POSC 100 Ch 1-3, 14 Exam

government

institutions and officials that make and enforce authoritative rules

politics

the process of competing over power, priorities, and resources

government vs/& politics

scenario: a city council creates a new rule regulating businesses. several businesses and neighborhood groups argue over what the rule should contain

representative democracy

citizens elect officials to make many public decisions on their behalf

majority rule

the majority generally determines the outcome of ordinary political decisions

representative democracy (2)

scenario: citizens elect a city council. the council then votes on a new local policy

majority rule & minority rights

scenario: most voters support a policy, but the government cannot use that majority to violate a constitutional right

John Locke

argues that people naturally possess life, liberty, and property, and governments have a role in protecting them

internal efficacy

belief that you understand politics and can participate effectively

external efficacy

belief that government will listen and respond to people like you

internal political efficacy

scenario: maria understands elections and knows how to contact her representative. she feels confident participating

public good

a commodity or service made available to all members of society, usually administered by governments and paid for collectively thru taxation

common good

a resource available to everyone but depletable

public good (2)

scenario: a city emergency warning system alerts residents about dangerous weather

Federalist No. 10

discusses factions and argues that a large republic w/ many competing interests can make it harder for one faction to dominate

Federalist No. 10 (2)

scenario: a country contains many different political groups w/ competing interests. because there are so many groups, one group has difficulty controlling the entire government

Articles of Confederation

created a national government w/ limited power

• weakness: Congress could not directly impose taxes

weakness of Articles of Confederation

scenario: the national government has debts but struggles to raise money because congress cannot directly tax the states

The Great Compromise

creates a House of Representatives divided by state population and a Senate where every state, large or small, holds two equal seats

The Great Compromise (2)

scenario: a constitutional proposal gives larger states more representatives in one chamber while giving every state the same number of senators

Three-fifths Compromise

established a method for counting enslaved people for purposes connected to representations/appointment

Three-fifths Compromise (2)

scenario: a question describes a constitutional compromise in which enslaved people were included in population calculations in a way that affected representation

Federalism

national and state governments each have constitutionally protected authority

Confederation

states governments retain primary authority while the central government is comparatively weak

Federalism (2)

scenario: the national government and state governments both exercise authority over different policy areas

checks & balances

one branch has powers that can limit another branch

checks & balances (2)

scenario: Congress passes a bill. The president vetoes it. Congress attempts to override the veto

Necessary & Proper Clause

allows Congress to use reasonable means to carry it out

necessary & proper clause (2)

scenario: Congress has an enumerated power and creates a reasonable program needed to put that power into practice

supremacy clause

federal law takes priority over conflicting state law

preemption

federal law displaces conflicting state policy

supremacy clause (2)

scenario: a state law conflicts with a federal law

categorical grants

federal funding for a specific purpose, usually with more conditions

categorical grant (2)

scenario: the federal government gives states money that can only be spent on a particular program and requires detailed rules to be followed

block grants

federal government gives money for a broader area and allows states more flexibilityb

block grants (2)

scenario: the federal government provides money for health programs but lets states decide how to use much of the funding within that broad area

mandate

a requirement imposed by one level of government onto another level of government

unfunded mandate

a requirement imposed on another government without enough funding to cover the cost

unfunded mandate (2)

scenario: the federal government requires states to implement a new program but provides no money to pay for the implementation

accessibility rule

requires govs or institutions to meet accessibility standards so people with disabilities can access services, facilities, and programs

accessibility rule (2)

scenario: a local public library updating its online registration form so that screen-reader software can read every field aloud to blind visitors

conditional spending

federal funding provided with conditions attached

conditional spending (2)

scenario: the federal gov offers states transportation funding, but states must adopt a specific safety requirement to receive the money

policy diffusion

a policy idea spreads from one jurisdiction to another

laboratory of democracy

states can experiment with policies, observe the results, and provide examples for other states

policy diffusion (2)

scenario: one state creates a new election policy. other states observe the results and later adopt similar policies

venue shopping

an interest group changes where it seeks political influence to find a more receptive gov or institution

venue shopping (2)

scenario: an advocacy group cannot get the policy it wants thru Congress, so it begins persuading state legislatures instead

Dillon’s Rule

local govs have narrower authority; they only possess powers explicitly granted to them by their state legislature

Dillon’s rule (2)

scenario: a city wants to create a new program but must determine whether state law gives it authority to do so

home rule

grants local govs the autonomy to pass laws and govern their own local affairs without needing explicit permission from the state legislature

home rule (2)

scenario: a city charter gives the city broad authority to govern local matters

governmental fragmentation

multiple govs share responsibilities within an area

governmental fragmentation (2)

scenario: a city, county, regional water district, and state agency all have responsibilities related to the same public service. residents are unsure who is responsible for a problem