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94 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Comparative method
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An approach to political analysis that entails comparing units of analysis (such as states or communities) on more than one characteristic to help understand the relationships among those characteristics.
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Hypothesis
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A potential answer to a research question that is based on theory and that will be tested by observing data in the world.
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Individualistic political culture
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The general and informal set of beliefs and attitudes that politics in a state or community is a place where individuals can work to advance their personal economic and social interests largely the same as they would do in private business.
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Jurisdiction
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Geographical or topical area over which an institution or official has power and authority.
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Moralistic political culture
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The general and informal set of beliefs and attitudes that politics in a state or community is intended to enhance the public good and for the uplifting of the have-nots of society.
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Political ideology
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A relatively coherent and consistent set of beliefs about who ought to rule, what principles ought to be used to govern, and what policies rulers ought to pursue.
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Political institution
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The rules, laws, and organizations through which and by which government functions.
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Public goods
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A policy or action providing broad benefits to society, as opposed to an action providing narrow benefits to a specific group.
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Traditionalistic political culture
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The general and informal set of beliefs and attitudes that politics in a state or community is the domain of social and economic elites and that the have-nots ought not get involved in politics.
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Articles of Confederation
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The country's first constitution, ratified March, 1781.
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Bill of Rights
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Ratified December, 1791, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution ensure the protection of individuals and the states from the national government.
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Block grants
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Fixed-sum federal grants allocated by formula giving state and local governments broad leeway in designing and implementing designated programs.
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Categorical grants
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Federal grants made by the federal government to states and localities that usually are allocated by formula for narrow purposes.
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Centralization
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Empowering a national governing authority with unitary control and authority.
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Coercive Federalism
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A federalist arrangement whereby the federal government spearheads and funds programs also referred to as creative federalism.
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Commerce Clause
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Gives Congress the power, "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." Used by Congress to expand its power vis-à-vis the states.
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Confederal system
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Also known as a confederacy, a system of governance whereby the national government is subject to the control of sub-national, autonomous governments.
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Cooperative Federalism
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A federalism arrangement whereby responsibilities for most governmental functions are interdependent, shared between the federal and state governments.
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Decentralization
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Devolving to citizens or their elected representatives more power to make decisions, including the formation and implementation of public policies.
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Devolution
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The decentralization of power and authority from a central government to state or local governments.
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Dual federalism
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A system of federalism whereby governmental functions are apportioned so that the national and sub-national governments are accorded sovereign power within their respective spheres sometimes referred to as "layer cake" federalism.
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Federal Preemption
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Federal government taking regulatory action that overrides state laws.
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Federalism
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The structural relationship between a national government and its constitutive states.
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Full Faith and Credit Clause
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Stipulates that the states must mutually accept one another's public acts, records, and judicial proceedings.
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General Revenue Sharing (GRS)
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A federal grant-in-aid program that provides financial aid to sub-national units, but does not prescribe how those units are to allocate the funding.
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Incorporation of the Bill of Rights
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A legal doctrine whereby parts of the U.S. Bill of Rights are applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.
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Intergovernmental relations
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The interactions among the federal government, the states, and local governments.
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National Supremacy Clause
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Stipulates that the Constitution and national laws and treaties "shall be the supreme law of the land."
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Necessary and Proper Clause
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Known also as the "Elastic Clause," it grants Congress the power to make all laws which shall be "necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers," i.e., the other congressional powers listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
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Nullification
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A constitutional theory, advanced most notably by John C. Calhoun and other advocates of states' rights, espousing the right of a state to declare null and void a law passed by the U.S. Congress that the state found to be unconstitutional or disagreeable.
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Privileges and Immunities Clause
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Ensures that residents of one state can not be discriminated against by another state when it comes to fundamental matters, such as pursuing one's professional occupation or access to the courts.
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Unfunded mandate
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A public policy that requires a sub-national government to pay for an activity or project established by the federal government.
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Unitary system
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A system of governance with a strong central government that controls virtually all aspects of its constitutive sub-national governments.
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At-large elections
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Many elections for local government such as city councils or county council (or commissions) are often contested such that every voter in the jurisdiction votes on every council position up for election. Voters cast one vote per position being contested. Rather than representing a specific geographic area within the jurisdiction, elected officials represent the entire jurisdiction. At-large elections can allow a cohesive majority group to sweep every position.
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Blanket primary
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Primary elections nominate candidates for the general election. In a blanket primary election, candidates from all parties are listed on the same ballot. Voters participate regardless of their party affiliation, and are able to select candidates of different parties for different offices.
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Clean money / public finance of campaigns
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Some states provide public funds for candidates seeking political office if they agree to limits on the contributions they receive from private sources.
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Closed primary
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A primary nomination election. Voters registered with a political party are allowed to select among candidates from that party. Voters not registered with the party cannot participate.
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Cumulative voting
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A form of voting in at-large elections for city councils and other bodies. Voters are given as many votes as positions up for election on the council. Rather than casting one vote per council position, voters can, if the want, give one candidate multiple votes. This makes it less likely that a cohesive majority will sweep all positions up for election.
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Descriptive representation
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The idea that a representative should reflect the characteristics of the people (the constituents) who she (or he) represents. Characteristics could include race, ethnicity, gender, and other traits related to the identity of the representative's constituents.
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District magnitude
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The number of people elected to represent a political jurisdiction. In most American legislative races, district magnitude equals one. In at-large races, in multi-member districts, and in most proportional representation systems, district magnitude is greater that one.
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Efficacy
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The sense that one's effort at something can make a difference. Personal efficacy is the sense that you are able to understand politics. External efficacy' is the belief that public officials will respond to your political acts.
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Grandfather clause
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Exemptions to post-Civil War rules granted to whites, based on the fact that they had a father or grandfather who was a citizen prior to the Civil War. As slaves (non-citizens), Blacks were excluded by grandfather clauses.
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Literacy tests
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Post-Civil War rules that denied Blacks the vote literacy tests included tests designed to be too difficult for most people to pass. The test could ask people to interpret passages from the U.S. Constitution, and allowed local officials the discretion to judge if answers were right or wrong. Whites who would fail the tests could vote based on a grandfather clause.
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Lobbying
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Communicating with elected officials. The phrase comes from the fact that representatives were often approached in the lobby of legislative buildings.
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Majority-minority district
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Legislative districts where district lines are drawn so that people from a specific minority group comprise a majority of voters in the district.
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Multi-member district
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Legislative districts that elect more than one representative. Some state legislative districts, and many local councils, have more than one representative elected per district.
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Multi-party politics
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Political systems where three or more parties are able to win office. America, in contrast, is dominated by two-party politics.
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Non-partisan primary
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An election to nominate candidates for the general election where candidates have no party labels, and all voters can participate. Used in many local elections, and at the state level in Nebraska.
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Open primary
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A primary nomination election. Any registered voter, including independents, can participate. Voters must decide which party's primary they will participate in, and can choose only among that party's candidates.
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Participation bias
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The difference between the general population of eligible voters, and the people who actually participate in elections. Bias in participation exists if participants are substantially different than non-participants.
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Partisan primary
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A primary election to decide a party's nominee for the general election ballot.
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Poll tax
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A tax or fee that must be paid in order to secure the right to register, or to vote.
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Primary election
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An election to decide which candidates will be able to be listed on the general election (November) ballot.
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Progressive Era
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A period of political change and reform during the early decades of the 20th Century.
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Racial gerrymandering
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Drawing boundaries for legislative districts on the basis of race.
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Social capital
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Networks of trust and reciprocity built from participation in voluntary social groups.
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Voting age population
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All U.S. residents over the age 18 and over.
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Voting eligible population
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All U.S. citizens age 18 and over, who are not excluded from voter eligibility due to criminal status (felony convictions, incarceration, or parole), or excluded due to being declared being incompetent to vote.
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Voting Rights Act
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A law passed by Congress in 1965 designed to remove racial barriers to voting. The original law gave the federal government authority over local voter registration procedures in several southern states. It has been amended and re-authorized by Congress several times since 1965.
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Winner-take-all
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Also known as plurality' election rules. When a single person represents a jurisdiction or just one person can win an elected position, the candidate with the most votes (the first to win, so to speak), is elected.
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General Welfare Clause
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Provides that the governing body empowered by the document may enact laws as it sees fit to promote the well-being of the people governed thereunder.
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14th amendment
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extended Bill of rights to states
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Constitutional initiative
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An initiative measure that amends a state's constitution, or adds new language to a constitution. Constitutional measures can alter rules about a state's political process. If approved by voters, constitutional measures are typically more difficult for elected officials to amend or repeal than statutory initiatives.
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Direct initiative
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A measure proposed by a citizen or group. If the proposal qualifies with sufficient signatures, it is voted on directly by the public, and becomes law if approved.
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Indirect initiative
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A measure proposed by a citizen or group. If the proposal qualifies, it is directed to the state legislature. The legislature can vote to approve the measure as written, or refer it to the voters for approval. The legislature may also refer an alternate proposal along with the initiative proposal.
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Legislative referendum
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Legislation approved by the legislature, but referred to the voters for final approval. Some legislation, like constitutional amendments (in most states) or bond issues (in some states and communities), must be referred to voters for final approval.
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Meyer v. Grant
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A 1988 US Supreme Court ruling against a Colorado law that made it a felony to pay for the collection of signatures on initiative and referendum petitions. The Court ruled that spending to collect signatures was "core political speech" and that no state could ban campaign spending on signature collection. Since 2005, however, two Federal Appellate Courts (the 8th Circuit and 9th Circuit) have permitted states to ban payment per signature, thus requiring paid petitioners receive a salary or an hourly wage.
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Popular referendum
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Legislation approved by the legislature (or a local government) that is put to a popular vote as a result of a successful petition for a referendum. Allows voters to have the final decision on legislation written by elected officials.
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Populist Party
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A "third" American political party that had its greatest success in the 1890s. Populists were elected to state legislatures, the US Congress and US Senate. The party called for political reforms including direct democracy, direct election of the US Senate, and direct election of the President.
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Proposition 13
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A constitutional initiative approved by California voters in 1978. One of the first major anti-tax initiatives, Proposition 13 froze property values at 1977 levels, limited future increases in property taxes, and is credited with setting an anti-tax mood that helped propel Ronald Reagan to the White House.
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Recall
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A vote to remove an elected official from public office. Recall proposals qualify if sufficient signatures are collected.
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Single subject rule
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Rules that require that an initiative address only one question or issue. Twelve states have such rules for their initiative process. There is a wide variety in the definition of a single subject, and in how courts interpret them. Some courts have become more assertive in rejecting initiatives on grounds that this rule is violated.
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Statutory initiative
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An initiative measure that amends a regular law, or adds new law to the statute books. If approved by voters, statutory initiative measures have the status of laws passed through the regular legislative process. Statutory initiative laws are thus typically easier for elected officials to amend (or repeal) than constitutional initiative laws.
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Wedge issues
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Controversial issues placed for a public vote via the initiative or referendum process by one political party or group, with the goal of dividing candidates and supporters of a rival party or group.
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
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Also known as BCRA, banned federal political parties from using soft money for federal election activity, but also restricted some activities of state and local parties.
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Caucus
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Used by parties to nominate candidates, with party members informally meeting, deliberating, and casting a vote for their preferred candidate.
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Closed primary
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Voters registered with a political party are permitted to vote in a primary election only for candidates of the party with whom they are registered.
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Direct primary
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An election in which voters select one candidate affiliated with a political party for each elected office the party nominees later face one another in a general election.
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Functional party model
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A theory that parties are pragmatic, self-interested organizations, striving to maximize votes in order to win elections and control political office
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Nonpartisan blanket primary
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All candidates, regardless of their party, face off in the same primary election, with a candidate winning the election outright if he or she wins more than 50% of the vote.
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Office-block ballot
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Groups together all candidates running for a single political office by the political office rather than by their party.
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Open primary
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Regardless of their party affiliation, registered voters may freely and secretly choose the ballot of any party's primary in which they choose to vote.
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Partisan dealignment
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The weakening of the attachment that voters have to a political party.
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Party boss
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The head of an urban or state party machine who controls elections and the disbursement of patronage.
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Party fusion
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Permits two or more parties to nominate the same candidate for office, with the candidate's name appearing on the ballot along side the name of each party he or she is cross-endorsed.
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Party identification
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Also known as PID, it is the strength of an individual's attachment to a political party.
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Party-column ballot
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Groups together all candidates running for different political offices by their party affiliation, making straight ticket voting possible.
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Patronage appointments
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The rewarding of government offices to loyal supporters in exchange for their political support.
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Responsible party model
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A theory advanced by Edmund Burke that parties should be ideologically consistent, presenting voters with a clear platform and set of policies that are principled and distinctive. Elected officials are expected to be held responsible for implementing the party's program and policies.
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Semi-closed primary
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Voting in a party's primary is permitted for voters who are registered with the party or who are registered as independents.
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Semi-open primary
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Registered voters may vote in any party's primary, but they must publicly declare for which party's primary they choose to vote.
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Soft money
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Campaign funds not regulated by federal election laws, originally intended to be used for party-building and state and local general electioneering activities.
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Spoils system
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An informal system in which political appointments are rewarded for political considerations, rather than for fitness of office.
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Top-two primary
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Allows eligible voters, irrespective of their party affiliation, to vote in a primary for any candidate running on any party ticket, with the top-candidates from each political party squaring-off in the general election.
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