Politics and Governance: Conflicting Trends in the 1990s?

The American political system has changed markedly in recent years, with important consequences for the conduct of intergovernmental relations. Historically, the noncentralized structure of political parties provided important avenues of state and local influence in Washington. Since 1974, however, dramatic changes in the parties have altered traditional relationships. Most striking has been the growth of the national party organizations, which in the last 15 years have evolved from weak and episodic entities to innovative senior partners in the party system. Nationalization has occurred as well in the interest-group arena, despite the overall expansion of public-interest-group activity. These and other developments have tended to erode state and local political influence over national policymaking. Ironically, however, such centralization stands in marked contrast to the increased innovation and assertiveness of the states in the 1980s. Reconciling these conflicting trends in politics and governance will be an important feature of intergovernmental politics in the 1990s.