divided government

(noun)

A situation in which one political party controls the White House while another party controls the majority of the Congress

Related Terms

Examples of divided government in the following topics:

  • The Party in Government

    • Despite the perceived problems of divided government, the President and Congress are often able, out of necessity, to establish an effective working relationship.
    • Divided government is suggested by some to be an undesirable product of the separation of powers in the United States' political system.
    • Earlier in the 20th century, divided government was rare, but since the 1970s it has become increasingly common.
    • Mainly in part due to the Watergate scandal which has popularized the idea that a divided government is a beneficial for the country.
    • Despite the perceived problems of divided government, the President and Congress are often able, out of necessity, to establish an effective working relationship.

  • Checking the Power of the Governing Party

    • The legislative branch can significantly affect the power of the governing party by employing a series of checks and balances.
    • The Democratic and Republican Parties can check the power of the governing party by holding seats in the legislative branch of the government.
    • The legislative branch of the United States government is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    • The legislative branch can also check the governing party by starting investigations against the executive branch.
    • The tendency of the Democratic Party to embrace a more active government role in the lives of citizens versus the tendency of the Republican Party to favor limited government intervention in citizens' lives, highlights the difficulties that arise when a divided government exists.

  • The Powers of Local Government

    • Some states have their counties further divided into townships.
    • The categories of local government established in this Census of Governments is a convenient basis for understanding local government: county governments, town or township governments, municipal governments and special-purpose local governments.
    • All the states are divided into counties for administrative purposes.
    • Municipal governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes, established to provide general government for a defined area, generally corresponding to a population center rather than one of a set of areas into which a county is divided.
    • Municipal governments are usually administratively divided into several departments, depending on the size of the city.

  • Federalism

    • Federalism is the system where sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent units.
    • Federalism is the system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units.
    • Dual federalism is a political arrangement in which power is divided between national and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the national government.
    • After the Civil War, the federal government increased its influence on everyday life and its size relative to state governments.
    • The national government was forced to cooperate with all levels of government to implement the New Deal policies; local government earned an equal standing with the other layers, as the federal government relied on political machines at the city level to bypass state legislatures.

  • Federalism

    • Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States.
    • The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units.
    • Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States.
    • Dual federalism is a theory of federal constitutional law in the United States according to which governmental power is divided into two separate spheres.
    • The national government was forced to cooperate with all levels of government to implement the New Deal policies; local government earned an equal standing with the other layers, as the federal government relied on political machines at a city level to bypass state legislatures.

  • How Fiscal Policy Relates to the AD-AS Model

    • When setting fiscal policy, the government can take an active role in changing its spending or the level of taxation.
    • It is helpful to keep in mind that aggregate demand for an economy is divided into four components: consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports.
    • Since government spending is one of the components of aggregate demand, an increase in government spending will shift the demand curve to the right.
    • If government spending exceeds tax revenues, expansionary policy will lead to a budget deficit.
    • If tax revenues exceed government spending, this type of policy will lead to a budget surplus.

  • Fiscal Levers: Spending and Taxation

    • Tax cuts have a smaller affect on aggregate demand than increased government spending.
    • Spending and taxation are the two levers available to the government for setting fiscal policy.
    • When the government cuts taxes instead, there is an increase in disposable income.
    • where MPC is the marginal propensity to consume (the change in consumption divided by the change in disposable income), and MPS is the marginal propensity to save (the change in savings divided by the change in disposable income).
    • The government spending multiplier is always positive.

  • Laissez-Faire Versus Government Intervention

    • Smith did favor some forms of government intervention, mainly to establish the ground rules for free enterprise.
    • Laissez-faire practices have not prevented private interests from turning to the government for help on numerous occasions, however.
    • American agriculture, almost totally in private hands, has benefited from government assistance.
    • Many other industries also have sought and received aid ranging from tax breaks to outright subsidies from the government.
    • Government regulation of private industry can be divided into two categories -- economic regulation and social regulation.

  • Democracy

    • Democracy is a form of government in which sovereignty is held by the majority of citizens within a country or a state.
    • Those representatives serve in local, state, and national governments.
    • Democracy is a form of government in which the power of government comes from the people.
    • More formally, we might say that in democracy, the right to govern, or sovereignty, is held by the majority of citizens within a country or state.
    • Many also institute measures such as the separation of powers, which divides executive, judicial, and legislative authority among different branches of government to protect against the possibility that a single government or branch of government could accumulate too much power and become harmful to democracy itself.

  • Taxes

    • Governments use its tax systems to raise funds for its programs and influence its citizens' economic actions.
    • Taxes are the primary means for governments to raise funds for its programs and to pay off its debts.
    • Choosing the right set of rules that have all of the elements of a good tax system can be a challenge for any government.
    • Generally in a progressive tax system, income is divided into "brackets. " For example, assume a tax system divides earners into people two groups.
    • Taxes are a tool used by governments to raise money and influence their citizens' economic choices.