Political Science Essay

State and local governments are directly involved in our daily lives. The history of states and localities over the past two decades has been one of transformation. They pull in shed their backward ways, reformed their institutions, and emerged as clear and proactive. State resurgence is exemplified in improved revenue systems, the expanded scope of state operations, faster dispersal of innovations, more interjurisdictional cooperation, and increased nationalstate conflict. Several persistent challenges dog states and localities fiscal stress, interjurisdictional competition, and political corruption. The coupled States is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. The increase in population in Sunbelt states such as Nevada and Arizona outpaces the rest of the nation. Meanwhile, negative growth characterized North Dakota and Louisiana from 2000 to 2008. An outbreak of culture wars is redefining the politics of roughly communities and states. As a whole, the states are dive rse, competitive, and resilient. Their increased capacity to govern effectively has been sorely tested in the first decade of the twenty-first century.Chapter 2U.S. federalism is an ongoing experiment in governance. A fundamental fountainhead is, what is the proper balance of power and responsibility between the national government and the states? Actions of the courts, Congress, and the executive branch have expanded powers of the national government. Over time, the trend has generally been in the direction of a stronger national government. showtime in the early 1980s, however, there was a resurgence of the state and local governments as political and indemnity actors. The power relationships among the lead levels of government are described by various models, including dual and cooperative relationships among the three levels of government.federalism. The operative model is cooperative federalism, under the variant known as new federalism.A paint concept in federalism is inte rgovernmental relations, particularly financial relationships among the three levels of government. The national government imposes certain controversial requirements on grants-in aid, including mandates and pre-emptions.http//www.usa.gov/Agencies/federal.shtmlExecutive BranchThe executive branch of the government is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. The president, vice president, department heads (cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies station out this mission. Judicial BranchCourts decide arguments about the meaning of laws and how they are applied. They also decide if laws break the Constitutionthis is known as judicial review, and it is how federal courts provide checks and balances on the legislative and executive branches. legislative BranchArticle I of the Constitution establishes the legislative or law making branch of government. It has a two-branch Congressthe Senate and the House of Representativesand agencies that support Congress.