The Dimensions of Federalism: State Governments and Pollution Control Policies - Hardcover

Lowry, William R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0822311623 ISBN 13: 9780822311621

Verlag: Duke University Press, 1991

Inhaltsangabe

The resurgence of state involvement in policymaking in recent years has renewed a long-standing debate about the most effective role for states within a federal system of government. In The Dimensions of Federalism, William R. Lowry assesses and examines the responsiveness and innovation of state governments in the area of air and water pollution control policies. Building a theoretical model that demonstrates the relationship between state and federal governments, Lowry combines econometric analysis of data on all fifty states with an in-depth study of a leading state in each of four major areas of pollution policy to conclude that state policymakers will often experiment and willingly improve upon federal pollution control standards. But this willingness is tempered, he maintains, both by a fear of losing important constituents to interstate competition and by the difficulty of coordinating efforts and disseminating information without the active involvement of the federal government. Originally published in 1992, this book continues to be pertinent in a political climate that will inevitably see an increased role for states in domestic policymaking. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of American public policy, federalism, and environmental politics and policy.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

William R. Lowry is Associate Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

"An original and informative analysis of comparative state environmental policy, and in particular the conditions for innovative state leadership in this policy area. Lowry anchors his work well in the scholarly literature, and he contributes to that literature in many important ways." --Michael Kraft, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

The Dimensions of Federalism

State Governments and Pollution Control Policies

By William R. Lowry

Duke University Press

Copyright © 1992 Duke University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8223-1162-1

Contents

Tables, 
Preface to the Paperback Edition, 
Acknowledgments, 
1 A Theory of State Leadership, 
2 Stationary Source Air Pollution Control, 
3 Point Source Water Pollution Control, 
4 Mobile Source Air Pollution Control, 
5 Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control, 
6 The State of State Leadership, 
Notes, 
Bibliography, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

A Theory of State Leadership

On 10 August 1989 officials of eight northeastern states announced new regulations on automobile emissions that were stricter than those proposed by President Bush just weeks earlier. Observers and journalists expressed some surprise that this initiative by the states exceeded the policy response that the national government had formulated. They should not have been surprised.

Maligned and criticized for two centuries, state governments have arguably been undergoing a transformation in recent years. Criticisms of state parochialism date to Madison's description of subnational variations on national policy as the principal impediment to effective American government. Since then, state governments have been characterized as backwaters for the worst excesses of American politicians and bastions for the most shameful of American policies. Fear and mistrust of state governments greatly contributed to the centralized nature and hierarchical structure of domestic policies that now shape American political life. Much of this criticism was justified, but an alternative perspective is currently gaining support. Some now argue that some state governments, as the result of a recent revitalization, have taken the lead in policy efforts in the United States. This perspective asserts that state governments, with some qualifications, "now are arguably the most responsive, innovative, and effective level of government in the American federal system."

How can we analyze this asserted leading role for state governments in the federal system? We need to assess both the consistency and the exceptionalism of state leadership. How widespread are appropriate responses to policy needs among state governments? What makes the exceptional programs outstanding? What impact do they have? To understand the leadership of state governments, in this book I consider overall state behavior and the actions of leading state programs.

Consideration of the former, the overall behavior of state governments, describes the variance in state responsiveness and enables identification of state leaders in specific policy areas. If we define policy needs as the relative lack of publicly demanded goods, the most apparent evidence of responsive state behavior is the ability to match local policy supplied to local policy needed. State governments could provide national leadership through consistently appropriate responsiveness to societal needs. This is indeed the promise of a federal system. However, even those who espouse the state resurgence argument do not suggest that this promise has yet been realized. The transformation of state governments has not occurred across the board. As a result, variance in the performance of state governments is evident in most policies. Thus I offer comparative analysis of all fifty states to discuss the extent of responsive state behavior and to identify state leaders as those state governments with the most developed programs in specific areas of policy needs.

Analysis of the latter phenomenon, the efforts of those state leaders, generates answers to basic questions of leadership. What do state leaders do? How do they disseminate ideas? How do they affect developments in other states? For states to take the lead in policy responsiveness, they must have followers. After all, leadership involves not only creativity and innovation, but also communication and organization. Therefore, I examine the states that have developed responsive programs and discuss the depth and impact of their developments.

My basic thesis is that state leadership, including both the overall matching of response to need and the influence of specific programs, is affected by intergovernmental dimensions of the policy involved. These dimensions, to be more fully discussed shortly, concern the vertical involvement of the federal government in state behavior and the horizontal potential for interstate competition.

The context of this analysis is the behavior of states and their leadership role in the policy areas of pollution control. Pollution control involves many specific issues. This analysis is directed at four of them: stationary source air pollution, point source water pollution, mobile source air pollution, and nonpoint source water pollution. These four areas are discussed for both pragmatic and theoretical reasons. Practically, they comprise some of the most important and consequential aspects of environmental protection in the United States. Theoretically, they constitute four cases covering a range of situations that vary along dimensions important in a federal system of government.

Why is analysis of this thesis in this context worthy of consideration? The efficacy of pollution control policies, as I show in subsequent chapters, depends heavily on state behavior. Since pollution control is important to quality of life, the prevalence of responsive behavior and the efforts of leading states may hold important implications. State policymakers can lead by formulating appropriate programs, innovating, exceeding minimum standards, disseminating ideas, and coordinating other state efforts. If state leadership is determined by the federal dimensions of horizontal competition and vertical involvement, then the ultimate development and efficacy of those pollution control policies will vary according to those same dimensions.

If my arguments are supported, then states do not consistently shirk their policy responsibilities nor do they always provide the momentum behind effective policy response. This seemingly simple point contradicts the perception by the public that irresponsible state pandering to industry has stimulated many aspects of pollution control statutes; the characterizations of state governments that have shaped interest group behavior on these issues; and the analyses that have blamed states for numerous policy failures in these areas. It is also counter to excessively positive descriptions of state behavior used to justify political demands for the decentralization of domestic policies gaining prominence in recent years. If the dimensions of federalism do have an impact on state behavior, then the analysis has important implications for many American policy efforts. The role of state governments in the initiation and implementation of numerous domestic programs may warrant reconsideration. Reconsideration will benefit from analysis that accounts for the effects of structural dimensions of federalism.

This chapter is designed to accomplish several things. First, this introductory section has identified the leadership of state governments as the dependent variable, the phenomenon to be explained. Next, I utilize different perspectives on federalism to build a model of state behavior. The extant literature suggests that overall state behavior is variable and subject to numerous influences besides policy needs. Third, I place the model within the federal context by describing...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Duke University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1991
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0822311623
• ISBN 13: 9780822311621
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar