chapter 3- gov key terms

federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government share formal authority over the same area and people

unitary governments

a central government that holds supreme power in a nation. most nat’l govts today are this kind of government

intergovernmental relations

the entire set of interactions among national, state. and local governments- including regulations, transfers of funds, and the sharing of information- that constitute the workings of the federal system

supremacy clause

clause in article VI of the constitution that makes the constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the national government is acting within its constitutional limits

tenth amendment

the constitutional amendment stating “the powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people“

McCulloch v Maryland

an 1819 supreme court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments. the court, led by chief justice john marshall, held that congress had certain implied powers in addition to the powers enumerated in the constitution.

enumerated powers

powers of the federal government that are listed explicitly in the constitution. example: article i section 8 specifically gives congress the power to coin money and regulate its value and impose taxes.

implied powers

powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the constitution, in accordance with the statement in the constitution that congress has the power “to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution“ the powers enumerated in article i.

elastic clause

final paragraph of article i, section 8 of constitution; authorizes congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper“ to carry out the enumerated powers

Gibbons v Ogden

decided in 1824 - supreme court interpreted very broadly the clause in article i, section 8 - defined the power of congress to regulate interstate commerce as encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity

full faith and credit

clause in article iv - requiring each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of all other states

extradition

a legal process where a state surrenders a person charged with a crime to the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

privileges and immunities

the provision of the constitution according citizens of each state the privileges of citizens of any state in which they happen to be

dual federalism

a system of govt in which the states and the national govt each remain supreme within their own spheres, each with different powers and policy responsibilities (layer cake analogy)

cooperative federalism

a system of govt in which states and the national govt share powers and policy assignments (marble cake analogy)

devolution

transferring responsibility for policies from the federal govt to state and local govts

fiscal federalism

the pattern of pending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; the cornerstone of the national government’s relations with state and local governments

categorical grants

federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or categories, of state and local spending. they come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions

project grants

federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and award on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

block grants

federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services