Governing States and Localities

Smith (political science, U. of Nebraska-Lincoln), political journalist Greenblatt, and Vaughn (a project manager for the Pew Center on the States) present the third edition of their textbook introducing undergraduates to state and local government in the United States. The text emphasizes accessibility with its "news-writing" style and heavy use of graphics and tables. It covers the standard topics expected and, for this new edition, includes a new chapter on environmental policy. The text has been updated in light of current developments, including results of recent legislative and gubernatorial elections, recent Supreme Court decisions, key changes in campaign and election regulations, and other recent events and issues, with the chapter on government finances undergoing the most thorough revision because of the enormous changes wrought in that area by the current "Great Recession" (a related "States under Stress" theme has also been added to the presentation of illustrative feature boxes). Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)