11 Flashcards
Government
The organization of power within a country.
Government Accountability Office
Congress’s main investigative agency, the GAO investigates operations of government agencies as part of congressional oversight.
Government bond
A promissory note issued by the government to pay back the purchase price plus interest.
Government corporation
A federal agency that operates like a corporation (following business practices and charging for services) but receives some federal funding.
Grandfather clause
A voting law that stated that a person could vote if his grandfather was eligible to vote prior to 1867; designed to keep blacks from voting.
Grant-in-aid
A general term to describe federal aid given to the states for a particular matter.
Grant of power
Declaring that a certain person or group has a specific power.
Grassroots activism
Efforts to influence the government by mobilizing large numbers of people.
Great Compromise
The compromise plan on representation in the constitutional convention; it created a bicameral legislature with representation determined by population in one house and equality in the other; also known as the Connecticut Compromise.
gross domestic product
The total value of all economic transactions within a state.
guerrilla war
A war in which one or both combatants use small, lightly armed militia units rather than professional, organized armies; guerrilla fighters usually seek to topple their government, often enjoying the support of the people.
gun control
Policies that aim at regulating and reducing the use of firearms.
Hatch Act
A law passed in 1939 that restricts the participation of federal civil servants in political campaigns.
hierarchy
An arrangement of power with a small number of people at the top issuing orders through a chain of command to lower-level workers; each person is responsible to someone above him or her.
home rule
The granting of significant autonomy to local governments by state governments.
home style
The way a member of Congress behaves in his or her district.
honeymoon period
The first few months of an administration in which the public, members of Congress, and the media tend to give the president their goodwill.
horizontal federalism
How state governments relate to one another.
hyperpluralism
The idea that there are too many interest groups competing for benefits.
idealism
The view that states should act in the global arena to promote moral causes and use ethical means to achieve them.
