Quiz 2 Flashcards
List
3 eras of federalism (and their cakes)
- 1789-1933: dual federalism (“the layer cake”)
- 1933-1981: cooperative federalism (“the marble cake”)
- 1981-Present: contested federalism (“the super-swirl cake”)
Describe
dual federalism
lasted from 1789 to 1933
known as “the layer cake”
marked by clear-cut responsibilities for separate branches
gave state governments equal authority to federal government
Describe
cooperative federalism
lasted from 1933 to 1981
known as “the marble cake”
began with strengthening of federal government by FDR and New Deal
marked by blurred roles for state/federal government
Describe
contested federalism
lasted from 1981 to present
known as “the super-swirl cake”
marked by mixing of governing authority with a sprinkle of partisan conflict
involves a constant struggle between federal and state governments fueled by partisan conflict
Define and explain
devolution
Definition: transfer of authority from national government to state/local governments
Significance: attempted by the Reagan administration
Define and explain
new federalism
Definition: approach that says that authority from federal officials should be shifted to state/local officials
Significance: aligns with political philosophy of devolution
Define and explain:
progressive federalism
Definition: approach that says national government should set program goals while states determine how to achieve them
Significance:
Define and explain
unfunded mandates
Definition: obligation imposed on state/local government officials by federal/state legislation without sufficient funding support to cover the costs
Significance: imposes unreachable goals upon lawmakers to meet requirements without resources to do so; stifles state-based and local innovation by increasing the web of federal regulations
Define and explain
preemption
Definition: invalidation of a state law that conflicts with a federal law
Significance:
Define and explain
civil liberties
Definition: limits on government so that individuals can exercise personal freedoms
Significance: protects citizens from improper actions by the government
Define and explain
civil rights
Definition: obligations of government to protect citizens from illegal actions of other private citizens or government agencies
Significance: indiscriminately provides citizens with freedom to participate in full life of community
Explain
difference between civil liberties and civil rights
- civil liberties* place restrictions on how government can interfere with freedoms
- civil rights* force government to intervene when freedoms are infringed
Define and explain
Establishment Clause
Definition: clause of 1st Amendment of U.S. Constitution that states that Congress shall make no law establishing or favoring one religion over another – or religion over no religion
Significance:
Define and explain:
strict separation of Establishment Clause
Definition: interpretation of the Establishment Clause that calls for maximum possible separation of church and state
Significance: requires that strict principles articulated in the Lemon test be used in judging whether or not a law violates the Establishment Clause
Define and explain
Lemon test
Definition: three-pronged test to determine whether or not a law violates the Establishment Clause based on the notion of strict separation
Significance: attempted to clarify the vagueness of “excessive governmental entanglement”
List
Lemon principles
- law must have secular purpose
- law must neither advance nor inhibit religion
- law must not excessively entangle government in religion
Define and explain
accommodation
Definition: interpretation of the Establishment Clause that holds that the government does not violate the Establishment Clause as long as it does not confer advantage to some religions over others
Significance: fundamentally opposes the concept of strict separation by taking a much more laid-back approach to the separation of church and state
Define and explain
strict scrutiny
Definition: a test of whether a law violates a fundamental constitutional right by determining whether or not the law is essential to achieve “compelling state interest”
Significance: places the burden on the government to prove that a restriction on the freedoms of speech/press is constitutional
List
3 standards of strict scrutiny in 1st Amendment cases
- law must achieve a “compelling state interest”
- law must be narrowly tailored
- law must use least restrictive means
List
3 examples of unprotected speech
- speech that presents a present and clear danger
- libel/slander
- obscenity
Explain
Schenk v. United States (1919)
Explain
Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942)
Explain
R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992)
Explain
Wisconsin v. Mitchell
Define and explain
prior restraint
Definition: judicial suppression of material that would be published or broadcast, on the grounds that it is libelous or harmful
Significance: government has significantly limited ability to exercise prior restraint due to the broad freedoms provided by the 1st Amendment
Define and explain
slander
Definition: speech that is untruthful, malicious, or damaging to a person’s reputation or good name
Significance:
Define and explain
libel
Definition: published material that damages a person’s reputation or good name in an untruthful and malicious way
Significance:
Define and explain
penumbras
Definition: shadows of amendments that give people a right to make their own choices free from government interference
Significance:
Define and explain
emanations
Definition:
Significance:
Define and explain
9th Amendment
Definition:
Significance:
Explain
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Explain
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Explain
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)
Explain
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)
Explain
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)
Describe
de jure equality
Describe
de facto equality
Define and explain
discrimination
Explain
fall of civil rights
Define and explain
public opinion
Definition: citizens’ attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events
Significance: unspoken rule for lawmakers to follow public opinion (in order to get reelected)
Explain
characteristics of opinions
weighted sum of valanced beliefs
expression of latent attitudes
List
4 variances in opinions
- intensity (extremety)
- centrality (attitude importance)
- informational base
- stability
List
2 uses of public opinions
- assessment of general views of the public
- gauge of views on specific issues
List
3 public opinion measurement tools
- academic surveys
- political polls
- deliberative polls
List
3 public opinion measurement techniques
- question wording
- question ordering
- random sampling
List
3 sources of public opinion measurement errors
-
question effects
- wording
- order
- complexity
- framing
-
measurement effects
- validity
- reliability
-
respondent effects
- poor recall
- non-attitudes
List
4 question effects on public opinion measurement
- wording
- order
- complexity
- framing (caused by wording/order)
List
2 measurement effects on public opinion measurement
- validity
- reliability
List
2 respondent effects on public opinion measurement
- poor recall
- non-attitudes
List
4 long-term influences on public opinion formation
- reception
- acceptance
- awareness and predispositions
- political socialization
Define and explain
reception
Definition:
Significance: function of political awareness
Define and explain
acceptance
Definition:
Significance: function of prior political predispositions
Define and explain
awareness and predispositions
Definition: knowledgeability on current political issues and the existing conclusions one has drawn on those issues
Significance: shaped by one’s political socialization (long-term forces where one learns about politics and government)
Define and explain
political socialization
Definition: process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized
Significance: plays a significant role in shaping political attitudes since it is essentially the same thing as political learning
List
6 factors of political socialization
-
life course
- family
- generation
- age
- social roles
- socioeconomic factors
- social group identity
- culture
- historical period
- institutions and political elites
List
3 short-term influences on public opinion formation
- agenda-setting
- framing
- priming
Define and explain
agenda-setting
Definition: selection of issues as “newsworthy” to influence both what public and government consider important issues/problems of the day
Significance: greatly increases influence of news sources and takes advantage of distractibility and short-term attention of American public
Define and explain
framing
Definition: deliberate selection of particular interpretation of issue in order to attract widespread support/opposition
Significance:
Define and explain
priming
Definition: making particular consideration to make constituents care more about some issues than others
Significance: the process in which the media attends to some issues and both others alters the standards by which people evaluate election candidates
List
3 limitations of public opinion polling
- failure to predict behavior
- presumption of cognitive and individual-level opinions
- fixed testing (one-way conversation)
