A crisis of confidence and competence Page: III

                                
PREFACE

The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations was established by P.L.
380, which was passed by the first session of
the 86th Congress and approved by the President
on September 24, 1959. Section 2 of the
act sets forth the following declaration of purpose
and specific responsibilities for the Commission:
Sec. 2. Because the complexity of
modern life intensifies the need in a
federal form of government for the
fullest cooperation and coordination of
activities between the levels of government,
and because population
growth and scientific developments
portend an increasingly complex society
in future years, it is essential that
an appropriate agency be established
to give continuing attention to intergovernmental
problems.
It is intended that the Commission,
in the performance of its duties, will:
1) bring together representatives of
the federal, state, and local governments
for the consideration of common
problems...;
5) encourage discussion and study at
an early stage of emerging public
problems that are likely to require intergovernmental
cooperation;
6) recommend, within the framework
of the Constitution, the most desirable
allocation of governmental functions,
responsibilities, and revenues among
the several levels of government ....
Pursuant to its statutory responsibilities, the
Commission, from time to time, has been requested
by Congress or the President to examine
particular problems impeding the effectiveness
of the federal system. The 1976 renewal
legislation for General Revenue Sharing,
P.L. 94-488, mandated in Section 145 that the
Commission:
... study and evaluate the American
federal fiscal system in terms of the
allocation and coordination of public
resources among federal, state, and
local governments including, but not
limited to, a study and evaluation of:
(1) the allocation and coordination of
taxing and spending authorities between
levels of government, including
a comparison of other federal government
systems. ... (5) forces likely to
affect the nature of the American federal
system in the short-term and
long-term future and possible adjustments
to such system, if any, which
may be desirable, in light of future developments.
The study, The Federal Role in the Federal
System: The Dynamics of Growth, of which the
present volume is one component, is part of the
Commission's response to this mandate. Staff
were directed to: (a) examine the present role of
the federal government in the American federal
system; (b) review theoretical perspectives on
American federalism, the assignment of functions,
and governmental growth; and (c) identify
historical and political patterns in the development
and expansion of national governmental
domestic activities. This volume introduces
the subject of the federal government's
growth. It is one of ten volumes prepared
by Commission staff pursuant to this assignment.
Abraham D. Beame
Chairman