Administering the New Federalism

With the passage of the Reagan Block Grants in 1981 and other subsequent policies and programs designed to reduce federal control over domestic programs, state and local governments began adjusting to a significant series of changes in the intergovernmental system, especially in the management role subnational governments play within the federal system. The "New Federalism" is likely to have a lasting impact on the way programs are managed in the federal system. In order to understand these changes more completely, Drs. Bender and Stever use a management focus rather than a narrow fiscal focus that measures impact in monetary terms. They use the most comprehensive survey and case research available on the administrative and subnational policy aspects of the New Federalism and present readers with both summary and critical analyses of the management responses and adjustments now taking place throughout the fifty states and their governmental sub-units.

With the passage of the Reagan Block Grants in 1981 and other subsequent policies and programs designed to reduce federal control over domestic programs, state and local governments began adjusting to a significant series of changes in the intergovernmental system, especially in the management role subnational governments play within the federal system. The "New Federalism" is likely to have a lasting impact on the way programs are managed in the federal system. In order to understand these changes more completely, Drs. Bender and Stever use a management focus rather than a narrow fiscal focus that measures impact in monetary terms. They use the most comprehensive survey and case research available on the administrative and subnational policy aspects of the New Federalism and present readers with both summary and critical analyses of the management responses and adjustments now taking place throughout the fifty states and their governmental sub-units.