The Presidency
This title is given to the president’s constitutional role as the head of the executive branch.
What is the Chief Executive?
The U.S. Congress is divided into two chambers the House of Representatives and the Senate a design known as this.
What is bicameralism?
This power, established in Marbury v. Madison (1803), allows the Supreme Court to nullify laws or executive actions that conflict with the Constitution.
What is judicial review?
Because Congress must rely on executive agencies to carry out laws but risks losing control of policy outcomes, The Logic of American Politics describes this ongoing trade-off as what dilemma?
What is the dilemma of delegation?
This system divides authority between national and state governments, creating overlapping jurisdictions and opportunities for political conflict.
What is federalism?
This formal power allows the president to reject legislation passed by Congress.
What is the Veto?
When Congress holds hearings or demands reports from federal agencies to ensure laws are being properly implemented, it is exercising this constitutional function.
What is legislative oversight?
This legal doctrine, meaning “to stand by things decided,” requires courts to follow established precedent unless there is strong justification to overturn it.
What is stare decisis?
Over time, agency employees develop a shared sense of mission and professional identity that shapes how they interpret and implement policy. The textbook calls this internal set of norms and values what?
What is bureaucratic culture?
James Madison described this system as one in which “ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” ensuring that each branch of government checks the others.
What is separation of powers (or the system of checks and balances)?
Similar to an executive order, this type of directive allows the president to manage the operations of the federal government but often attracts less public attention and formal oversight.
What is a presidential memorandum?
In Congress, members often engage in this practice exchanging support across bills or committees to build coalitions and ensure mutual legislative success.
What is logrolling?
Most cases reach the Supreme Court under this form of jurisdiction, meaning the Court reviews lower-court decisions rather than hearing new evidence.
What is appellate jurisdiction?
When bureaucratic agencies issue regulations that have the force of law, they are engaging in this process, often considered one of the most significant policymaking powers in the federal government.
What is rulemaking?
Although this group of department heads advises the president, real power in the modern presidency often lies with the Executive Office and its White House staff.
What is the Cabinet?
Ratified after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, this constitutional amendment limits presidents to serving only two terms in office.
What is the 22nd amendment?
According to the Constitution, this chamber of Congress has the sole power to initiate impeachment proceedings and to introduce all revenue bills.
What is the House or Representatives?
The Supreme Court uses this legal instrument to agree to hear a case from a lower court, typically requiring the approval of at least four justices.
What is a writ of certiorari?
Close relationships between congressional committees, executive agencies, and organized interest groups are known by this term, describing networks that shape policy implementation.
What are iron triangles?
This constitutional authority gives Congress control over government spending, allowing it to check the president and bureaucracy.
What is the power of the purse?
Presidents often use this informal power appealing directly to citizens through media and public speeches to pressure Congress into action.
What is going public?
The decentralized committee system, along with members’ focus on reelection and constituency service, can make collective action in Congress difficult a challenge political scientists describe using this term from rational choice theory.
What is a collective action problem?
When deciding cases, courts often rely on this type of doctrine, which governs how lower courts should process and handle cases such as determining jurisdiction, standing, and proper judicial procedure rather than the substance of the law itself.
What is procedural doctrine?
When agencies develop specialized expertise, loyal constituencies, and control over information, they can act independently of political oversight a condition the text refers to as this.
What is bureaucratic autonomy?
Often called the “fourth branch of government” because of its vast size and policy influence, this network of agencies and departments has grown far beyond what the framers could have imagined.
What is the Bureaucracy?