Donald F. Kettl

Recent Articles

• The Plastic Bag Ban: A Battle of Socio-Economic Policy
• Jan 31, 2012
• This latest skirmish shows how localities, not the feds, are driving eco-policy.
• 4 Comments

• 2012 Presidential Candidates Challenge Mandates
• Nov 30, 2011
• Republicans and Democrats call for fewer mandates. Both parties, however, have yet to answer fundamental questions about what government should do and how it should pay for it.

• 2011 May Mark the End of Federal Aid
• Sep 30, 2011
• The modern era of federal aid championed by President Nixon and his “new federalism” program draws to a close.

• China Looks West for Performance Management
• Jul 29, 2011
• China embraces performance management in an effort to wring out greater productivity and transparency.
• 1 Comments

• The Policy Battle Behind Chocolate Milk
• May 31, 2011
• As schools opt for healthier lunch options, governments are pitted against the powerful dairy industry.
• 1 Comments

• Bankruptcy's Bank Shot
• Mar 31, 2011
• What connects government default, short selling and union bashing?
• 1 Comments

• Medicaid, Incentives and the Future of Federalism
• Feb 1, 2011
• States are unhappy with Medicaid costs, but they’re not willing to surrender federal incentives to cut them.
• 1 Comments

• Medicaid, Incentives and the Future of Federalism
• Feb 1, 2011
• States are unhappy with Medicaid costs, but they’re not willing to surrender federal incentives to cut them.
• 1 Comments

• Dealing With Deficits in Anti-Big Government Administrations
• Dec 1, 2010
• Governors who campaigned against stimulus spending face hard choices.
• 1 Comments

• Why States and Localities Are Watching the Lower Federal Courts
• Oct 1, 2010
• Court cases rarely travel up to the Supreme Court, so lower courts are often the last stop for controversial cases.

• Marijuana: To Legalize or Not to Legalize?
• Jul 30, 2010
• Federal, state and local governments can't seem to agree whether to legalize cannabis.
• 4 Comments

• What Really Matters in Health-Care Reform
• Jun 1, 2010
• Health-care politics continues to grab headlines, but what's important lies elsewhere.

• The Looming Infrastructure Crisis
• Apr 1, 2010
• Financial, policy and political problems are hurting efforts to fix our infrastructure.

• A Decade To Remember
• Feb 1, 2010
• 10 years, 10 highlights for federalism.

• Washington's New Stinginess
• Dec 1, 2009
• There's no more cash for state and local governments in the latest round of federal spending to prop up the economy.