From new federalism to devolution

by Timothy J. Conlan

Between 1969 and 1995, Republican presidents and congressional leaders launched three bold attempts to reform American intergovernmental relations. With each attempt, the goals of reform grew more ambitious, from rationalizing and decentralizing an activist government to rolling back the welfare state to replacing it altogether. Expanding and updating his book, New Federalism: Intergovernmental Reform from Nixon to Reagan (1988), Timothy Conlan traces this remarkable evolution in federalism reform politics and analyzes its significance.