Oklahoma’s adoption of the merit system: J. Howard Edmondson and cooperative federalism

Abstract

American federalism has proceeded by fits and starts. There have been periods in which states have exercised dominance and other times when the national government has prevailed. Various explanatory models of federalism have been developed by scholars, who have ceaselessly debated their merits. As the current political climate attests, arguments about appropriate national-state relations are ongoing. In spite of the various points of view, there exists at least one indisputable constant--governance in the United States has never been a solo act. Its political script has always included parts for both national and state involvement. The subject of this paper exemplifies this political reality by reviewing Oklahoma’s adoption of its civil service system. As the story is usually told, in 1959 a fearless young governor initiated a breathtaking agenda of good government reforms, including a statewide merit system. What’s missing from the tale, however, is sufficient acknowledgement of the supporting role played by the national government.