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Federalism Chapter 3
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What is Federalism? A way to organize a nation so that 2 or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. A system of shared power between units of government Only 11 of 190 countries have federal systems Most govts in the world are Unitary Govts All power rests with the central govt See table 3.1 in Lineberry (pg. 67)
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Why is federalism important? Decentralizes our politics More layers of govt, increased political participation, more opportunities for all to have public policy demands met Decentralizes our policies Long history of tension between states and national govt about policy
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The Constitution and Federalism When there is a disagreement between the national and state government, who prevails? Clarified by Article VI of the Constitution = Known as the Supremacy Clause Constitution, national laws, and treaties take precedence over state laws Where does the national govts power end? Tenth Amendment – powers not delegated to the US not prohibited by the states are reserved to the states or the people. See table 3.2 in Lineberry (pg. 71)
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The Constitution and Federalism Why does the national govt appear to have gained power relative to the states? Implied Powers ( McCulloch v. Maryland) The Court held that the power to create a national bank was supported by the Elastic Clause, but that states did not have the power to tax a national bank as that would put state law above federal law. Constitution was meant to permit Congress to use all means “necessary and proper” to fulfill its responsibilities (elastic clause) Supremacy of the natl. govt. over the states Natl. govt. has certain implied powers that go beyond its enumerated powers Enumerated powers v. Implied powers
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The Constitution and Federalism Commerce Power ( Gibbons v. Ogden) “commerce clause that allowed the federal government to regulate commerce, in this case trade, wherever it might be, including within the borders of a state” The Supreme Court defined commerce very broadly to be almost every form of commercial activity Civil War a struggle of states rights, and settled what McCulloch v. Maryland said (militarily) Racial Equality (Brown v. Board of Ed) School Segregation is unconstitutional. States resisted desegregation and state v. natl. govt. on equality issues decided by the natl. govt.
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States responsibilities to each other Full faith and Credit Article IV, Section I, states must recognize all official documents and civil judgments from other states. Extradition In criminal situations, a state must surrender a criminal to the state in which they have been accused of a crime Privileges and Immunities Article IV, Section II, states must provide citizens of other states same privileges and immunities
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Dual v. Cooperative Federalism Dual = national and state govt.’s remain supreme within their own sphere, each responsible for some policies (i.e. “layered cake, states cannot make treaties) Cooperative = power and policy assignments are shared between the state and natl. govt. (i.e. marble cake, income tax)
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What is Fiscal Federalism Pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system Categorical Grants - it is given with strict conditions -- that is, it must be used for a specified purpose by the states (i.e. Food Stamps) Project Grants – disease/ medical research Formula Grants - Congress gives each state a proportion of the grant that is determined by plugging the state's characteristics into a formula that is specific to the grant. (state’s demographics) Block Grants - give money to state governments from Congress, but they do not have as many specifications for the use of the funds Mandates come with grants
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