Structural-Functional Dynamics of State-Local Government Relations in Federal Governmental Systems

Multiple tiers of government are a typical feature of many countries worldwide for very practical reasons relating to efficient and effective governance. Nonetheless, the significance, status, functions, organizational frameworks, and authority of different governmental levels and tiers differ greatly throughout countries. In practice, some systems are highly centralized while others are decentralized. Intergovernmental relations (IGR) are an essential component of modern governance in federal systems that serve as a fulcrum in managing conflicts of competence; dealing with overlaps and externalities; coordinating policies; and responding to new policy challenges. The study carries out a comparative analysis of IGR between states and local governments in various federal systems with the aim of presenting the dynamics of such relations in different countries over time. Findings of the study revealed that, in contrast to the ideal paradigm of cooperative federalism, state and local government relations in majority of federal systems reflect tendencies of "opportunistic federalism." “Opportunistic federalism” in federalist IGR portrays a situation where higher jurisdictions take advantage of lower jurisdictions, exploiting opportunities to control or co-opt relationships across governments rather than pursue shared administrative strategies.