Exam 3: Federalism

Describe the historical evolution of federalism in the United States from the Progressive Era through the post-9/11 period. What events motivated changes in the scope of federal power in the United States? What contemporary circumstances seem most likely to influence the relationship between state and federal power? How is federalism likely to continue to evolve over the next two decades?

Marijuana consumption is illegal on the federal level, yet states such as Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska have passed ballot initiatives that allow the commercialization of recreational marijuana. How are these state laws upheld given the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution?

Which of the following is an example of a negative externality?

The decisions in the court cases of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) can best be described as decisions that favored what group?

Denmark is a small nation in terms of both its population and land mass. Also, Denmark's population has historically been very homogeneous. On the basis of this information, which governing system is most likely to be in operation in Denmark?

Which Supreme Court decisions require that different electoral districts represent similarly sized populations? What was an immediate result of these rulings?

A political system in which both levels of government-national and state-are active in nearly all areas of policy activity and share sovereign authority is ________.

Why was the Civil War an important event in the development of the American political system?

Which funding type is the federal government most likely to use in order to extend its power over state governments?

Some economists have argued that federalism leads states to offer more efficient mixes of taxes and services due to ________.

Federal systems ________ national power relative to confederal systems, which allows them to exercise ________ control over tax policies.

Historically, some states have taken advantage of their sovereign discretion under institutions of federalism to discriminate against racial and ethnic minorities despite constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process. How does federalism enable this sort of abuse? What institutions and political dynamics support legal discrimination at the state level in the American federal system? What political forces ultimately enabled the national government to end legal discrimination in these states?

How can the relative levels of taxes impact relationships between states?

Which of the following resulted from the implementation of the Sixteenth Amendment, which gave the United States federal government the ability to tax income?

Which practice would be prohibited by the Supreme Court's decisions in Baker v. Carr (1962) and Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)?

Which is true of a state that has home rule as part of its constitution?

In the United States, the central government is typically charged with creating and enforcing environmental regulations. What is the principal advantage of having central control rather than state control over environmental policy?

The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment ________.

On balance, patterns of increasing intergovernmental transfers from the federal government to the state governments are most likely to ________.

The Missouri Compromise was a Congressional action that mandated whether states entering the Union would permit slavery. Any state north of the 36^o 30' latitude line-except for Missouri-would not permit slavery. What was the significance of this action?