Federally Designed Standards for Emergency Management Framework

Political scientists use a term called "coercive federalism" to describe how the federal government uses federal funds to entice states unilaterally to enact certain policies. For example, in order to be eligible for federal highway funds, states have had to enact seatbelt laws and use certain speed limits. Similarly, the federal government uses adherence to emergency management standards as a prerequisite for federal funds. The benefits of these standards, however, have been debated. State and local approaches are uniquely developed at the state and local levels to accommodate needs at state and local levels.

For this Discussion, you examine federal and local standards and approaches to emergency management. Also, consider how the two might be integrated.

Post a brief explanation of the benefits and limitations of federal standards for an emergency management framework. Then explain benefits and limitations of local approaches to emergency management. Finally, explain how these two approaches might be reconciled to be most effective.