American Politics and Government Review Terms

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental political science definitions across American Politics, Founding Constitutional Principles, Federalism, Congress, the Presidency, Bureaucracy, and the Judicial System.

Free rider problem

The incentive for individuals to enjoy the benefits of a collective good or service without contributing to the cost or effort required to produce it.

Tragedy of the commons

A collective action dilemma where individuals exploit and deplete a shared, unmanaged public resource to the detriment of the entire community.

Collective action problems

Situations in which members of a group would benefit by cooperating, but conflicting individual incentives create obstacles to acting together.

Articles of Confederation

The first written constitution of the United States, adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781, which established a weak national government with a unicameral legislature and no executive or judicial branch.

Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise

The agreement at the Constitutional Convention that established a bicameral legislature, featuring proportional representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate.

Federalist 10

An essay written by James Madison arguing that the perils of factions are best controlled by a large, diverse commercial republic.

Shays Rebellion

An armed uprising of debt-burdened farmers in western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787 that demonstrated the instability and weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Three-fifths compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention stating that three-fifths of an enslaved population would be counted for both direct taxation and legislative representation in the House.

Categorical grants

Federal financial aid provided to state or local governments that must be spent strictly for specified purposes defined by federal law and administrative regulations.

Block grants

Federal intergovernmental funds allocated to states with broad policy guidelines, granting recipients wide discretion over how the money is spent.

Dual federalism

A constitutional model often described as 'layer cake' federalism, where national and state governments operate within mutually exclusive and distinct realms of jurisdiction.

Cooperative federalism

A model of federalism described as 'marble cake' federalism, where national, state, and local governments share responsibilities, costs, and administrative duties on joint policy initiatives.

McCullough v Maryland

The landmark 1819 Supreme Court case affirming the supremacy of the national government over state actions and validating the implied powers of Congress under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Filibuster

A procedural mechanism in the Senate where one or more senators delay or prevent a vote on legislation or nominations through indefinite debate.

Cloture

A Senate procedure used to cut off debate and end a filibuster, requiring a supermajority vote of three-fifths of the sworn senators (ordinarily 60 votes).

Gerrymandering

The deliberate manipulation of legislative district boundaries to advantage a specific political party, faction, or demographic group.

Casework

Direct assistance provided by elected officials and their legislative staffs to constituents navigating federal administrative agencies and services.

Log rolling

An informal legislative practice where lawmakers agree to trade votes in support of each other's bills or amendments.

Executive orders

Formal regulations, rules, or directives issued by the president to the executive bureaucracy that carry the force of law without requiring congressional authorization.

Executive privilege

The presidential claim of authority to withhold certain internal records, confidential communications, or testimony from Congress and the courts to preserve executive independence.

War powers resolution

A 1973 statute requiring the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying armed forces into hostilities and mandating the withdrawal of forces within 60 to 90 days without congressional authorization.

Two presidencies thesis

The theory that presidents operate with substantially greater autonomy and success when directing foreign and defense policy than when attempting to pass domestic legislation.

Pendleton Act

An 1883 federal statute that created the Civil Service Commission and established that federal government employment should be awarded based on merit and competitive examinations rather than political patronage.

Hatch Act

A federal law passed in 1939 that restricts federal civil service employees from engaging in specific partisan political activities, such as campaigning or fundraising on the job.

Bureaucratic drift

The tendency of administrative agencies to implement public policy in a direction favored by civil service bureaucrats rather than conforming strictly to the original intent of elected lawmakers.

Fire alarm oversight

A congressional oversight method in which lawmakers do not constantly monitor agencies, but instead respond only after outside citizens, interest groups, or the media signal administrative failures or misconduct.

Police patrol oversight

A proactive method of legislative oversight in which congressional committees systematically, continuously, and routinely inspect executive agencies to detect and deter administrative abuses.

Notice and comment procedure

A step required by the Administrative Procedure Act where a regulatory agency publishes a proposed rule in the Federal Register and gives the public an opportunity to submit feedback before enacting the final regulation.

Judicial review

The constitutional doctrine enabling the judicial branch to assess executive actions, legislative statutes, and administrative rules and nullify them if they conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark 1803 Supreme Court ruling written by Chief Justice John Marshall that formally established the principle and power of judicial review.

Writ of certiorari

A formal order issued by an appellate court, most notably the U.S. Supreme Court, commanding a lower court to send up the official case record for legal review.

Stare decisis

A legal principle translating to 'let the decision stand,' requiring judges to base current rulings on precedents established in prior judicial decisions.

Amicus curiae

A 'friend of the court' legal brief submitted by an outside third party who is not a direct litigant in the suit but possesses a strong interest or expertise in the legal issue at stake.

Rule of Four

The unwritten practice of the U.S. Supreme Court requiring at least four of the nine justices to vote in favor of granting a writ of certiorari before a case is accepted for oral argument and review.