Unit 4 - chapter 10 Flashcards
Federal state
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
Unitary State
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
Examples of Unitary states
Poland, France, Spain, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Algeria and Japan
Advantage of Unitary States No. 1
Unitary systems tend to have fewer government agencies, especially those dealing less taxation. Less corrupt at the local level
Advantage of Unitary States No. 2
Efficiency: laws are implemented quickly, evenly, fairly, and with less duplication
Example of efficiency in unitary states
Singapore’s highly regarded transportation system is credited to that city-state’s unitary system of government
No.1 Disadvantage of unitary states
Highly centralized governments can become disconnected from local areas and lose touch with the issues that concern people living there
No. 2 Disadvantages of unitary states
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
No.3 Disadvantages of unitary states
the policies tend to serve the needs of the religion adjacent to the capital or where the ruling elites reside
Summary of disadvantages of unitary states
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
Examples of Federal States
Russia, India, Brazil, Malaysia, U.S, Australia, Germany, Sudan, and Mexico
Example of a Federal government
Germany: the central government shares its political power with it’s subunits, called “Lander”, but holds ultimate authority over them
concurrent
shared
No.1 Advantages of federal states
reduction of conflict between regions that differ on civil and political issues
Example of first advantage of federal states
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
No.2 Advantage of federal states
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
No.1 Disadvantage of Federal States
focus on regional and local issues allows regional and local leaders to prevent progress on issues that may impact the whole country
No. 2 Disadvantage of Federal States
can undue, improper power to localized special interests
Example of no.2 disadvantage of federal states
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.
No.3 disadvantage of federal states
the costs and benefits of federal policy and aid are often distributed unevenly among the country’s regional or local governments
Example of No.3 disadvantage of federal states
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.
Result of no.3 disadvantage of federal states
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.
No.4 disadvantage of federal states
can experience conflict within its constituent units.
Reapportionment
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
Electoral college
a set of people, called electors who are chosen to elect the president.
Electoral college of the US
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
How can a candidate be elected president in the United States
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
What does the U.S senate represent
states, NOT people
How many senators does each US state get
2
Explain the U.S Senate representation issue
Since every state gets 2 senators, this does not result in proportional representation.
Example of US senate representation issue
North Dakota with about 770,000 people has the same number of senators as Florida, with more that 21.6 million people
Redistricting
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
Gerrymandering
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
