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State and Local Gov't

Terms

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exurbs
municipalities n rural areas that ring suburbs. They typically serve as bedroom communities for the prosperous, providing rural homes with easy access to urban areas,
party column (Indiana) Ballot
ballots in which the names of the candidates are arranged according to political party
public health
gov't agencies' protection and improvement of citizen health and hygiene.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
The next-generation welfare program that provides federal assistance in the form of block grants to states, which have great flexibility in designing the program.
ratification
vote of entire electorate to approve constitutional change, referendum, or ballot initative.
merit system
systems in which employment and promotion in public agencies are based on qualifications and demonstrated
dillon's rule
legal principal that says local gov't can only exercie only the powers granted to them by state gov't.
charter schools
public schools, often with unique themes, managed by teachers, principals, social workers or nonprofit groups. launched in early 1990s
metropolitan area
a populous region typically comprised of a city and surrounding communities having a high degree of social and economic integration.
Indirect Lobbying
A form of lobbying in which lobbyists build support for their cause through media, rallies and other ways of influencing public opinion with the ultimate goal of swaying legislators to support their cause.
patronage
the process of giving gov't jobs to partisan loyalists.
political parties
organizations that nominate and support candidates for elected offices
representative
for of gov't in which citizens exercise power indirectly by choosing reps to legislate on thier behalf
realignment
when popular support switches from one party to another
standardized testing
testing of elementary and secondary students in which poor results can mean either that the student fails to get promoted or that the school loses its accreditation.
plurality
the highest number of votes garnered by a candidate for a particular office but short of an outright majority.
Direct Lobbying
A form of lobbying in which lobbyists deal directly with legislators to gain their support
GAO
an independent nonpartisan federal agency that acts as the investigative arm of Congress making the executive branch accountable to Congress and the government accountable to citizens of the United States
probation
supervised punishment in the community
traditionalistic
view of gov't dominated by elites
gerrymandering
districts drawn w/ the intent of pressing partisan
broken windows policing
policing that emphasizes maintaining public order
municipal bonds
bonds issued by states, counties, cities, and towns to fund large projects as well as operating budgets. they are exempt from federal taxes and from state and local taxes for the investors who live in the state where they are issued.
franchise
right to vote
revenue bonds
investments secured by the revenue generated by a state or municipal project
severance taxes
taxes on natural resources
direct democracy
The means for citizens to make laws themselves, rather than relying on elected representatives,
individualistic
political culture that views gov't as a way to achieve individual goals. citizens leave poltics to professionals
excise / sin taxes
taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and other similar products that are designed to raise revenues and reduce usage
Medicare
The federal health insurance program for elderly citizens.
deterrence theory
theory advanced by criminologists that harsh penalties will keep criminals away frommcommitting crimes
bureaucracy
public agencies and the programs and services they implement and manage.
verdict
a jury's finding in a trial
10th amendment
guarantees a broad, but undefined set of powers be reserved for the states and the people as opposed to the federal gov't
14th amendment
prohibits any state from depriving individuals of the rights and privalegs of citizenship and requires states to provide due process and equal protection guarantees to all citizens
focused taxes
taxes that do not alter spending habits or behavior patterns and therefore do not distort the distribution of resources
community / restorative justice
movement that emphasizes nontraditional punishment
political culture
attidtudes and beliefs broadly shared in a polity about the role and responsibility of gov't
discretionary spending
spending controlled in annual appropriations acts,
common law
law composed of judges' legal opinions that reflects community practices and evolves over time.
labs of democracy
term used to descrbe the ability of states to enage in different policies without federal gov't interference
school board
elected or appointed bodies that determine major policies and budgets for each of the nation's school districts
Medicaid
A joint state and federal health insurance program that serves low-income mothers and children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
spoils system
the right of an electoral winner to decide who works for public agencies
office group (Massachusetts) ballot
ballots in which candidates are listed by name under the title of the office they are seeking
Secret (Australian) Ballot
Ballots printed by the states that allow voters to pick and choose among different candidates and party preferences in private.
sociodemographics
characteristics of a pop., including age, size, and ethinicty
regional council
a planning and advisory organization whose members include multiple local governments. often are used to administer state and federal programs that are regionally targeted,
estate taxes
taxes levied on a person's estate or total holdings after that person's death
privileges and immunities clause
prohibits states from discriminating against citizens of other states
street level bureaucrats
lower-level public agency employees who actually take the actions that represent law or policy.
nat'l supremacy clause
cons't clasue stating that the federal law takes precdence over al lother laws
intergovernmental transfers
funds provided by the federal government to state governments to local governments,
regressive taxes
taxes levied on all taxpayers, regardless of income or ability to pay, they tend to place proportionally more of a burden on those with lower incomes.
judicial review
power of courts to assess whether a law is in compliance with the constitution
open primary
election races that are avilable to all registered voters regardless of their party affiliation
filibuster
debates tat under senate rules can drag on, blocking debate on a bill
political action committees
groups formed for the purpose of raising money to elect or defeat political candidates , They usually represent business, unions, or idealogical interests.
delegates
legislators who primarily see their role as voting according to their constituents beliefs as they understand them.
pandemic
an outbreak of a disease that spreads across a large geographic area.
nonpartisan election
elections in which candidates do not have to declare party affiliation or receive a party's nomination; often local or state
metropolitan statistical area
area with a city of 50 thousand or more people, together with adjacent urban communities that have strong ties to the central city.
poverty line
annual income level, set by the federal gov't, below which families cannot afford basic necessities.
full faith and credit clause
requires states to recognize each others public records and acts valid
direct democracy
means for citizens to make laws themselves rather than relaying on the elected representatives
coalition building
assembling of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal or interest
entitlement
service that gov't must provide, regardless of cost.
school vouchers
movement dating to the 1950s to allow taxpayer dollars to be given to families to use at whatever public, private, or parochial schools they choose.
school district
local administrative jurisdictions that hire staff and report to school boards on management of area public schools
rulemaking
the process of translating laws into written instructions on what public agencies will or will not do.
annexation
the legal incorporation of one jurisdiction or territory into another.
home rule
form of self governance granted to towns and cities
unitary
political system in which power is concentrated in central gov't
federalism
political system which nat'l and regional gov't share powers and are considerd equals
state board of education
Top policymaking body in each of the fifty states, usually consisting of appointees selected by governors.
blanket primary
elections in which all voters may cast ballots for any candidate for any office regardless of party
moralistic
view of gov't as achieve collective good. citizens actively participate
Voter turnout
the percentage of eligible citizens who register to vote and do vote
judicial federalism
idea that the courts determine the boundaries of state federal relations
runoff primary
an election held if no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the regular primary. The two top finishers face off again to determine the nominee for the general election. Such elections are held in some states, primarily in the South.
redistricting
the drawing of new bounadraries for congressional and state legisaltive districts
Aids to Families with Dependent Children
The original federal assistance program for women and their children, started under Roosevelt's New Deal.
constitutional amendments
propsals to change the constitution, enacted by supermajoruty of legislature or through state referendum
confederacy
political system in which power is concentrated in in regional gov'ts
recall
an occasion for citizens to collect signatures and then vote on tte ouster of an incumbent politician prior to the next regularly scheduled election.
closed primary
nominating elections in which only voters belonging to that party may participate. Only registered Democrats can vote in a closed Democratic primary, for example.
dealignment
when no new party can be said to dominate politics in this country
progressive taxes
system in which the tax rate paid reflects the ability to pay.
community policing
approach that emphasizes relationships with neighborhoods and collaborative problem solving
soft money
money that is not subject to federal regulation that can be raised and spent for state parties. A 2002 law banned the use of this in federal elections.
sprawl
rapid growth of a metropolitan area, typically as a result of specific zoning and development
variance
diff. btw units of analysis on a particular measure
professional model policing
approach to policing that emphasizes relations with citizens, police independence , police in cars, and rapid responses to calls for services.
enumerated
grants of authority explicitly given by the constitution
user fees
charges levied by governments in exchange for services; a type of hidden tax.
home schooling
the education of children in the home; a movement to grant waivers from state truancy laws to permit parents to teach their own children
trustees
legislators who believe they were elected to exercise their own judgement
professionalization
bureaucratic employees earn their jobs based on qualifications and merit.
interest groups
individuals, corporations, or associates who seek to inluence the actions of elected and appointed public officials on behalf of specific companies or causes
zoning laws
regulations that control how land can be used
No Child Left Behind Act
Federal law enacted in January 2002 that introduced new accountability measures for elementary and secondary schools in all states that wish to receive federal aid.
Straight Ticket
Originally, ballots that allowed voters to pick all of party's candidates at once; today, is the practice of voting for all of one party's candidates for various offices - for instance, votng for all Democrats or all Republicans.

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