The Job Training Partnership Act: New Federalism in Transition

Abstract

The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA) constituted the most recent, successful attempt by the Reagan administration to devolve increased domestic program authority to the states using the block approach. Because of its heavy reliance on the participation of state governments and the private sector, JTPA may prove to be the real acid test of the Reagan New Federalism. This article examines the implementation of JTPA in broad perspective. While preparations for the JTPA program began in most states during the early part of 1983, the program did not really begin its first official program year until 1 July 1984. After describing the major features of the act, the article focuses on the program's implementation. The analysis is based largely on the results of a nationwide study conducted under the direction of the authors during 1984. The article concludes that, in terms of its legislative provisions and effective implementation, JTPA has proved to be a quasi-block grant to the states.