Chapter 03 - Federalism

Question 0

Block grants

Answer 0

Grants of money from the federal government to states for programs in certain general areas rather than for specific kinds of programs

Question 1

Devolution

Answer 1

The current effort to scale back the size and activities of the national government and to shift responsibility for a wide range Of domestic programs from Washington to the states. In recent years these areas have included welfare, health care, and job training.

Question 2

Sovereignty

Answer 2

Supreme or ultimate political authority; a sovereign government is one that is legally and politically independent of any other government

Question 3

Unitary system

Answer 3

A system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government so that subnational political units are dependent on its will

Question 4

“Necessary and proper” clause

Answer 4

The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers. Sometimes called the “elastic clause” because of the flexibility that it provides to Congress

Question 5

Nullification

Answer 5

A theory first advanced by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson that the states had the right to “nullify” (that is, declare null and void) a federal law that, in the states’ opinion, violated the Constitution.the theory was revived by John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina in opposition to federal efforts to restrict slavery. The North’s victory in the Civil War determined once and for all that the federal Union is indissoluble and that states cannot declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, a view later confirmed by the Supreme Court

Question 6

Dual federalism

Answer 6

A constitutional theory that the national government and the state government each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce

Question 7

Special-act charter

Answer 7

A charter that denies the powers of a certain named city and lists what the city can and cannot do

Question 8

General-act charter

Answer 8

A charter that applies to a number of cities that fall within a certain classification, usually based on city population. Thus in some states all cities with populations over 100,000 are governed on the basis of one charter, while all cities with populations between 50,000 and 99,999 are governed by a different one

Question 9

Dillion’s rule

Answer 9

A legal principle that holds that the terms of city charters are to be interpreted narrowly. Under this rule (named after a lawyer who wrote a book on the subject in 1911) a municipal corporation can exercise only those powers expressly given it or those powers necessarily implied by, or essential to the accomplishment of, these stated powers

Question 10

Home-rule charter

Answer 10

A charter that allows the city government to do anything that is not prohibited by the charter or by state law

Question 11

Ordinance

Answer 11

A law passed and enforced by a city government

Question 12

County

Answer 12

The largest territorial unit between a city and a town

Question 13

Special-district government or authority

Answer 13

A local or regional government with responsibility for some single function such as administering schools, handling sewage, or managing airports

Question 14

Initiative

Answer 14

A procedure allowing voters to submit a proposed law to a popular vote by obtaining a required amount of signatures

Question 15

Referendum

Answer 15

The practice of submitting a law to a popular vote at election time. The law may be proposed by a voter’s initiative or by the legislature

Question 16

Recall

Answer 16

A procedure, in effect in over twenty states, whereby the voters can vote to remove an elected official from office

Question 17

Grants-in-aid

Answer 17

Federal funds provided to states and localities. These are typically provided for airports, highways, education, and major welfare services.

Question 18

Revenue sharing

Answer 18

A law providing for the distribution of a fixed amount or share of federal tax revenues to the states for spending on almost any government purpose. Distribution was intended to send more money to poorer, heavily taxed states and less to richer, lightly taxed ones. The program ended in 1986.

Question 19

Conditions of aid

Answer 19

Federal rules attached to the grants that states receive. States must agree to abide by these rules in order to receive grants

Question 20

Mandates

Answer 20

Rules imposed by the federal government on the states as conditions for obtaining federal grants or requirements that the states pay the costs of certain nationally defined programs

Question 21

Second-order devolution

Answer 21

The flow of power and responsibility from states to local governments

Question 22

Third-order devolution

Answer 22

The use of nongovernmental organizations to implement public policy