exam 2 ANG study guide Flashcards
(39 cards)
- What are the basic models of government? Which model is utilized by most countries?
Confederation (power concentrated in the lower governments), unitary (power concentrated in the central gov.)(most countries), federal (division of power between central and regional governments)(US) (multiple actors decentralized)
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the models? Which model would you select if you were creating a new government? Why?
- confederations: strengths flexibility allows exceptions; weaknesses: governments unstable, members can leave at their discretion, a voluntary organization
- Unitary: Strengths: uniform policy, consistency of policy, uniformity of citizen treatment (ex: use of marijuana); weaknesses: does not allow adjustments for differences, reduces avenues for citizen’s influence
- Federal: Strengths: permits diversity and diffusion of power, lower governments serve as policy labs, more access points for participation (if not successful in the national or state level can then go to local level), local government understands local problems, suits a large country with a diverse population; state policy laboratory can do trial to see if works but it would not have been all effects of the nation. weaknesses: the people make national unity difficult to achieve, state governments may resist national policies, permits economic and racial inequality, inconsistent policies, overlapping services
- What factors seem to be associated with the selection of a governing model?
States with large land areas( differing climate, yellow or white lines), large populations , and large ethnic and racial diversity (encourages a federal model) (linked to federal model).
- What is the distinction between Dual and Cooperative Federalism?
Dual: clearly assign tasks to state and central government that do not cross or touch, operate in their own sphere without interference
Cooperative: interrelationship between the state government and national government (highways, education)
- What is Horizontal federalism? What are the key elements of state-state relations?
relationships between the states
Key elements - full faith and credit, privileges and immunities, interstate rendition, interstate compacts
- What is the purpose of the Full Faith and Credit Clause? What if any problems are associated with this Clause?
It was supposed to work out as states would give full faith and credit to legal proceedings and legal activities in other states, but it actually worked out it because it applies to civil proceedings. Problems arise when evaluating marriage and divorce.
- What protections are provided under Article IVs Privileges and Immunities Clause? What is the area of exceptions to Privileges and Immunities protections?
Residents and non-residents are treated the same. Court system, purchase people, can not civil rights. Citizens and non-citizens must be treated the same except for beneficial services, when the state tax payers has spent its only resources on a perk, it can make nonresidents pay more because their taxes have not been used to create that service and keep it going while they weren’t there. Why can states charge out-of-state tuition? It is considered a beneficial service and it is not unreasonable to make out-of-state taxpayers pay more because they haven’t paid into the system at all. Fishing license.
- What are the key principles associated with Interstate Rendition (Extradition)?
If you are tried for a state crime, the trial must be in that state where the crime was committed.
- Does Full Faith and Credit extend to criminal proceedings?
No, it is not a constitutional obligation for one governor to send the suspect to the governor of the other state, it is just a moral obligation. You don’t have to give full faith and credit in this sense. Marriage and divorce is a contract to state varies.
- How has the Grant-in-Aid system been utilized to influence state policy?
Federal gov. threatens states, if you don’t raise the drinking age or lower speed limits, we will take away highway money from you.
- What are the major types of grants-in-aid? What distinctive features of the various federal grants-in-aid?
Categorical (formula and project): 80-90 percent of money distributed, Strings attached, Central gov knows exactly how money being spent (state or local government); block: fewer strings attached but still some (broader spending area), republicans like it more; revenue share: no strings attached, can spend money on anything you want to, was eliminated by congress; liberals disliked this because it didn’t lead to any new programs, and conservatives disliked because of budget deficits
- Which type of aid tends to receive the greatest support from its recipients? Explain.
categorical, because you have to make up a large proportion of their budget. A more likely to fund complete programs. Example paying for an afterschool. Program dependent on the 90% of the federal program.
- How did the expansion/extension of the Bill of Rights give the central government more power?
The expansion of the Bill of Rights, particularly through the process of “selective incorporation” where the Supreme Court applied Bill of Rights protections to state governments via the 14th Amendment, indirectly gave the central government more power by allowing it to oversee and regulate state actions to ensure they upheld individual liberties, effectively creating a more unified legal system across the country. Barron v Baltimore specific part of Bill of Rights applies to the states to certain ruling. Freedom of Incrimination, unreasonable seizures and tells how other actors behave, and they were not doing before, and is why the explanation of the Bill of Rights are telling what the state legistures have to do by the federal government.
- How did interpretations of commerce expand central government power?
Interpretations of the “Commerce Clause” in the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the power to regulate commerce between states, have significantly expanded the central government’s power by allowing Congress to regulate a wide range of activities that indirectly affect interstate commerce, including aspects of intrastate commerce, leading to broad federal regulatory authority over the economy and many aspects of daily life.
Commerce a good or product moves between states. Court begin to expand what commerce meant. Gibeion v Orden commerce states that people are commerce. Concluding is that any activity. Ollie BBQ. Came to mean more things whether a service, product, and if it had ramifications.
- What is public opinion?
attitudes and perspectives of American population
- Who was the first person to engage in public opinion polling in the U.S.?
George Gallup – 1932
- What is the typical sample size for a national survey in the U.S.? What is meant by a sampling error?
1500-2000; the margin of error that is the result of random sampling that can be reduced by having a larger sample
- What is meant by Random Probability Sampling Procedure (RPSP)?
Every object you want to survey has an equal mathematical probability of being chosen, the most important feature of a public opinion poll. Not the size of the sample.
- What is the most important feature of an accurate public opinion poll?
random probability sampling procedure.
- Are public opinion polls a benefit or problem for American democracy?
This is based on your own opinion. My opinion: They are a problem. For one, they can affect people’s choices, and that should be their own decision, not affected by other people’s opinions. Second, they can confuse people. If they don’t end up being accurate to the public opinion of the country as a whole, then people and the government doesn’t know what to believe. That public opinion that someone knows nothing about, they may answer the survey untruthfully, and falsely portraying the public opinion. Talk about polls drowns out the policies of decision-making.
- What are some of the most important dimensions of public opinion variables? What impact do each of these dimensions have for government officials?
stability (holding same opinion over time, more influential); direction (for or against something); intensity (how strongly someone feels about an issue); saliency (how important is opinion relative to others and what issues people are paying more attention to)
- What were the basic patterns of public opinion? Which of these do government official like the most? The least?
Permissive (decision makers can do whatever they want with no political cost), consensus (most people hold an opinion, but public opinion is often the same), divisive (something dividing people, like abortion issues); most liked by officials – permissive, least liked by officials - divisive
- What are some of the most common problems associated with election polls?
error factor (often ignored, but every sample has sampling error), timing of voter’s decision (always undecided votes that decide the race), predicting turnout (hard to tell who’s going to vote accurately, especially during open primaries), changing public participation (biggest problem, people don’t answer spam calls and older voters are more likely to participate in polls), influencing opinion (polls are used to influence opinion, not just report it)
- How do primary elections structure impact polling (e.g., closed - open)? Explain.
Closed enforced: you can only vote for the party you are associated with. Most states have this. Who has the party label. Voter ID shows how you are registered to the party.
Open: you can vote for either party or both in the same election. Easy for pollsters. On the day of election can pick either party nominee. Even they can accurately predict voters turnout, voters can change in the polling ballot day because voted in party nominee.
