New Federalism. Iii. A Reformed System in the Making?

Abstract

The current intergovernmental initiatives of the president, the Congress, and the Court amount to different versions of a New Federalism III. Each of the New Federalisms (Nixon's, Reagan's, and the combined but conflicting undertakings of the current national leadership and to a lesser degree, of the states and localities) have focused on devolution, deregulation, reduction in the number of categorical programs by enacting block grants, and a much reduced federal role in the federal system. Yet, there were and are significant differences among the three. The ambivalent centralizing-whiledevolving record of the first two and a potentially similar outcome of the current IGR restructuring endeavors underscore the continuing conflict between the forces of noncentralization, as against those favoring centralization within the overall system. Thus far, no clear-cut intergovernmental winners can be identified in the current battling over the future of American federalism. 51