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What is the price of federalism? Does it result in governmental interconnections that are too complex? Does it create overlapping responsibilities? Does it perpetuate social inequalities? Does it stifle economic growth?
To answer these questions, Paul Peterson sets forth two theories of federalism: functional and legislative. Functional theory is optimistic. It says that each level of the federal system is well designed to carry out the tasks for which it is mainly responsible. State and local governments assume responsibility for their area's physical and social development; the national government cares for the needy and reduces economic inequities. Legislative theory, in contrast, is pessimistic: it says that national political leaders, responding to electoral pressures, misuse their power. They shift unpopular burdens to lower levels of government while spending national dollars on popular government programs for which they can claim credit.
Both theories are used to explain different aspects of American federalism. Legislative theory explains why federal grants have never been used to equalize public services. Elected officials cannot easily justify to their constituents a vote to shift funds away from the geographic area they represent. The overall direction that American federalism has taken in recent years is better explained by functional theory. As the costs of transportation and communication have declined, labor and capital have become increasingly mobile, placing states and localities in greater competition with one another. State and local governments are responding to these changes by overlooking the needs of the poor, focusing instead on economic development. As a further consequence, older, big cities of the Rust Belt, inefficient in their operations and burdened by social responsibilities, are losing jobs and population to the suburban communities that surround them.
Peterson recommends that the national government adopt p

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Foreword(p. vii)
• Author's Preface(p. xi)
• 1 The Evolution of Modern Federalism(p. 1)
• 2 Functional and Legislative Theories of Federalism(p. 16)
• 3 The Changing Federal System(p. 50)
• 4 Why States Choose Different Policies(p. 85)
• 5 Welfare: a Race to the Bottom?(p. 108)
• 6 National Grants: Is Equity Possible?(p. 129)
• 7 Big Cities: Is the Problem Financial?(p. 153)
• 8 Reducing the Price of Federalism(p. 175)
• Appendix(p. 197)
• Notes(p. 203)
• References(p. 219)
• Index(p. 233)

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Publishers Weekly Review

Okay: this is beach reading only if you're a policy wonk. But that doesn't mean the average voter won't find it an informative, even accessible, book that goes to the heart of the current talk about block grants, unfunded mandates, the deficit and more. After a whirlwind overview of American federalism, Peterson offers two theories of the fiscal relationships between national and local governments. Functional theory posits that different levels of government are best suited to different kinds of funding: for the national government, that's redistributive programs (e.g., welfare, SSI), which it can apply evenly across the country; developmental programs (e.g., roads, buildings) are best left to local governments, which respond more efficiently to local needs. The cynical legislative theory suggests the opposite: the national government (read congressmen) will prefer to legislate popular development projects for constituents (aka pork) while leaving unpopular redistributive projects to the states. Peterson argues that if legislative theory best explains federalism from 1957 to 1977, functional theory is increasingly the norm now and should continue to be. On the one hand, pork is losing popularity, as functional theory says is best. Contrary to the theory's prescriptions, however, is the idea of giving states control over redistributive programs, which, Peterson says, will result in every state trying to cut welfare in order to discourage an influx of the poor. Yes, there are charts, but that's no excuse to shy away from this valuable look at the bottom line of domestic politics. $20,000 ad/promo. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Peterson makes a convincing argument for what he labels "functional federalism." He argues that states are best equipped to make development policy that "provides the physical and social infrastructure necessary to facilitate a country's economic growth" while the national government is the only entity capable of redistributive policy where societal resources are transferred from the "haves" to the "have-nots" (e.g., health care, welfare). While so recommending, he does an exemplary job of demonstrating the practical and political limitations of this ideal arrangement. Juxtaposing the functional perspective with what he calls "legislative federalism," where policies are determined by the political needs of those making laws, he is able to explain the policy status quo and demonstrate empirically the strengths and limitations of that status quo. The volume is particularly timely, reflecting the implications of the 1994 congressional elections. The analysis is compelling and provocative. The volume is a nice complement to earlier works by Peterson (e.g., City Limits, CH, Dec'81; When Federalism Works, CH, Jun'87). Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduate through faculty. L. Bowen John Carroll University

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

" Paul E. Peterson is the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard, the director of PEPG, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is author or editor of numerous books, including The Education Gap: Vouchers and Urban Schools , with William G. Howell (Brookings, 2004 and 2006). He is coeditor (with Martin West) of No Child Left Behind? The Practice and Politics of School Accountability (Brookings, 2003)."