Structural and Societal Impacts

Depleted administrative capacity and the risk of political capture have downstream effects both inter-governmentally and inter-sectorally. Intergovernmental impacts concern the shifting of service delivery and regulatory responsibility from the federal government to states, counties, and localities—raising critical questions about devolution and preemption. Intersectoral impacts are borne by nonprofit and for-profit contractors who depend on federal grants and contract management systems that may themselves be weakened by administrative cuts. Ultimately, these changes affect individuals and communities, shaping rights, liberties, and welfare. Equally important is the role of documenting and communicating government performance effectively to the public. ARRC will support studies of “downstream” effects of federal disinvestment and deconstruction on wellbeing, protection of rights, security of people, the environment, and institutions.

The Structural and Societal Impacts CoP of ARRC will focus on how administrative change alters public outcomes and perceptions of government legitimacy. Questions addressed by the Structural and Societal Impacts CoP of ARRC include:

• What are the short- and long-term impacts of government restructuring and deconstructing on service delivery across the federal, state, and local levels of government and the nonprofit sector?

• How are changes to the federal workforce influencing program and service delivery (e.g., veterans receiving benefits, taxpayers receiving refunds, emergency preparedness and response, national security, etc.)?

• How have changes in intergovernmental transfers affected state and local government capacity?

• How have cuts in federal grants and contracts impacted for- and non-profit service providers?

• How have the recent actions of the federal government impacted individuals and communities?  How and to what extent have the actions had disproportionate impacts on poor people and people of color?

• How have the recent actions of the federal government impacted individuals and communities?  How and to what extent have the actions had disproportionate impacts on poor people and people of color?