This is an all-new collection of compelling readings from such respected sources 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, covering significant issues—from voter ID laws to turnover and new directions in state legislatures, and from new challenges for public agencies to local government financial management. With the context and currency you have come to expect as hallmarks of this reader, the 2013–2014 Edition brings timely and sharp analysis into your state and local government classroom.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• Every reading in the 2013–2014 Edition is brand new and reflects the latest scholarship as well as coverage of current events and developments in state and local politics.

KEY FEATURES:

• This is, simply put, the most current volume on the market.
• The book balances practitioner-oriented, real-world pieces with scholarly research articles.
  Section openers authored by Kevin Smith and Jayme Neiman provide indispensable context for
• readings.

PREFACE
I FEDERALISM AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS  
1. The Unknown Impact of Federal Fiscal Decisions
The federal government’s financial decisions will have a big impact on the states. Exactly what that impact will be, though, is not clear.
Susan Urahn, Governing
2. The Top 5 State-Local Issues Facing the Feds
On everything from expanding healthcare to dealing with Baby Boomer retirement to improving education, state and local government will be at the forefront of national domestic policy.
Donald Kettl, Governing
3. Rethinking Federalism for More Effective Governance
The Great Recession has left federal and state governments in a fiscally precarious position. Maybe that’s an opportunity to rethink how they do business together.
Alice Rivlin, Publius

II ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT 
4. Are Voter ID Opponents Winning the Battle but Losing the War?
Voter ID laws have had a rough time lately, struck down as unconstitutional  by courts in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas. These same courts, though, leave open the possibility that revised laws may achieve the same ends and be constitutional.
Jake Grovum, Stateline
5. Not Yet Section 5’s Time to Die
Is minority voter suppression an embarrassing historical episode or an all too contemporary threat? A key section of the Voting Rights Act depends on the answer.
Andrew Cohen, Brennan Center for Justice
6. The Ramifications of Changing the Electoral College
New proposals to change the allocation of Electoral College votes are pleasing to some, but they also increase the possibility of electing presidents who do not win a majority of the popular vote.
Louis Jacobson, Governing
7. Can You Separate Federal Issues from State Elections?
State candidates want to talk about state issues. Why should their stand on federal issues matter to voters?
Alan Greenblatt, Governing

III POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS
8. Pressured Companies Leave ALEC
The American Legislative Exchange Council is an interest group wielding enormous influence in supporting free market policies at the state level. It also has backed policies that some considered racially discriminatory. That has a number of big  corporations rethinking their ties to this little known but very powerful interest group.
Daniel C. Vock, Stateline
9. Men and Women Lobbyists in the American States
An in-depth academic study examines the backgrounds, tactics and attitudes of lobbyists at the state-level and finds some interesting differences. Notably, male and female lobbyists have persistent and significant differences in their resumes, tactics and approaches to the influence business.
Jennifer Lucas and Mark Hyde, Social Science Quarterly
10. Political Demographic Trends Brighter for Democrats
The Democratic Party has taken some lumps at the ballot box in the past few election cycles. Demographers give the Dems a reason to think things are going to get better. Core Democratic constituencies are increasing as a proportion of the population, while comparable Republican constituencies are shrinking.
Dylan Scott, Governing

IV LEGISLATURES
11. Newbies Infiltrate State Legislative Chambers
Term limits and anti-incumbent fever means that half of state legislators have held office for less than two years. That’s not just a lot of rookies; the lack of experienced veterans means not just new teams but a different game for legislatures.
Alan Greenblatt, Governing
12. The Effects of Legislative Term Limits on State Fiscal Conditions
One of the promises of the term limits movement was less government spending by veteran lawmakers defending their positions with public dollars. This study shows it hasn’t quite worked that way. Turnover driven by term limits is not a good thing for a state’s fiscal health.
Jeff Cummins, American Politics Quarterly
13. The Conservative Difference
Republican state legislators swept into office by the “Red Tide” election of 2010 have scored a remarkable string of successes, translating their conservative agenda into law in a number of critical policy areas. Is a Republican version of the New Deal taking place at the state-level, or will this prove to be a passing phase?
Lou Cannon, State Legislatures
14. As Legislatures Become More Partisan, Nebraska Holds Out
Like their federal counter-part, state legislatures are becoming more partisan. Out on the Prairie, the only non-partisan, unicameral state legislature resists the trend.
Josh Goodman, Stateline

V GOVERNORS AND EXECUTIVES
15. Brownback’s Dilemma: How to Balance the Kansas Budget After Massive Tax Cuts
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has implemented a sweeping conservative fiscal experiment. Supporters of this approach argue it will deliver a big payoff in the long term. In the short term, though, big tax cuts have left a whole in public finances.
Josh Goodman, Stateline
16. Governors Balance Pardons with Politics
Governors have the ultimate get out of jail free card—the power to issue a pardon. Exercising this power, though, can have political costs. Some run those risks and issue hundreds of pardons. Other governors issue no pardons at all.
Maggie Clark, Stateline
17. Gender and the Gubernatorial Agenda
Does gender make a difference to gubernatorial policy agendas? This study suggests that, at least in the arena of social welfare policy, the answer is yes.
Brianne Heidbreder and Katherine Felix Scheurer, State and Local Government Review

VI COURTS
18. The 2012 Budget Survey of State Court Administrators
A financial snapshot of state courts finances finds budgets easing a bit after a few rough years. Tight budgets, though, are still restricting access to the justice system.
Conference of State Court Administrators
19. The Death Penalty is Experience Technical Difficulties
Executing someone convicted of a capital offense is hard and expensive. The hassle and the cost is may persuade some states to kill the death penalty.
Nick Welsh, Pacific Standard
20. Private Prisons—Grade: Incomplete
Privatizing prisons has long been touted as a way to save money and increase operational efficiency. The evidence for those arguments is increasingly being questions.
Debra Miller, Capitol Ideas
21. Courts Struggle to Maintain Safety
Frustrated, upset and potentially violent—courts deal with such people all the time. Yet states sometimes just don’t have the money to keep courts safe.
Maggie Clark, Stateline

VII BUREAUCRACY
22. How Did 2012 Treat Public Employees?
Public employees had a tough year in 2012. The forecast for 2013 isn’t much better.
Heather  Kerrigan, Governing
23. Are Public Employees Overpaid?
In tough economic times the salaries and benefits of public employees are criticized and envied. Those public sector compensation packages, though, are still often less than you find in the private sector.
Frank Mauro, Public Administration Review
24. Teleworking in Texas
Can a virtual workforce cut costs and increase a bureaucracy’s  productivity? One public agency in Texas decides to find out.
Heather Kerrigan, Governing
25. Should State Education Chiefs Be Elected?
Elected state education chiefs sometimes lead to power struggles in the executive branch. As governors and agency heads maneuver for political advantage students can get caught in the middle. Are appointed education heads the answer?
Ben Wieder, Stateline
26. Counties: An Outdated Concept or the Future?
Of all the types of local government, counties have arguable been hit hardest by poor financial conditions. How they adapt will help decide whether they become an important part of governance in the twenty-first century or fade into anachronism.
Alan Greenblatt, Governing

VIII LOCAL GOVERNMENT
27. The Local Squeeze
Local governments struggle to deal with a double whammy: Falling revenues and increased demand for their services.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
28. City-County Consolidation and Local Government Expenditures
One proposed solution to local government fiscal woes is merging city and county governments. This study suggests the cost savings are not worth the effort.
Dagney Faulk and Geog Grassmueck, State and Local Government Review

IX BUDGETS AND TAXES
29. Struggling to Grow
The good news is that the private sector economy is finally growing at a healthy rate. The bad news is that the public sector continues to shrink.
Christopher Thornberg, State Legislatures
30. Fracking for Dollars
Hydraulic fracturing is a technology that’s led to an oil boom in North Dakota and a financial boon to the state’s treasury. Other states wonder if fracking can do the same for them.
Pamela Prah, Stateline
31. Municipal Bankruptcy and the Role of the States
Municipal bankruptcy is becoming more common. But what does it really mean for a local government to go bankrupt?
National Association of State Budget Officers.
32. The “B” Word: Is Municipal Bankruptcy’s Stigma Fading?
At one time municipalities would avoid bankruptcy at all costs. Its evolving into a useful tool to address certain fiscal situations.
Liz Farmer, Governing

X POLICY CHALLENGES
33. Legislating Social Media in the States
Should government have a role in what’s on your Facebook page? Social media creates new regulatory challenges for state governments.
Dylan Scott, Governing
34. Legally Green
Ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington legalize recreational pot use. How does a state create and regulate a legal market for a drug still outlawed by the federal government?
Suzanne Weiss, State Legislatures
35. How Will Boomers Reshape U.S. Cities?
As Baby Boomers retire they will change much more than how many people are drawing a Social Security check. They will change how cities look and how they grow.
Ryan Holeywell, Governing
36. Private Manners, Public Roles: Recognizing Different Standards for Public Board Service
Standards of conduct for private life and public life are different. Or at least they should be.
Scott C. Paine, State and Local Government Review
TEXT CREDITS

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.

Jayme L. Neiman is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research interests include individual political behavior and civic engagement. Before entering into research, she worked as a local campaign manager and in nonprofit management.

Governing States and Localities, 4th Edition