American Government
 Federalism

Federalism is a way of organizing a nation so that two or more
levels of government have formal authority over the same area
and people


It is a system of shared power between units of government
Intergovernmental relations

These are the interactions between all levels of government (national,
state, and local)
 Unitary

governments
Most governments throughout the world are unitary governments
in which all powers reside in the central government

Dual Federalism (layer cake federalism)


Dual federalism is the earliest type of relationship established between the
federal government and the states where the federal government’s powers
were defined as delegated and the state government’s powers were reserved
(10th Amendment)
Cooperative federalism (marble cake federalism)

Cooperative federalism was developed during the New Deal. Cooperative
federalism is characterized by the federal government becoming more
intrusive in what were traditionally state powers


i.e. terrorism, education, etc.
The Commerce Clause is an example of cooperative federalism

This clause gives Congress the authority to regulate trade with foreign countries
 Competitive

Competitive federalism is an approach that stressed the
downsizing of the federal government and puts more reliance on
revenue sharing grants
 Creative

Federalism- (new federalism)
Federalism-
Creative federalism is characterized by the Great Society
programs, which placed a major responsibility on federally
funded programs

Developed under Lyndon Johnson
 Fiscal

Federalism
Fiscal federalism is the cornerstone of the national government’s
relations with state and local governments.

It covers the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the
federal system
 Devolution

Devolution is the belief that powers should be returned to the
states
 Categorical


These are the main source of federal aid to state and local
governments.
These grants can be used for only one of several hundred
specific purposes, or categories, of state and local spending

Something generally tied to these grants is a non-discrimination clause
 Project

grants
grants
A project grant is awarded on the basis of competitive
applications
 Formula

Formula grants are distributed based upon a predetermined
formula


Grants
These formulas may revolve around per capita income, percentage of rural
population, or some other like factor
The formulas are highly contested in Congress as each
Congressman fights to make sure these formulas benefit their
constituency

These types of grants provide power to the Federal government as they
control how money is appropriated
 Block

grants
Block grants are a form of fiscal federalism where federal aid is
given to the states with few strings attached.

Block grants provide more power to the states as they can make
decisions on how to spend their money.
 Funded

Mandates-
These are regulations that are passed by Congress or issued by
regulatory agencies to the states, with federal funds to support
them.
 Unfunded

mandates-
These are regulations passed by Congress or issued by regulatory
agencies to the states, without federal funds to support them