A way of organizing a nation

so that two or more levels of

government have formal
authority over the same area
and people.
Most governments in the
world today have
unitary governments, in
which all power resides
in the central
government.
• In a confederation, the national
government is weak and most or
all of the power is in the hands of
its components.
– European Union
– United Nations
The word federalism is not
mentioned in the
Constitution.
The 10th Amendment states that
“powers not delegated to the
United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by
it to the states, are reserved
to the states respectively, or
to the people.”
McCulloch v Maryland
(1819)– the first case
that brought the
issue of state
versus national
power before the
Supreme Court
Obligations that each state has
to every other state.

Full Faith and

Credit
Extradition
Privileges and
Immunities of
Citizens
• Dual Federalism is analogous to a
layer cake, because in dual
federalism, powers and policy
assignments of the layers of
government are distinct and clear, as
in the layers of a layer cake.
• Cooperative Federalism is analogous
to a marble cake, because in
cooperative federalism, powers and
policy assignments are shared
between the states and the national
government. Responsibilities are
mingled and there are blurred
distinctions between the levels of
government.
The pattern of spending,
taxing, and providing
grants in the federal
system.
* The cornerstone of the national
government’s relations with state
& local governments
 There are two major
types of federal aid for
states:
Categorical grants
Block grants
The main source of federal aid
Grants that can be used only
for specific purposes or
categories
You must apply for them and
certain qualifications
Come with numerous “strings”
 Project Grants—the most common;
awarded on the basis of competitive
applications
 Formula Grants—Distributed according
to a formula; states automatically
receive funds based on a formula
developed from factors such as
population
Used to support broad programs in
areas like community development
and social services
Given almost automatically
States have discretion in deciding
how to spend the money