Federalism in the United States of America
Context of the article in relation to federalism
The Novel covid-19 pandemic has caught the world by surprise and no country in the world can relate with this statement better than the United States of America, having the leading number of infections and deaths as a result of the virus. As the world battles to flatten the ever-rising novel coronavirus curve, it has become clear that life, as we know it, will never be the same, this means people, countries and the world at large needs to brace themselves for a new way of life. the unpreparedness that the governments have portrayed in dealing with the virus has largely been blamed for the quick spread of the virus. Again, the United States federal government found itself on the receiving end, having delayed precautionary measures that would have greatly curtailed the spread of the virus and consequently prevent the extensive damage that the virus has brought on people and the country’s economy. A surprising turn of events, however, has brought to right a new form of federalism defined by how the states have responded to the covid-19 pandemic compared to the federal government. The article titled “The New Federalism” authored by professor Gary Gerstle expounds on the new federalism that is being redefined by the state-national policy interaction.
Gerstle’s article reviews both the federal and state governments’ responsiveness to the covid-19 pandemic which has redefined a new form of federalism that the author proposes will be the new norm. back in February, the virus was still largely centred in china, although several other nations were beginning to record few cases of infections. The US seemed to have been spared by the wrath of the virus, which caused laxity by the federal government. however, a month later, the number of infections began to increase across all the states at an exceptionally high speed with California being the most hard-hit state. Soon after, the number of deaths began catapulting as well. Fingers have been pointed at the Trump government and its responsiveness towards the virus. The states have blamed the federal government for rate response especially in sending medical supplies in the most hard-hit areas. The federal government has continued to make other mistakes that have led to the questioning of its effectiveness in handling critical issues affecting Americans such as the covid-19 pandemic. The states, on the other hand, have displayed a rather different approach to the covid-19 pandemic such as launching schemes that encourage inter-state cooperation and private-public entities cooperation. In addition, through this cooperation, states are badgering the federal government into expediting supplies of vital resources that are critical in the fight against covid-19. According to Gersle, the new norm of states beating their own path and developing their own solutions to problems is a redefinition of new federalism that will see the old system of governance where the federal state initiates policies to be initiated by the states. This article presents a good example of federalism because it revolves around the issue of different government levels, in this case between the federal government and states, and their administrative responsibilities in dealing with the pandemic.
Possible problems arising from the state-national policy interaction
The article hails the work of states as nation-saving and recounts a significant historical event that was never given closer attention but, through the circumstances predisposed by the pandemic, has highlighted its significance. Back in 1932, a supreme court justice Louis Brandeis proposed that a state may try novel economic and social experiments without causing adverse risks to the rest of the country. Though his propositions never saw the light of the day, today we are witnessing Brandeis’ propositions take root with the state continuously thwarting the ill-conceived directives that the federal government is issuing from Washington D.C. instead, states are formulating schemes of inter-state cooperation and establishing necessary partnerships that have really proven to be effective in dealing with covid-19 pandemic compared to the federal governments’ initiatives. However, The article presents several possible problems that the newfound federalism, if embraced could result in. The article points out that it is highly unlikely that a single state or a consortium of states can become the ultimate prime mover in developing a vaccine or drug therapies (Gerstle). The federal government has the might that makes such projects and initiatives achievable within a short time. Therefore, states have to reconsider in their move to establish the new federalism because, in the long run, they will stand to lose given they limited resources which will be stretched across the various initiates hence slowing down development to the extent of being unable to provide essential services. The constitution of the United States prohibits the states from minting their own money which means without the support of the federal government, states will be crippled economically especially by the high cost of dealing with the pandemic.
The article also points out that the newfound federalism may cause unnecessary civil unrests because some states will emerge to be rogue, led by unscrupulous leaders who may want to take advantage of the newfound federalism. History has indicated that politically instigated unrests are the main reasons why many nations never progress because selfish individuals will always try to further their agenda at the expense of others which result in never-ending conflicts. Such possible issues make the new federalism quite unlikely to take root because such a move may encourage defiance among states to the federal government directives.
Advantages and disadvantages of the federal government
The United States of America is among the few countries in the world which practice the federal system of government. This system was adopted after the article of confederation proved ineffective in governing all the states in America that were increasingly growing stronger. Federalism, however, proved effective and efficient mainly because the two levels of government have the capacity to take action at one level and offset the other level in the event of a failure to achieve the desired policy goal which can easily be done by mobilizing the backing of elected representatives at another level of government. In my opinion, the united states federalism is an efficient method of governance. Various factors support my view.
To start with, the federalism system of governance is an effective way to protect the country against tyranny. The design of the US federal government divides the power between the national and state governments. The national government’s power is further divided among three branches that are independent of each other. This system acts as a check and balance for each level of governance and therefore minimizes the chances of tyrannical rule. This system of governance has propelled the upward trajectory development curve that has been witnessed in the US since it gained its independence from the British monarch. This system also encourages citizen participation. By the virtue of sharing power with the state governments, the common citizen is able to effective governance, participate in low making and present their views over government policies.
By the virtue of sharing power with many entities, the government grants the states the right to conduct their own businesses independently and make their own decisions. This increased efficiency and the probability of making better decisions, unlike a centralized system that is run by a few individuals. Federalism system has delegated various duties to the state governments such as education which makes it easier for such functions to be monitored. This system also ensures that policies formulated by the federal government are not enforced on every state because such policies may be very effective in one state but very ineffective in another state. Currently, state governments formulate their educational policies and implement them based on their individual situation which may be very different from what other states approve (openstax, 3.0).
Lastly, federalism has made the process of conflict management quite easy. The USA is made up of 5o states. These states have diverse people who have different cultural and religious beliefs. By dividing power between the national government and the state, these communities get a chance to form their own policies manned only by the state government. this prevents the eruption of widespread disagreement because such disagreements can be easily handled at the lower levels of governance before it requires the attention of the state government.
Work cited
Gerstle, G. The Atlantic. “The New Federalism” published May 6, 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/new-federalism/611077/
OpenStax.”American government”@ https://cnx.org/contents/W8wOWXNF@15.12:Y1CfqFju@12/Preface (Links. Chapter 3.