ABSTRACT
Federalism was a compromise between a confederation of the sort which had existed following independence and a unitary structure characteristic of many European nations. Federalism may once again be on the political agenda and the rhetoric may be about decentralization of power from the national government to the states and local government, and even a 'devolution revolution', but the reality is that such reforms are, in practice, difficult to achieve. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the relationship between the national government and the states and local governments evolved further, to a system that has been increasingly described as one of 'coercive federalism'. The American federal system is complex and there are both centripetal and centrifugal forces working at the same time to produce ever-changing patterns in the relationship between the national and state governments. Mandates are legal orders requiring state or local government action and have become a common feature of federal legislation.
