State & Local Basics
This is a mobilized, concentrated group of people focused on the interests of a community.
Faction
This is the delegating of power and programs from one level of gov’t (e.g., the national gov’t) to a lower-level gov’t (e.g., state and local gov’ts)
Devolution
This is a written and published law that can be enacted either by the legislative branch of gov’t OR by vote of the citizens
Statute
This is a proposed law or constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by citizen petition.
Initiative
These are organizations that nominate candidates to compete in elections and promote policy ideas.
Political parties
This term encompasses conflicts and struggles over the leadership, structure, and policies of gov’ts, and can alternatively be framed as "who gets what, when, and how".
Politics
This is a means of dividing gov’t functions and power between a central gov’t and (a specified number of) regional gov’ts
Federal gov't/arrangement
This is the legislature’s dominance over the other two branches of gov’t
Legislative supremacy
This is a procedure that allows citizens to (potentially) vote elected officials out of office before their terms have expired.
Recall
This is a set of (specific) core beliefs about the nature and role of the political system.
Political ideology (or just ideology)
The territorial range of government authority, often as a geographic region, referred to as:
Jurisdiction
This model of federalism is one in which the responsibilities and activities of the national and state gov’ts are separate and distinct.
Dual federalism
This is known as a system of government in which there are both national and state constitutions; the national government is supreme within the spheres of authority specifically delegated to it.
Dual constitutionalism
This is a procedure whereby a governing body submits proposed laws, constitutional amendments, or bond issues to the voters for ratification. Think of it as a referral.
Referendum
This is is the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the gov't.
Pluralism
This is the ability of gov’t to respond effectively to change, make good decisions, and manage conflicts.
Capacity
This is known as all the activities and interactions occurring between or among governmental units of all types and levels within the U.S. federal system. Here, decision-making occurring inside “the black box”.
Intergovernmental relations
This is an ideal of the structure and contents of a state constitution that emphasizes brevity and broad functions and responsibilities of government.
Model state constitution
In the context of political elections, the voting-_________ population comprises adults 18 years of age and older
Voting-age population
Generally, this is the occurance of not voting strictly by party lines on a ballot with several elections to vote for.
Ticket-splitting
According to Daniel Elazar, this is the way people think about their gov't and how the political system operates
Political culture
These grants a funding mechanism that automatically allocates monies based on observed conditions within the recipient government or its jurisdiction.
Formula grants
This is a state constitutional tradition based on basic and enduring principles that reach beyond statutory law
Higher-law tradition
As opposed to being left to "the black box", statutes that open the meetings of gov’t bodies to the public are known as:
Open meeting laws
Group mobilization of citizens to contact public officials on behalf of shared public policy views, often communicating via mail, e-mail, and phone calls, is known as:
Grassroots lobbying