Unit 4 - chapter 10

Question 1

Federal state

Answer 1

power is held by regional units, like states of the US. These political units usually have their own governments, have some autonomy and hold substantial power

Question 2

Unitary State

Answer 2

more power is held by a central government that maintains authority over all of the state’s territory, it’s reginal units and its people

Question 3

Examples of Unitary states

Answer 3

Poland, France, Spain, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Algeria and Japan

Question 4

Advantage of Unitary States No. 1

Answer 4

Unitary systems tend to have fewer government agencies, especially those dealing less taxation. Less corrupt at the local level

Question 5

Advantage of Unitary States No. 2

Answer 5

Efficiency: laws are implemented quickly, evenly, fairly, and with less duplication

Question 6

Example of efficiency in unitary states

Answer 6

Singapore’s highly regarded transportation system is credited to that city-state’s unitary system of government

Question 7

No.1 Disadvantage of unitary states

Answer 7

Highly centralized governments can become disconnected from local areas and lose touch with the issues that concern people living there

Question 8

No. 2 Disadvantages of unitary states

Answer 8

tend to favor the politically or culturally dominant group, resulting in governments that issue one-sided policies that ignore the concerns of minority groups and local cultures

Question 9

No.3 Disadvantages of unitary states

Answer 9

the policies tend to serve the needs of the religion adjacent to the capital or where the ruling elites reside

Question 10

Summary of disadvantages of unitary states

Answer 10

can be slower than federal governments in responding to local issues. may fail to equally distribute goods and services to peripheral areas or even have difficulty providing services to localities at all

Question 11

Examples of Federal States

Answer 11

Russia, India, Brazil, Malaysia, U.S, Australia, Germany, Sudan, and Mexico

Question 12

Example of a Federal government

Answer 12

Germany: the central government shares its political power with it’s subunits, called “Lander”, but holds ultimate authority over them

Question 13

concurrent

Answer 13

shared

Question 14

No.1 Advantages of federal states

Answer 14

reduction of conflict between regions that differ on civil and political issues

Question 15

Example of first advantage of federal states

Answer 15

Death penalty in U.S: The supreme court has ruled that the death penalty is constitutional, except if the offender is mentally disabled or a juvenile. However, each of the states is permitted to ban the death penalty is it wishes

Question 16

No.2 Advantage of federal states

Answer 16

allows room for diversity. Multiple parties can be in power in different areas of a country and this coexistence can help keep oppression by one authority at bay

Question 17

No.1 Disadvantage of Federal States

Answer 17

focus on regional and local issues allows regional and local leaders to prevent progress on issues that may impact the whole country

Question 18

No. 2 Disadvantage of Federal States

Answer 18

can undue, improper power to localized special interests

Question 19

Example of no.2 disadvantage of federal states

Answer 19

During the civil rights era in the US, those in favor of racial segregation claimed US state’s rights, which allowed them to dodge federal discrimination laws. This contributed greatly to the spread of segregation.

Question 20

No.3 disadvantage of federal states

Answer 20

the costs and benefits of federal policy and aid are often distributed unevenly among the country’s regional or local governments

Question 21

Example of No.3 disadvantage of federal states

Answer 21

Public education system of the US: Public schools are supported by a combination of federal, state, and local funds, with federal money accounting only for about 10 percent of the total figure. Money raised by property taxes at the local level is the major source of funds for a locality’s school districts and the money is directed and supervised at the state level.

Question 22

Result of no.3 disadvantage of federal states

Answer 22

a school district that is home to highly valued properties generates higher property taxes, and its schools are therefore more well funded. By contrast, a less populated or poorer district would generate lower property taxes, and its schools would be more reliant on state funding, which is often scarce.

Question 23

No.4 disadvantage of federal states

Answer 23

can experience conflict within its constituent units.

Question 24

Reapportionment

Answer 24

When one state loses people and another gains or a state’s population doesn’t grow as fast as others, reapportionment takes place, in which seats in the House of Representatives are reallocated to different states

Question 25

Electoral college

Answer 25

a set of people, called electors who are chosen to elect the president.

Question 26

Electoral college of the US

Answer 26

The total number of electors/electoral votes is 538, which is the same as the total membership of Congress, 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 senators, plus 3 electoral votes for Washington D.C

Question 27

How can a candidate be elected president in the United States

Answer 27

must win a combination of states whose electoral votes add up to a minimum of 270. Therefore, when a state loses a congressional seat, it loses an electoral vote as well. The loss of an electoral vote is also a loss in electoral and political power for the state

Question 28

What does the U.S senate represent

Answer 28

states, NOT people

Question 29

How many senators does each US state get

Answer 29

2

Question 30

Explain the U.S Senate representation issue

Answer 30

Since every state gets 2 senators, this does not result in proportional representation.

Question 31

Example of US senate representation issue

Answer 31

North Dakota with about 770,000 people has the same number of senators as Florida, with more that 21.6 million people

Question 32

Redistricting

Answer 32

during this process, a state’s internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the US House of Representatives and the state’s legislature are redrawn to accurately reflect the new census data

Question 33

Gerrymandering

Answer 33

The party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature typically draws legislative maps with a partisan advantage that favors their party over any other