Government by the People : State and Local Politics

by Burns, James MacGregor; Peltason, J.W.; Cronin, Thomas E.; Magleby, David B.; O'Brien, David M.; Light, Paul C.

• ISBN13: 9780130287908
• ISBN10: 0130287903
• Edition: 11th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

For Introduction to State and Local Politics courses. This is the most authoritative text for state and local politics. Always one step ahead of the competition, State and Local Politics: Government by the People continually sets the standards for other state and local politics texts by anticipating instructors' needs. Known for its impeccable author team, that treats each new edition as a fresh challenge, State and Local Politics: Government by the People is the perfect text for the educator who wants students to understand how America's state and local political systems work.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
State and Local Politics: Who Governs?	1	(13)
Who Has the Power?	2	(2)
The Stakes in the Political Struggle	4	(4)
Participation Patterns in Small and Medium-Sized Cities	8	(2)
We the People What One Person Can Accomplish	10	(1)
Challenges for State and Local Governments	11	(3)
Summary	12	(1)
Key Terms	13	(1)
Further Reading	13	(1)
American Federalism	14	(24)
Defining Federalism	16	(4)
The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism	20	(5)
In Comparative Perspective Three Different Approaches to Federalism	25	(1)
The Role of the Federal Courts: Umpires of Federalism	26	(5)
Regulatory Federalism, Federal Grants, and Federal Mandates	31	(2)
The Politics of Federalism	33	(2)
The Future of Federalism	35	(3)
Summary	36	(1)
Key Terms	37	(1)
Further Reading	37	(1)
State Constitutions: Charters or Straitjackets?	38	(14)
The Roots of State Constitutions	40	(3)
Amending State Constitutions	43	(4)
The Politics of Constitutional Revision	47	(5)
Summary	50	(1)
Key Terms	50	(1)
Further Reading	50	(2)
Parties and Elections in The States	52	(20)
Electoral Politics in the States and Localities	54	(2)
We The People A Demographic Profile of Local Government Officials	56	(1)
The Role of Political Parties	56	(7)
Party Balance and Imbalance	63	(1)
Elections at the State and Local Levels	64	(6)
The Future of Grassroots Democracy	70	(2)
Summary	70	(1)
Key Terms	71	(1)
Further Reading	71	(1)
State Legislatures	72	(24)
The Legislative Branch	75	(4)
We The People Women in the Statehouse	79	(6)
Modernization and Reform	85	(2)
The Politics of Drawing Legislative District Lines	87	(3)
Direct Legislation: Policy Making by the People?	90	(6)
Summary	94	(1)
Key Terms	95	(1)
Further Reading	95	(1)
State Governors	96	(20)
Rising Expectations for Governors	98	(1)
Becoming and Remaining Governor	98	(1)
We The People Women Governors	99	(2)
A Governor's Formal Powers	101	(7)
Managing the State	108	(3)
Other Statewide Elected Officials	111	(2)
The Rewards of Being a Governor	113	(1)
Governor of Texas and the Veto	114	(2)
Summary	114	(1)
Key Terms	115	(1)
Further Reading	115	(1)
Judges and Justice in The States	116	(20)
The Structure of State Courts	118	(2)
How Judges Are Chosen	120	(3)
We The People Female and Minority State Supreme Court Justices	123	(3)
The Judicial Reform Movement	126	(2)
The Justice System	128	(5)
Courts in Crisis	133	(3)
Summary	134	(1)
Key Terms	134	(1)
Further Reading	134	(2)
Local Governments and Metropolitics	136	(22)
The Nature of State and Local Relations	138	(2)
Counties in the United States	140	(1)
Towns, Cities, Suburbs	141	(2)
City Government Today	143	(4)
People in Politics New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg	147	(1)
The Role of the Mayor	147	(2)
Who Influences Local Policy Making?	149	(1)
The Central City and Its Politics	150	(2)
Meeting the Challenges of Growth and Economic Development	152	(3)
The Politics of Metropolitan Reorganization	155	(3)
Summary	156	(1)
Key Terms	156	(1)
Further Reading	156	(2)
Making State and Local Policy	158	(24)
Public Education	160	(5)
Higher Education	165	(2)
Social Services	167	(3)
Law Enforcement	170	(2)
Planning the Urban Community	172	(6)
Regulation	178	(2)
The Importance of State and Local Policy	180	(2)
Summary	180	(1)
Key Terms	181	(1)
Further Reading	181	(1)
Staffing and Financing State and Local Governments	182	(1)
Public Employees: Essential to Government	183	(4)
Paying for State and Local Government	187	(10)
Doing More with Less	197	(2)
Summary	199	(1)
Key Terms	199	(1)
Further Reading	199
Glossary	1	(1)
Notes	1	(1)
Photo Credits	1	(1)
Index	1

Excerpts

State and local governments remain vital and important. The war on terrorism is global in scope and includes a new federal government Department of Homeland Security; but it also involves city, county, and state law enforcement and public safety officials. The policy interconnections between national and state governments are also illustrated by recent tax cuts at the national level. These cuts have often exacerbated state and local budget shortfalls, forcing cuts in state and local government spending or tax increases. This book is about the institutions and political forces that shape policy making and policy outcomes in state and local communities. To those of us who are students of American politics, states and their local government subdivisions are fascinating political laboratories that allow comparisons among different political systems and traditions. States vary in the powers given to governors, how their legislatures are structured, how judges are selected and reviewed, and how they operate in a host of policy areas, including how they impose taxes. The party system is much weaker in some regions of the country than in others. State legislatures in some of the smaller or rural states meet for just a few months a year, whereas in other states they meet all year. The importance of interest groups and the media varies from state to state and from city to city. Generalizations are sometimes difficult, yet we try in this book to summarize what political scientists know about state and local politics and government. State and local government and politics remain important not only to the residents of a particular state but to all Americans. A tax-cutting ballot initiative can spawn scores of similar votes in other states. And as we learned from welfare reform, states can be catalysts for change on the national level and then central to its implementation. Those who want better government in their communities and states will not achieve it by sitting around and waiting for it. If government by the people, of the people, and for the people is to be more than just rhetoric, citizens must understand state and local politics and be willing to form political alliances, respect and protect the rights of those with whom they differ, and be willing to serve as citizen leaders and citizen politicians. We hope this book will motivate you to appreciate that every person can make a difference, and that all of us should work toward that end. For the Instructor Instructor's Resource Manual.This supplement provides the following resources for each chapter of the text: summary, review of major concepts, lecture suggestions and topic outlines, suggestions for classroom discussions, a content outline for lecture planning, and test questions. Contact your local representative for a copy of the manual.