Housing
The housing policy arena is characterized by a highly defined division of labor across governmental jurisidicitions. Funding for the largest housing programs is provided…
Enumerated Powers of the U.S. Constitution
Instead of a totally unified central government with all legislative power, the U.S. Constitution created a federalist system with power divided between the national…
Education
Public education is a shared responsibility in American federalism. The system of educational governance facilitates a division of power and control among the three…
Transportation Policy
The American transportation system plays a central role in the nation’s economy. It connects the country spatially through a network of over 6.6 million…
Criminal Justice
The United States has an array of criminal justice systems: one at the federal level, fifty at the state level, and thousands at the…
South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. (2018)
In South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., et al. (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state can require sellers with no physical presence…
Preemption
The removal of one or more legislative, executive, and/or administrative powers by a superior government from one or more inferior governments within a nation…
Medicaid
Medicaid is a means-tested entitlement program, which was enacted in the shadow of the Medicare program in 1965. Since its conception, states had some…
National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012)
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. Sebelius (567 U.S. 519 (2012)) is a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld most of the Patient…
South Dakota v. Dole (1987)
The Spending Clause of Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to “provide for the common Defence and general…
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
Congress enacted the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) to protect natural resources in coastal areas, including aquatic life, coastal waters, and adjacent…
Environmental Policy
“Environmental policy” is a term that describes a broad set of public policies including, but not restricted to, goals ranging from the protection of…
Devolution
“Devolution” is a widely used term that lacks a precise definition and is often used interchangeably with “decentralization.” Decentralization, however, entails explicit transfers of decision-making…
