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Ch. 3-Federalism: Forging a Nation
N/A
18
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
02/19/2015

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Term
Block Grants
Definition
Federal grants-in-aid that permit state & local officials to decide how the money will be spent within a general area, such as education or health.
Term
Categorical Grants
Definition
Federal grants-in-aid to states & localities that can be used only for designated projects.
Term
Commerce Clause
Definition
The authority granted Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution "to regulate commerce" among the states.
Term
Confederacy
Definition
A governmental system in which sovereignty is vested entirely in subnational (state) governments.
Term
Cooperative Federalism
Definition
The situation in which the national, state, & local levels work together to solve problems.
Term
Devolution
Definition
The passing down of authority from the national government to the state & local governments.
Term
Dual Federalism
Definition
A doctrine based on the idea that a precise separation of national power & state power is both possible & desirable.
Term
Enumerated (Expressed) Powers
Definition
The seventeen powers granted to the national government under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. These powers include taxation & the regulation of commerce as well as the authority to provide for the national defense.
Term
Federalism
Definition
A governmental system in which authority is divided between two sovereign levels of government: national & regional.
Term
Fiscal Federalism
Definition
A term that refers to the expenditure of federal funds on programs run in part through states & localities.
Term
Grants-in-aid
Definition
Federal cash payments to states & localities for programs they administer.
Term
Implied Powers
Definition
The federal government's constitutional authority (through the "necessary & proper" clause) to take action that is not expressly authorized by the Constitution but that supports actions that are so authorized.
Term
Nationalization
Definition
The process by which national authority has increased over the course of U.S. history as a result primarily of economic change but also of political action.
Term
"Necessary & Proper" (Elastic) Clause
Definition
The authority granted Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper" for the implementation of its enumerated powers.
Term
Reserved Powers
Definition
The powers granted to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Term
Sovereignty
Definition
The supreme (or ultimate) authority to govern within a certain geographical area.
Term
Supremacy Clause
Definition
Article VI of the Constitution, which makes national law supreme over state law when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.
Term
Unitary System
Definition
A governmental system in which the national government alone has sovereign (ultimate) authority.
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