Picket Fence Federalism
This metaphor, coined by Terry Sanford, describes a feature of intergovernmental relations in which program specialists develop bonds with one another that transcend governmental…
Layer Cake Federalism
While there has been little argument that the United States operates in a federal system—one where the powers of government are divided between the…
Decentralization
“Decentralization” is a widely used term that lacks a precise definition. Generally, decentralization refers to the transfer of specific types of decision-making or administrative…
Noncentralization
“Noncentralization” is a term coined by Daniel J. Elazar in the 1960's to refer to a constitutional or political federal arrangement in which there…
Deregulation
“Deregulation” refers to the trend that began in the late 1970's and early 1980's to reduce national government control of industries including air travel,…
Marble Cake Federalism
“Marble cake federalism” is a bakery metaphor often used to describe the model of cooperative federalism. This model of federalism holds that the local, state, and national…
Creative Federalism
Beginning in the late 1950's and lasting through the late 1960's, federalism went through a creative phase that saw a flurry of new programs…
Covenant
A covenant is a morally informed, perpetual, consent-based agreement that depends primarily on the efforts of the covenanting parties themselves for monitoring and enforcement.…
States’ Rights
States’ rights is the philosophical governing belief, hearkening back to the Articles of Confederation, that state governments are equal to, and may override, national…
Competitive Federalism
“Competitive federalism” refers to the existence and desirability of competition among governments and jurisdictions in a federal political system. Competition among governments can be…
Coercive Federalism
Coercive federalism is a period of American federalism that began in the late 1960's. It is characterized by substantial growth in the power of the federal…
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…
Secession
“Secession” refers to the act of withdrawing from a formal organization, most commonly a political entity. Although secession movements have occurred throughout the world,…
