Guide to State Politics and Policy

by Richard G. Niemi (Editor), Joshua J. Dyck (Editor)

Overview

No previous book has pulled together into one place a single, comprehensive volume that provides up-to-date coverage of state government and politics, along with the states’ current and future public policies. This new book does just that, offering students, scholars, citizens, policy advocates, and state specialists accessible information on state politics and policy in 33 topical chapters written by experts in the field. 

The guide provides contemporary analysis of state institutions, processes, and public policies, along with both historical and theoretical perspectives that help readers develop a comprehensive understanding of the 50 U.S. states’ complex and changing political spheres. Those who use this volume—from experienced scholars to neophytes—can rely upon the guide to provide:

• Basic factual information on state politics and policy;
• Core explanatory frameworks and competing arguments; and
• Insightful coverage of major policy areas as they have played out in the states.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483386232
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/18/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	480
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Richard G. Niemi is Don Alonzo Watson Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester, where he has taught for forty-five years and has served as department chair, associate dean for graduate studies, and interim dean. He earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1967. Professor Niemi has been a Guggenheim fellow and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Lund (Sweden) and at the University of Iowa. In 2007–2009 he was president of the American Political Science Association’s Section on State Politics and Policy. He is a foreign member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous works on political socialization, civic education, voting behavior, and various aspects of state politics. He has an ongoing interest in the Native Americans of upstate New York and Wisconsin, from whom he can trace a portion of his ancestry.

Joshua J. Dyck is associate professor of political science and codirector of the Center for Public Opinion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he has been on the faculty since 2012. Previously, he was associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where he was a faculty member for six years. He also spent a year at the Public Policy Institute of California during the 2005–2006 academic year as a predoctoral fellow. Professor Dyck received his master’s degree and doctorate in government and politics from the University of Maryland and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Western Washington University. His research focuses on the intersection of social context and political institutions on political behavior in the mass public. Much of his research has examined the effects of direct legislation in the American states on public opinion and attitudes about democracy.

Table of Contents

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations - Carol S. Weissert
The Past, Present, and Future Role of State Constitutions - John Dinan
Geography, Political Culture, and American Politics - James G. Gimpel
Interstate Interactions - Ann O’M. Bowman
Democratic Responsiveness - Justin Phillips
Initiative and Referendum - Frederick J. Boehmke and Joshua J. Dyck
Election Administration - Michael J. Hanmer and Richard G. Niemi
Influences on State Elections - Thomas M. Carsey and Monica Moore
State Party Organizations - Paul S. Herrnson and Jeffrey A. Taylor
Interest Groups and Their Influence - Peter L. Francia
Regulating Interest Groups in the States - Christopher Witko
Media Politics in the States - Martin Johnson
History and Development of State Legislatures, 1619 to 1961 - Peverill Squire
Districting - Michael P. McDonald
Legislative Diversity - Beth Reingold
Leadership and Committee Organization - James Coleman Battista
Legislative Reform - Alan Rosenthal
Gubernatorial Backgrounds, History, Elections, Powers - Margaret R. Ferguson and Joseph J. Foy
Bureaucracy - Cynthia Bowling
Organization and Structure of State Courts - Paul Brace
Judicial Selection and Retention of State Court Judges - Meghan E. Leonard and Laura Carlson
Specialization in the Courts - Lawrence Baum
Courts and the Initiative and Referendum Process - Kenneth P. Miller and Aditya Pai
Policy Process in the States - Lilliard Richardson
Innovations and Diffusion - Andrew Karch
Fiscal Policy - James E. Alt, Soledad Artiz Prillaman, and David Dreyer Lassen
Moral Issues - Laura S. Hussey
Criminal Justice Policy and Public Safety in the American States - Nicholas P. Lovrich, Faith E. Lutze, and Nichole R. Lovrich
Education Policy - J. Celeste Lay
Environmental Policy - David M. Konisky
Health Care - Laura Katz Olson
Immigration - Tristany Leikem and Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz
Welfare - Richard C. Fording