Federalism in America: An Encyclopedia
Edited by Joseph R. Marbach, Ellis Katz, and Troy E. Smith
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.
This encyclopedia as originally published (by Greenwood Press in 2005) contained over 400 entries relating to American federalism. In its current online form, new entries are being added and old ones updated. This encyclopedia provides a comprehensive reference explaining the major concepts, institutions, court cases, epochs, personalities, and policies that have shaped, or been shaped by, American federalism. It describes federalism's creation and evolution, and its influence on governmental institutions, procedures, and policies at the local, state, and national levels. The models used to explain the various historical eras in the development of federalism are also included.
The entries appear in alphabetical order and mingle long interpretive essays with shorter ones. When appropriate, side bars describe specific provisions of the Constitution relevant to various entries. Photographs and maps that illustrate the individuals and events that have shaped the development of American federalism are also included.
The editors 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.
The Center for the Study of Federalism acquired ownership rights to the Encyclopedia in 2016 and provides the content for free via this Website. The Center also provides ongoing support to update the original entries and create new entries. This advances the Center’s mission to support and advance scholarship and public understanding of federal theories, principles, institutions, and processes as practical means of organizing power in free societies.
Qualified individuals interested in writing updates or providing new entries, as well as those with inquiries, questions, and corrections related to this encyclopedia, should contact Professor Troy E. Smith at troy.smith@byuh.edu.
The editorial board of scholars who assisted with the 2005 edition included the following:
| EDITORIAL BOARD |
|---|
| Robert Agranoff, Indiana University-Bloomington |
| Ann O'M. Bowman, University of South Carolina |
| Dale Krane, University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| Donald S. Lutz, University of Houston |
| David C. Nice, Washington State University |
| G. Alan Tarr, Rutgers University, Camden |
| Deil S. Wright, University of North Carolina |
| Joseph F. Zimmerman, University at Albany |
Entries for the encyclopedia were selected 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.