ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the intergovernmental relations and administrative federalism to be virtually synonymous with public administration when it comes to the actual, everyday implementation of public policies that are funded in whole or in part by the national government. It focuses on state-to-state variance in the public administration of foster care in order to determine the conditions, if any, under which foster care outcomes can be improved. The chapter examines how, if at all, policymakers and practitioners can foster those conditions by making feasible changes in foster care administration that would result in predictable and desirable consequences for children in foster care. It talks about the public administration of foster care systems in four states: Delaware, Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island. The chapter explains that the federal government has increased its focus on measuring the performance of state programs while simultaneously decreasing its funding of state foster care programs and offering the states very little management or mentorship.
