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CHAPTER SIXTEEN Study Chapter Summary ·
Federalism reflects a continually changing
compromise between advocates of a strong national government and those who
advocate strong state government. ·
Under dual federalism, national and state
governments were thought to be responsible for separate policy areas. With
cooperative federalism (our current arrangement), the state and national
governments share responsibility for most domestic policy areas. ·
State cultural identities (individualistic,
moralistic, and traditionalistic) contribute to the policy differences among
the states. ·
The primary tools used to influence the
rules of state politics have been the state constitution and mechanisms of
direct democracy, including referenda, initiatives, and recall elections. ·
Contemporary federalism has required new,
and sometimes difficult, agreements between state governments and their
citizens. For the most part, state institutions (legislatures, courts,
governors) have become stronger and more efficient in the process. ·
American local government—towns, cities, and
counties—may take many forms. Like the
state-federal power struggles, localities frequently ask states for more
independence to address local problems such as urban blight. ·
State and local governments provide citizens
with many opportunities for participation should they choose to get involved.
Even if they don't participate in the usual ways, citizens exert a unique kind
of power over their states and localities: they can move away, or vote with
their feet. Learning Objectives
After
reading this chapter, you should understand ·
the structure of federalism today, and the
ways the national government tries to secure state cooperation (recap from
Chapter 4) ·
the political cultures that exist in
different states and the policy differences these cultures generate ·
the variety of rules established by state
constitutions, and how those rules affect the progress of devolution ·
state political institutions and the changes
in those institutions as they evolve to manage the new tasks that states take
on ·
local government and its relationship to
state politics ·
the relationship of citizens to their state
and local governments |
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