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state government and politics > midterm > Flashcards

midterm Flashcards

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1
Q

functions of state government (5)

A

state government impacts us on a day-to-day basis
1. service
2. regulation
3. adjudication
4. legislation
5. revenue

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2
Q

why do we believe that state and local government is “face to face” government?

A

state and local governments deal more directly with the average person on a daily basis (street level bureaucrats)

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3
Q

employment trends among private sector and government (2)

A
  1. private sector employs more people
  2. least amount of employees to most - federal, state, local
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4
Q

primary expenditures for the federal government (3)

A
  1. defense
  2. social security
  3. healthcare (Medicaid/Medicare)
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5
Q

primary expenditures for state governments (3)

A
  1. education (K-12 and higher ed)
  2. Medicaid
  3. public safety
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6
Q

levels of public trust and confidence between the federal and state/local governments

A

people generally trust state/local government more than the federal government

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7
Q

why are states referred to as “laboratories of democracy?”

A

within federalism, there is a system of state autonomy where state and local governments act as social laboratories and laws/policies are created and tested at the state level of the demographic system

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8
Q

how are states similar? (3)

A
  1. basic organization: state constitutions and administrative structure
  2. basic functions: education, healthcare, and public safety
  3. similar key policy actors: governors, legislators, and state agency directors
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9
Q

how do states differ? (4)

A
  1. capacity to govern
  2. demographics
  3. political differences
  4. citizen participation
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10
Q

3 fundamental concepts of resource capacity

A
  1. legal authority: authority to make policies (language in constitution, state statutes)
  2. financial resources: % of people in poverty, unemployment figures, and state GDP
  3. human resources (people): professional, well-educated people running bureaucracy
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11
Q

3 types of direct democracy

A
  1. citizens’ initiative: using a petition for a law to be placed on the ballot without legislative involvement (AR)
  2. veto referendum: petition to accept or reject a law passed by the legislature (AR)
  3. recall: allows voters to remove an elected official before the end of their term
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12
Q

trends in the demographics of the states (3)

A
  1. population declines: weaker tax base and less investment in communities
  2. population increases and/or increases in diversity: demand for more services and increases conflict among diverse groups
  3. population shifts: aging population, birth rate
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13
Q

trends in ideology (4)

A
  1. Arkansas is in the top 10 most conservative states
  2. conservatives remain steady
  3. increase in liberals
  4. biggest movement in moderates (people choosing either liberal or conservative)
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14
Q

political culture and the 3 categories

A

broad attitudes and beliefs about society, including government
1. moralistic
2. individualistic
3. traditionalistic

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15
Q

how does the Constitution allocate power between the federal and state governments?

A

federal (Congress): through Article I
state: through 10th Amendment

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16
Q

enumerated or expressed powers of the federal government (4)

A

explicitly written down in the Constitution
1. levy taxes
2. regulate commerce
3. declare war
4. pay debts and borrow money

17
Q

implied powers of state governments (2)

A

does not identify explicit laws (through necessary and proper clause)
1. create banks
2. provide for the general welfare of their citizens

18
Q

10th Amendment

A

all powers that are not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states, respectively

19
Q

state police powers (5)

A

extended to all public needs
1. welfare: child abuse laws, nursing homes
2. health: vaccination requirements
3. convenience: zoning laws
4. safety: curfews, speed limits
5. morality: indecent exposure, minimum drinking/smoking age

20
Q

what areas are states important policymakers? (7)

A
  1. education
  2. law enforcement/criminal justice
  3. community and economic development
  4. transportation
  5. occupational regulation
  6. land use and planning
  7. healthcare
21
Q

active vs. passive forms of citizen participation (5)

A

active: takes time/effort
1. canvassing
2. protesting
3. running for office
passive: doesn’t take a lot of time/effort
1. voting
2. donating to a political party/candidate

22
Q

characteristics of a likely voter in the US (3)

A
  1. female
  2. white, but blacks catching up
  3. college education/high income
23
Q

state efforts to increase voter turnout (4)

A
  1. same-day registration
  2. vote by mail
  3. early voting
  4. automatic voter registration
24
Q

state efforts to change voting and election laws (2)

A

voting has become political in which these changes in voter turnout depend on the political party
1. reduce the number of early voting days
2. strict voter ID laws

25
Q

the role of political parties in the US (3)

A
  1. advocate for specific policy positions
  2. provide cues to the public
  3. recruit and provide support for candidates in public office
26
Q

3 historical eras in the state regulation of political parties

A
  1. Period One (1789-1880s)
  2. Period Two (late 1880s-1970s)
  3. Period Three (1970s-present)
27
Q

Period One (1789-1880s) (3)

A
  1. parties weren’t regulated by either state or federal governments
  2. parties grew quickly as private associations
  3. parties mobilized voters
28
Q

Period Two (late 1880s-1970s) (3)

A
  1. political party power and corruption (party machines, political patronage and nepotism)
  2. state regulation began:
    a. preventing voter fraud, patronage, graft, and kick-backs
    b. direct primaries operated by state government
  3. federal regulations
    a. banned “white” primaries (Smith vs. Allwright)
    b. outlaw poll tax (24th Amendment)
    c. outlawed literacy tests (Voting Rights Act of 1965)
29
Q

Period Three (1970s-present) (4)

A
  1. political parties are quasi-governmental entities
  2. states provide funding for all elections
  3. states set rules for candidates and filing fees
  4. states can limit contributions to and from political parties and from individuals to candidates
30
Q

political party competition (3)

A
  1. dominant/majority: dominance/democrats, dominant/republicans
  2. competitive leaning: competitive leaning democrat, competitive leaning republican
  3. competitive: each party has an equal chance of winning
31
Q

why was Arkansas dominated by the Democratic Party for so long? (2)

A
  1. the state traditionally voted for democrats and people were afraid to break that (effects from the Great Depression)
  2. there weren’t many republicans in power
32
Q

why has the Republican Party made such significant gains in recent years? (4)

A
  1. when the Big Three went to DC, they took a lot of democrats with them, leaving open spots for republicans
  2. cultural issues: it was tougher for rurual democrats to identify with national democrats who were more liberal than they were
  3. people grew tired of democrats being in power for so long
  4. technology
33
Q

advantages of federalism (5)

A
  1. allows for flexibility among state laws and institutions
  2. reduces conflict because states can accommodate citizens’ interests
  3. allows for experimentation at the state level
  4. enables the achievement of national goals
  5. more points of access/levels of participation for citizens
34
Q

disadvantages of federalism (5)

A
  1. increases complexity/confusion
  2. sometimes increases conflict when jurisdictional lines are unclear
  3. duplicates efforts and reduces accountability
  4. makes coordination difficult
  5. creates inequality in services and policy

state government and politics (1 decks)

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