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Interest Groups
Congress
The Presidency
The Bureaucracy
100
List two of the five functions of interest groups.
1. Representation 2. Participation 3. Education 4. Agenda Building 5. Program Monitoring
100
Who are constituents of members of the House of Representatives? Who are constituents of senators?
The constituents of members of the House of Representatives are voters in the representative's district. The constituents of senators are voters in the senator's state.
100
What are two types of powers that the President holds. Explain the difference between the two types.
Formal powers-written in the Constitution Inherent powers-implied in the Constitution or powers that have been routinely taken by Presidents
100
What branch of government includes the bureaucracy?
executive
200
____, _____ and _______ are significant resources of interest groups.
money (PACs), members and lobbyists
200
Name two of the four types of committees in Congress and explain the difference between the two committees you choose.
a. standing (permanent committee) b. select (temporary committee that goes away if it is no longer needed in Congress) c. joint (committee with members from both the House and the Senate) d. conference (joint committee that irons out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill before a bill goes for a final vote in Congress and is sent to the president)
200
Give an example of one formal power and one inherent power.
formal-Ex. commander and chief, administrative head, appoints ambassadors and Supreme Court justices inherent-Ex. executive orders
200
What was the purpose of the Pendleton Act?
The Pendleton Act required that the members of the bureaucracy receive jobs based on merit, not on political favoritism by the president. It established the civil service.
300
What kind of lobbying refers to professional lobbyists trying to persuade members to vote in the interests of an interest group.
direct lobbying
300
If a president is accused of committing a crime while in office, what roles are played by the House and the Senate in the impeachment process.
The House impeaches (brings formal charges) the president and then the Senate holds a trial to determine whether or not the president is guilty.
300
Give an example of a divided government. How does this affect the presidency?
A divided government is a government where the same party does not control the presidency and both houses of Congress. If the government is divided, it is harder to get things done.
300
How does the American bureaucracy compare in size to bureaucracies in other countries
America's bureaucracy is smaller than most bureaucracies in the Western world.
400
Citizens of Maryville who benefit from an interest group's effort to pass a law that would give free Wi-Fi to everyone throughout the state of Missouri are examples of what problem?
free rider problem
400
A Congress member votes for an education bill that she strongly supports, even though she knows most of her constituents do not support it. What style of representation is she modeling?
trustee
400
How much does the President typically rely on the cabinet?
Not as much as in the past
400
What power does the President have over the bureaucracy?
The president is the head of the bureaucracy. He/she can look at drafts of regulations by agencies and appoint department heads of his/her choice.
500
Which group would be more likely to form an interest group: dentists or food stamp recipients?
dentists (Because they are generally wealthier and more educated, dentists are easier to organize into interest groups. )
500
Explain the concept of descriptive representation in Congress.
Descriptive representation is the concept that Congress should demographically look like the population. For example, if half of the American population is made up of women, women should make up half of Congress.
500
What is a veto? Is this a formal or inherent power? What can Congress do to override a veto?
A veto is a president's power to not sign a bill into law. It is a formal power. Congress can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote in both houses.
500
What is the difference between a department, independent agency and a government corporation?
department-broad category of agencies that report to the president independent agency-agency that is part of the bureaucracy but does not report to the president government corporation-corporation that could by controlled by the private sector but is controlled by the government instead