Federalism & Intergovernmental Relations: Evolving Order - Essay Sample

Introduction

Federalism describes a system of governance that is characterized by the division of power and authority among various units of governance as the original order. Intergovernmental relations are the description of how the multiple units of governance interact to bring about order in the leadership system that is being used at a given point in time. The intergovernmental relationships have evolved over a long period, with the principal aim being the quest to bring about the best degree of order in leadership (O'Toole, & Christensen, 2012). For example, there is a variety and number of officials, the regularity and intensity of contact among officials. In addition, it is the significance of leaders' attitudes and actions, as well as the quantity and range of governmental units in service. Attention on financial and policy issues is another perspective of the evolution in leadership, as most ideologies on leadership are based on the business and economic implications of a government.

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In government, federalism is just a mechanism that is used for the division of the available functions and decisions of a government so that they are carried out by specialists and functional units. Here, there is a sharing of responsibilities to make sure that the technical aspects of the state are kept running, although there are various leaders involved. The multiple functions are assigned to an individual that are specialists in the areas that they are assigned. At national meetings, they are expected to offer explanations about their areas of duty. Although the roles might be separate, there is always a significant degree of dependence among the functional areas, which is the core concept of the federal government. The sharing also serves the function of dispersing government powers, whereby activity is undertaken through the collaboration of different units, which is a quality assurance tool for the government.

Despite the benefits of the federal system, there have always been attempts targeted at reorganizing it. In the beginning, there was a committee that was responsible for overlooking the federal system, which had a term limit of two years. Several reasons formed the basis for the dispersion of power in the federal system, which made it necessary to be supported. These include the fact that the states did exist before the nation, the desired vitality and strength that was characteristic of the federal system. That is in addition to the pride associated with vitality and power of the units that the government was composed of (Rosenbloom, 1998). Another primary reason for decentralization was the large volume of wealth that the government-controlled, which would be done better if decentralized as compared to a single operational unit. As a result of the various strong reasons for the decentralized system, there was further support for it that was guaranteed by constitutional provisions. The other pillar that supports the federal system is the role that political parties play. They are responsible for the development of policies, which are through the preferences of their members at a given time.

Intergovernmental relationships can simply be represented as a relationship that exists between the state, national, and local jurisdictions. Through the collaboration of the different associations, there come various forms of authority, such as dominant, coordinate, and overlapping power. Under the coordinate authority model, there are clear distinctions between the state and national governments. Furthermore, there is no right to self-government, and the local authorities can only practice those powers authorized to them. Regarding the inclusive-authority model, it is based on a hierarchical model of authority. There is a system of dependency among the various units which make up the government in an orderly manner. Concerning the overlapping authority model, which has distinctive features upon which it is based. First, the influence and power that is available to a particular jurisdiction are limited significantly, which has the effect of developing an authority pattern known as bargaining.

Moreover, the areas of autonomy are full discretion is small in size. The third characteristic is that there is the simultaneous operation of the state, local, and national units in the system. Thus, it is evident that the overlapping authority model has its distinct characteristics. These include dispersed and limited powers, a high degree of interdependence, bargaining and negotiation relationships, and autonomy in some areas. Simply, this is how the intergovernmental relationships work out in the system of governance. Various forms of intergovernmental relations are in operation, each with its distinct characteristics. The different features of the kinds of government all serve to enhance service delivery in the government. For example, in the overlapping-authority theory, one of its main features is negotiation and collaboration. That is the reason why it is referred to as overlapping; parties involved in the system of governance have roles that overlap in nature. That leads to another feature known as bargaining, whereby the parties involved in making decisions are always looking for the best ways to handle situations arising (Mills, 1981).

Federalism was made possible by any factors that were used in governance. However, one has been highlighted as the existence of the absolute despotic power. That was because there was a forecast that there would instances when people would like to change the law so as to suit their preferences. That would lead to destabilization of the system of governance, leading to ineffective leadership in the long run. That highlights the role that the constitution plays, whereby a change can only be made through an elaborate amendment process, which should be seen as necessary though massive support by the legislating body. As a result of the rigid nature of the federal structure that cannot be easily changed by political parties or leaders, there has been developed a governance culture over time, which has been made better. As a result, all leadership is designed in such a way that it follows the federalism and intergovernmental structure always.

The American intergovernmental system is associated with the overlapping authority model of IGR (O'Toole & Christensen, 2012). That is based on various characteristics that it has, which defines the manner in which the American government works. First, is because of the high degree of interdependence among the functional areas of government. Moreover, there is simultaneous cooperation and competition amongst the state organs as they thrive on implementing various policies. The bargain-exchange relationship is the other feature, whereby the leaders always engage in discussions that have an effect of enhancing favorable outcomes for them. Lastly is the continuous use of negotiation among the intergovernmental units when implementing various strategies. This is different from other models, for example, inclusive authority model that there are centralized planning and undertaking of activities in governance. The American system is also different from an inclusive independent model, as it is based on cooperation among various parties, which is not the case with the independent model.

Based on the above analysis, it is evident that there are various pillars that are responsible for the development of the federal government structure as well as the intergovernmental relationship. How activities are undertaken is well planned, so that there is no abuse of power, and that governmental activities are conducted in an organized manner. As a result, the American system of governance is impressive, which can be seen through the historical developments over time. However, some changes have been instituted over time. That is because of the necessity that was noted at different points in time for the governance system. Thus, it is clear about how the federal and intergovernmental system works, leading to an organized system of power in the long run.

References

Mills, C. W. (1981). The power elite [1956]. New York.

O'Toole, L. J., & Christensen, R. K. (2012). American intergovernmental relations: Foundations, perspectives, and issues. Cq Press.Retrieved from : https://research.utwente.nl/en/publications/american-intergovernmental-relations-foundations-perspectives-and

Rosenbloom, D. H. (1998). Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector. New York: McGraw-Hill.Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b0d8/24223add48e695dba3c2f0176d6bcdaf8a0e.pdf