Government & Democracy
The primary goal of governments are to solve these.
What are collective action problems?
Before the Constitution, this document outlined the structure and powers of the federal government.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
In a federalist system, lower levels of government have this, which the national government cannot take away.
What are powers?
This is a protection from abusive government power.
What is a civil liberty?
This is the fundamental and supreme law that controls the exercise of power in Nevada
What is the Nevada Constitution?
The government's ability to imprison people who don't pay taxes is an example of this tool governments use to solve collective action problems?
What is coercion?
Overreaches by the British monarch and Parliament instilled a fear of this in the Founding Fathers, shaping how they structured government.
What is tyranny?
These are the levels of government in U.S. federalism.
What are national and state?
When state and federal rights conflict, this level of government wins.
What is the federal or national government?
Nevada raising its drinking age to 21 to continue to receive federal funds is an example of this.
What is fiscal federalism?
In this type of democracy, everyone votes directly on everything.
What is direct democracy?
This was not initially included in the Constitution but was added to address Anti-Federalist concerns about protections from government abuse.
What is the Bill of Rights?
Over time, U.S. federalism has moved from a dual federalist (layer cake) system to this type of federalist system.
What is a cooperative or marble cake federalist system?
Denying employment because of race violates these.
What are civil rights?
If Nevada voters want to change the state constitution, they can use this.
What is an amendment initiative?
Despite recent backsliding, experts still rate the U.S. as this type of democracy.
What is a representative democracy?
This example of a compromise reached when drafting the Constitution creates a legislative body with proportional representation and equal representation in the House and Senate, respectively
What is the Great or Connecticut compromise?
This is the term for powers explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution.
What are enumerated powers?
The government needs this to restrict a fundamental constitutional right.
What is a compelling state interest?
Nevada has this requirement in its constitution, which means it must rely on federal funds to provide many services.
What is a balanced budget requirement?
This component of representative democracy means that all adults can vote (subject to some limitations)
What is broad-based suffrage?
In order to amend the Articles of Confederation, this was required among the states.
What is unanimity?
Conducting elections is a power reserved for this level of government.
What is state government?
This is when the Supreme Court uses the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to apply the Bill of Rights to state and local governments.
What is incorporation?
Given their low salaries and short legislative session, many Nevada legislators have these.
What are other jobs?
This important norm for representative democracy means that people view their political opponents as legitimate?
What is mutual toleration?
This event influenced the framers of the Constitution to enable the federal government to raise and maintain a military.
What is Shay's Rebellion?
This 1942 Supreme Court case radically changed the interpretation of the Interstate Commerce Clause in the Constitution, leading to increased federal power.
What is Wickard v. Filburn?
The Supreme Court has used this to strike down state laws banning the use of contraceptives.
What is the right to privacy?
Legislative term limits reduce the amount of this in the legislative body.
What is institutional knowledge?