Exploring Federalism

Download or read book Exploring Federalism written by Daniel J. Elazar and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 1987-01-30 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive analysis of federal or convenantal forms of government, Elazar explores the roots of federalism, traces its historical development, and portrays how federalism has been employed to promote workable governmental systems for people with diverse traditions. He identifies the several elements of federalism as a basis of political association, and describes how federalism defines political justice, shapes political behavior, and directs humans toward civic synthesis of the two. Elazar scans the centralizing and decentralizing trends in contemporary federal systems and explains why federalism is resurfacing as a significant political force in the postmodern epoch. He contends that through its covenantal foundations, federalism is an idea whose importance is akin to natural law in defining justice and delineating the origins and proper constitution of political society. ISBN 0-8173-0240-9: $28.95.