Chapter 3 terms Flashcards
the major American labor unions and their federations
big labor
the notion that constitutional devices can prevent any power within a nation from becoming absolute by being balanced against, or checked by, another source of power within that same nation.
checks and balances
a means of governance whose power is concentrated in a legislature, which selects from among its members a prime minister and his or her cabinet officers.
parliamentary system
a confusing word. While it can refer to a cabinet-level agency of the U.S. government, it can also refer to one of the three branches of government: executive, legislative, or judicial. But it is also used as a general term for any administrative subdivision.
department
in a two-party system, the party out of power but loyal to the interest of the nation as a whole
loyal opposition
an organization formed under state or federal law that exists, for legal purposes, as a separate being or an artificial person. It may be public, and it may be created to carry on a business or to perform almost any function.
corporation
a group charged with directing a government function, whether on an ad hoc or a permanent basis. They tend to be used (1) when it is desirable to have bipartisan leadership, (2) when their functions are of a quasi-judicial nature, or (3) when it is deemed important to have wide representation of ethnic groups, regions of the country, differing skills, and so on.
commission
the ability, the power, of a municipal corporation to develop and implement its own charter. It results from the urban reform movement of the early twentieth century, which hoped to remove urban politics from the harmful influence of state politics
home rule
the executive power to veto separate items in a bill. Aka the line term veto.
item veto
a size-ordered directory of the 500 largest U.S. corporations published each year since 1955 by Fortune Magazine.
Fortune 500
a document that spells out the purposes and powers of a municipal corporation.
city charter
a legislature with only one chamber, as opposed to a bicameral one with two- typically a house and a senate.
unicameral
an informal system of local government in which public power is concentrated in the hands of a central figure, called a political boss, who may not have a formal government position.
bossism
a subdivision of a city, often used as a legislative district for city council elections
ward
an election in which one or more candidates for a legislature are chosen by all of the voters of a jurisdiction. This is in contrast to an election by legislative district , in which voters are limited to selecting one candidate to represent their district.
at-large
