FIP Classroom

This resources provides an opportunity for students and teachers to see how federalism has grown around the world.   Recognizing that more than 40% of the world's population lives in a federal system is important for increasing an understanding of a topic that is relevant to a wide range of people and countries.

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Americans have debated the proper "size of government" since the founding. Today there are relatively few empirical analyses of the extent, nature, duration, and magnitude of centralization over time. Measuring "power shifts" empirically is a first step in understanding how our current American federal system works and how power has shifted across policy dimensions across time. 

The concentration of regulatory power in the federal government over the last 100 years has raised numerous concerns related to efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. Monitoring the size and scope and pace of federal regulations provides a perspective on American federalism that can not be captured in other standard measures.

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Citizen attitudes toward the American federal system have changed over time. The Public Opinion Dashboard tracks key indicators including trust, power, efficiency, and accountability at different levels of government.​​

State initiatives and referendum are important because they provide a direct way for citizens to propose and vote on legislation or constitutional amendments. Proponents of this form of direct democracy argue that it allows voters to shape laws on critical issues, reflecting the will of the people more directly than through elected representatives alone.

An often cited advantage of federal systems is the ability to "vote with your feet." State-to-state migration data provide a compelling snapshot of where Americans are moving to, and where they are leaving. Migration is shaped by a variety of factors - from tax policies to lifestyle preferences.