Filling a Vacuum: Subnational Governance amid National Government Inaction

• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X21999585
• Date: 01 December 2020
• Published date: 01 December 2020
• Author: Andrew Karch
• Subject Matter: Special Issue 2020

Special Issue 2020
State and Local Government Review
2020, Vol. 52(4) 232-240
Filling a Vacuum: Subnational
ª The Author(s) 2021
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Governance amid National
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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X21999585
Government Inaction
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Andrew Karch1
Keywords
intergovernmental relations, administrative capacity, partisan polarization, inequality
As the United States battled the coronavirus
contemporary United States. Examples abound
pandemic in April 2020, President Donald J.
of policy arenas where the national government
Trump tweeted that the role of the national gov-
has either failed to craft definitive solutions to
ernment was to serve as a “backup” to state and
pressing issues or has sent mixed signals about
local governments.1 This remark sparked sharp
its preferred course of action. Often these per-
criticism from state officials across the country,
sistent problems are then passed down to states
and even Republicans like Governor Asa
and localities where they cannot be ignored.
Hutchinson of Arkansas called for a new
The articles in this special issue illustrate the
approach to procuring essential medical sup-
prevalence of this dynamic, showcasing its
plies. Around the same time, many observers
impact in domains that range from immigration
supported a national stay-at-home order, but
and climate change to cannabis and the mini-
the decision to declare a state of emergency
mum wage. Its prevalence reflects broader
or shutter businesses and public schools fell
trends in both intergovernmental relations and
to governors, mayors, and school superinten-
American politics more generally, including
dents. This pattern continued into the late fall
partisan polarization at the national and subna-
and early winter. As the number of daily new
tional levels and the longer-term transforma-
infections, daily deaths, and COVID-19 hospi-
tion of state governments “from backwaters to
talizations soared in early November, journal-
major policymakers” (Grumbach 2018). These
ists declared that “the surging coronavirus
broader trends suggest that the developments
finds a federal leadership vacuum” (Stolberg
featured here are likely to continue over the
et al. 2020). State and local officials once again
short and medium term.
found themselves confronting a series of unpa-
The rest of this introduction highlights three
latable choices with limited guidance or assis-
themes that appear throughout the special issue.
tance from their national counterparts. Poor
First, the national government actions and
coordination between the national government
and the states also contributed to a “delayed and
1 Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota,
disjointed vaccine rollout,” with critics lament-
Minneapolis, MN, USA
ing the absence of “comprehensive, centralized
planning and communication” (Sun et al.
Corresponding Author:
Andrew Karch, Department of Political Science, University
2021).
of Minnesota, 1414 Social Sciences Building, 267 19th
The intergovernmental dynamic that the
Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
pandemic
sparked
is
common
in
the
Email: ajkarch@umn.edu

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Karch
233
inactions to which subnational leaders respond
have taken the lead on issues like immigration
take multiple forms. What does it mean to fill a
and climate change where the conventional leg-
vacuum? In certain cases, partisan polarization
islative process has not produced a comprehen-
or other factors prevent the national govern-
sive national policy. Moreover, the delayed
ment from acting. In other policy domains, the
reauthorization of the Elementary and Second-
national government takes tentative steps that
ary Education Act (ESEA) and the repeated
leave issues unsettled. Sometimes competing
congressional failure to address the issue of
actors, such as subnational officials, challenge
Internet sales taxation provide additional illus-
the limited national initiatives that are put in
trations of intergovernmental policy issues
place. Second, the intergovernmental dynamic
where the national government was slow to act.
examined here raises critical questions about
The articles in this special issue, however, show
administrative capacity. Do subnational offi-
that subnational officials respond to many dif-
cials possess the necessary expertise and
ferent types of national government activity.
resources to implement effective programs in
Of the policy domains featured here, the
a specific domain? Do the designers of these
minimum wage offers the best example of
policies demonstrate the ability to learn from
national stasis. The most recent change
earlier successes and failures? Do they estab-
occurred in 2007, and the United States is cur-
lish evaluation mechanisms to assess whether
rently amid the longest stretch of national gov-
a program is achieving its objectives? Third,
ernment inaction since passage of the Fair
subnational governments are not simply
Labor Standards Act of 1938. As Shanna Rose
increasingly active policymakers. They are also
compellingly demonstrates in her article on the
moving in different, often very different, policy
intergovernmental politics of the minimum
directions. The rights that Americans possess,
wage, legislative proposals and ballot initia-
the government services available to them, and
tives to increase the wage floor and index it
their ability to gain access to those services fre-
to inflation have emerged in states across the
quently depend on where they live. Does this
country and experienced varying degrees of
variation indicate that the federal system is
success. Her analysis also suggests that national
working largely as intended, or are there policy
developments—such as congressional propos-
domains in which geography should be irrele-
als and presidential speeches—can influence
vant? All three themes raise fundamental ques-
the content of state political agendas even if
tions about federalism in the contemporary
they do not lead to policy change. Unresolved
United States and should be front and center
national controversies increase the political sal-
in future research.
ience of specific policies among state officials
(Karch 2012); in the context of the minimum
National Government Activity
wage, the provisions of many state-level pro-
posals have mirrored the contours of the
and Subnational Reactions
national debate.
Subnational officials react both to national gov-
Jami Taylor, and Daniel Lewis, and Donald
ernment policy initiatives and to national gov-
Haider-Markel highlight a similar dynamic in
ernment inaction, and the nature of their
their article on LGBTQ policy. Proposals to
responses can reshape politics over the short,
end employment discrimination against gay,
medium, and long term (Karch and Rose
lesbian, and bisexual individuals have appeared
2019). The term “vacuum” appears in the title
on the congressional agenda since 1974, yet
of this introduction. Even though its appear-
none of them has gained enactment. In contrast,
ance might be interpreted to imply that the
several state governments have established
dominant contemporary pattern is one in which
these protections. Looking broadly at this pol-
subnational officials respond to the national
icy arena, however, reveals that the national
government’s failure to act, the reality is more
government has sent mixed signals about its
complicated. To be sure, states and localities
commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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State and Local Government Review 52(4)
On the one hand, the Americans with Disabil-
to impose work...