AMERICAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
POLS 5060
SPRING 2009
Course Description.
Political Science 5060, American Intergovernmental Relations, is an on-line course addressing "federalism in action." Federalism is the term for the United States constitutional system which divides authority among the national (called "federal") government and 50 states. "Intergovernmental Relations" examines the relationships among these jurisdictions as well as 85,000 local governments.
Especially if this is your first on-line course, you may find it useful to review "netiquette" guidelines I expect all of us to follow. The purpose of these guidelines is to facilitate educationally pertinent and respectful communication. URL: www.albion.com/netiquette
Course Objectives.
The main objectives of American Intergovernmental Relations are to:
- define federalism and intergovernmental relations, placing both in the context of American governmental practices, and understanding how fundamental American political beliefs are tied in with federalism;
- learn about the historical development of American Intergovernmental Relations, with the aim of understanding major recent and current trends;
- examine the political, financial, administrative and judicial aspects of intergovernmental relations;
- project all the above into "guesstimates" about the near future
Course Overview.
Unit 1 - January 12 - 16
Students and Instructor will introduce (in some cases, re-introduce) themselves.
Unit 2 - January 19 - 30
During Unit 2 students will obtain initial exposure to the concepts of intergovernmental relations and federalism. Course materials will enable students to sample from the variety of topics, issues, and perspectives to be considered throughout in the course.
Unit 3 - February 2 - 13
During Unit 3 we shall consider the historical background to modern American Intergovernmental Relations, including inspection of the Constitution and amendments from the perspective of our topic. We shall also read about various analytical models proposed to capture the essence of IGR and look at the variety of near and not-so-near federalisms in other nations around the world.
Initial term paper assignment due no later than end of Unit 3. For details see separate section of this syllabus.
Unit 4 - February 16 - 27
During Unit 4, we shall consider the political context within which American Intergovernmental Relations takes place: especially the evolving activities of political parties and interest groups.
Unit 5 - March 2 - 13
During Unit 5 we shall be concerned with "fiscal federalism": major programs of federal aid to state & local governments, forms of financial assistance, issues of revenue policy among the various governments, etc.
Term paper "outline" due no later than end of Unit 5. For details see separate section of this syllabus.
[SPRING BREAK]
Unit 6 - March 23 - April 3
During Unit 6 we shall consider administrative and judicial aspects of federalism, including government regulation, court involvement in federalism issues, etc.
Unit 7 - April 6 - 17
During Unit 7 we shall pay particular attention to state and local governments, including the number and types of such governments, patterns (and examples) of horizontal IGR, reform issues, etc.
Term paper brief memo-type report uploaded to Document Sharing due no later than end of Unit 7. For details see separate section of this syllabus.
Unit 8 - April 20 - 24
During Unit 8 we shall pull together course components by looking at various projections for the future.
Final term paper due (dropbox) no later than end of Unit 8. For details see separate section of this syllabus.
Grades
300 points - 12 article summaries @ 25 pts max
320 points - 8 Threaded discussions @40 pts max
125 points - Term Paper (for components, see sep. section of syllabus)
255 points - 3 “Unit” Essay Exams @ 60 pts max + Final Exam @ 75 pts max
1000 points total in semester
Text and other Readings
Required Reading.
You will purchase the O'Toole text. All other assigned readings are available on the course web site.
Laurence OToole, Jr., AMERICAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, 4th edition (CQ Press, 2007) (ISBN 0-87289-307-3)
Reading Assignments by Unit follow. The details of article summary assignments appear in a separate section of this syllabus.
Reading for Unit 1 - January 12 - 16
NONE
Reading for Unit 2 - January 19 - 30
(1) OToole, 1-32 (introductory "overview") & 100-111 (Rubin)
(2) Conlan/Posner, “Pathways of Policy Making ...”
(3) Melnick, "An American Dilemma" (article summary)
Reading for Unit 3 - February 2 - 13
(1) OToole, 37-99
(2) Nathan, “Updating Theories of American Federalism” (article summary)
(3) U.S. Constitution (article summary)
(4 ) Watts, "Models of Federal Power Sharing"
Reading for Unit 4 - February 16 - 27
(1) OToole, 120-174 (except 152-162)
(2) Conlan/Dinan, “Federalism, the Bush Administration, and the Transformation of American Conservatism” (article summary)
(3) Donahue, "Exit, Voice ..." (article summary)
(4) Donahue, "The National Commons"
Readings for Unit 5 - March 2 - 13
(1) OToole, 181-243
(2) Allard, “The Changing Face of Welfare During the Bush Administration” (article summary)
(3) 2009 U.S. Budget, Analytical Perspectives [excerpt] (read 107-115) (article summary)
(4) Weissert/Weissert, “Medicaid Waivers ...”
[SPRING BREAK]
Reading for Unit 6 - March 23 - April 3
(1) OToole, 263-292
(2) Posner, “The Politics of Coercive Federalism ...” (article summary)
(3) Radin, “Performance Management and Intergovernmental Relations” (article summary)
(4) US, CBO, “Identifying Intergovernmental Mandates”
(5) US, CBO, “Intergovernmental Mandates Enacted Into Law, 1996 to 2007"
(6) US, Supreme Court, KELO v. CITY OF NEW LONDON
Reading for Unit 7 - April 6 -17
(1) Elazar, "Territorial Democracy and the Metropolitan Frontier" (article summary)
(2) Gerlak, “Federalism and US Water Policy ...”
(3) Potapchuk, "The Transformative Power of Governance" (article summary)
(4) Scheberle, “The Evolving Matrix of Environmental Federalism ....”
(5) Smith, “Intergovernmental Lobbying in the Twenty-first Century ...”
(6) US, Supreme Court, MASSACHUSETTS v. EPA
Reading for Unit 8 - April 20 - 24
(1) OToole, 314-331 & 345-354
(2) Donahue, "Toward a New Balance"
(3) Nivola, “Rediscovering Federalism” (article summary)
(4) Scheppach/Shafroth, “Intergovernmental Finance in the New Global Economy”
Article Summaries
For each of the 12 reading assignments above where “(article summary)” appears you will submit (VIA THE DROPBOX) a paper of approximately two pages (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1" margins - or equivalent). Each paper will earn up to 25 POINTS. THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE WHEN SPECIFIED. (Late submissions count only half. No article summary will be accepted more than two weeks late.)
In general, you will summarize the main points of the item, including following any additional specific instructions below, AND - for all papers - write a brief "personal stance" statement about an issue or topic in the assignment.
Article Summary specifics In Syllabus Order
UNIT 1 - NO ARTICLE SUMMARIES
UNIT 2 - January 19 - 30 (Please submit your article summary by January 25.)
Melnick, "An American Dilemma": What is the dilemma and how does Melnick address it?
UNIT 3 - February 2 - 13 (You may submit Unit 3 article summaries in the order you choose; the first by February 8, the other by February 11.)
Nathan: In addition to a summary of the author’s main points, be sure to make clear how he develops his goal: “‘Checks and balances’ is the concept under the microscope in this paper.”
U.S. Constitution: From each Article in the original Constitution and for Amendments in which there is pertinent material, demonstrate that you understand the concept “federalism” by identifying provisions which pertain (explicitly or implicitly) to a federal system of government.
UNIT 4 - February 16 - 27 (You may submit Unit 4 article summaries in the order you choose; the first by February 22, the other by February 25.)
Conlan/Dinan: In addition to a summary of the authors’ main points, be sure to make clear how they explain “the transformation of American conservatism.”
Donahue, "Exit, Voice ...": In your summary explain Hirschmann's concepts of exit, voice, and loyalty, and how they may shed some light on the operation of the American federal system.
UNIT 5 - March 2 - 13 (You may submit Unit 5 article summaries in the order you choose; the first by March 8, the other by March 11.)
Allard: Be sure in your summary to offer a broad appreciation of welfare changes during the Bush administration.
2009 U.S. Budget, Analytical Perspectives excerpt: Identify and briefly describe the larger federal intergovernmental programs considered.
UNIT 6 - March 23 - April 3 (You may submit Unit 6 article summaries in the order you choose; the first by March 29, the other by April 1.)
Posner: In addition to a summary of the author’s main points, be especially clear on what he means by “coercive federalism.”
Radin: In addition to a summary of the author’s main points, make very clear the connection between “performance management” and “intergovernmental relations.”
UNIT 7 - April 6 - 17 (You may submit Unit 7 article summaries in the order you choose; the first by April 12, the other by April 15.)
Elazar: Chances are if you can clearly explain Elazar's central concepts then you understand his main points. Here are some of them: territorial democracy; States as political systems; States as civil societies; political culture of the States; civil community; metropolitan frontier. Explain them.
Potapchuk, "The Transformative Power of Governance": The article does not explicitly focus on intergovernmental relations, rather: communities, social issues, etc. In addition to identifying the central themes of the article make clear connections to implications for our topic: intergovernmental relations.
UNIT 8 - April 20 24 (Please submit your article summary by April 24.)
Nivola: In addition to explaining generally what the author seeks to accomplish, summarize the main points in his proposals for at least four of the seven areas (health care, education, environmental protection, transportation, homeland security, civil rights regulation, law enforcement).
Threaded Discussions
You are expected to participate in 8 threaded discussions, each worth up to 40 points. Specific topics and deadlines for your first post on each threaded discussion appear under the separate Unit instructions.)
Participation criteria for threaded discussion grading follow:
A-LEVEL PARTICIPATION (40 Points)
The participant consistently posted insightful comments and questions that prompted on-topic discussion.
The participant consistently helped clarify or synthesize other group members' ideas.
If disagreeing with other group members' ideas, the participant stated his or her disagreement or objections clearly, yet politely.
The participant met the "First Post" deadline and submitted four or more posts on three or more separate days for each threaded discussion.
B-LEVEL PARTICIPATION (33 Points)
The participant was lacking in one or two of the items listed for A-level participation.
The participant usually, but not always, expressed herself or himself clearly.
The participant met the "First Post" deadline and submitted four or more posts on two or more separate days for each threaded discussion.
C-LEVEL PARTICIPATION (29 Points)
The participant was consistently lacking in two or more of the items listed for A-level participation.
The participant seemed reluctant to participate, even when prompted.
The participant rarely expressed himself or herself clearly.
The participant met the "First Post" deadline and submitted three or more posts on two or more separate days for each threaded discussion.
D-LEVEL PARTICIPATION (25 Points)
All weaknesses of “C-level” and:
The participant sought to draw the discussion off-topic, even if her/his participation was otherwise of high quality.
The participant missed the "First Post" deadline and/or failed to submit two or more posts on two or more separate days for both threaded discussions.
F-LEVEL PARTICIPATION (0 - 11 Points)
All weaknesses of “D-level” and:
The participant was rude or abusive to other course participants. The participant consistently failed to participate at all, even when specifically prompted or questioned.
The participant missed the "First Post" deadline and/or failed to submit posts on two or more separate days for both threaded discussions.
Examinations
You will take FOUR examinations: (a) Units 2, 4 and 6 have examinations you may access during the last three days of the unit; (b) a final examination you may access April 26 - 29. They are all timed two-hour essay tests. You may access the questions in each exam only once and the web site then turns on a timer for the allowed time. At the end of that time you may not write any more. (However, the instructions page PRECEDING the test questions may be accessed as often and for as much time as you wish.) The Unit exams are worth up to 60 points each, and the final exam up to 75 points.
The UNIT 2 exam covers materials in unit 2.
The UNIT 4 exam covers materials in units 3 AND 4.
The UNIT 6 exam covers materials in units 5 AND 6.
The FINAL EXAMINATION is comprehensive.
Therefore: (1) be ready to go when you access each exam; (2) you may have text materials and notes with you during the exam. Only if you have carefully read and studied the material, however, are you likely to perform well on the essays within the time limit; (3) Keep track of the time during the test. It may be sensible initially to allow yourself LESS time per question than its points warrant, so you have time to review and edit.
Term Paper
Research Project (TOTAL: 125 POINTS).
Each student will conduct a research project to investigate an intergovernmental program or issue near where you live. "Near" means you will be able to consult directly with responsible officials as one way you learn about the program or issue.
Research project assignments:
- one-two pages identifying the program or issue, proposing an outline for the project, and indicating anticipated main sources. Sources may include documents, prospective interviews, etc. DUE: VIA drop box no later than the end of Unit 3 (February 13). (10 points)
- outline (Use a format with which you are comfortable - Roman numerals and indentations are not obligatory. You may instead choose to submit a paragraph or two describing each major section of the project.) DUE: VIA drop box no later than the end of Unit 5 (March 13). (20 points)
- two versions of final paper:
(a) 3-5 page memo-type report. This is to share with the instructor AND other students in the course. DUE: VIA "document sharing" no later than the end of Unit 7 (April 17). (30 points) BE SURE TO USE YOUR NAME AS PART OF THE UPLOAD FILE NAME AND ALSO AT THE TOP OF THE FIRST PAGE OF YOUR REPORT..
(b) 15-20 pages (complete paper; double-spaced, 12 point font, 1" margins - or equivalent). DUE: VIA drop box no later than the end of Unit 8 (April 24). (65 points)