Articulating a “New Nationalism” in American Social Policy

This article develops a rationale for expanded federal roles during the coming decade as the nation confronts traditional, festering problems; growing economic inequality, and economic insecurity stemming from the globalizing of the world's economy. It traces the rise of federal power from 1950 to 1979 and discusses three assaults on federal roles by Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Newt Gingrich. The article identifies eight criteria that can be used, singly and in tandem, to place programs on a continuum extending from sole federal funding and implementation to sole state or local funding and implementation. Many kinds of federal-state partnerships are possible and desirable between these two poles under the rubric of a “new nationalism” in American social policy. The article concludes with strategy and pedagogical suggestions for policy practitioners and educators.