Federalism
A Level Government & Politics
Students should be able to:
•
•
•
Understand the Constitutional foundations of Federalism
Identify the different stages of Federalism and their
characteristics
Compare and contrast Federalism with the UK
Federalism
Federalism is:
The theory by which political power
is divided between a national and
state government, each having their
own clear jurisdiction
One of the main themes of Federalism is decentralisation
Federalism and the Constitution
Enumerated
Powers
Concurrent
Powers
Implied
Powers
Elastic
Clause
10th
Amendment
“Congress shall
make all laws
necessary and
proper”
All rights now
mentioned here
are reserved to
the States
An Ever Changing Concept
Federalism is an ever changing concept, despite some of the
Constitutional provisions for it. However, there are three key
stages of federalism that have been defined
Dual Federalism
Cooperative Federalism
New Federalism
Dual Federalism
1780-1920
• Associated with a collection of ‘unknown
presidents’
Large Focus on States Rights
• Federal Government limited to Money, War and
Peace
Layer Cake Federalism
• Divisions in Political Power are Clear Cut
Cooperative Federalism
1930s – 1960s
• Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson
• Majority of the Presidents were Democrats
New Departments
• Defence (1949), Health, Education, & Welfare (1953), Transportation
(1966)
Large Increase in Categorical Grants
• Grants allocated to states by Federal Government for specific projects
Marble Cake
• Division in Political Power are less clear cut
New Federalism
1970s-2000
• Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush and Clinton
• Majority of the Presidents were Republicans
Shift back to State Power
• The Federal Government did not create the States;
the States created the Federal Government
Large Increase in Block Grants
• Grants allocated to states by Federal Government
for non specific purposes or general areas
Why does Federalism Change?
Federalism adapts to the country as it changes: This is down to
several reasons
 Westward Expansion

The US grows from 13 states to 50, so federalism changes
 Population Growth

4 Million people in 1790, to 275 Million in 2000
 Industrialization

As industry advances, Government must keep up with regulation
 Communication

It becomes easier to communicate, meaning as the nation grows it shrinks.
 Events

Events such as the Depression force the role of the Federal Government to
increase
Why does Federalism Change?
 Foreign Policy

Second World War and subsequent wars require a huge amount of central
planning, so an increased role for the Federal government
 Supreme Court Rulings

Any ruling on the constitution can change federalism, such as rulings on
electoral law, civil rights or homosexuality
 Constitutional Amendments

The passage of amendments can fundamentally alter the powers of the
States or Federal Government
Evaluation of Federalism
Pros
Cons
Permits Diversity
Can hide economic and social inequalities
Pluralistic
Frustrates the national will, making
solutions to problems harder
Increased protection of individual rights
Constant source of conflict between
states and government
States becomes ‘policy labs’ e.g. Pollution
permits in California
Overly bureaucratic, therefore creating a
costly system that is resistant to change
Well suited to geographically large nation
Comparison with the UK
The UK does not have a federal system of government. The UK is
however a unitary state, that is highly centralised
HOWEVER:
With devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the
passage of EVEL rules, is the UK becoming a more federal country?
Federalism
A Level Government & Politics
Students should be able to:
•
•
•
Understand the Constitutional foundations of Federalism
Identify the different stages of Federalism and their
characteristics
Compare and contrast Federalism with the UK