Federalism as a Cultural System

1
Federalism as a Cultural System

• Federalism is a system which expresses a desire
  for national unity and, at the same time, an
  insistence on regional, state, or local
  distinctiveness. we have seen that the dominance
  of liberal cultural values are widely shared
  among Americans with diverse interests. However,
  there are according to Daniel Elazar, AMERICAN
  FEDERALISM A VIEW FROM THE STATES three
  separate manifestations of liberal culture in the
  U.S.
• moralism
• individualism
• traditionalism
• Additionally, culture types may be combined in
  any specific region, state, or locale such that
  there is a dominant culture type and a subculture
  (i.e., moralism/individualism, individualism/moral
  ism, individualism/ traditionalism,
  traditionalism/individualism, and
  traditionalism/moralism. See maps that follow
  and discussion of culture types in the table
  titled Elazars Three Culture Types provided in
  a separate file.

2
Elazar explains the dominant cultures among the
states in terms of patterns of migration during
the 19th century. Migration during this period
occurred basically from east to due west. This
is why the northern tier is dominated by
moralism, the southern tier by traditionalism,
and the middle tier by individualism.
ELAZARS THREE DOMINANT CULTURE TYPES by STATE
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M
M
M
M
M
M
I
M
I
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M
M
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SOURCE Daniel Elazar, American Federalism A
View from the States, p. 136
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T
T
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M moralistic I individualistic T
traditionalistic
I
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ELAZARS CULTURE TYPES by STATE with
Sub-Cultures indicated
Elazar explains the subcultures among the states
in terms of patterns of migration during the 20th
century. Migration during this period occurred
basically from north to south. This accounts for
the mixing of culture types in any state.
MI
MI
MI
MI
MI
MI
MI
IM
MI
MI
MI
MI
MI
IM
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I
MI
IT
IM
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TI
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MI
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TI
MI
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IT
TM
T
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TM
TI
TI
TI
SOURCE Daniel Elazar, American Federalism A
View from the States, p. 136
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TI
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I
dominant type listed first
IT
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ELAZARS LOCALIZED CULTURE TYPES
Elazar contends that political culture is a
localized phenomenon. Therefore, patterns of
migration can produce some interesting
combinations of dominant culture types and
subculture types. Note, for example, the
combination of moralism and traditionalism in the
desert southwest.
M
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M I
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IM
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TM
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TI
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M T
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M T
M T
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SOURCE Daniel Elazar, American Federalism A
View from the States, pp. 124-125
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8
Federalism as a Political System

• Federalism also refers to a dynamic political
  relationship among the levels of government in
  the federal system. The development of the
  federal system in the 20th century has been
  marked more by cooperation than by conflict.
• The fiscal dilemma of the 20th century see
  diagram below
• The extensive use of grants-in-aid
• -categorical grants

Whereas relations between the national and state
governments had largely been characterized by
conflict during the 19th century, the 20th
century ushered in an era marked less by attempts
on the part of state and local governments to
resist encroachments by the national government
on their reserved powers and more by a new spirit
of cooperation among the three levels.
With the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913,
the nature of intergovernmental relations in the
American federal system changed dramatically.
The 16th Amendment gave Congress the authority to
impose a tax on personal incomes. The imposition
of the national income tax resulted in a huge
reservoir of financial reserves at the national
level of government. State and local governments
being faced with the problems of a rapidly
industrializing, urbanizing society welcomed
federal financial assistance to deal with
concerns that were beyond the means of state and
local governments. To put it another way, while
the burdens responsibilities of government
lay mainly at the local and state levels, the
bounties financial ability of government lay
at the national level. This situation led to
massive transfers of money from the national
government to state and local governments. In
short, state and local governments lacked the
financial resources to provide services needed or
demanded by their residents and, therefore, had
much incentive to cooperate with the national
government.
IGR during the 20th century has been
distinguished by the development of a large
number of grants-in-aid programs. There are
three basic types of grants that have been
utilized during the 20th century. These three
differ mainly in terms of the discretion that the
recipient government has in spending the money.
Fiscal Dilemma of 20th Century Federalism
N
N

S
S
are provided for fairly narrow, specific
purposes. They are the most numerous of the
three types and give the recipient government the
least discretion.
L
L
were associated with Nixons New Federalism and
were provided for whatever purpose the recipient
government chooses these afford the recipient
government the greatest discretion.
Bounties
Burdens
9
Wrights Three Models of IGR
National
State
National
State
Local
Local

• The Coordinate Authority Model
• Independence, Autonomy

• The Inclusive Authority Model
• Dependence, Hierarchy

Given the emergence of grants-in-aid during the
20th century, what is the proper way to
characterize intergovernmental relations in the
American federal system? Political scientist
Deil S. Wright has proposed the three possible
models illustrated here. Wright contends that
the Overlapping Authority Model is the most
realistic because it recognizes the dynamism and
political nature of federalism today. Most
public programs today are the product of
substantial bargaining and compromise among the
three levels of government.
N/S
National
State
N/S/L
N/L
S/L

• The Overlapping Authority Model
• Interdependence, Bargaining

Local