Federal System Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Conclusion of Unit 1
• Focus on Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism

Federalism Overview

• Division of power between federal, state, and local governments
• Offers both advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of Federalism

Political Participation

• More opportunities to participate politically
• Multiple access points: local, state, federal
• More influence at local level than national

State-specific Policies

• States can create policies specific to their needs (e.g., hurricane policies in Florida, snowstorm policies in Colorado)
• Flexibility to address unique state issues

Policy Making Without National Consensus

• States can pursue policies independently if no national consensus
• Example: Abortion rights vary by state

Uniform Federal Policies

• Federal government can implement uniform policies where needed (e.g., foreign policy)

Laboratories of Democracy

• Concept by Justice Brandeis
• States can experiment with novel policies without national risk
• Example: Legalization of marijuana began in Colorado and Washington

Disadvantages of Federalism

Challenges to Unified Policy

• Difficulty in creating unified national policies (e.g., education)
• Potential disparities between states

States' Rights and Discrimination

• States' rights sometimes associated with perpetuating discrimination
• Madison's Federalist No. 10: Minority rights better protected in larger republic

States' Rights Defined

• 10th Amendment: Non-delegated powers reserved to states
• States' rights advocate for local control over federal oversight

New Federalism

• Movement to return power to states
• Began under Nixon, expanded by Reagan
• Devolution: Reduce federal powers, increase state powers

Federal and State Power Trends

• Historical trend: Federal government has grown stronger
• States' influence has generally weakened

Conclusion

• End of Unit 1
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