Deck 3: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations: The Structure of the American Administrative State

Question 1

Federalism in the United States has its historical origins in the Colonial period. Do contemporary technologies make it out of date (anachronistic)? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Not Answered

Question 2

What principles or criteria might be developed to aid in deciding which governmental policies should be uniform across all the states and which should vary in accordance with the characteristics of the individual states?

Answer 2

Not Answered

Question 3

What are the advantages and disadvantages of categorical grants, block grants, and revenue sharing compared to one another?

Answer 3

Not Answered

Question 4

The public choice and New Public Management movements favor the provision of diverse combinations of public services by different municipalities. The logic behind this is that citizens will be able to "shop" for the combination and quality of services that most closely fit their needs. What problems can you foresee with respect to this arrangement? What potential benefits does this arrangement accrue to citizens?

Question 5

Urban areas in the United States continue to face endless problems. What governmental policies may have contributed to urban areas' plight and what type of policies might government enact to assist in their recovery?

Question 6

Which of the following constitutional provisions is most important to interstate cooperation?

A) Article III
B) Article IV
C)the Thirteenth Amendment
D)the Sixteenth Amendment

Question 7

The number of subordinates directly reporting to a superior is referred to as

A) dual federalism
B) the span of control
C)administrative decentralization
D)none of the above

Question 8

A constitutional basis for the concept of state sovereignty is

A) the establishment of a House of Representatives
B) the Ninth Amendment
C)the Tenth Amendment
D)the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 9

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution

A) requires one state to recognize the legal acts of another
B) requires the federal government to guarantee state debt
C)requires state governments to guarantee the debt of their localities
D)none of the above

Question 10

Katzenbach v. McClung (1964)

A) overruled the Civil Rights Act of 1964
B) ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits racial discrimination in private restaurants
C)upheld Congress's power to regulate commerce among the states
D)restricted Congress's power to regulate commerce among the states

Question 11

Administrative decentralization in the United States

A) is the same as federalism
B) allows local governments to do what they want
C)helps increase the "span of control"
D)none of the above

Question 12

The Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause

A) is of importance to interstate relations
B) is of no importance to interstate relations
C)allows a state to discriminate against nonresidents in all contexts
D)applies only to the federal government

Question 13

The "commission plan" of local government refers to

A) regulatory agencies
B) city managers
C)the mayor's powers
D)none of the above

Question 14

City managers are typically

A) elected by the voters
B) appointed by state governors
C)hired based on a merit examination
D)appointed by the city council

Question 15

The traditional managerial perspective on relationships among local governments

A) is the same as the NPM perspective
B) is not concerned with economies of scale
C)favors reduction in the number of independent municipalities
D)favors competition among municipalities

Question 16

According to the chapter, about how many governments are there in the United States?

A) 89,000
B) 68,000
C)18,500
D)52

Question 17

Compared to the U.S. Constitution, most state constitutions are

A) old
B) detailed
C)concise
D)infrequently amended

Question 18

Through the commerce clause the federal government can regulate

A) police power
B) morality and social behavior in general
C)motels and other places of public accommodation
D)all of the above

Question 19

Which of the following is an independent regulatory commission?

A) Department of Education
B) U.S. Army
C)National Labor Relations Board
D)Office of Personnel Management

Question 20

Federal corporations are

A) private businesses chartered by the federal government
B) administrative agencies
C)unconstitutional if they engage in commerce
D)none of the above

Question 21

According to the chapter, "juridical" or "judicial" federalism refers to

A) how the U.S. federal court system is structured
B) how the federal courts have been active in applying the U.S. Constitution to the states
C)how the state of Israel is structured
D)none of the above

Question 22

A federal grant of funds to the states for specific programs is a

A) categorical grant
B) block grant
C)an example of revenue sharing
D)an encroachment on state sovereignty

Question 23

Federalism in the United States is best characterized as

A) separate governments engaged in separate activity
B) separate governments engaged in identical activity
C)separate governments engaged in overlapping activity
D)none of the above

Question 24

Which nation does not have a federalist structure?

A) United States
B) Canada
C)Nigeria
D)England

Question 25

Federalism promotes

A) national unity
B) administrative simplification
C)administrative centralization
D)political representation

Question 26

"Public choice" theory favors

A) a few large jurisdictions
B) a few small jurisdictions
C)many jurisdictions
D)a unified state

Question 27

According to the chapter, federalism can be

A) nation- centered
B) B)state- centered
C)dual
D)all of the above

Question 28

The Wickard v. Fillburn (1942) decision represented the Supreme Court's broad interpretation of the

A) full faith and credit clause
B) equal protection clause
C)commerce clause
D)presentment clause

Question 29

Dillon's Rule holds that local governments

A) possess independent powers
B) possess only those powers given to them by the states
C)derive their powers from the federal government
D)are chartered by Article IX of the U.S. Constitution

Question 30

"Independent" federal agencies must be

A) regulatory commissions
B) in executive departments
C)not organized within executive departments
D)not subject to congressional oversight

Question 31

For the most part, the bureaucratic load of state and local governments is higher today than it was in the 1950s.

Question 32

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 rejected the federal practice of levying new responsibilities on the states without concomitant federal funding.

Question 33

The 1980s was a period of declining federal aid to state and local governments.

Question 34

Entitlements are flexible federal programs that allow states to define eligibility requirements as they see fit.

Question 35

All federal grants are made directly to state governments who then pass them through to local governments.

Question 36

Today, the United States is best described by the nation-centered model of federalism.

Question 37

Agreements made between states must always be approved by Congress.

Question 38

Under the Constitution's Tenth Amendment, police power is reserved for the federal government.

Question 39

The idea that smaller political jurisdictions are more responsive than large ones has evoked great support throughout the history of the United States.

Question 40

The mayor-council form of local government is found in almost half of the nation's cities.

Question 41

Nebraska is the only state in the country that does not have a bicameral legislature.

Question 42

The Department of Justice is the largest of the thirteen departments in the federal government.

Question 43

The largest share of federal grant money allocated to state governments is given in the form of block grants.

Question 44

The full faith and credit clause requires states to recognize occupational licenses granted in other states.

Question 45

The New Public Management perspective favors small-scale governments because they enhance responsiveness to customers.