American Federalism:
Deciding Where Policies Shall be Made
I. Three Types of National Organizations
A. Confederal
B. Federal
C. Unitary
II. Why Federalism in America
B. Theoretical Advantages
1. anti-tyrannical
2. power dispersing
3. participatory enhancement
C. Practical Advantages
1. policy diversity
2. governmental responsiveness
3. governmental efficiency
4. policy initiatives
III. Power Shifts in the Federal Relationship
A. Dual Federalism (1788-1913)
B. Cooperative Federalism (1913-1964)
C. Centralized Federalism (1964-1980) (pro position)
D. The New Federalism (1980-1985)
E. Representational Federalism (1985-1994)
F. Devolution (1994-present)
IV. Coercive Federalism: Pre-emption and Mandates
A. Intergovernmental Tax Immunities
C. Unfunded Mandates
V. Impact on Policy
A. Liberalism and National Bias
B. Conservatism and Local Bias
C. National Policy and Cost Dispersal.
D. Three Policy Types
1. Distributive/Allocative
2. Regulatory/Developmental
3. Redistributional
Key Websites
National Governor's Association
National Conference of State Legislatures
National Association of Counties
National Association of Towns, Townships and Small Communities