Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Federalism and Infrastructure: A Call to Action

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to governments around the world. The federal structure within the United States has further complicated effective responses to mitigate the personal and economic effects of COVID. Here, we argue that the Trump administration’s approach to federalism—highlighted by the pandemic—is incapable of efficiently and effectively addressing state needs and those needs are only going to grow as a result, further exacerbating the problem. This form of federalism, which we dub “transactional federalism,” is likely to have deleterious effects on state infrastructure, much of which is already in need. The long-term effects of transactional federalism are likely to weaken state efforts to address critical infrastructure needs.

Governing in a Polarized Era: Federalism and the Response of U.S. State and Federal Governments to the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It is unlikely that Donald Trump had any particular vision of federalism beyond what Bowling et al (2020) call “transactional federalism,” which is characterized by “a market-based model of intergovernmental relationships in which the core feature is a form of market exchange. This approach to federalism has become more obvious during the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic” ( Williamson and Morris 2021 , 8). In this case, the exchange is not financial as much as it is political loyalty.…”

Contours of a National Infrastructure Policy for the New Millennium

“…Indeed, as Williamson et al (2020) illustrate, the decentralized and fractured nature of elections provides a strong and valuable safeguard against security threats. However, as Williamson and Morris (2021) illustrate, the “transactional federalism” employed in recent years is insufficient to meet state needs and only exacerbates existing infrastructure problems. Therefore, there is at least some role to be played by the national government in order to preserve the public’s trust in US democratic institutions.…”