The National Government Setting
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Separation of Power
Checks and Balances
Federalism
Polycentric
Rules of the Game
Decentralization vs. Centralization of Power
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Separation of Executive/Legislature
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Federalism
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Independent Courts
Elastic Clause (a.k.a Nec. & Proper)
- Article I, sec. 8. Gives Congress the authority to make
whatever laws that are “necessary and proper” to carry
out its enumerated responsibilities
- Creates the notion of Implied power
- McCullough v. Maryland (1819)
* U.S. National Bank Created
* Threat to Private Bank Profits
- Implications: Fed. can now go beyond enumerated
powers.
Federal Government Spending
- Grants to States: land or cash grants
Purpose – push policy agenda, stimulate
economy, correct for externalities
- Categorical Grants
- Block Grants
- General Revenue Sharing Grants
Ended in 1987
- Mandates
e.g., civil rights and environmental
regulations; Federal criminal laws
ANALYIZING FEDERALISM
Alexis de Tocqueville (1831-2)
- nations need centralized power
- people prefer one central government
- too complicated to understand
- Majority of the Tyranny
- Reduces Military capacity
- Government too weak to intervene in
internal conflicts (almost right)
-Incapable of adapting to growing diverse
population
Federalism and Democracy
- could increase representation
- reverse could be true (lower govt. captured)
- less quality/visible information on lower
govts.
- lack of national standards increased
political/economic standards
- “Laboratory of Democracy”
Federalism and Modern Politics
- Eisenhower and the dictatorial centralization
- Johnson’s Great Society
- Nixon’s New Federalism
- Carter – new agencies (Energy & Education)
- Reagan and General Revenue Sharing
- Clinton – National Health Care
- Bush – DHS; Patriot Act
- Obama – Keynesian Economics
POLICY RAMIFICATIONS?
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Flexibility?
Accountability?
Dispersed Costs/Concentrated Benefits
Protection of Minority Rights – limits to
democracy?
• Multiple Access Points – enhance
democracy?
Why federalism didn’t fail
• Do we let state and localities deal with
disasters?
• Or do we need a centralized agency to
quickly act in times of need?
• Why couldn’t we respond to the needs of
the people of New Orleans as fast as we
responded to the disaster in Indonesia.
• 12/26/2005 tsunami. U.S. military troops
begin to mobilize a response in hours. By
Jan. 1st USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier
Strike Group was afloat off the Indonesian
island of Sumatra , and the ship's 17
helicopters and aircrews were flying relief
supplies to survivors in devastated areas.
• Why such the quick response? President
bush could simply pick up the phone and
order nearby military personnel to
respond.
The Contrast of Katrina
• That wasn’t the case for Hurricane Katrina
where federal agencies are frequently
required to wait for state requests.
• Does this mean that we need to take
control of disaster relief from state and
local governments?
• Derthick doesn’t necessarily believe so.
Katrina Successes
• Getting 1-1.2 million of the 1.4 million
living in New Orleans out in two days
• National Hurricane center provided early
warning
• National Guard and Louisiana Wildlife and
Fisheries were quick to respond and
saved many lives.
Katrina failures
• Arrangement for buses and other public
transportation for those without cars was
not made before the hurricane struck
• Local government encouraged
development in dangerous areas
• Did the Corp of Engineers do a good job
building the levees?
• Did local authorities do a good job
maintaining the levees?
Conclusions from Katrina
• After the disaster many proposed to centralize
authority for disaster response
• Derthick is skeptical that this is a good idea.
• Although there were clear failures, a centralized
authority may not necessarily have done a better
job. Each locality faces different disasters
(earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.)
• States may better at learning how to deal with
their most probable disaster
• Of course the federal government should lend
support and resources.
• But better coordination between local,
state, and federal agencies would have
improved response times.
• Derthick recommends that we look to the
successes and the failures to improve
response.
• Both local, state and federal agencies can
make improvements without centralizing
authority.
Growth of Polycentricity
• Growth in state and local government
employment much fast than federal
government
• 58% of federal employees worked in the
postal service, national defense and
international relations-related jobs
• What does this mean? More and more of
policies are implemented by local and
state governments.
Is this a good thing?
• Decentralization of authority allows
localities to focus on their specific needs
• More local/state control and accountability
• But could lead to horizontal inequality.
• States might decide to spend less on
services: schools/health care/child welfare.
• Therefore citizens living in different areas
may not get the same services, thus
leading to inequality of opportunity