Political Science 102 - Chapter 6 Federalism Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is federalism?
Federalism is a two-tiered system of government in which power is divided between a national (or central) government and the subnational units (states, provinces, or regional governments).
In the U.S, power is distributed between the national government and what?
State government
What was the original number of states in the U.S?
13
In countries with federal systems, what are regional governments called?
Provinces
What states are not creatures of national government?
Alabama, Vermont, Wyoming
What kind of power is federalism?
Federalism is a geographic division of power
What is constitutional federalism?
Neither the national nor the state governments can abolish one
another because both levels of government are the creatures of the constitution
In the U.S system of federalism, both the national and state government are what?
Sovereign political entities
What concept is federalism based on?
Dual sovereignty
What is sovereignty defined as?
Sovereignty is defined as having the ultimate or highest
authority
What does the general public not have much to say about?
Federalism
Who has stronger opinions about criminal justice policy, education, abortion, immigration, or federalism?
The average voter
What is considered a technical matter of interest to government officials or political insiders more than the general public?
Federalism
What is a euphemism for the federal government of Washington?
Big government
What is the power problem with federal systems of government?
The need to strike the right balance of power between the state governments and the federal government
What are two exceptions to the federal system?
The power to coin money and the power to regulate interstate commerce
The power to coin money and the power to regulate interstate commerce are what?
Exclusively federal powers
What does not specify what powers each system has?
Constitution
What does not specify what powers each system has?
Constution
What has American politics traditionally included debates about?
Which level of government should do what & whether the federal government is getting too big.
Finding the right balance of powers is what?
Both a legal (or constitutional) matter and a
political matter.
Federalism is a good example of what?
The challenge of adapting a Constitution that is more than 200 years old to modern
times, the challenge of maintaining continuity with the federal system established by
the Constitution while accommodating major economic, political, technological,
scientific, and social changes.
Least common type of political system in the world?
Federalism
