Essay On Intergovernmental Relations

The relationship between the federal, state, and local governments is an important relationship that has evolved with the changes of American politics over time. Many scholars that study these relationships prefer the term “Intergovernmental Relations,” rather than “Federalism,” because of their knowledge of how the governments actually work. Federalism, as defined by Robert Christensen and Laurence O’Toole Jr, is the system of authority constitutionally apportioned between central and regional governments. The term intergovernmental relations, on the other hand, is the subject of how our many and varied governments in the United States deal with each other and what their relative roles, responsibilities, and levels of influence are and should be. The definitions alone can explain the preference of these scholars when defining the relationships between the governments of the United States. Federalism is the division of power between the governments. It does not …show more content…
Jimmy Carter’s picket fence federalism would evolve from creative federalism as well. During this period the federal government created new programs to help states, and localities. Many of these efforts focused on the problems of racial discrimination, poverty, as well as urban and rural development. During this period, the federal government was using categorical grants quite frequently. There was also a shift of focus to the localities by the federal government. Many localities now considered the federal government as a friend, which until recently, was a position filled by the states. In the late 1960s many started to believe that creative federalism cost too much, especially since the Vietnam War was taking a hit on economy as well. Others say it could have failed because the American mindset held that a person should work their way up to the middle class on their own without the help of the