Question

Why are states called "laboratories of democracy"?

Responses

States are the primary sponsors of industrial research.

States are the primary sponsors of industrial research.

Most new social policy ideas are tried by one or two states before the other states or the federal government adopt the ideas.

Most new social policy ideas are tried by one or two states before the other states or the federal government adopt the ideas.

The term comes from the nineteenth century, when state politics were more scientific than the machine politics of cities.

The term comes from the nineteenth century, when state politics were more scientific than the machine politics of cities.

The federal government experiments with policies by ordering the states to try them first.

Answer 1

Correct answer: "Most new social policy ideas are tried by one or two states before the other states or the federal government adopt the ideas."

Why: The phrase "laboratories of democracy" (coined by Justice Louis Brandeis in New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, 1932) refers to how states can experiment with different public policies on a smaller scale. Successful state experiments can be copied by other states or scaled up federally; failures are contained to fewer people. The other choices are incorrect: states are not primarily industrial research sponsors, the term is from Brandeis in the early 20th century (not the nineteenth century), and the federal government does not typically force states to try policies first.