a governor of specific lines, numbers, or words in a bill passed by the legislature. The rejected parts don't become law unless the veto is overridden by a legislative vote. |
| Partial Veto | the rejection by a governor of any part, including parts of specific numbers, in a bill passed by the legislature. The rejected parts don't become law unless the veto is overridden by a legislative vote. |
| Pardon | gubernatorial action to eliminate penalties and convictions applied to individuals by the judicial system |
| Commute | gubernatorial action that eliminates sentences and penalties but not he record of a conviction |
| Parole | gubernatorial action sometimes delegated to a board or agency to release individuals before they have served full sentences; paroles are typically conditional upon abiding by certain rules and good behavior while incarcerated |
| Reprieve | gubernatorial action to temporarily suspend the execution of a sentence, especially the death penalty |
| Extradition | gubernatorial action to send an individual from the governor's state to another state where the person faces court or correctional action |
| What states do not have a lieutenant governor? | Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wyoming |
| In how many states does the lieutenant governor preside in the state senate but can only vote if there is a tie? | 25 |
| How many states have separate ballots for the lieutenant governor and the governor? | 20 |
| What are the names and parties of the three women governors who were elected between 1950 and 1980? | All three were Democrats; Lurleen Wallace of Alabama, Ella Grasso of Connecticut, and Dixie Ray Lee of Washington |
| What six states had female governors going into the 1990s? | Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont |
| What seven states had female governors in 2010? | Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina, and Washington |
| Who were the African Americans to be elected as governors? | P.B.S. Pinchback (LA), Douglas Wilder (VA), David Paterson (NY), Deval Patrick (MA) |
| What is the only state that does not have a legislature that is divided into two chambers? | Nebraska |
| One-man, one-vote | the principle that each person's vote should secure an equal amount of representation in each legislative chamber |
| Splintering | a form of gerrymandering that divides the opposition party's electoral strength |
| Packing | a form of gerrymandering that consolidates the opposition party's electoral strength in way that guarantee high majority votes for winners but that limit the number of winners |
| Gerrymandering | drawing lines to gain a partisan advantage in legislative representation or to minimize or maximize the electoral representation of minority populations |
| Equal Protection Clause | the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution contains a clause that guarantees all US citizens equal protection under the law |
| Functions of the Legislature | make laws, approve budgets, serve constituents, and oversee the executive branch |
| Speaker | the presiding officer and the majority party's chief leader in the lower house of the state legislature |
| Senate President | the presiding officer in state senates when the lieutenant governor does not preside; the president may be the chief leader of the senate, or that role might be accorded to the majority leader |
| Bases for the power of the speaker and the president | 1) influence over the agenda and flow of legislation 2) authority to make appointments to key leg leadership 3) debts owed by leg colleagues |
| Majority leader | usually the second most powerful member of each state's legislative chamber,However, in some states, in which the senate president is largely a ceremonial position, the majority leader possesses the greatest power |
| Minority leader | the chief leader of the minority party in the legislature |
| What states have rules committees? | Georgia, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Vermont |
| Standing Committees of the Legislature | legislative committees that have some permanence, typically existing across legislative sessions |
| Joint Committee | committee made up of and chaired by members of both the house and the senate |
| Special Legislative Committees | legislative committees typically formed to examine a particular issue or problem and then dissolved after issuing their report |
| Full time Legislator | Legislator whose primary employment is serving in the legislature |
| Professionalization of the Legislative Institution | the process of equipping legislatures institutionally to meet the increasing legislative demands placed upon them, this process includes lengthening the legislative session, providing adequate facilities and staff support, and improving computer support |
| Functional | getting the job of legislating done and carrying out administrative oversight |
| Accountable | responsive to the public it represents, the accountable legislature provides for public understanding of and involvement in its deliberative decision making |
| Informed | having the information necessary to make knowledgeable public choices |
| Independent | exercising legislative decision making apart from undue executive influence; capable of criticizing executive initiatives and of initiating viable policy alternatives as well as overseeing the activities of exec branch agencies |
| Representative | reflects the diversity of the electorate who gave legislators the privilege of representing constituents' interests; rep legislature is based on the one-man, one-vote principle |
| Term Limits | laws limiting the terms that legislators and governors may serve |
| Sunset Laws | laws that mandate the termination of designated agencies after prescribed periods unless the legislature acts to continue them |
| Audit | a careful and systematic review used to determine whether resources have been spent in the way that was intended |
| BROC (Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee) | advises the legislature in response to the budget and the evaluation of state agencies and programs |
| Elite Theory | a single elite, with wealth and prestige, is in control |
| Pluralist Theory | a variety of power centers, each dominant in a particular policy area |
| Disenfranchised | low sense of efficacy; outsiders both socially and economically |
| Managers | professionals who are hired to provide executive leadership to a community |
| Councils | an elected body that has the responsibility of running a local government; local government councils may have both legislative and executive authority |
| At-large elections | candidates compete in the city or town as a whole 1) pure- voters cast ballots for as many seats as there are being filled 2) position-oriented: each open seat on the council is given a number and candidates must announce which seat they are seeking |
| Wards | a geographic district within a jurisdiction; wards can be electoral districts and/or administrative areas for the provision of services |
| Nonpartisan election | the ballot used in this kind of contest does not include any political party affiliations for the candidates; all candidates essentially run as independents |
| Town Meeting | a form of government found in small communities in New England and the Midwest; an almost pure form of democracy |
| Weak mayor | a governance system in which the elected chief executive has little formal authority over appointments, no or limited veto authority, and a minor formal role in the budget process |
| Strong Mayor | a governance system where the elected chief executive has significant formal authority over appointments, veto authority over council actions, and a formal central role in the budget process |
| Council-Manager | a governance system that features an elected council that then hires a manager to run agencies and recommend policies |
| Commission | a governance system in which individuals elected to a commission assume administrative responsibility for a specific dimension of government as well as legislative obligations for the jurisdiction as a whole |
| Townships | share many of the characteristics of counties; they are administrative districts with arbitrary boundaries |
| School Districts | usually made up of 5-7 members; women comprise a larger percentage of school board members than they do for any other elective office |
| Authority | a local government that has a very specific responsibility and authority for services in a community; the most common authorities are those operating mass transit systems, airports, harbors, and sewage systems |
Created by:
elirocs@gmail.com
Popular American Government sets