American federalism

The American federal system is under great strain. Devised by the Framers to achieve a sharing of power between the national govern ment and the states, federalism was never fitted to a precise con stitutional mold. As the complexity of the demands placed on gov ernment has increased, power has steadily flowed away from the states toward the national government. Efforts are now being made to stem this tide and, perhaps, reverse it in a current phrase, to - bring government closer to the people.

Richard Leach opens this volume by considering various theories of federalism and demonstrating that American federalism does not conform to any theoretical prescription. He examines the focal points of power in the federal system, first in general terms and then spe cifically in an area of urgent concern: public elementary and sec ondary education, where, as the headlines attest, the need for mas sive support from the national level often clashes with a sturdy tra dition of local control. Also viewed in detail are four critical areas of American federalism: weaknesses in the governmental process at the state and local levels; the problem of governing metropolitan areas; the growing burden of administration, including difficulties faced in recruiting capable civil servants; and the overarching prob lem of finances, which is the focus of plans for revenue-sharing between the federal government and the states. The future of fed eralism is dependent largely on efforts now being made to cope with these problems and, by doing so, to establish a more effective work ing of the intergovernmental system. Richard H. Leach is professor of political science at Duke University.