Federalism and Leadership- Planning Predictors of Variance in State Behavior

Variance in state government implementation of the Older Americans Act and other federal grantin-aid programs leads policy-makers and scholars to search for means of intervention which can bring about specified improvements in state programming. A nationwide study of efforts undertaken by State Units on Aging in a 3-year period indicates that some of the variance in their efforts is predicted by characteristics of State Units which can be modified and is not predicted by basic demographic, social, economic, and political characteristics of the states. While causal relations cannot be asserted, the predictive relations suggest speculative intervention through such means as changing the hierarchical location of State Units, employing certain types of Unit executives, and changing the composition of state advisory and policy committees.