American Intergovernmental Relations: Foundations, Perspectives, and Issues

When acid rain from industrial air pollution damages the natural resources of communities located hundreds of miles away, who should be responsible? When national tax reform takes a toll on the finances of states, what should be done? These are but a few of the controversies that arise from the American system of federalism - a complex and interdependent system of more than 85,000 federal, state, and local governments. American Intergovernmental Relations provides a broad survey of the system's historical development and its current structure, combining editorial comment with a selection of readings that range from classic documents to analyses of today's most pressing intergovernmental issues and disputes.

Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., is professor in the Department of Political Science and senior research associate in the Fanning Institute of Leadership and Community Development at the University of Georgia.