Unit 7 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on Unit 7 lecture notes.

Block Grants

Grant money given by the national government to the states to carry out specific policy, with few restrictions about how it should be spent (e.g., CDBG).

Categorical Grants

Money given by the national government to the states for a specific, narrowly defined purpose (e.g., Federal State Medicaid program).

Concurrent Powers

Authority is shared between the national and state governments; for instance, the power to tax.

Exclusive Powers

Powers held only by the federal or state governments without overlapping; for example, declaring war.

Federalism

A system of government where power is divided and shared between the national government and the states; exemplified by the United States.

Mandates

When the national government requires the states to do something, or a presidential claim that he/she has the overwhelming support of the people behind him/her (e.g., ADA and Clean Water Act).

Revenue Sharing

When the national government distributes tax revenues to the states to spend as states see fit (e.g., Provinces, states sharing revenue with local governments).