PSC 2225 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Reserve Clause, Western World, Literacy Test
Midterm: State & Urban Policy Problems
Supremacy Clause
-Article VI, Clause 2
-establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties
made under its authority, constitute the supreme law of the land.
-“cornerstone of the whole American political structure”
-It does not, however, allow the federal government to review or veto state laws
before they take effect.
Reserve Clause // Reserve Powers
-Tenth Amendment - Reserved Powers. The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people. This amendment limits the power of the Federal
government to those specifically enumerated in the constitution, and greatly expands
the power of states by not enumerating them
Police power
-The fundamental right of a government to make all necessary laws. In the United
States, state police power comes from the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, which
gives states the rights and powers "not delegated to the United States." States are thus
granted the power to establish and enforce laws protecting the welfare, safety, and
health of the public.
-can include: direction of internal transportation improvements, controls on capital
and labor, building of schools/libraries/other educational facilities, identification and
regulation of proper moral behavior, town planning, public health
-Police power gave the states -- but not the federal government-- broad authority over
civil society for the first 150 years of the US existence.
THEORIES OF FEDERALISM
Dual Federalism: lasted from FOUNDING to NEW DEAL, a political arrangement in
which power is divided between the federal and state governments in clearly defined
terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without
interference from the federal government
Cooperative Federalism: from NEW DEAL to GREAT SOCIETY (LBJ, ’64-’68), using
categorical grants, federal state and local governments worked together to solve
common problems rather than act separately from one another to achieve goals
Fiscal Federalism: a political arrangement in which power is divided between the federal
and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising
those powers accorded to them without interference from the federal government
-separation of financial powers between federal and state governments
Coercive Federalism: mostly associated with LBJ, lasted until Reagan, federal
government began using regulations and mandates to ensure federal policies were
being implemented
New federalism: mostly associated with Reagan, lasts until now (kind of?), a political
philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal
government back to the states
Preemption
-The preemption doctrine refers to the idea that a higher authority of law will
displace the law of a lower authority of law when the two authorities come into conflict.!
-federal > state > local
Autonomous state government
-in a political sense, limited self-government, short of independence, of a political
state or, more frequently, of a subdivision. The term is also used for other self-governing
units
-An autonomous govt has
-direct and independent elections
-the ability to pass and implement policy — tax, spend and borrow
Systems of government
-Unitary:
-strong central government, people elect national govt which staffs local govt
-ex: China
-Confederal:
-Reversal of unitary direction of power. Power very decentralized
-A confederacy is a loose relationship among a number of smaller political
units. The vast majority of political power rests with the local governments; the central
federal government has very little power.
-In some cases, a confederacy is little more than an alliance between
independent states.
-Federal
-Autonomous national, state and local government // direct & independent
election // ability to pass & implement own policies (tax, spend, borrow)
-a mix of national and state or local governments that compete for power. The
federal government usually trumps local governments in matters of defense and foreign
policy, but local governments have a great deal of say over most other policy areas. ex:
US, Canada
Political subcultures
-What is a political subculture? 3 different underpinnings in US politics, ideologies
that correspond to what kinds of institutions are acceptable
Individualistic
-mid Atlantic region westward, middle America (not in midwest terms used rhetorically
but like the literal middle going west-east), little bit southwest
-marketplace
-ability of individuals to take control of government
-laissez faire idea of politics, hands off
-government is best when limited, serving people in the utilitarian sense
-politics used/seen as a business
Moralistic
-commonwealth, politics as a higher calling
-political expertise not as necessary, amateurs can step right in and get elected
-a matter of concerns for all citizens not just politicians
-stems from New England, puritans, initially religious concept (not so much anymore but
an important beginning).
-Northerners, Jews, Scots, Swiss, Scandinavians, e.g. groups that feel this way
Traditionalistic
-role of government is to maintain the status quo
-South, south-east
Macropartisan change
-macropartisanship is the shifts in political party affiliation with relation to
presidential popularity and political events such as wars or scandals. There is strong
evidence to prove that in the presidential popularity and party identification move
together.
-How to get a state to change parties:
-immigration
-mobilization of new voters
-dealignment // realignment
-generational (old voters die off)
Migration and micropartisan change
-
Racial threat hypothesis
- A higher population of members of a minority race results in the dominant race
imposing higher levels of social control on the subordinate race out of fear of becoming
the minority and losing power
Group position hypothesis
- A group fears losing its place on the ladder of socio-political power and will meet
another group’s challenge to them with hostility
-from Wilkinson & Bingham
-Group Position theory: individuals place their racial or ethnic group in a
category and others into distinct classifications. When whites feel that their
clout/position is being infringed upon by blacks, they respond negatively to blacks
Document Summary
Establishes that the constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the supreme law of the land. It does not, however, allow the federal government to review or veto state laws before they take effect. States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. This amendment limits the power of the federal government to those speci cally enumerated in the constitution, and greatly expands the power of states by not enumerating them. Cooperative federalism: from new deal to great society (lbj, "64-"68), using categorical grants, federal state and local governments worked together to solve common problems rather than act separately from one another to achieve goals. Fiscal federalism: a political arrangement in which power is divided between the federal and state governments in clearly de ned terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the federal government.
