Deck 10: State Local Relations

Question 1

What is smart growth?

A) the development of more suburban office space to keep up with the creation of suburban malls
B) the movement to revitalize the inner city using enterprise zones
C) the resurgence of mass transportation in the cities
D) government efforts to limit urban sprawl by managing its growth and impact

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is second-order devolution?

A) a wave of devolution transferring some powers and a variety of responsibilities from local governments to subterranean governments
B) cities devolving power and responsibilities to shadow governments
C) a second wave of devolution that started in the late 1990s, where additional powers and responsibilities were shifted from the federal government to state governments.
D) a shift in power from state government to local government.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

_____ is an area-wide structure for local governance, designed to replace multiple jurisdictions.

A) A shadow government
B) An ordinance
C) A regional government
D) A mandate

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the United States, the closest thing to a regional government is

A) urban government.
B) a local enforcement entity.
C) a shadow government.
D) city-county consolidation.

Question 5

How has the transformation of American metropolitan areas impacted central cities?

A) Central cities have lost some of their prominence as the social, economic, and political focal points of their areas.
B) Central cities have begun mimicking the social, economic, and political structures of the suburbs.
C) Central cities have experienced a large influx of residents from suburban areas.
D) Central cities have regained their prominence as the social, economic, and political focal points of their areas.

Question 6

The amount and type of authority that states give their local governments is

A) specified in the U.S. Constitution.
B) standardized based on model legislation written by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR).
C) driven by the guidelines of intergovernmental transfer.
D) highly variable.

Question 7

Measures that require states either to pay local governments for the costs of state mandates or to give local governments adequate revenue-raising capacity to pay for them are known as

A) unfunded mandates.
B) mandate-reimbursement requirements.
C) pay-to-play requirements.
D) regional-coordinated government revenue sharing.

Question 8

The three waves of suburbanization occurred in which of the following orders?

A) automobiles facilitating development of outlying areas, followed by exit ramp economies, followed by retail locating in outlying areas
B) automobiles facilitating development of outlying areas, followed by retail locating in outlying areas, followed by exit ramp economies
C) exit ramp economies, followed by automobiles facilitating development of outlying areas, followed by retail locating in outlying areas
D) retail locating in outlying areas, followed by exit ramp economies, followed by people moving out to retail areas

Question 9

In 1997, Maryland enacted a policy rewarding local governments that target new growth in areas that already have infrastructure, and denied state funding for infrastructure projects that encourage sprawl. This is an example of _____ policy.

A) an urban sprawl
B) a shadow government
C) a smart growth
D) a second-order devolution

Question 10

The term _____ refers to development beyond the central city that is characterized by low population density, rapid land consumption, and dependence on the automobile.

A) edge cities
B) edge sprawl
C) inelastic cities
D) urban sprawl

Question 11

State departments of community affairs (DCAs) are specialized community agencies that

A) offer services and programs to the federal government.
B) offer a range of programs and services to local governments.
C) are now defunct, but served a valuable purpose in the mid-1950s.
D) have consistently failed to provide adequate advocacy for local governments.

Question 12

Many state constitutions set forth a provision for _____, which, although it falls short of actual local self-government, is an important step in the direction of greater local decision making.

A) Dillon's rule
B) gerrymandering
C) Compton's rule
D) home rule

Question 13

Impact fees are BEST described as

A) standard taxes that are imposed on all residents of a jurisdiction.
B) fees that encourage new development to create urban sprawl.
C) charges levied on new development to offset some of the costs of providing services.
D) charges imposed existing retail developments to encourage smart growth.

Question 14

Which of the following is a criticism of regional government?

A) It encourages policies that promote urban sprawl rather than smart growth.
B) It prevents collaborative efforts between diverse jurisdictions that are not necessarily adjacent.
C) It results in increased partisanship and political corruption.
D) It does not necessarily reduce the costs of government, and may even increase them.

Question 15

_____, which is enacted by the governing body, is the local government equivalent of law.

A) A statute
B) A sunset law
C) A mandate
D) An ordinance

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the state mandate process is true?

A) Local governments have significant flexibility to solve problems and are provided sufficient funding to address those problems.
B) The state imposes a solution to a problem to achieve a desirable goal and, at the same time, ensures uniformity of policy among its local governments.
C) The state only repeats the guidance it has received from the federal government.
D) The state provides guidance but then defers to local government preferences.

Question 17

From a state government perspective, which of the following is NOT considered a benefit of state mandates?

A) They ensure that vital activities are performed and desirable goals are achieved.
B) They promote uniformity of policy from one jurisdiction to another.
C) They ensure that all municipalities and counties have the same resources to fund mandated policies.
D) They promote coordination and efficiency among adjacent jurisdictions that provide services jointly.

Question 18

City-county consolidations were once thought to be the wave of the future, but to date there are only _____ cities and counties that have consolidated.

A) thirty-three
B) fifty
C) eleven
D) forty-one

Question 19

Local governments may exercise only those powers explicitly granted to them by the state. This is an example of

A) intergovernmental transfer.
B) Dillon's rule.
C) Compton's rule.
D) second-order devolution.

Question 20

Local officials have offered several suggestions for fixing the issues associated with state mandates. Which of the following is one of these suggestions?

A) Localities should be required to work jointly to increase efficiency among adjacent jurisdictions.
B) Localities should be given greater flexibility in implementing the provisions of mandates.
C) The state should ensure that the vital activities are performed and desirable goals achieved in all localities.
D) Localities should be given more rigorous guidelines for implementing the provisions of mandates.

Question 21

What spurred the development of councils of governments?

A) state government programs
B) national government programs
C) nongovernmental organization programs
D) the insistence of local, grassroots citizen groups

Question 22

Some analysts argue that the major distinctions in regional economics are now between

A) the Sunbelt and the Frostbelt.
B) metropolitan America and the countryside.
C) the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest.
D) the East Coast and the West Coast.

Question 23

_____ are formal organizations of general-purpose governments in an area, intended to improve regional coordination.

A) Ordinances
B) Edge cities
C) Councils of governments
D) Urban sprawl mandates

Question 24

Local officials express concern that neither their policymaking power nor their financial authority has kept pace with the increased administrative responsibilities placed on them by state government.

Question 25

The majority of land use decisions occur at the local level.

Question 26

Annexation is the addition of unincorporated adjacent territory to a municipality.

Question 27

Home rule means that local officials cannot tailor their policies to fit their community, and the result is more uniformity from one jurisdiction to another.

Question 28

Urban sprawl is often called leapfrog development because it jumps over established settlements.

Question 29

What argument does the text offer in support of metropolitan-wide government?

A) because economies are essentially regional in nature, governance should be too
B) because urban sprawl is getting out of control, regional governance is needed to protect the interests of central cities
C) because citizens have little interest in local politics, regional politics might provide more interesting candidates and races that motivate people to vote
D) because politicians in large cities have more experience and specialized expertise, they could offer suburban towns a greater level of political professionalism than they are currently accustomed to

Question 30

According to Dillon's rule, any doubt regarding the legality of a specific local government power is resolved in favor of the state.

Question 31

What theory asserts that individuals shop around to find a local government whose taxes and services are in line with their own preferences?

A) public service theory
B) public choice theory
C) market preference theory
D) regime theory

Question 32

According to the U.S. Advisory on Intergovernmental Relations, state legislatures are the trustees of the basic rules of local governance in America.

Question 33

What state action helps facilitate local intergovernmental cooperation?

A) the implementation of unfunded mandates
B) the institution of citizen-led initiatives
C) the development of categorical block grants
D) the promotion of statewide land use planning

Question 34

From the perspective of state government, mandates are necessary to ensure that vital activities are performed and desirable goals are achieved.

Question 35

Nebraska developed its EDGE program ("Enhancing, Developing and Growing Entrepreneurs) in an effort to

A) boost business capacity in big cities.
B) provide scholarships to underprivileged but promising young entrepreneurs.
C) provide seed money to innovative organizations and businesses.
D) boost business capacity in rural communities.

Question 36

Unfunded mandates were once a source of friction between the states and their local governments, but states now pay most of the costs associated with mandated policies that affect local governments.

Question 37

States may regulate local governments' finances by establishing debt limits and requiring balanced budgets.

Question 38

What positive effect has resulted from the creation of councils of government?

A) Councils have substantially improved the operational capacity of rural local governments by providing expertise to small local jurisdictions that cannot afford to hire specialized staff.
B) Councils have provided local governments with additional funding and incentives to join regional government arrangements.
C) Councils have reduced the need for state involvement in regional affairs.
D) Councils have increased cooperation in relation to urban sprawl issues and urban revitalization.

Question 39

Exit ramp communities and edge cities are a manifestation of urban sprawl.

Question 40

The most relentless population decline is occurring in the rural areas of which part of the United States?

A) from southern Maine through northern Georgia
B) from west Texas through the Plains states
C) from North Dakota through the Pacific Northwest
D) from western Louisiana through the Southwest

Question 41

What are councils of governments (COGs)? Discuss their primary purpose and what role they play in state and local governments. How have they impacted regional coordination?

Question 42

What is the future of rural America? Discuss the major reasons for the loss of population in rural areas and propose some solutions to those problems.

Question 43

Why do many argue that urban sprawl is a problem that should be faced by local, regional, and state governments? Discuss the ideas and policies associated with smart growth and explain how they address the issue of urban sprawl.

Question 44

State and local governments have had an ongoing love-hate relationship for years. Explain the legal, political, and financial connections between these two critical levels of government and discuss how they can work together better in the future.

Question 45

Discuss the waves of urbanization and suburban development that have occurred since the 1920s. How have these changes impacted local government? In particular, discuss how state and local governments have struggled to solve the problems associated with political fragmentation in metropolitan areas. What solutions have they employed? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these solutions?

Question 46

Nevada was the pioneer of the smart growth movement with its State Land Use Law, adopted in 1961.

Question 47

Voters usually defeat proposals to consolidate city and county government.

Question 48

Regional government can be destructive to the hard-won political gains of minorities.

Question 49

Public choice theorists believe that consolidating cities and counties or creating regional governments provides people with important choices and promotes efficiency.