Leave it to editor Kevin Smith to assemble a superb collection of compelling readings from such publications as Governing, State Legislatures, Stateline.org, State and Local Government Review, and Capitol Ideas. Year after year, these highly readable and up-to-date articles hit all the crucial marks for your state and local course. Nearly 40 new articles cover the significant issues facing state and local government, from budgetary constraints and the impact of Supreme Court decisions to redistricting and blast-from-the-past governors back in office. With the context and currency you have come to expect as hallmarks of this reader, the 2012–2013 edition will bring timely and sharp analysis into your state and local government classroom.

• All brand new readings in the 2012 – 2013 edition
• Part Openers authored by Kevin Smith provide indispensible context for the subsequent readings

Pair with our core text - Smith: Governing States and Localities, 4e

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Part I: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

1. What Brand of Federalism is Next?
The relationship between states and the federal government is about to change. The question is whether that change will be driven by cooperation or coercion.
     Peter Harkness, Governing

2.Washington and the States: A Year of Uncertainty and Foreboding
Everyone knows the federal government is going to be sending fewer dollars to the states. But what is going to get cut? Planning in the states is tough when that question is not getting answered.
     Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org

3.States Handing Off More Responsibilities to Cities.
States are giving local governments more and more program responsibilities. They are not giving them more money to actually run those programs.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

4.States’ Rights at Center of Trilogy of Cases Before Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court is the ultimate umpire of the federal system. It is about to make some calls that will decide the power of state and federal governments on some big league policy questions.
     Lisa Soronen, Capitol Ideas

Part II: Elections and Political Environment

5.Voting Law Changes in 2012
Government has spent a century making it easier for citizens to cast a ballot. In 2011 that all changed as state legislatures pursued a new agenda that increased regulations and restrictions on voting.
     Wendy R. Weiser and Lawrence Norden

6.Policy, Politics and Population
Demographics determine electoral environments. Demographics are changing rapidly in many states and in the process changing those electoral environment.
     Edward P. Smith, State Legislatures

7. After a Contentious Political Year, Republicans May Moderate Their Approach
Republican lawmakers dealt with some bruising political battles in 2011 as they tried to make good on the campaign promises they rode to victory in 2010. In 2012 they seek a little less conflict.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

Part III: Political Parties and Interest Groups

8. In An Era of One-Party Rule, Republicans Pass a Sweeping State Agenda
The Republican Party took charge of many state governments in 2011. They used the opportunity to make good on some long cherished campaign promises.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

9. Are the Unions Winning the Fight?
Public unions historically are some of the more influential special interests in state and local government. Not anymore. Tight budgets and Republican rule put organized labor in the public sector on the defensive.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

10. ALEC Enjoys A New Wave of Influence and Criticism
A conservative advocacy group flexes its muscle at the state level and people start to wonder who is this group and how much power do they have.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

11. Welcome to the Tea Party
The Tea Party represents an increasingly high-profile voice in state legislatures. Not everyone is sure, though, what that voice is saying.
     Louis Jacobson, State Legislatures

Part IV: Legislatures

12. Do Ethics Laws Work?
Ethics laws are more about preventing the behavior that caused the last scandal than stopping the behavior that will cause the next scandal.
     Peggy Kerns, State Legislatures

13.Blog, Tweet and Post: Proceed With Caution
Should everyone have access to a state legislator’s Facebook page? Social media create a new set of ethical dilemmas for state legislatures.
     Judy Nadler, State Legislatures

14. Can Redistricting Ever Be Fair?
Independent commissions were supposed to make redistricting less partisan. Democrats and Republicans are both upset over the maps they are producing, so maybe the commissions are doing something right.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

15. Why Redistricting Commissions Aren’t Immune From Politics
Independent commissions can bring partisan balance to the redistrict process. Partisan balance, though, is not enough to secure bipartisan agreement.
     Josh Goodman, Stateline.org

Part V: Governors and Executives

16. “Washington Governor: ‘Set Your Partisanship Behind You, Now It’s Time to Govern.’”
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire says tough times require executives willing to put partisanship aside and make tough choices.
     Mary Branham, Capitol Ideas

17. In Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback Drives a Rightward Shift
Kansas’ new governor leads a charge to the right that promises to reshape public policies and change the political landscape.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

18. After Years Away, Comeback Governors Try to Rekindle Their Power
Three recently elected governors are hoping experience helps them deal with the challenges their states face. California, Iowa and Oregon are being led by governors who are less fresh faces than a blast from the past.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

19. Kris Kobach Tackles Illegal Immigration
The national debate on immigration reform is not being driven by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. It is being driven by Kansas secretary of state.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

Part VI: Courts

20. Daniel J. Hall. 2011. Reshaping the Face of Justice: The Economic Tsunami Continues. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts.
Tight budgets are forcing courts to rethink how they do business. How can courts adapt to new fiscal realities while avoiding long-term harm to the services they provide?

21. Private Prisons Can’t Lock In Savings
States turned to the private sector to run prisons more efficiently. While some companies make profits, though, states are not seeing the savings.
     Emily Badger, Miller-McCune

22. California Shrinks Its Prisons, But Overcrowding Persists
Locking people up in prison is expensive. California is saving money by letting people out.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

23. The Cost of Punishment
The death penalty is not just tough justice, it is also tough on state budgets. The cost of having a death penalty is forcing cash-strapped states to rethink their stands on capital punishment.
     Richard Williams, State Legislatures

Part VII: Bureaucracy

24. Showdown in Madison
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker decided to go after public unions. Public unions responded by going after him.
     Steven Walters, State Legislatures

25. Unions Adapt to New Rules, Even As They Fight to Reverse Them
States are trying to limit the right to unionize, to collectively bargain and collect union dues.  Unions are not just trying to adapt to this new world of public employment, they are sometimes successfully fighting to change it.
     Ben Wieder, Stateline.org

26. Bargaining and Budget Shortfalls: Are They Linked?
Are the collective bargaining rights of public unions increasing state budget problems? The answer depends on who you ask.
     Emily Badger, Miller-McCune

27. The Great Recession’s Institutional Change in the Public Employment Relationship: Implications for State and Local Governments
Changes in public sector employment will shape a lot more than collective bargaining rights. It will change who works for state and local governments, the type of work they do, and the quality of service they provide.
     Helisse Levine and Eric Scorsone, State and Local Government Review

Part VIII: Local Government

28. City Fiscal Conditions in 2011 
The results of a national survey of city finance officers shows the emergence of a “new normal” characterized by flat or declining local government revenues.
     Christopher W. Hoene and Michel A. Pagano, Research Brief on America’s Cities. National League of Cities.

29. Budget Shortfalls, Employee Compensation, and Collective Bargaining in Local Governments
More than 90 percent of local governments are facing budget shortfalls. That means layoffs, but not necessarily higher taxes.
     Thom Reilly and Mark B. Reed, State and Local Government Review

30. Struggling Cities Strike Deals to Solve Fiscal Problems
Financial problems at the local level mean developing new strategies and taking some risks. It also means sleepless nights for local officials.
     Kirk Victor, Governing

31. Rahm Emanuel Takes on Chicago
A former White House chief of staff follows his own path in taking on some big problems in Chicago.
     Alan Greenblatt, Governing

Part IX: Budgets and Taxes

32. At Last, a State Budget Year When the Sky is Not Falling
The financial news is not all good for state and local governments, but it is finally not all bad either. That is a big improvement over the past few years.
     Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org

33. 2011 May Mark the End of Federal Aid
Moves to rein the national debt may reshape federalism as aid to states and localities becomes a ripe target for budget cutters.
     Donald F. Kettl, Governing

34. Who’s Winning the Amazon Tax Battles?
A battle between bricks and clicks increasingly pits state governments against big internet retailers. State governments want those retailers to start collecting sales taxes. The big gorilla in this fight is Amazon and it is not interested in what the states want.
     Kirk Victor, Governing

35. Coming This Fall: Big Tuition Hikes
When state governments seriously consider cutting higher education spending by 50 percent, there’s no question that tuition is going up. The only question is by how much.
     John Gramlich, Stateline.org

Part X: Policy Challenges

36. Job Crisis
States cannot cut and spend their way to stimulating business growth. Innovative policy approaches, though, might help create a few more jobs.
     Louis Jacobson, National Council of State Legislatures

37. Emergency Financial Managers: Michigan’s Unwelcome Savior
In Michigan the state is appointing outsiders to run financially distressed cities. Whether these managers are saviors or dictators depends on who you are talking to.
     Ryan Holeywell, Governing

38. Governments Experiment With Risk-Free Financing
Massachusetts borrows a financing model from the UK designed to fund only programs that work.
     Russell Nichols, Governing

39. Social Media Sites at the State and Local Levels: Operational Success and Governance Failure
New social media should be helping to transform the business of governance in states and localities. Is it?
     Bruce J. Perlman, State and Local Government Review

Kevin B. Smith is professor of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is the co-author of The Public Policy Theory Primer and numerous scholarly articles on state politics and policy, and is the long-time editor of CQ Press’s annual State and Local Government reader. He is also a former associate editor of State Politics & Policy Quarterly. Prior to becoming an academic, he covered state and local politics as a newspaper reporter.