State and Local Government

✍ Scribed by Ann O'M. Bowman, Richard C. Kearney, Carmine P. F. Scavo

• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 594
• Edition: 11
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Bowman/Kearney/Scavo's STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 11th edition equips you with the knowledge and tools to develop your own well-informed positions on the divisive issues currently facing our nation. This bestseller delivers comprehensive coverage of institutions, political behavior and policymaking at the state and local level and highlights politics at the grassroots level. Thoroughly updated, the new edition includes expansive coverage of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state and local government as well as insight on how local governments are attempting to deal with global climate change.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: State and Local Governments: New Directions
Studying State and Local Governments in the Twenty-First Century
The Capacity of States and Localities
The People: Designers and Consumers of Government
Linking Capacity to Results
Chapter Recap
Should Governments Have Innovation Offices?
Creating an Image, Rebranding a Place
Chapter 2: Federalism and the States: Sorting Out Roles and Responsibilities
The Concept of Federalism
The History of U.S. Federalism
Models of Federalism
Intergovernmental Relations
Federal Purse Strings
The Future of Federalism
Chapter Recap
What Level of Government Should Take the Lead for Pandemic Threats?
Should the States Legalize Marijuana?
Chapter 3: State Constitutions: The Fundamental Rules of State Government
The History and Development of the Fundamental Documents
The Evolution of State Constitutions
Constitutional Reform
Methods for Constitutional Change
State Responsiveness and Constitutional Reform
Chapter Recap
New States’ Rights?
Should Washington, DC Become the 51st State?
Chapter 4: Citizen Participation and Elections: Engaging the Public in Government
Participation
Elections
Direct Democracy
Citizen Access to Government
The Effects of Citizen Participation
Chapter Recap
Voter ID Laws: Good or Bad Idea?
Participatory Budgeting: Letting the Public Decide How to Spend Public Money
Chapter 5: Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Campaigns: Influencing Public Policy
Political Parties
Interest Groups
Political Campaigns
Chapter Recap
Opening Up the Ballot to More Parties
Should Political Spending in Campaigns Be Unrestricted by Government?
Chapter 6: State Legislatures: The People’s Representatives
The Essence of Legislatures
Legislative Dynamics
Legislative Behavior
How a Bill Becomes Law (or Not
Legislative Reform and Capacity
Relationship with the Executive Branch
Legislatures and Capacity
Chapter Recap
Do-It-Yourself e-Redistricting
Should State Legislatures Be More Professionalized?
Chapter 7: Governors: Power, Politics, and Executive Leadership
The Office of Governor
Being Governor: Duties and Responsibilities
Formal and Informal Powers of the Governor
Informal Powers
Leaving Office
Other Executive Branch Officials
The Capability of U.S. Governors
Chapter Recap
Is Private Sector Experience the Best Preparation for the Governorship?
Should Executive Branch Officers Be Elected?
Chapter 8: Public Administration: Budgeting and Service Delivery
Public Employees in State and Local Governments: Who They Are, What They Do
Budgeting in State and Local Governments
Human Resource Policy in State and Local Governments: Patronage Versus Merit
The Politics of Bureaucracy
New Public Management
The Quality of Public Administration
Chapter Recap
Take the Children into Custody or Leave Them with Their Mom?
Social Media: Problematic or Panacea?
Chapter 9: The Judiciary: Independence vs Accountability
The Structure of State Court Systems
How Judges Are Selected
Judicial Decision Making
Judicial Federalism
Administrative and Organizational Improvements in State Courts
Chapter Recap
Judges: Elected, Appointed, or Merit-Selected?
What if the Jury Pool Becomes a Puddle?
Chapter 10: Local Government: Types and Functions
Orientations to Communities
County Government
Towns and Townships
Special Districts
School Districts
Communities and Governance
Chapter Recap
Should Public Employees Have to Live Where They Work?
Outsourcing City Services
Chapter 11: Local Leadership and Governance: Continuity and Change
Community Power
Property Rights: A Matter of Power
Local Executives
Local Legislatures
Leadership and Capacity
Chapter Recap
Should All Cities Have a Strong Mayor?
The Mayor, the City Council, and Walmart . . . and the Community
Chapter 12: State-Local Relations: Fifty Different Systems
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
Chapter Recap
Should a State Bail Out Its Financially Stressed Local Governments?
One Big California or Several Regional Californias?
Chapter 13: Taxing and Spending: Where the Money Comes from and Where It Goes
The Principles of Finance
Revenues
The Political Economy of Taxation
Managing Money
Current Issues in State and Local Finance
Chapter Recap
Should Medical Marijuana Be Taxed?
The State’s Responsibility in Local Bankruptcy Events
Chapter 14: Economic Development: Competing for Growth
Regional Differences in Economic Prosperity
Approaches to Economic Development
The Politics of Economic Growth
Current Approaches
Persistent Questions
The Implications of Economic Development Policy
Chapter Recap
The Creative Class and Cool Cities
Should a State Government Provide Tax Incentives to the Film Industry to Make Movies There?
Chapter 15: Education Policy: Reading, Writing, and Reform
Is There a Crisis in Education
Intergovernmental Roles in Education
The Education Policy Actors
The State Education Policy Leaders
Educational Innovation in the States
The Continuing Challenges of Public Education
Chapter Recap
Should States Implement Common Core Standards?
Should Teachers Have Tenure?
Chapter 16: Criminal Justice: Cops and Corrections
How Much Crime Is There?
Fighting Crime
The Ongoing Challenge of Crime Fighting
Intergovernmental Roles in Criminal Justice
Actors in Criminal Justice Policy
How Policy Participants Interact: Two Policy Areas
Capital Punishment
Correctional Policy
Policy Alternatives for States and Localities
The Current Challenge in Crime and Corrections
Chapter Recap
Should Potentially Invasive Data-Driven Policing Technology Be Restricted or Prohibited?
Are Private Prisons a Good Idea?
Chapter 17: Social Welfare and Health Care Policy: Addressing Poverty and Sickness
Thinking About-and Measuring-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
Chapter Recap
Combatting Homelessness
Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested?
Chapter 18: Environmental Policy: Regulation and Innovation
The Political Economy of Environmental Protection
New Approaches: Moving Toward Sustainability
Clean Air, Clean Water, and Politics
The Greening of States and Localities
State Commitment to Environmental Protection
Dealing with Waste
Two Challenges for Policy Makers
From Short Term to Long Term
Chapter Recap
The Challenges of Regulating Polluters
Should Cities Enact Plastic Bag Bans?
References
Index