Government Case Study: Fiscal Federalism Assignment

Watch: Intergovernmental Relations and Public Administration

WATCH LINK FOR VIDEO- https://youtu.be/6vIxR8P8H8w?si=TdEODRRuUyy3ZaKO

Let's take a look at intergovernmental

relations and public administration. Public administration has been altered, perhaps permanently by rapid

changes in IGR. Despite recent

efforts to gain greater control of

their bureaucracies, most chief executives have failed to stem the growth of vertical functional

bureaucratic linkages. State and local

government revenues can be severely

affected by economic downturns

and lag behind private sector

economy activity in returning to fiscal

strength and stability. Adding to these

difficulties is the fact that about

one-third of states suffer from a structural

budget imbalance due to revenue

growth that's chronically slower

than increases in the cost of services

they must provide. Although intergovernmental

aid can bail out a city here or

a suburb there. It's still not

clear whether the cost imposed

by inflation, tax limitation

movements and rising service

needs can be met over the

long-term by aid. These controls

raise questions about public

accountability and about the ability of

chief executives to coordinate

spending activity. Other emerging patterns in contemporary IGR include some decline in

relative prominence of fiscal and grant

related issues and a corresponding rise in the importance of

intergovernmental regulatory issues. There's also a growing

recognition that the possibility of

increased coordination among local

governments may prove to be elusive in the long run in

terms of providing solutions to some of

the challenges faced.