Federalism Overview
Morton Grodzin’s points out that strict
separation of national and state functions has
never really existed\
Tocqueville also comments on the difficulties
of formally separating, in theory, the
responsibilities of national, state, and local
governments.
Centralization versus
Decentralization
• The thrust of the New Deal was toward
centralization through the use of federal
grant-in-aid programs, a philosophy that
dominated the government until the late
1960s
• The emergence of the �New
Federalism� of the Nixon administration
supported decentralization of power from
the national to the state governments.
Revenue Sharing
• Revenue sharing was inaugurated by
President Nixon to transfer national funds
to the states, without stipulation of how the
money was to be spent.
• The revenue-sharing procedure was in
direct contrast to the grant-in-aid
programs, which allowed for state receipt
of federal money upon the condition of
state adherence to national standards
Reagan's New Federalism
• President Reagan's New Federalism
proposed the merging of grant-in-aid
programs into block grants to the states,
leading eventually to a reduced federal
role in financing state and local
governments
Grodzins-Federalism as a Marble
Cake
• I. Sharing of Functions
• The American form of government is often,
but erroneously, symbolized by a threelayer cake. A far more accurate image is
the rainbow or marble cake
• As colors are mixed in the marble cake, so
functions are mixed in the American
federal system.
The Politics of the Federal
System
• States came before the national
government and retained many separate
powers
• States are overrepresented in Congress
by the composition of the Senate
• States share the administration of many
federal programs-medicaid, clean air,
highway safety, law enforcement etc.
Politics Decentralized
• All politics is local
• Political parties in Congress represent
diverse constituencies
• National parties are not disciplined but are
umbrella parties containing many diverse
interests
Lack of Party Discipline
• The lack of party discipline produces an
openness in the system that allows
individuals, groups, and institutions
(including state and local governments) to
attempt to influence national policy at
every step of the legislative-administrative
process
Party System Functions to
Devolve Power
• Congressmen and Senators can rarely
ignore concerted demands from their
home constituencies;
• but no party leader can expect the same
kind of response from those below,
whether he be a President asking for
Congressional support or a Congressman
seeking aid from local or state leaders.
Disciplined National Parties
Would Make Politics National,
Not Local
• Any tightening of the party apparatus
would have the effect of strengthening the
central government
• Program oriented parties would reduce
local influence in the national government
by reducing the multiple access points that
now exist
Congressional Politics is Local
• Thus there is an important link between
the nursing of Congressional requests,
requests that largely concern local
matters, and the most comprehensive
national programs. The administrator must
accommodate to the former as a price of
gaining support for the latter.
Politics of Administration is
Local
• The politics of administration is a process
of making peace with legislators who for
the most part consider themselves the
guardians of local interests.
• The political role of administrators
therefore contributes to the power of
states and localities in national programs.