Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Dinan reviews Zimmerman, Horizontal Federalism

Our friends at H-Law have posted a review of Joseph Francis Zimmerman, Horizontal Federalism: Interstate Relations (Albany  State University of New York Press). According to reviewer John Dinan (Department of Political Science, Wake Forest University), the book provides a "comprehensive and detailed analysis of a relatively neglected aspect of the field of intergovernmental relations." Some "chapters examin[e] specific constitutional clauses," such as the interstate compact clause and the privileges and immunities clause. Others focus on "particular problems of governance" -- e.g., "interstate trade barriers, economic competition, and tax revenue competition."  

Dinan finds the book especially useful for "situating . . . key Supreme Court rulings in historical and analytical context, examining many other less familiar rulings, and exploring the many instances of interstate conflict and cooperation that have not generated judicial rulings but have nevertheless figured prominently in the resolution of policy questions throughout American history." Read on here.