Poli Sci Test 4

Front 1

Apportionment

Back 1

the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are distributed among the fifty states

Front 2

Bicalerism

Back 2

the political process that results from dividing a legislature into two separate assemblies

Front 3

Bill

Back 3

proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature

Front 4

Cloture

Back 4

a parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion

Front 5

Collective representation

Back 5

the relationship between Congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people

Front 6

Conference committee

Back 6

a special type of joint committee that reconciles different bills passed in the House and Senate so a single bill results

Front 7

Constituency

Back 7

the body of voters, or constituents, represented by a particular politician

Front 8

delegate model of representation

Back 8

a model of representation in which representatives feel compelled to act on the specific stated wishes of their constituents

Front 9

Discriptive representation

Back 9

the extent to which a body of representatives represents the descriptive characteristics of their constituencies, such as class, race, ethnicity, and gender

Front 10

Enumerated powers

Back 10

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

Front 11

Filibuster

Back 11

a parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate on a piece of legislation as long as possible, typically with the intended purpose of obstructing or killing it

Front 12

Inherent power

Back 12

The powers neither enumerated nor implied but assumed to exist as a direct result of the country’s existence

Front 13

Joint committee

Back 13

a legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority

Front 14

Majority leader

Back 14

the leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate; in the House, the majority leader serves under the Speaker of the House, in the Senate, the majority leader is the functional leader and chief spokesperson for the majority party

Front 15

Markup

Back 15

the amending and voting process in a congressional committee

Front 16

Minority leader

Back 16

the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of either the House or the Senate

Front 17

Oversight

Back 17

the right to review and monitor other bodies such as the executive branch

Front 18

Politico model of representation

Back 18

a model of representation in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate, based on rational political calculations about who is best served, the constituency or the nation

Front 19

Pork barrel politics

Back 19

federal spending intended to benefit a particular district or set of constituents

Front 20

President pro tempore

Back 20

the senator who acts in the absence of the actual president of the Senate, who is also the vice president of the United States; the president pro tempore is usually the most senior senator of the majority party

Front 21

Representation

Back 21

an elected leader’s looking out for his or her constituents while carrying out the duties of the office

Front 22

Select committee

Back 22

a small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded; also called an ad hoc, or special, committee

Front 23

Speaker of the house

Back 23

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of the majority party; the Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president

Front 24

Standing committee

Back 24

a permanent legislative committee that meets regularly

Front 25

Surge and decline theory

Back 25

a theory proposing that the surge of stimulation occurring during presidential elections subsides during midterm elections, accounting for the differences we observe in turnouts and results

Front 26

Trustee model of representation

Back 26

a model of representation in which representatives feel at liberty to act in the way they believe is best for their constituents

Front 27

Whip

Back 27

in the House and in the Senate, a high leadership position whose primary duty is to enforce voting discipline in the chambers and conferences

Front 28

Bottom up implementation

Back 28

a strategy in which the federal government allows local areas some flexibility to meet their specific challenges and needs in implementing policy

Front 29

Debt

Back 29

the total amount the government owes across all years

Front 30

Deficit

Back 30

the annual amount by which expenditures are greater than revenues

Front 31

Discretionary spending

Back 31

government spending that Congress must pass legislation to authorize each year

Front 32

Distributive policy

Back 32

a policy that collect payments or resources broadly but concentrates direct benefits on relatively few

Front 33

Entitlement

Back 33

a program that guarantees benefits to members of a specific group or segment of the population

Front 34

Excise taxes

Back 34

taxes applied to specific goods or services as a source of revenue

Front 35

Free market economics

Back 35

a school of thought that believes the forces of supply and demand, working without any government intervention, are the most effective way for markets to operate

Front 36

Keynesian economics

Back 36

an economic policy based on the idea that economic growth is closely tied to the ability of individuals to consume goods

Front 37

Laiseez faire

Back 37

an economic policy that assumes the key to economic growth and development is for the government to allow private markets to operate efficiently without interference

Front 38

Libertarians

Back 38

people who believe that government almost always operates less efficiently than the private sector and that its actions should be kept to a minimum

Front 39

Mandatory spending

Back 39

government spending earmarked for entitlement programs guaranteeing support to those who meet certain qualifications

Front 40

Medicaid

Back 40

a health insurance program for low-income citizens

Front 41

Medicare

Back 41

an entitlement health insurance program for older people and retirees who no longer get health insurance through their work

Front 42

Policy advocates

Back 42

people who actively work to propose or maintain public policy

Front 43

Policy analysts

Back 43

people who identify all possible choices available to a decision maker and assess the potential impact of each

Front 44

Progressive tax

Back 44

a tax that tends to increase the effective tax rate as the wealth or income of the tax payer increases

Front 45

Public policy

Back 45

the broad strategy government uses to do its job; the relatively stable set of purposive governmental behaviors that address matters of concern to some part of society

Front 46

Recession

Back 46

a temporary contraction of the economy in which there is no economic growth for two consecutive quarters

Front 47

Redistributive policy

Back 47

a policy in which costs are born by a relatively small number of groups or individuals, but benefits are expected to be enjoyed by a different group in society

Front 48

Regressive tax

Back 48

a tax applied at a lower overall rate as individuals’ income rises

Front 49

Regulatory policy

Back 49

a policy that regulates companies and organizations in a way that protects the public

Front 50

Safety net

Back 50

a way to provide for members of society experiencing economic hardship

Front 51

Social security

Back 51

a social welfare policy for people who no longer receive an income from employment

Front 52

Supply side economics

Back 52

an economic policy that assumes economic growth is largely a function of a country’s productive capacity

Front 53

Top down implementation

Back 53

a strategy in which the federal government dictates the specifics of public policy and each state implements it the same exact way