The American Political System

 Maximum 4 single space pages. Check the syllabus for late paper policy. In this essay you will consider arguments about where policy decisions should be made (Federal, state, or local government levels) in the context of recent policymaking in the areas of social welfare and the environment. To prepare to write the essay, READ AND WATCH: 1) “The New Federalism” which includes short readings by Eggers/O’Leary and Donahue (pdf attached) 2) Consider again this policy issue from Discussion board #1 – https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-welfare-dollars-dont-go-directly-to-poor-people-anymore/ Data illustration at https://features.marketplace.org/yourstateonwelfare/ 3) And also consider these issues in light of the following policy issue- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/climate/california-auto-emissions-trump.html https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/California-sues-Trump-administration-over-13745681.php Data illustration at https://www.c2es.org/content/state-climate-policy/ WRITE AN ESSAY IN WHICH YOU DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) briefly summarize the debate between Eggers/O’Leary and Donahue, detailing their arguments carefully but briefly (20%), 2) compare/contrast the policy issues in the articles/websites (at #4 and #5 above) and tell how they relate to this debate between Eggers/O’Leary and Donahue, (20%) 3) explain which of the above articles (Eggers/O’Leary or Donahue) seems to use the “principle-agent dilemma” as its primary explanatory model for state/Federal relations, AND which article seems to primarily see these issues as “collective action problems.” (Remember that these are discussed in the Federalism Today video lecture.) (10%) and 4) given all of this, tell which of the authors (Eggers/O’Leary OR Donahue) you find most persuasive and why. For each of these policy issues (the social and environmental policies above), is the “principal-agent dilemma” or the “collective action problem” a more effective explanatory model, or are they both crucial to understanding state/federal relations ? Do you think our Federal system encourages “laboratories of democracy” or a “race to the bottom?” Or does it depend on which policy and who’s in power? (50%)