Intergovernmental redirection

Area of Science:

• Public Administration
• Political Science
• Governmental Studies

Background:

• Intergovernmental reforms have historically aimed to address defects in federal-state-local relations.
• Past reform efforts, including procedural changes and aid rationalization, achieved limited success due to congressional control.
• Significant shifts in intergovernmental relations emerged post-1978, driven by economic issues and public sentiment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the evolution of intergovernmental relations in light of recent economic and political changes.
• To examine President Reagan's New Federalism initiative as a response to contemporary federalism trends.
• To forecast the trajectory of intergovernmental relations throughout the 1980s.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of historical reform attempts in intergovernmental systems.
• Examination of economic factors influencing federal-state-local dynamics.
• Review of policy proposals, specifically President Reagan's New Federalism package.

Main Results:

• Previous reforms were largely ineffective because Congress dominated the system.
• The period after 1978 witnessed a dramatic shift towards decentralization, competition, and fragmentation in federalism.
• President Reagan's New Federalism proposal represents an attempt to realign the system with these new trends.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the challenges of reforming complex intergovernmental systems.
• Contemporary federalism is characterized by a move towards decentralized, competitive, and fragmented structures.
• The New Federalism initiative is presented as a significant realignment effort in response to these evolving intergovernmental dynamics.