PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 1 Discussion
DQ1 FEDERALISM
What is
federalism? How does it compare to a unitary system? How does it compare to a
confederation?
DQ2 STATE/FEDERAL
CONFLICTS
Have you
noted any recent conflicts between a state (i.e., the state where you live) and
the federal government? Even if a current dispute does not come to mind, do you
feel that issues such as economic problems and health reform can lead to
conflicts?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 THEORIES
OF FEDERALISM
What is
meant by dual federalism? When did this view of the relationship between the
federal and state governments first develop? Is this theory still prevalent
today?
DQ2 FEDERAL
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
How and why
are executive departments created? Which ones were created in the early years
of our nation?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 WHY DO
WE HAVE SO MANY GOVERNMENTS?
In your
opinion, why do we have so many different governments in the United States of
America? For example, have you ever noticed how many governments exist where
you live? If so, please pick one and explain why, in your view, it exists.
DQ2 COMPARE/CONTRAST
DILLON'S RULE AND HOME RULE
How did
Dillon’s rule come about? Is it still in effect today in some states? How is
home rule an alternative, and is it available in all states?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 GOVERNMENT
REVENUES
Taxes are a
primary source of government revenue. What types of tax do you notice in your
daily life? For example, is there a state income tax in your state? What about
sales taxes?
DQ2 FEDERAL
FUNDING
The federal
government provides funding to state and local governments in various ways.
Let’s start with some basics to see how this may be done. To start, what is a
grant? How does a grant differ from a loan?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 5 Discussion
DQ1 PUBLIC
POLICY
What is
meant by the term public policy? Is there such a thing as good or bad public
policy?
DQ2 STRATEGIC
PLANNING
What are
some of the difficulties in strategic planning? Are some of those challenges
unique in the context of a governmental agency?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 6 Discussion
DQ1 ETHICS
LAWS AND RULES
In your
opinion, can ethics be legislated? For instance, can we have laws that cover
all possible scenarios?
DQ2 CODE OF
ETHICS
What is a
code of ethics? What is the role of a code of ethics in public administration?
Who do you think should establish a code: an agency, the overall government, or
an outside organization?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 7 Discussion
DQ1 PERFORMANCE
EVALUATIONS
What
methods are available for evaluating the performance of an agency?
DQ2 ACCOUNTABILITY
AND ETHICS
In your
opinion, how is accountability intertwined with ethics? Why do you feel this
way?
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 3 You Decide
Scenario,
Your Role, Key Players
You Decide
Scenario
Due to
budget problems, a number of programs have had to be eliminated at the publicly
supported universities in your state. One result is that certain specific
majors are no longer available at any of those universities. Each of those
majors is offered, though, at a state university in a neighboring state.
Conversely, your state's institutions offer certain majors not available in
that other state. An analyst in the state's higher education department has
advocated that an agreement be entered with the neighboring state to allow
reciprocity on in-state tuition for those programs. The executive director of
the department is enthusiastic and wants to expand the concept to an interstate
compact covering other areas of mutual interest. The speaker of the state house
of representatives, however, has already stated her opposition to any such arrangements.
Your Role
You are a
member of the staff of the governor's office and will be serving as an analyst
on this issue. As a first step in your analysis, you will be listening to the
other parties' comments about the problem and the proposed solutions, if any.
After hearing their perspectives, you will need to address various questions
posed by the governor.
Key Players
Photo of
James Raika
James Raika
Analyst,
State Higher Education Department
Photo of Morgan James
Morgan
James
Executive
Director, State Higher Education Department
Photo of Margaret Smith
Margaret
Smith
Speaker of
the State House of Representatives
Assignment
Given the
scenario, your role and the information provided by the key players involved,
it is time for you to make a decision. If you are finished reviewing this
scenario, close this window and return to this week's You Decide item, in your
course window, to complete the activity for this scenario. You can return and
review this scenario again at any time.
Activity
You need to
draft an analysis and recommendation to the governor. At this point, the
governor is looking mainly for your opinion. Legal counsel will be consulted if
needed on the finer points that you may raise. Specific questions that should
be addressed include the following:
What is the
provision of the United States Constitution that may apply in the case of an
agreement or compact between two or more states?
Do you
think that the proposal of James Raika to just enter into an agreement between
the departments falls under that provision? Do you think that his proposal is
reasonable? What do you see as the major advantage of that proposal? In your
view, what is a major problem with this limited approach?
Why do you
suppose that Morgan James wants to take a more expanded approach? What do you
think are some of the benefits of that approach? What do you feel are the
potential problems? What would be the sequence of events for proceeding to try
to gain approval?
If Margaret
Smith is opposed to the idea, in either form, what are the implications? Why do
you think she is against the idea? What might you be able to do to help
coordinate a discussion between the parties?
After
reading through the You Decide activity and considering the questions listed
here, please prepare a paper in APA format. The paper should be written to the
governor with a brief summary of the overall issue and responses to the
specific questions posed above. The paper should be double spaced, 11-point or
12-point type, and between 750 and 1,500 words.
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 6 You Decide
Scenario,
Your Role, Key Players
You Decide
ScenarioYour
RoleKey PlayersAssignment
Scenario
A state
emergency management agency will be conducting a training exercise with a
federal agency. Specifically, a disaster simulation will occur with hundreds of
volunteers as well as first responders using actual supplies and equipment. The
exercise will be paid for by the state agency but with money obtained via a
grant from the federal government.
Your Role
You have
recently been hired as a mid-level manager at this state agency. One of your
first responsibilities is to coordinate this training exercise with a federal
agency. Another part of the scope of your authority is to coordinate the
purchase of supplies and services for the training exercise. Upon meeting your
counterpart at the federal agency, you found him to be quite personable and
complimentary to you. However, he almost immediately tried to influence you to
direct the purchases of supplies to a specific salesperson. You've also met
this sales representative. Your boss wants you to handle as much of the
exercise as is reasonable and wants what she calls "good press" out
of the event.
Key Players
Photo of
Jim Phanner
Jim Phanner
Planning
Manager, FEMA
Photo of Pat Provedor
Pat
Provedor
Sales
Representative, Timo Manufacturing
Photo of Justine White
Justine
White
Your
immediate supervisor
Assignment
Given the
scenario, your role and the information provided by the key players involved,
it is time for you to make a decision. If you are finished reviewing this
scenario, close this window and return to this week's You Decide item, in your
course window, to complete the activity for this scenario. You can return and
review this scenario again at any time.
Activity
You need to
draft a summary of how you will handle the situation. Specific questions that
should be addressed include the following:
Do you feel
that there might be an ethical issue present? For the moment, assume that no
laws have been broken and just focus on any possible ethical issues.
Explain how
a competitive bidding arrangement might be useful. Do you see any impediments
to using such a bidding process in this instance?
If you were
going to report a suspected ethical issue, how would you do so? For instance,
to whom would you report? Would you discuss the matter with anyone first?
Does the
fact that you have only been recently hired play into your decisions?
Lastly,
please assume that you suspect that some state or federal laws have been
broken. In other words, the problems might be beyond just a possible ethical
issue. Would this change your handling of the situation?
After
reading through the You Decide activity and considering the questions listed
here, please prepare a paper in APA format. The paper should include responses
to the specific questions posed above, but you may include other points if you
so desire. The paper should be double spaced, 11-point or 12-point type, and
between 500 and 1,000 words.
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 4 Midterm Exam
Question 1
(TCO B) The Virginia Plan, as presented to the Constitutional Convention,
called for one vote per state in the
Congress.
called for a bicameral legislature with
membership determined proportionately.
called for a multiperson executive office
elected by Congress.
None of the above
Question 2
(TCO B) The Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland is important in the
history of federalism because
the Bank of the United States was ruled to be
unconstitutional.
the Supreme Court developed the “doctrine of
implied powers" to reach its ruling.
the Supreme Court ruled that the federal
government did not have a right to impose a tax on a bank chartered by the
state of Maryland.
None of the above
Question 3
(TCO C) When a conflict between two or more states arises, the ultimate
resolution of the matter
could reach the Supreme Court of the United
States.
would need to be decided by the Congress of
the United States.
should be decided by the President of the
United States.
must result in an interstate compact.
Question 4
(TCO C) The genesis of the idea for an interstate compact through the passage
of the legislation in two or more states and the implementation is a
multiple-step process. One such step or series of steps is
to reconcile the differences in the enabling
statutes passed in the various states.
to always seek Congressional approval for the
compact.
to have the administrative structure setup
pending the passage of legislation.
to identify stakeholders of the issue,
determine the needs of the particular states, and draft the documents to create
the compact if enacted by the applicable legislatures.
Question 5
(TCO D) The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law
is not a mandate.
can be seen as a federal mandate to the
states but one with major impact on local school districts.
is a federal mandate on local school
districts.
None of the above
Question 6
(TCO D) Which model of the relationships between the national, state, and local
governments views the national government and the various state governments as
being autonomous but with interdependence between all three layers?
Coordinate-Authority
Inclusive-Authority
Overlapping-Authority
None of the above
Question 7
(TCO B) Explain the basics of a unitary form of government including a brief
mention of one of its strengths as compared to a federal government.
Question 8
(TCO C) Discuss key characteristics of the United States of America under the
Articles of Confederation.
Question 9
(TCO 3) Define and explain Dillon’s Rule including the impact of that rule,
assuming it applies, on the relationship of a local government with the
government of the state in which it is situated.
Question 10
(TCO D) What is meant by the term “Independent Establishment” as used by the
federal government? Why might one be established?
Question 11
(TCO B) Discuss the basic viewpoints of dual federalism and cooperative
federalism. Focus please on the role of the federal government and the
respective state governments. Feel free to include a brief discussion of
historical events that have led into these viewpoints of federalism.
Question 12
(TCO D) The development of an interstate
compact is a critical first step in using that tool to solve policy issues that
cross jurisdictional lines. Please define the term interstate compact and then
explain the importance of properly developing the potential compact before
trying to get it enacted.
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Week 8 Final Exam
Question 1 (TCO
A) SWOT analysis is a planning technique that can be used by a governmental
agency. What does the acronym SWOT stand for? What is the goal of completing a
SWOT analysis?
Question 2
(TCO B) Explain briefly the issue that the Supreme Court of the United States
had to decide in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland. Why is this case pivotal in
the history of federal and state relations (e.g., federalism)?
Question 3
(TCO C) List and please briefly discuss at least two types of special
districts.
Question 4
(TCO D) Describe briefly the importance of Section 8 of Article I of the
Constitution on the ability of the federal government to handle fiscal matters.
Question 5
(TCO E) What is meant by the term “public policy?” What is an example of a
public policy area that impacts all three levels of government?
Question 6
(TCO F) Ethical issues can easily arise in governmental affairs and may be
faced by anyone working as a public administrator. List and discuss two ethical
issues that may be faced by an elected official or an administrative employee
within a government or agency.
Question 7
(TCO G) What was the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)? Describe
briefly two changes that the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 made to that
existing law.
Question 8
(TCO A) A barrier to strategic planning by a governmental agency can occur when
there are numerous stakeholders. Explain why having many different stakeholders
can be a challenge for the strategic planning by a governmental agency.
Question 9
(TCO B) A weakness of a unitary government is that any subunits of the unitary
government have minimal if any ability for customization of services at a local
level. Explain how a federal system may have advantages over a unitary system
in this regard.
Question 10
(TCO C) The types of local governments that may exist in any given state may
vary from some degree from state to state. List and discuss three of the types
of those governments that may be found in one or more of the states within the
United States.
Question 11
(TCO D) Governments rely to a great extent on the ability to generate tax
revenue as a means of financing their operations and the provision of services.
The ability to generate specific types of taxes varies from one level of
government to the next. How does the ability of a state government to raise tax
revenue compare to that of local governments and of the federal government?
Explain at least one way that the respective abilities of the three levels of
government to raise tax impact them from an intergovernmental perspective.
Question 12
(TCO E) The transportation system in the United States is an area that involves
each of the three levels of government. Focusing solely on the local
governments, what is their primary role in helping to ensure that there are
proper air transport systems in place? In what ways do the local governments
rely on higher levels of government in this regard?
Question 13
(TCO F) You have recently been hired as a clerk in the county clerk’s office.
One of the many duties of the clerk is to issue marriage licenses and the clerk
can actually perform wedding ceremonies. You have noticed that the clerk
charges $40 (cash only) to marry a couple. You strongly suspect that he is
pocketing the money rather than turning it over to the county. From an ethical
perspective, how would you handle the situation?
Question 14
(TCO G) The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (the "GASB") has
conceptually addressed the idea of performance reporting. The concept sets
forth the idea of measuring "service efforts and accomplishments"
("SEA" for short). Define the terms service efforts and service
accomplishments. Also provide an example of how the performance of an agency
serving the homeless population of a major city can be measured in terms of
output measures of service accomplishments.
PA584 Intergovernmental Management
Course Project
Intergovernmental
Management Paper
Objective
The Course
Project is an opportunity for you to explore, in-depth, a topic of your
choosing related to intergovernmental management. Accordingly, a first step in
that direction is for you to choose an appropriate topic and submit a proposal
in Week 2. The proposal can be as brief as two or three paragraphs but should
be detailed enough to reflect a strong start to the project by you. In that
regard, please be sure to explain how you expect that your research and
analysis will relate to one or more specific COs for this course. A list of
potential topics is presented below. These are intended as very broad areas;
you will need to narrow the topic and refine the analysis so that the
intergovernmental aspects are appropriately considered.
Guidelines
The
following guidelines are pertinent to the paper for the project.
Papers must
be 8-12 pages in length with 10-point font and double-spaced. Include a cover
page, table of contents, introduction, body of the report, summary or
conclusion, and a reference page for the works cited. Note that the length is
for the content only; the cover page, table of contents, and reference page are
in addition to those pages.
Even though
this is not a scientific-type writing assignment, and is mostly creative in
nature, references are still very important. At least six authoritative,
outside references are required. Anonymous authors or web pages are not
acceptable as references. These should be listed on the last page titled
References.
Appropriate
citations are required.
The paper
should be in the American Psychological Association (APA) format.
All DeVry
University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy.
Papers are
due during Week 7 of this course.
Any
questions about this paper may be discussed in the Course Q & A Forum.
This paper
is worth 200 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic;
quality of paper information; and the use of citations, grammar, and sentence
structure.
Milestones
You will
need to meet the following milestones for deliverables during the next few
weeks:
Week 2 –
Topic Selection (This includes a 2-3 paragraph proposal in a Word document to
be submitted.)
Week 5 –
Status Report (A 2-3 paragraph summary of your work to date in a Word document
is to be submitted. The main emphasis is to provide you with a chance to
explain if you are having questions or problems.)
Week 7 –
Final Submission (See the Guidelines above regarding this deliverable.)
Topic Areas
It is again
emphasized that the topic selected should be related to a specific
intergovernmental management issue or need. Some of the topics listed below
already have the intergovernmental aspect included. Others are broader topics.
For instance, ethics is listed as a possible topic, but a person would need to
refine the topic so that it relates more specifically to one or more of the
COs. Also, this list is not meant to be all-inclusive. With those caveats in
mind, please consider the following as possible topics:
Ethics
Interstate
compacts
Uniform
state laws
Compact
Clause of the United States Constitution
Immigration
laws and enforcement (including the concept of preemption)
Mutual aid
agreements
Emergency
Management Assistance Compact
Grants
system
Medical
marijuana: the interplay of federal and state laws
FEMA and
state emergency agencies
No Child
Left Behind Act
Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education
Reconciliation Act of 2010
Medicaid
and resulting state programs
Mandates:
funded and/or unfunded
Planning
and financing of the highway system
Planning
and financing of air transport facilities, such as an airport
