This volume gathers contributors from both the US and UK to provide a comparative examination of federalism in the Bush era, a period of huge change in national politics, but also one of significant shifts in US federalism in relation to social and socioeconomic issues.

"With experienced editors and contributions from scholars of high caliber, The Federal Nation is a well-thought out and cohesively organized volume that engages and advances research on federalism." - James Pfiffner, University Professor, School of Public Policy, George Mason University

"The breadth of authors is distinguished and impressive in this wide-ranging book on contemporary American federalism. The subject of federalism is approached from various standpoints: historical, comparative, issue-based, legal/constitutional and functional. Federalism is at the very heart of the American system. Writing and controversy surrounding the presidency of George W. Bush have tended to be overwhelmingly concerned with foreign policy and, to a slightly lesser extent, with the growth of presidential power and authority. The Federal Nation shifts the focus to Bush s big government conservatism in the context of relations between Washington and the state and local governments. This is an excellent approach and a significant contribution to the field." - John Dumbrell, Professor of Government, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University

Autorentext
Iwan W. Morgan is a Professor of US Studies and Head of US Programmes at the Institute of the Americas, University College London, UK.

Inhalt
PART I: AMERICAN FEDERALISM IN NATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Federalism, the Bush Administration, and the Evolution of American Politics; T.Conlan What a Difference a Few Decades Make: American Conservatism, Constitutional Issues, and the Bush Presidency; J.D.Aberbach & G.Peele Canada's "Open Federalism": Past, Present, and Future Tense; C.Dunn PART II: AMERICAN FEDERALISM IN TRANSITION Three Faces of Contemporary American Federalism; J.Kinkaid Fragmented Structures and Blurred Boundaries: Strategies for Regional Governance; C.W.Stenberg Congressional Devolution of Powers; J.Zimmerman PART III: AMERICAN FEDERALISM AND INEQUALITY Hurricane Katrina and the Persistence of Racially Structured Federalism; K.Johnson The Politics of the State Children's Health Insurance Program; D.Jaenicke & A.Waddan Understanding the Politics of Rights in a Punitive Era: Indigent Defense 1972 to the Present; A.Worden & A.Davies PART IV: AMERICAN FEDERALISM AND SOCIAL ISSUES Gay Rights, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and the States; E.Ashbee Clearing the Air: The New Politics of Public Smoking in the US; C.J.Bailey Abortion, the Judiciary, and Federalism in North America; R.McKeever Federalism and American Federal Education Policy; J.Parker