DILGER, Robert Jay <br/><br/>
The study of American Federalism at the turn of the century 

 -  2000 
<br/><br/> This article examines three assumptions concerning the structure and/or operations of American federalism , which are commonly accepted by many scholars and practitioners:(1) national intergovernmental grant-in-aid funding is declining ;(2) a "devolution revolution" is taking place or is about to take place; and (3) the national government's budgetary decisions are incremental in nature. It is argued that none of these assumptions are substantiated by empirical evidence.  It is also  argued that political organizations have a vested interest in promoting either the acceptance or the rejection of these assumptions and that they  routinely engage in what the media have labeled "spin doctoring". These findings have important consequences for the policy-making process and for the structure and operations of American federalism