Respublica Complicata: An Essay in Memory of Martha A. Derthick (1933–2015)

Pietro S. Nivola

Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 2017, vol. 47, issue 2, 221-234

Abstract: The following essay examines American federalism’s complexity, a subject of interest to the late Martha Derthick. I discuss this attribute’s various difficulties, including not only those Derthick studied, but also others she did not. Building on Derthick’s insights regarding the intermingling of state and federal authority, the essay looks at some under-recognized consequences of the regime’s complexity, given the blended functions and the opaque lines of accountability that often characterize modern intergovernmental relations. I conclude with some thoughts on whether further centralizing our federal system would necessarily simplify and enhance it.

Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/publius/pjw035 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:publus:v:47:y:2017:i:2:p:221-234.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

Publius: The Journal of Federalism is currently edited by Paul Nolette and Philip Rocco

More articles in Publius: The Journal of Federalism from CSF Associates Inc. Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().