This book provides an overview of the relationship between Reagan administration initiatives and the US. It presents case studies on the reaction of eight governors to federal health, education, and welfare policies during the 1980s and compares the approaches of each of the studied governors.

This book uses the most comprehensive survey and case research available on the administrative and subnational policy aspects of the New Federalism. It presents readers with both summary and critical analyses of the management responses and adjustments throughout the fifty states in the U.S.

By analyzing spending, regulatory, and tax policies, surprising differences are found in the goals and policies of the Nixon and Reagan ideologies. Nixon sought to use federalism reform as a means of diffusing governmental activism and improving governmental performance. Reagan, in contrast, used federalism reform initiatives to challenge government activism at every level. Conlan relates these developments to theories of the modern state and to the future of American federalism. No bibliography. Also available in paper, $15.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book strives to address this gap in the research literature by focusing on the intergovernmental role of the nation's governors. This is done by examining the lobbying efforts of the governors through their national organization, the National Governors Association (NGA). The NGA has been a prominent representative of state interests for a number of decades, and the increasingly complex relationships between the states and the federal government--and the governors' role as manager of those relationships--have ensured that the governors and the NGA remain at the center of many critical national policy debates. Furthermore, the NGA serves as the primary organizing body of the governors, and the organization allows the state executives to effectively exert their influence over important policy decisions at the federal level. For these reasons, the NGA is a most appropriate organization for the study of governors as they work to influence federal policy.Taking a mixed method approach, this study highlights the factors that affect the ability of governors to shape national policy decisions and examines the results in the context of contemporary literature on the governorship, intergovernmental relations, and federalism. This book is therefore ideal for all who are interested in U.S. governorship, intergovernmental relations, and federalism generally.