Chapter 4 American National Gov

To illustrate the changing political backgrounds of U.S. presidents, the text points out that four of the previous six candidates to be elected president (Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush) had formerly served as

governors

The national government has increasingly created a coercive form of federalism, particularly by using

mandates and restraints

A country has defined and recognized boundaries and its citizens have common characteristics regarding race, religion, customs, and language. What label is given to such a country?

nation-state

The involvement of state and local governments in trade-related matters has taken a new twist as concerns about international terrorism have increased. This is evidenced by the passage of the ________ designed in part to develop a national system to protect the nation's ports.

U.S. Maritime Transportation Security Act

Certain kinds of grants are earmarked for broadly defined areas, such as education or health, allowing the recipient a lot of flexibility in spending the grant money within these areas. These are called

block grants

________ are the broad categories of grants targeted for specific purposes, seen in two forms that both come with tight restrictions allowing little flexibility for their recipients.

categorical grants

Which principle is at play when two or more governments exercise power and authority over the same people and the same territory?

federalism

The concept of home rule

gives cities a measure of self-government and freedom of action.

The Chicago Sanitation District as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are examples of government units created to perform particular functions, those that usually spill across ordinary jurisdictional boundaries. What are these units called?

special districts

In the past they were considered weak links, but since the 1960s, ________ have emerged as capable policy actors, leading to dynamic changes in the American federal system.

state governments

Which form (or forms) of government does the U.S. Constitution specifically recognize?

the national government and state governments

James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 10 that the U.S. Constitution forms a happy combination of "great and aggregate" interests as well as "local and particular" interests, meaning that power

was meant to be either exclusive or shared.

By recognizing the legitimacy of the states as political divisions, the federal system also recognizes the importance of diversity, which is the foundation of

pluralism

A number of citizens, interest groups, and officials inside government try to convince others to accept a particular view of the proper balance of freedom, order, and equality. These individuals are called

policy entrepreneurs.

Which of the following acts of Congress that restricted the states does the text give as an example of partial preemption?

Do Not Call Implementation Act

________ is the term researchers use to characterize the overall collection of national, state, and local governments in the United States.

Intergovernmental system

Which 1819 Supreme Court case expanded the national government's role, through interpretation of the elastic clause, when it ruled that the government could establish a national bank?

McCulloch v. Maryland

Which group of individuals is often associated with dual federalism, believing that states should control their own activities?

conservatives

Political scientists use the bakery metaphor of a marble cake, with intermingled swirls and random mixtures, to visually represent

cooperative federalism

When it was implemented, federalism helped soothe citizens' fears by providing a solution to the problem of

diversity

Which theory sums up the relationship between the national government and the states by giving the national government limited functions and only enumerated powers, while empowering states as separate and sovereign spheres, building a solid wall between the two?

dual federalism

Of the almost 200 politically sovereign states in the world today, 24 are ________ , which together account for about 2.5 billion people, or 40 percent of the world population.

federations

Grants based on rules that define who is eligible and for how much are called ________ grants, while those based on competitive applications to perform specific tasks are called ________ grants.

formula; project

A complex process called ________ requires that states show how their proposed redistricting plans will not dilute minority voting strength.

preclearance

Which term refers to what has become an extremely high-stakes game, affecting all levels of government, and determining a state's seats in the U.S. House?

redistricting