POLS Week 4

A broad grant of money given by the federal government to a state government. The grant specifies the general area (such as education or health services) in which the funds may be spent but leaves it to the state to determine the specific allocations.

A national set of education standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy that outline what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade (K–12).

Competition among states that involves adopting policies that each state would prefer to avoid. For example, states engage in cutthroat competition when they underbid one another on tax breaks to attract businesses relocating their facilities.

A system of government in which the federal government and state governments each have mutually exclusive spheres of action.

Allows Congress to “make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers.”

The explicit powers given to Congress by the Constitution in Article I, Section 8. These include the powers of taxation, coinage of money, regulation of commerce, and provision for the national defense.

Public goods or bads generated as by-products of private activity.

A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and several regional governments

Funds given by Congress to state or local governments for a specific purpose

A grant of money given by the federal government to a state government for which the federal government provides matching funds, usually between $1 and $4, for every dollar the state spends in some area.

Shifting to the national government responsibilities traditionally exercised by the states.

Laws passed by Congress that override or preempt state or local policies. The power of preemption derives from the supremacy clause (Article VI) of the Constitution

When states “race,” or compete, to provide a minimum level of services (such as welfare spending) or regulation (such as tax incentives for corporations). There remains much debate over whether states do indeed ____.

A system in which the national and state governments share in providing citizens with a set of goods.

The amendment that offers the most explicit endorsement of federalism to be found in the Constitution

A system of government in which a single government unit holds the power to govern the nation (in contrast to a federal system, in which power is shared among many governing units).