Intergovernmental Relations

the muscle of the 97-pound weakling in the before pictures of a Charles Atlas advertisement. While they can analyze problems and devise overall strategies, they have no way of implementing them. Until they develop administrative and budgetary power to execute programs (which can be done only if they become truly regional rather than federal), the bullies in various administrations-federal, state, and local-can continue to kick sand in their faces with impunity. A restrained and cautious view of the Regional Economic Development Commissions shows them to be but a facade of intergovernmental cooperation. They provide windowdressing for federally created, federally financed, federally operated and controlled new instruments and levels of government something more akin to a unitary than a federal system of intergovernmental relations. Barring changes in the game's rules, the state partners will merely follow suit in an intergovernmental game in which all of the trump cards are held in one hand. One wishes there had been more public disceptation concerning the commissions four years ago; and, one hopes that there will be more in the next four months as their budgets and roles are reviewed by Congress

Environmental planning · Geography · Political science · Regional science · Sociology · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Public Administration