This book began by asking why state officials greet national policy initiatives with reactions that range from enthusiasm to indifference to hostility. Combining the insights of existing scholarship on American political development (APD), federalism, and policy feedback, it devised an analytical framework that accounts for these varied responses on the basis of policy design, timing, and the interaction of these two factors. The financial generosity of a policy, the level of administrative discretion it offers state officials, the duration for which it is authorized, and its potential to build or preserve a protective coalition all affect its developmental trajectory. Its trajectory is also shaped by the political, economic, and administrative context in which the policy is created and how those environmental conditions interact with its design. These factors help determine whether the policy will generate self-reinforcing, self-undermining, or negligible feedback effects among state government elites. The case studies presented in previous chapters amend the standard story about state officials’ preferences, open up several potential avenues for future research on intergovernmental relations and policy feedback, offer lessons for government officials who want to design durable public policies, and illuminate broader trends in American governance.