3.3: Debating Who Should Be in Charge- Three Types of Federalism

Conceptualizing Changes in Federal-State Relations

The Constitutional parameters that established the relations between the states and the national government and among the states gradually evolved. For analytical purposes, political scientists categorize them into three kinds of federalism. The first is dual federalism; the states and the national government have separate responsibilities based on a clearly delineated view of the federal government's expressed powers and the states' reserved powers. This type dominated from the Constitutional founding to the Great Depression of the 1930s. For example, the federal government managed interstate commerce, and states managed elementary and high school education. The second is cooperative federalism, marked by the dramatic increase in federal control over state and local affairs as our country fought the Great Depression and the Cold War and tried to achieve various national goals such as civil rights and civil liberties. An example of the daily impact of cooperative federalism is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides money for food to tens of millions of Americans.

As the federal government increased in power, conservatives became alarmed by the growth of the central government and advocated greater state power. Beginning in the late 1960s, with the election of Republican President Richard Nixon, states started to share in decision-making regarding federal programs. The result was "new federalism," the third type of federalism that blends dual and cooperative varieties. One example is welfare reform. In the 1990s, states were allowed to develop some of their own welfare programs using federal funding. Another example discussed later in this chapter is the Affordable Care Act (often informally called Obamacare), which allows states quite a bit of latitude regarding health care programs and coverage.

All three kinds of federalism are very much present today (see Table 3.3.1). States still control many policies, the federal government controls others, and then there are many areas of policy that are explicitly shared between the two levels of government.

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\):Types of Federalism

Type of Federalism	Definitions	Examples	Origins
Dual	State and the federal government have distinct responsibilities with separate programs, financed independently.	Federal level: foreign policy State-level: state licensing for occupations, barbers, teachers, attorneys, etc.	1789 (implementation of the US Constitution)
Cooperative	The federal government directs policy, paying for programs for states.	Federal Level: SNAP (food assistance)	1933 (Roosevelt Administration)
New	The federal government pays for programs; states can design programs for their residents.	Welfare Reform: Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (CalWORKs in California)	1969 (Nixon Administration)