Cooperation and Conflict in State and Local Innovation During COVID-19

• Published date: 01 August 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0275074020941699
• Date: 01 August 2020
• Author: Daniel J. Mallinson
• Subject Matter: Public Management Opportunities & Challenges in the Era of COVID-19Intergovernmental Collaboration & Conflict

https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074020941699

American Review of Public Administration

2020, Vol. 50(6-7) 543 –550

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0275074020941699

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Intergovernmental Collaboration & Conflict

The spread of SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) has laid bare, in

stark terms, both the cooperative and conflictual aspects of

the American federal system. The pandemic has amplified

trends that s cholars have been noting for years (Benton, 2018;

Bowman & Kearney, 2007). Interactions between the states

and national government illustrate the concern that conten-

tious intergovernmental relations, while not new, have become

wide-ranging (Burke & Brudney, 2018). Commentators both

decried and praised federalism as the crisis unfolded, the

national government faltered in its leadership, and governors

moved in different directions in their responses. New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo has been praised for his strong and

visible response to the outbreak in the New York metropolitan

area (Luscombe, 2020), though was also criticized for a lack

of preparedness and slow initial response (J. D. Goodman,

2020). Whereas, Governor Ron DeSantis has received scorn

for a slow response in closing Florida’s beaches and moving

quickly to reopen Florida’s entertainment economy and

schools (Turner, 2020). And Americans were paying atten-

tion. Some governors like Newsom (D-CA), Cuomo (D-NY),

McMaster (R-SC), and DeWine (R-OH) received high marks

from their constituents, whereas others like DeSantis (R-FL)

have lost support, and two, Ige (D-HI) and Noem (R-SD),

have less than 50% support for their response to the crisis

(Lazer et al., 2020; Mehta, 2020). Scholarship on state poli-

tics and policy, intergovernmental relations, and federalism

has much to offer in understanding governmental reactions

to COVID-19. In addition, state and local government

responses to COVID-19 offer new avenues of scholarly

inquiry, as they surface dynamics that are not yet well under-

stood or accounted for in prevailing theories.

This viewpoint article addresses both cooperation and

conflict among state and local governments during the early

days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for

research on federalism, policy diffusion, and intergovern-

mental relations. I begin by discussing the mechanisms for

collaboration, both existing and newly emerged, that have

played important roles during state and local government

responses to COVID-19. I then turn to discussing the poten-

tial for sturdier compacts for addressing infectious disease.

Finally, I discuss state–local relations, particularly the use of

ceiling preemption of local governments by states and the

tension over policing powers. In each section, I will discuss

how scholars have been discussing these phenomena that

surfaced in the COVID-19 response for many years and how

that knowledge could be useful to frontline administrators, as

they manage emerging threats like global pandemics.

Mechanisms for Collaboration

Vertical and horizontal cooperation are hallmarks of the

COVID-19 crisis and American federalism broadly speak-

ing. Although the power and responsibilities of the national

government has increased since the founding, the states still

retain sovereignty and substantial power, including “the

authority to provide for the public health, safety, and morals”

of their citizens (Barnes v. Glen Theatre 501 U.S. 560, 569,

1991). In times of domestic crisis, the national government

often provides leadership and resources, but states, and par-

ticularly their governors, are still very much in the driver’s

seat. In terms of implementing federal policy, states can fall

941699ARPXXX10.1177/0275074020941699The American Review of Public AdministrationMallinson

research-article2020

1Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Daniel J. Mallinson, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and

Administration, Penn State Harrisburg, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike,

Middletown, PA 17057, USA.

Email: mallinson@psu.edu

Cooperation and Conflict in State and

Local Innovation During COVID-19

Daniel J. Mallinson1

Abstract

This essay discusses how scholarship on state politics and policy, intergovernmental relations, and federalism provides

necessary context for understanding governmental responses to COVID-19. It also highlights how observing those responses

can further push the bounds of existing scholarship and theory regarding policy innovation and cooperative and conflictual

federalism. It argues that there is a space for mutual learning and sharing between scholars and practitioners.

Keywords

Federalism, Coronavirus, preemption, policy diffusion