Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
51 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Credit Claiming
|
the acceptance of credit by a member of congress for legislation that specifically benefits his constituents
|
|
Closed Rules
|
conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee prohibiting the addition of an amendment bill
|
|
Gerrymandering
|
attempting to use the process of redrawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district.
|
|
Monetary Theory
|
the idea that the amount of money in circulation (the money supply) is the primary influence on economic activity and inflation.
|
|
Apportionment
|
the process of assigning the 345 seats in the House to the states based on the increases or decreases in state populations.
|
|
Distributive Theory
|
the idea that members of Congress will join committees that best serve the interests of their district and that committee members will support each other's legislation
|
|
Cloture
|
A procedure through which the Senate can limit the amount of time spent debating a bill (cut off a filibuster) if a supermajority of 60 senates agree.
|
|
Advertising
|
Actions taken by a member of Congress that are unrelated to government issues but have the primary goal of making the positive impression on the public, like sending holiday cards to constituents and appeals in parades
|
|
Trade Deficit
|
a measure of how much more a nation imports than exports
|
|
Electoral Connection
|
the idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members' desire for reelection
|
|
Position Taking
|
any public statement in which a member of congress makes her views on an issue known to her constituents
|
|
Filibuster
|
a tactic used by senators to block a bill from continuing to hold the floor and speak- under senate rule of unlimited debate-until the bill's supports break down
|
|
Business Cycle
|
the normal pattern of expansion and contraction of the economy
|
|
Incumbent Safety
|
the relative infrequency with which members of congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection
|
|
Role Call Vote
|
a recorded vote on legislation, members may vote yes, no, abstain, or present
|
|
Redistricting
|
redrawing the geographic boundaries of legislative districts. This happens every 10 years to ensure that districts remain roughly equal in population.
|
|
Modified Rules
|
conditions placed on a legislative debate by the house rules committee allowing the addition of relevant amendments to a bill.
|
|
Entitlement
|
any federal government program that provides benefits to Americans who meet requirements specified by law.
|
|
Casework
|
assistance provided by members of congress to their constituents in solving problems with the federal bureaucracy or addressing other specific concerns
|
|
Specialization
|
the expertise of a member of congress on a specific issue or area of policy. Specialization is more common in the House than the Senate, where members tend to be policy generalists.
|
|
Information Theory
|
the idea of having committees in congress made up of experts on specific policy areas helps to ensure well-informed policy decision
|
|
Speaker of the House
|
The elected leader of the House of Representatives
|
|
Monetary Policy
|
government decisions about how to influence the economy using control of the money supply and interest rates
|
|
Mandatory Spending
|
Expenditures that are required by law
|
|
Keynesian Economics
|
the theory that government should use economic policy, like taxing and spending, to maintain stability in an economy
|
|
Pork Barrel
|
Legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents created with the aim of helping local representatives win reelection
|
|
Seniority
|
the informal congressional norm of choosing the member who has served the longest on a particular committee to be the committee chair
|
|
Full Employment
|
the theoretical point at which citizens who want to be employed have a job
|
|
Party Unity
|
the extent to which members of congress in the same party vote together on party votes
|
|
Fiscal Policy
|
government decisions about how to influence the economy by taxing and spending.
|
|
Federal Reserve Board
|
the group of seven presidential appointees who govern the Federal Reserves System
|
|
Economic Depression
|
A deep, widespread down turn in the economy
|
|
Progressive
|
a term describing the taxes that require upper-income people to pay higher tax rates than lower-income people
|
|
Regressive
|
a term describing taxes that take a larger share of poor people's income than wealthy people's income
|
|
Supply-Side Economics
|
the theory that lower tax rates will stimulate the economy by encouraging people to save, invest, or produce goods and services
|
|
Discretionary Spending
|
expenditures that can be cut from the budget without changing the underlying law
|
|
Suspension of the Rule
|
one-way of moving a piece of legislation to the top of the agenda in the House- debate is limited to 40 minutes, amendments are not allowed, and a 2/3 Senate vote is required
|
|
Universalism
|
religious, theological, and philosophical concepts that can apply to all
|
|
Discretionary Spending
|
expenditures that can be cut from the budget without changing the underlying law
|
|
Suspension of the Rule
|
one-way of moving a piece of legislation to the top of the agenda in the House- debate is limited to 40 minutes, amendments are not allowed, and a 2/3 Senate vote is required
|
|
Great Society
|
Johnson's social reform programs promoted in the 1960s which aimed to improve Americans' quality of life.
|
|
New Deal
|
the set of policies promoted by FDR in 1933-35 during the Great Depression that promoted economic recovery and social reform programs
|
|
Income Support
|
Government programs that provide support to low-income Americans
|
|
Market-Based Solution
|
Reform options for social policies, based on tax credit, flexible spending accounts, and other approaches that rely on competition in the free market
|
|
Medicaid
|
an entitlement program funded by the federal and state governments that provide health care and coverage for low-income Americans.
|
|
Medicare
|
Federal health care plan created in 1965 that provides coverage for retired Americans for hospital care, drug prescriptions, and medical care
|
|
Ownership Society
|
The term used to describe the social policy vision of Bush, in which citizens take responsibility for their own social welfare and the free market plays a greater role in social policy.
|
|
Privatization
|
the process of transferring the management of a government program (like social security) from the public sector to the private sector
|
|
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
|
the welfare program that replaced aid to families with dependent children in 1996, eliminating the entitlement status of welfare, shifting implementation of the policy to the states, and introducing several new restrictions on receiving aid-this lead to a decrease in the number of welfare recipients
|
|
Budget Deficit
|
the amount by which a government's spending in a given fiscal year exceeds its revenue.
|
|
entitlement
|
any federal government program that provides benefits to Americans who meet the requirements specific to the law.
|