Synopses & Reviews
The Sixth Edition of this best-selling text continues to provide the comprehensive and current coverage of institutions, political behavior, and policy-making at the state and local level. The strong policy orientation of the text, as well as its unifying theme of the increased capacity and responsibility of state and local governments have established this text as the standard for this course.
Web resources in every chapter foster student interest in state and local politics and policy. An enhanced text-specific web site provides additional resources for instructors and students.Chapter 18, Environmental Policy, covers a broad range of issues to address the tension between economic and environmental interests.Breaking New Ground and Debating Politics boxes facilitate critical thinking and class discussion by presenting policy innovations and controversial issues. Up-to-date coverage of e-government and the Internet explores the impact of technology on government and citizen participation.
Synopsis
The Seventh Edition of this best-selling text continues to provide the comprehensive and current coverage of institutions, political behavior, and policy-making at the state and local level. The strong policy orientation of the text, as well as its unifying theme of the increased capacity and responsibility of state and local governments, has established this text as the standard for this course. The authors' thorough examination of state and local governments includes a historical perspective that explains both the development of the existing structures as well as their function in the current political scene.
About the Author
'Ann O\'M. Bowman (Ph.D., University of Florida, 1979) is James F. and Maude B. Byrnes Professor of Government and Vice Chair of political science at the University of South Carolina. She has gained wide recognition as an authority in state and local environmental policy. She regularly publishes articles on state and local policy innovation, state economic development policy, and inner-city revitalization, and is co-author (with Richard Kearney) of The Resurgence of the States. Currently, she is studying interstate interactions and \"green\" cities. She has taught state, local, and urban politics to undergraduates for almost twenty years.In addition to publishing extensively on topics such as state and local government, intergovernmental relations, and public administration, Richard C. Kearney has written, co-written, or co-edited six books, including The RESURGENCE OF STATES (with Ann O\'M. Bowman). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1977 and has taught the undergraduate course in state and local government for more than fifteen years.'
Table of Contents
1. New Directions for State and Local Government Studying State and Local Government in the Twenty-First Century The Capacity of States and Localities The People: Designers and Consumers of Government Linking Capacity to Results 2. Federalism and the States The Concept of Federalism The History of U.S. Federalism Models of Federalism Intergovernmental Relations Federal Purse Strings The Future of Federalism 3. State Constitutions The Evolution of State Constitutions Weaknesses of Constitutions Constitutional Reform Methods for Constitutional Change State Responsiveness and Constitutional Reform 4. Citizen Participation and Elections Participation Elections Direct Democracy Citizen Access to Government The Effects of Citizen Participation 5. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Campaigns Political Parties Interest Groups Political Campaigns 6. State Legislatures The Essence of Legislatures Legislative Dynamics Legislative Behavior How a Bill Becomes Law Legislative Reform and Capacity Relationship with the Executive Branch Legislatures and Capacity 7. Governors The Office of Governor Being Governor: Duties and Responsibilities Formal Powers of the Governor Informal Powers Removal from Office Other Executive Branch Officials The Capability of U.S. Governors 8. Public Administration: Budgeting and Service Delivery Public Employees in State and Local Government: Who They Are, What They Do Budgeting in State and Local Government Human Resource Policy in State and Local Government: From Patronage to Merit The Politics of Bureaucracy Reinventing Government The Quality of Public Administration 9. The Judiciary The Structure of State Court Systems How Judges Are Selected Judicial Decision Making Judicial Federalism Administrative and Organizational Improvements in State Courts 10. The Structure of Local Government Orientations to Communities County Government Municipal Government Towns and Townships Special Districts School Districts Communities and Governance 11. Local Leadership and Governance Community Power Property Rights: A Matter of Power Local Executives Local Legislatures Leadership and Capacity 12. State-Local Relations The Distribution of Authority Metropolitics: A New Challenge for State Government States and Urban Policy States and Their Rural Communities The Interaction of State and Local Governments 13. State and Local Finance The Principles of Finance Revenues The Political Economy of Taxation Managing Money State and Local Financial Relations Current Issues in State and Local Finance 14. Economic Development Regional Differences in Economic Prosperity Approaches to Economic Development The Politics of Economic Growth Current Initiatives Persistent Questions Implications of Economic Development Policy 15. Education Policy The Crisis in Education Intergovernmental Roles in Education Actors in Education Policy Educational Innovation in the States The Continuing Challenge of Public Education 16. Criminal Justice How Much Crime Is There? Intergovernmental Roles in Criminal Justice The Ongoing Challenge of Crime Fighting Actors in Criminal Justice Policy How Policy Participants Interact: Two Policy Areas Correctional Policy Policy Alternatives for States and Localities The Continuing Challenge in Crime and Corrections 17. Social Welfare and Health Care Policy The Meaning of Poverty Social Welfare and Ideology Current Social Welfare Policy Types of Social Welfare Programs State Innovations in Social Welfare Turning Welfare Checks into Paychecks Health Care 18. Environmental Policy The Political Economy of Environmental Protection Clean Air, Clean Water, and Politics The Greening of States and Localities Dealing with Waste Two Challenges for Policymakers