federalism

As the federal government began to expand its role, especially in response to the New Deal, the imaginary barriers that existed between national and state policy began to meld together to some extent. Did the money have to be spent is a certain way? Or on certain programs? How would this affect state autonomy in making their own policies?

As the nation entered the 1970s and 1980s, there was a call for states to retake some of their policymaking responsibilities. States were grateful for the federal funding, but at the same time were concerned about the expectations that such funding carried. While in many cases the states welcomed this change, they were also concerned about the subsequent decrease in federal dollars coming into their treasury. It was not unusual to see the national government get more involved in what were traditionally thought of as state policies. By passing the implementation responsibilities off to the state governments, the national policymakers could pass legislation but have the states fund its implementation.

The relationship between the federal and state governments continues to evolve. This type of federalism is often referred to as dual federalism or layer-cake federalism. These unfunded mandates, federal requirements placed upon the state governments without any dollars provided, added additional stress to the relationship between the national and state governments. This devolution of policy back to the states was spurred on by the election of Ronald Reagan and the policies that he promoted. In addition, the national government had discovered a new way to pass popular policies without having to pay for them. s national defense or international trade.