Donald F. Kettl

Recent Articles

• A Long Way From Austin
• Apr 1, 2003
• You'd think presidents who used to be governors would cut the states a break. It never seems to happen.

• Bush and The 50 Beggars
• Feb 1, 2003
• States are beseeching the White House for some dollars to tide them over while they get back on their feet. The White House isn't going for it.

• Sacramento Rules
• Dec 1, 2002
• While Congress and the EPA fight political wars, states are making the crucial environmental decisions.

• Connecting the Dots
• Oct 1, 2002
• The feds can create a new security agency. But they can't make us secure. That has to happen at the grassroots.

• Dusting Off 'Dignity'
• Aug 1, 2002
• How much further can the U.S. Supreme Court go on states' rights?

• 'West Wing' Fallout
• Jun 1, 2002
• When a TV show deals with the risks of nuclear storage, it can tip an already unstable political balance.

• Government by Traffic Light
• Apr 1, 2002
• The Bush administration's performance-measurement plans may mean a new challenge to state and local control.

• Grappling Over Power
• Feb 1, 2002
• Worried about a repeat of California's rolling blackouts, the feds have pushed the states to create new super-grids.

• Devolve and Protect
• Dec 1, 2001
• Governmental power has been decentralizing for 20 years now. Some think that's over. They should think again.

• Election-Reform Quagmire
• Oct 1, 2001
• No one disputes that voting procedures need some serious reform. But whose job is it to fix them?

• Real-Life Federalism
• Aug 1, 2001
• The key to sensible government reform is refocusing the system around results.

• The Next Welfare Debate
• Jun 1, 2001
• We've learned a lot about cutting caseloads. The next step is to focus on keeping people out of poverty.

• Having Faith in Faith
• Apr 1, 2001
• The way to evaluate the president's initiative is by what it achieves, not how it's organized.

• Putting Bush to the Test
• Feb 1, 2001
• The next four years may alter the state-federal relationship for decades to come.

• Is the Past Prologue?
• Dec 1, 2000
• This year's election could have the same profound impact on American politics as the 1896 presidential contest.