Reforming the U.S. Department of Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities of the Government Performance and Results Act for Federal-State Relations

This article examines attempts during 1993–1999 to reform the U.S. Department of Transportation to hold it accountable for achieving improved program results through performance measures. These attempts affected the department's relationships with Congress and the states. The political context, institutional structure, federal system, and separation of powers into which these reforms were introduced limited the course and outcomes of the reforms. For the reforms to succeed, changes need to take place in the behavior of state transportation departments and members of Congress. However, there are no clear incentives for either constituency to change its behavior. Instead, the states' political interests in maintaining their flexibilities and the electoral concerns of members of Congress create incentives that undermine rather than enforce reform.