Designing Inequality Through Federalism? The Role of Policy Framing & Design for Inequalities in Access and Participation

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The U.S. states are often referred to as “laboratories of democracy,” but in the mosaic of American governance, federalism can be both architect and gatekeeper. By dividing power between national and state governments, federalism shapes not only how policies are designed but also who gets to benefit from them. This patchwork approach often creates unequal access to vital programs—where geography can determine opportunity—and fuels varying public attitudes toward the government itself. In short, federalism doesn’t just distribute power; it redistributes equity.

This panel brings together diverse scholarship investigating the relationship between how policies are designed and framed and how these decisions affect access and participation. The panel represents vast policy domains, including electoral policies, unemployment, reproductive healthcare, and racialized policymaking, underscoring the profound effect of federalism on how communities access, or fail to access, programs and institutions.

            The first set of papers examines how federalism creates uneven implementation of federal programs by assessing how states differentially design and implement Title X family planning resources and unemployment insurance programs. The first of these papers uses a socio-spatial approach to measure areas with constrained access to the only federal program dedicated to providing family planning services. The second of these papers highlights how states differentially disburse unemployment insurance benefits through analyzing large administrative data.

            The second set of papers examines how policy design and political communication shape individual experiences and identities within American governance. The first examines how political messaging influences the salience of racial and intersectional identities, suggesting that policy framing can reconstruct notions of group belonging. The second investigates how differences in state-level recall policies, through the lens of administrative burdens, affect political outcomes—highlighting how federalism and bureaucratic structures produce uneven democratic access. Together, these projects underscore a central theme: the design and delivery of political processes are not neutral—they actively shape who engages, how they engage, and with what sense of belonging.

Policy Area

• Politics, Media, and the Policy Process

Secondary Policy Area

• Social Equity and Race

Chair

• Tracee Morgan Saunders, Pennsylvania State University

Discussant

• Vladimir Kogan, The Ohio State University

Organizer

• Kellen A. Kane, University of Texas at Austin

Individual Presentations

• Prevalent, but not inevitable: Contraception deserts & the expansion of inequality in reproductive healthcare across US states - Presenting Author: Kellen A. Kane, University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Tracee Morgan Saunders, Pennsylvania State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Candis Smith

• “Politics, Federalism, and Administrative Inequality: Evidence from Unemployment Insurance Programs in the American States.” - Presenting Author: George A Krause, University of Georgia

• The Design of Direct Democracy - Presenting Author: Celine Gina Kim, University of Texas at Austin