Difference between revisions of "Federalism in America: An Encyclopedia"

Revision as of 19:19, 7 February 2017

Edited by Joseph R. Marbach, Ellis Katz, and Troy E. Smith

Our colleague, John Kincaid of Lafayette College, was initially approached about the possibility of editing an encyclopedia dedicated to American federalism. Recognizing the value of such a volume and the fact that prior commitments would prevent him from solely editing it, John invited the three of us to discuss the feasibility of such an undertaking. After agreeing to take on this project and dividing up the workload, we set off on this endeavor.

Our first task was to establish an editorial advisory board of scholars working on the various aspects of federalism that we could turn to for advice and guidance. Next we drew up a preliminary list of the subjects that should be included. This was done by surveying the literature on American federalism and soliciting input from the editorial board, members of the American Political Science Association’s Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations, and other scholars who answered our call for authors.

Federalism is one of the essential organizing principles of the U.S. Constitution, and has been a deep and enduring force shaping American politics and public policy. Federalism is the American founders’ unique and remarkable contribution to government and political science. While federal structures have spread around the globe alongside democracy, American government remains an important example of how a federal system can be structured, how it evolves, and how it affects government, politics, and policies. Spanning from the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, the Nullification crisis, secession and the Civil War, and the post-war amendments to the New Deal, the Second Reconstruction, various New Federalisms, Devolution, and the new national security initiatives, the history of American federalism is one of contentious battles over the centralization or decentralization of political power and sovereignty, with profound effects for public policy.

Unlike most other nations’ governments, U.S. federal, state, and local governments have been partners in shaping domestic policy. At essence, federalism is the debate over the proper role of government in society, seeking to answer the questions arising over which is the proper government to perform these functions. Thus, nearly every major policy area has been affected by federalism. Additionally, every major political institution has had and continues to have some influence on this dynamic relationship. And yet, no major encyclopedic reference has ever been produced on this bedrock principle underlying American political institutions.

In over 400 entries, this reference work offers a comprehensive listing of the theories, concepts, and terms describing American federalism since its inception. The range of entries covers the key constitutional provisions, historical eras and periods, political figures and ideologies, legislation, federal court cases, fiscal arrangements, policy instruments, policy domains, patterns of intergovernmental relations, and other topics relevant to federalism in the United States.

The entries appear in alphabetical order and mingle long interpretive essays with shorter ones. When appropriate, we have included side bars, especially the provisions of the Constitution that are described by various entries. We have also included photographs and maps to illustrate the individuals and events that have shaped the development of American federalism.

We have attempted to identify the most significant terms, concepts, individuals, and court decisions associated with the development of American federalism that would be relevant to our primary audience—undergraduate students receiving their first exposure to this field of study. Some entries that may not have been included are the casualties of both time and space constraints that a project of this type naturally imposes. We also made the editorial decision not to include entries on individual scholars, living or deceased. Rather, we have identified their theoretical contributions to the field and have recognized them in this way.

All the entries were assigned to specific authors. In editing these entries, we were careful to maintain the voice and interpretation of each author, and the views and opinions, when expressed, are those of the author and not of any organization with which he or she may be affiliated.

There are many individuals to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. Our editorial advisory board reviewed and revised the list of entries, suggested potential contributors, and in several instances wrote entries. We are also indebted to the many contributors who wrote this book. These individuals are among some of the most accomplished and respected scholars in the field. Throughout the process, Steven Vetrano of Greenwood Publishing has provided timely advice, assistance in dealing with our authors, and an attention to detail that has made this a better book.

We also thank our families, particularly our wives, for their indulgence and encouragement throughout this process.

J.R.M. E.K. T.E.S.