First, provide a brief description of the important historical developments that led to intergovernmental relations as it appears to exist today.
Second, I would like to see a robust discussion on your interpretation of the last section of Chapter 1. In that section, the author hints that, at least to some extent, intergovernmental relations has been utilized as a tool to create a corporate plutocracy, reducing or eliminating many of the democratic gains of the poor and middle class over the last half of the twentieth century. Do you agree with that assessment? Why or why not? Have you experienced ways in which IGR – the relationship between different layers of government – has led to a poorer, less free nation?