The Price of Federalism

by Peterson, Paul E.

• ISBN13: 9780815770237
• ISBN10: 0815770235
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-05-01
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

In this timely book, Peterson examines which level of government should be responsible for the specific programs and recommends that more responsibility should be placed in the hands of the states and other localities.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Evolution of Modern Federalism	1	(15)
The 1991 Fiscal Crisis	2	(3)
The Price of Early Federalism	5	(5)
The Rise of Modern Federalism	10	(3)
The Contemporary Price of Federalism	13	(3)
Chapter 2 Functional and Legislative Theories of Federalism	16	(34)
Functional Theory	17	(1)
Locus of the Developmental Function	18	(9)
Locus of the Redistributive Function	27	(8)
An Empirical Theory	35	(4)
Legislative Theory	39	(2)
Legislators and Development	41	(2)
Legislators and Redistribution	43	(4)
A Theory of Change	47	(1)
Conclusions	48	(2)
Chapter 3 The Changing Federal System	50	(35)
The Adolescence of Modern Federalism	51	(13)
Classifying Government Expenditure	64	(3)
The Redistributive Focus of the National Government	67	(2)
The Developmental Focus of State and Local Governments	69	(6)
Intergovernmental Grants	75	(8)
Conclusions	83	(2)
Chapter 4 Why States Choose Different Policies	85	(23)
The Variation in State Expenditure	86	(3)
Determinants of State Developmental and Redistributive Policy	89	(15)
A Comprehensive Explanation of State Expenditure	104	(2)
Conclusions	106	(2)
Chapter 5 Welfare: A Race to the Bottom?	108	(21)
Trends in Welfare Policy	109	(2)
Slowdown in Economic Growth	111	(1)
Changing Perceptions of the Poor	112	(2)
Politics Turns Conservative	114	(5)
States Offset Federal Increases	119	(2)
The Welfare Magnet	121	(5)
The Future of State Welfare Policy	126	(3)
Chapter 6 National Grants: Is Equity Possible?	129	(24)
National Determination of State Role	130	(1)
Appropriate Units of Analysis	131	(3)
Factors Affecting the Distribution of Federal Grants	134	(9)
A Comprehensive Explanation of Federal Aid Policy	143	(9)
Conclusions	152	(1)
Chapter 7 Big Cities: Is the Problem Financial?	153	(22)
The Urban Political Economy	154	(3)
The Cost of Big-City Government	157	(5)
The Cost of Big-City Schools	162	(2)
Federalism and Big Cities	164	(8)
National Politics and the Fiscal Future of Big Cities	172	(3)
Chapter 8 Reducing the Price of Federalism	175	(22)
Bill Clinton's Investment Strategy	175	(4)
The Future of Redistributive Policy	179	(4)
Stability and Change in American Federalism	183	(3)
Things That Should Not Be Changed	186	(3)
Things That Cannot Be Changed	189	(2)
Things That Can and Should Be Changed	191	(6)
Appendix	197	(6)
Notes	203	(16)
References	219	(14)
Index	233