Governing States and Localities

NEW TO THIS EDITION: 

All chapters have been revised substantially, with the content updated throughout to reflect the latest issues, trends, and political changes, including the following:

• Analysis of the results of the most recent legislative and gubernatorial elections.
• Discussion of the most important state supreme court decisions and constitutional debates.
• The growing impact of political polarization at the state and even local levels, and the implications of the nationalization of party politics for sub-national governance.
• The impact of the Donald Trump presidency on inter-governmental relations and issues of central interest to states and localities.
• In-depth examination of recent events and issues that have had impacts on (and in some cases transformed) states and localities, such as the federal-state tugs of war over immigration reform, school shootings and gun control, and the impact of tax cuts on public services and economic performance.
• Updates to “The Latest Research” sections at the ends of all chapters, where recent scholarship is put into the context of what students have just read.

KEY FEATURES: 

• “A Difference That Makes a Difference” boxes provide clear examples of how variations among states and localities can be used to explain a wide range of political and policy phenomena. These pieces detail the ways the institutions, regulations, political culture, demographics, and other factors of a particular state shape its constitution, the way its political parties function, how its citizens tend to vote, how it allocates its financial resources, and why its courts are structured the way they are, to name a few.
• “Local Focus” boxes spotlight the ways localities function independently of the states and show how they are both constrained and empowered by intergovernmental ties. From battles to wrest control of their budgets from the state to constitutional restrictions on how they can tax and spend, the topics addressed in these boxes showcase the rich variety represented in these nearly 87,000 substate entities.
• “Policy in Practice” boxes demonstrate how different states and localities have interpreted and implemented the legislation handed down from higher levels of government, and the consequences of these decisions. The impact of declining agency fees on public unions, the difficulties and implications of city-county mergers, and the policy implications of the power imbalance between states and localities are just some of the issues addressed.
• “States Under Stress” boxes demonstrate how states deal with challenges such as the long-lingering effects of the Great Recession and the impact of natural disasters. 
• “Top Ten Takeaways” reinforces key themes and ideas. Each chapter also includes a set of highlighted key concepts. These terms are defined near the places where they are introduced in the text and are compiled into a list at the end of each chapter, with corresponding page numbers. A comprehensive glossary of key terms precedes the book’s index.
• SAGE edge provides students helpful tools, including eFlashcards, practice quizzes, and more, in one easy-to-use online environment.