Polarized Parties, Politics, and Policies: Fragmented Federalism in 2013–2014

Polarized parties, politics, and policies at the federal and state levels of government continue to affect the nature of federalism and intergovernmental relations in the United States. Although polarization and fragmentation are prevalent, there are important instances of cooperation and collaboration. But bottom-up state activism has yielded polarized policies across the states in important issue areas such as same-sex marriage and marijuana policy. And even as states collaborate on implementation of the Common Core standards for K-12 education, the rhetoric remains politicized. The effects of polarization have also been significant for fiscal policies and budgeting. We conclude that, even as states push forward their agendas in light of a gridlocked national government, federalism faces continued challenges, remaining fragmented in both theory and practice.