Laboratories of Democracy

Perhaps the most important contribution federalism made to this nation has been the experimentation and “policy borrowing” it fostered. Because states are free to develop their own educational, law enforcement, and economic development policies, there are several different approaches being utilized in different states to address the same set of public policy problems at any given time. As the programs and policies implemented by states succeed or fail, other states can learn from them and adopt, or choose not to adopt, similar policies.

Given the ability of states to experiment with different approaches to the problems they face, former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called the states “laboratories of democracy.” In each of the fifty “laboratories,” state policy makers can adopt “riskier” policies than a national policy maker would because when a program is implemented in only one state, it can fail only in one state. While it might be difficult to recover from a nation-wide policy or program failure, it is comparatively much easier to reverse the negative effects of an unsuccessful policy at the state level. As independent political units, states can also develop policies that are appropriate for their needs and circumstances. A welfare policy that is effective in New York might be a complete failure in Idaho. Through experimentation and by learning from each other, states can develop effective policies and programs. Toward this end, the National Governors’ Association has formed a policy information and assessment clearinghouse so state policy makers can readily review the programs in place in other states and their successes and failures.