The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.

mandate – a requirement set by the national government to force states to perform a particular action.

the constitution obliges the national government to do three things for the states. the three obligations are outlined in article IV, section 3 & 4. republican form of government, protection, territorial integrity.

Categorical grants are the main source of federal aid used for one specific purpose with strings attached. States prefer block grants because there are less strings attached and the money can be used for a broader purpose.

Infer What might keep a State from accepting a categorical grant-in-aid? There are two main reasons I can think of: A fear of excessive federal intervention through the strings attached to those grants. Those strings could imply the State giving up control of certain agencies.

Which of the following is an example of a categorical grant? Funds provided by Congress to the states to enhance science instruction in a low-income area.

Grants-in-aid may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the federal government may decide it wants to encourage state and local governments to become more engaged in a specific policy area such as affordable housing or education for the disadvantaged.

Grants In Aid. Applicants must meet the following requirements: The applicant must be in receipt of a grant for Older Persons. Disability grant or a War Veteran’s grant, and require full- time attendance by another person.

Grants-in-aid are payments in the nature of assistance, donations or contributions made by one government to another government, body, institution or individual.

The Kothari Commission

The grants are mainly given for non-profit entities such as educational, cultural and health purposes. Most of the grants are given for particular projects. But in the case of Aid, there is no need of such projects. Aid is given after taking into consideration the urgency of the matter concerned.

The three general types of federal grants to state and local governments are categorical grants, block grants, and general revenue sharing (see Table 1). Categorical grants can be used only for a specifically aided program and usually are limited to narrowly defined activities.

Block grants provide funding for eligible activities identified in authorizing legislation. Project grants are similar to categorical grants and fund specific projects and services. Formula grants are allocated based on a decision rule, such as x dollars per public school pupil.

Block grants and categorical grants are funding given to state and local governments by the federal government. The key difference is that block grants can be used for any purpose decided upon by the state or city whereas categorical grants must be used for a specific, designated purpose.

Block grants are given to states or communities and they decide how to spend the money. States prefer block grants because there are less strings attached and the money can be used for a broader purpose.

These grants also often require some commitment of matching funds. Medicaid and the food stamp program are examples of categorical grants. Block grants come with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more flexibility over how to spend grant funds.

Congress prefers Categorical Grants because expenditures can be targeted according to congressional priorities. In the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8), Congress is given the power to regulate foreign/interstate commerce. Both federal and state governments have the power to impose these.

Categorical grants are federal grants given to state and local governments to encourage their cooperation in implementing specific purposes and programs. These grants give less flexibility to state governments than block grants.

project grant

Categorical grants are given to states to be used for a specific purpose defined by federal law, such as building a college dormitory. This affects policy-making within states because it restricts the states’ ability to make new policy. Welfare money, for example, is given to states in a block grant.

Federal mandates are demands on states to carry out certain policies as a condition of receiving grant money. How does the national government use grants and mandates to influence state policies? Federal mandates are demands on states to carry out certain policies as a condition to receiving grant money.

Categorical grants have been used to increase the power of the federal government relative to the states. Block grants have been used to increase the power of the state government relative to the federal government.

Answer and Explanation: Federal grant-in-aid programs are criticized because they make the separation of power between the federal and state/local government unclear. It is easiest to see how this happens with an example of a grant-in-aid program.