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27 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Political culture
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The attitudes and beliefs broadly shared in a polity about the role and responsibility of government |
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Moralistic culture |
A political culture that views politics and government as the means to achieve individual goals |
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Individualistic culture |
A political culture that views politics and government as just another way to achieve individual goals |
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Traditionalistic culture |
A political culture that views politics as the means of maintaining the existing social order |
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Laboratories of democracy |
Metaphor that emphasizes that states' ability to engage in different policy experiments without interference from the federal government |
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Federalism |
Political system in which national and regional governments share power and are considered independent equals |
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Unitary systems |
Political systems in which power is concentrated in a central government |
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Preemption |
The process of the federal governments overriding areas regulated by state law |
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Concurrent Powers |
Powers that both federal and state governments can exercise. These include the power to tax, borrow, and spend. |
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10th amendment |
Guaranteeing that a broad, but undefined, set of powers be reserved for the states and the people |
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Dual Federalism |
The idea that state and federal governments have separate an distinct jurisdictions and responsibilities |
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States' rights |
The belief that states should be free to make their own decisions with little interference from the federal government |
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Cooperative Federalism
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Notion that it is impossible for state and national government to have separate and distinct jurisdictions and that both levels of government must work together |
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Grants-in-aid |
Cash appropriations given by the federal government to the states |
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Categorical grants |
Federal grants-in-aid given for specific programs that leave states and localities with little discretion over how to spend the money |
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Centralized Federalism |
Notion that the Federal government should take the leading role in setting national policy, with state and local governments helping implement the policies |
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Block grants |
Federal grant-in-aid given for general policy areas that leave states and localities with wide discretion over how to spend the money within the designated policy area |
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General revenue sharing |
Federal grants-in-aid given with few constraints, leaving states and localities almost complete discretion over how to spend the money |
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Crossover Sanctions
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Federal requirements mandating that grant recipients pass and enforce certain laws or regulations as a condition of receiving funds |
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Unfunded Mandates |
Federal laws that direct state action but provide no financial support for that action |
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New Federalism |
The belief that states should receive more power and authority and less money from the federal government |
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Dual Constitutionalism |
A system of government in which people live under two soveregin power. Like residence and the federal government |
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Constitutional Amendments |
Proposals to change a constitution, typically enacted by a supermajority of the legislature of through a statewide referendum |
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Ratification |
A vote of the entire electorate to approve a constitutional change referendum, or ballot initiative. |
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Colonial characters |
Legal documents drawn up by the British Crown that spelled out how the colonies were to be goverend |
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Constitutional revision committees |
Expert committees formed to asses constituions and suggest changes |
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Model Constitution |
An expert-approved generic or "idea" constitution that states sometimes use as a yardstick against which to measure their existing constitutions |
