State and Local Government by the People

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright Page......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
1 State and Local Politics......Page 16
The Role of State and Local Governments......Page 18
Who Has the Power?......Page 19
YOU WILL DECIDE: WHO SHOULD HAVE PRIMARY CONTROL OF U.S. HEALTH POLICY—THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR THE STATES?......Page 20
Rule by a Few or Rule by the Many?......Page 21
Who Are the Constituents?......Page 22
The Maze of Interests......Page 23
Lobbyists at the Statehouse......Page 25
1.3 Participation Patterns in Local Government......Page 27
The Role of Local Media......Page 28
BY THE PEOPLE: HOLDING STATE GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE......Page 29
Civic Initiatives in Communities......Page 30
1.4 Challenges for State and Local Governments......Page 31
FOR THE PEOPLE: IMPROVING ACCESS TO INFORMATION......Page 33
2 American Federalism......Page 38
2.1 Defining Federalism......Page 40
Alternatives to Federalism......Page 42
Advantages of Federalism......Page 43
Disadvantages of Federalism......Page 44
OF THE PEOPLE: WHERE AMERICANS COME FROM AND WHERE THEY LIVE......Page 45
Powers of the National Government......Page 46
Powers of the States......Page 48
Constitutional Limits and Obligations......Page 49
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD CITIZENS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR TIME TO DIE?......Page 50
Interstate Relationships......Page 51
McCulloch v. Maryland......Page 52
The Supreme Court and the Role of Congress......Page 53
The Continuing Debate Between Centralists and Decentralists......Page 54
2.4 The National Budget as a Tool of Federalism......Page 56
Types of National Government Grants......Page 57
FOR THE PEOPLE: HELPING STATES EDUCATE THEIR CITIZENS......Page 58
Unfunded Mandates......Page 60
The Growth of National Government......Page 61
BY THE PEOPLE: DO A DATA MASH-UP ON YOUR STATE......Page 62
The Future of Federalism......Page 63
3 State Constitutions......Page 68
3.1 The Roots of State Constitutions......Page 70
Constitutions as Straitjackets......Page 72
The New Judicial Federalism......Page 74
Legislative Proposals......Page 76
FOR THE PEOPLE: PROVIDING FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN THE STATES......Page 77
Initiative Petitions......Page 78
3.3 The Politics of Constitutional Revision......Page 80
Changing the Hawaii Constitution......Page 81
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD STATES REQUIRE A SUPERMAJORITY TO APPROVE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT?......Page 82
OF THE PEOPLE: PRACTICING THE LAW......Page 83
Alabama Considers a New Constitution......Page 84
The Future of State Constitutions......Page 85
4 Parties and Elections in the States......Page 88
4.1 The Constitutional Context: State and Federal Roles in Regulating Elections......Page 90
4.2 Elections at the State and Local Levels......Page 91
Differences in Who May Vote......Page 93
Differences in How We Vote......Page 94
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD FORMER FELONS BE ALLOWED TO VOTE?......Page 95
Differences in Nomination Processes......Page 98
Differences in the Timing and Frequency of Elections......Page 99
Differences in What We Vote On......Page 100
FOR THE PEOPLE: IMPROVING THE ELECTION PROCESS......Page 102
Differences in Campaign Finance......Page 101
4.3 The Role of Political Parties......Page 103
Party Organization and Officers......Page 104
Party Activities in Elections......Page 105
Parties and Voting Choices......Page 107
Parties in State Government......Page 109
OF THE PEOPLE: YOUTH VOTING......Page 110
4.4 Party Balance and Imbalance......Page 111
5 State Legislatures......Page 116
How Are Legislatures Organized?......Page 118
Who Serves in the State Legislature?......Page 119
OF THE PEOPLE: DIVERSITY IN THE STATEHOUSE......Page 121
What State Legislators Do......Page 122
What Legislative Committees Do......Page 123
5.2 Influences on State Legislators......Page 125
Political Parties......Page 126
Interest Groups......Page 127
Learning from Other Governments......Page 128
FOR THE PEOPLE: MEASURING LEGISLATIVE EFFECTIVENESS......Page 129
5.3 Modernization and Reform......Page 130
Legislative Term Limits: Problem or Solution?......Page 131
5.4 Drawing Legislative District Lines......Page 133
One Person, One Vote......Page 134
New Rules for Redrawing the Districts......Page 135
Initiative......Page 136
Referendum......Page 137
The Debate over Direct Democracy......Page 138
6 State Governors......Page 144
6.1 Becoming and Remaining Governor......Page 146
Governors Under Pressure......Page 147
OF THE PEOPLE: GOVERNORS......Page 148
Reelection......Page 149
6.2 A Governor’s Formal and Informal Powers......Page 150
Appointive Power......Page 152
Fiscal and Budgetary Power......Page 153
Executive Orders......Page 154
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD GOVERNORS HAVE A LINE ITEM VETO?......Page 155
Pardon Power......Page 156
Policy-Making Influence......Page 157
Governors and Media Relations......Page 158
6.3 The Job of the Governor: Managing the State......Page 159
Modernizing State Administrations......Page 160
Lieutenant Governor......Page 161
Attorney General......Page 162
FOR THE PEOPLE: MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE ETHICAL......Page 163
Other Officials......Page 164
BY THE PEOPLE: WHO GOVERNS YOUR SCHOOL?......Page 165
7 Judges and Justice in the States......Page 170
Minor Courts......Page 172
Appellate Courts......Page 173
7.2 How Judges Are Chosen......Page 174
Appointment by the Governor and Election by the Legislature......Page 175
Popular Election......Page 176
FOR THE PEOPLE: PUBLIC FUNDING OF JUDICIAL CAMPAIGNS......Page 177
Merit Selection: The Missouri Plan......Page 178
Comparing Judicial Selection Systems......Page 179
Judicial Conduct......Page 180
The Prosecutor......Page 181
Victims and Defendants......Page 182
Sentencing......Page 184
The Death Penalty......Page 185
YOU WILL DECIDE: CAN THE DEATH PENALTY BE FAIRLY IMPLEMENTED?......Page 186
7.4 Prisons......Page 187
8 Local Governments and Metropolitics......Page 194
8.1 The Nature of State and Local Relations......Page 196
Defining Local Government Structures......Page 197
8.2 Counties......Page 198
County Government......Page 199
8.3 Towns and Suburbs......Page 200
8.4 City Government......Page 203
YOU WILL DECIDE: DOES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JUSTIFY EMINENT DOMAIN?......Page 204
The Mayor–Council Charter......Page 205
OF THE PEOPLE: ARE CITY COUNCILS BECOMING MORE DIVERSE?......Page 206
The Council–Manager Charter......Page 207
Blurring the Lines......Page 208
The Role of the Mayor......Page 209
FOR THE PEOPLE: WHAT ARE AMERICA’S BEST AND WORST RUN CITIES?......Page 210
8.5 Central City Politics......Page 211
8.6 Metropolitics Today: Meeting the Challenges of Growth and Development......Page 213
Strategies to Govern Metropolitan Regions......Page 214
BY THE PEOPLE: COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARDS......Page 217
The Future of Metropolitan Reorganization......Page 218
9 Making State and Local Policy......Page 222
9.1 Public Education......Page 224
Administration of Public Education......Page 225
The Role of the Federal Government in Public Schools......Page 226
OF THE PEOPLE: TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM......Page 227
Funding Higher Education......Page 230
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGE INCREASED STATE FUNDING OF HIGHER EDUCATION?......Page 232
Public Assistance......Page 233
Public Health......Page 236
9.4 Planning the Urban Community......Page 238
Controlling Growth......Page 239
Transportation......Page 240
9.5 Homeland Security and Emergency Management......Page 242
Environmental Regulation......Page 244
Working Conditions......Page 245
10 People and Money in State and Local Governments......Page 250
10.1 Staffing State and Local Governments......Page 252
Public Employees......Page 253
Reforming Personnel Systems......Page 254
Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining......Page 255
Privatization of Public Services......Page 256
10.2 Paying for State and Local Government......Page 257
Where the Money Comes From......Page 258
YOU WILL DECIDE: SHOULD LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BE ALLOWED TO DECLARE BANKRUPTCY?......Page 259
The Property Tax......Page 261
Other Taxes......Page 264
Other Sources of Revenue......Page 266
Borrowing Money......Page 268
10.3 State and Local Government Spending......Page 269
10.4 Assessing State and Local Performance......Page 270
BY THE PEOPLE: MONITORING STATE SPENDING......Page 271
E......Page 276
M......Page 277
R......Page 278
W......Page 279
Notes......Page 280
Credits......Page 300
B......Page 302
C......Page 303
E......Page 304
G......Page 305
I......Page 306
L......Page 307
N......Page 308
P......Page 309
S......Page 310
U......Page 312
Z......Page 313