Struggle for Power and Influence in Cities and States, The

Features:
 
The text explores four specific themes throughout its chapters:

1. The role of power and influence in state and local government and politics
2. The tension between representative and participatory politics
3. The ways in which the structures of government and political processes interact
4. Whether the outcomes produced by the governmental institutions and processes are good or bad.

 
Practical Exercises present real world scenarios that motivate students to get involved in their local the political systems.
 
Questions for Review and Chapter Discussion Questions help students review the main ideas of each chapter.
 

 
New to this Edition:
 
This First Edition text is intended to serve as the core reading for a course on state and local politics.

List of contents

PART I: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1:  Introduction: The Struggle for Power and Influence
Importance of State and Local Politics
Learning About Local Politics and Government
Scope of the Book
The Struggle
Politics
 
PART II:  INSTITUTIONS AND ELECTIONS
Chapter 2: Constitutions and Charters: The Foundations of State
The Beginnings of State and Local Governments in the United States
Constitutions and Charters-the Ballpark of Politics
State Constitutions
City (Municipal) Charters
Forms of Local Government
 
Chapter 3: Struggles in State Legislatures and City Councils
Serving in the City Council or the State Legislature
Struggling for Power and Influence in Legislative Bodies
Legislative Life
Who are the lawmakers
Lawmaking Roles
Organizing and Operating a Legislative Body
The Capacity to Legislate Effectively
Committees as the Fountain and Deathtrap of Legislation
Redistricting
Making your Bill a Law
Limits on Lawmakers
Making Decisions is Not Simple
Ethics in Legislative Decision Making - The “Queasiness” Test
“How're We Doin'?” in our Legislative Bodies
Chapter 4: Executive Power in State and Local Government
State and Local Chief Executives Struggle for Power
Powers of Governors and Mayors as Chief Executives
The Various Roles of Chief Executives
History of State and Local Executive Power
The State Executive Branch
Executive Officials in City and County Government
Running a Bureaucracy
Conclusion
 
Chapter 5: Election Battles
Getting Elected
Nowlan and Simpson Campaigns
Deciding to Run
Launching a Candidacy
Developing a Campaign Strategy
A Candidate's Image
A Campaign's Message
Winning Elections
 
Chapter 6: Justice and Corrections
Structure
People in the Criminal Justice System
Processes of the Criminal Justice System
Outcomes of the Justice System
Civil Cases
 
Chapter 7: Federalism: Playing Tug of War
Historical Background of Federalism
State and Local Governmental Connections with the Federal Judicial Branch
State and Local Governmental Connections with the Federal Legislative Branch
State and Local Governmental Connections with the Federal Executive Branch
Interplay between Congress, State and Local Government, and Federal Agencies
The Tug of War among States - Horizontal Federalism
Interplay between States and Local Governments
States and Cities Today:  Stronger in the Tug of War?
Intergovernmental Relations: A Summary
 
PART III: POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Chapter 8: Participation in State and Local Government
Paid Lobbyists
Lobbying in the Legislative Process
Journalists' and the Media's Role as Community Watchdogs
Blogs
Citizen Activists
Community Organizations
Roles Citizens Can Play
 
PART IV: POLICIES AND PROBLEMS
Ch. 9: Follow the Money - The Politics of State and Local Budgeting
Budgets as Allocations of Our Values and Demands or Needs
Enormous Pressure to Spend
Finding the Revenue Always a Struggle
The Big Three Taxes: Sales, Income, Property
Should We Tax Sales on the Internet?
Evaluating Revenue Sources: The Old Regressive-Progressive  Debate
Budgeting Process Is Simple, But Decisions Are Difficult
The Office of Management and Budget
Capital Borrowing and Spending
The Politics of “Shift and Shaft"
Political Dynamics of Budgeting
Budget Trends
 
Chapter 10.  Metropolitanization and Globalization
Governing the Metropolitan Region
Urban Sprawl
Gated Communities
Globalization
Problems of Metropolitanization and Globalization
Our Neighbors: Canada and Mexico
Getting Along with Our Neighbors
Conclusion
 
Chapter 11: The Struggle for the Schoolhouse and Campus
The Historical Development of American Public Education
Public School Education - From Kindergarten through High School
The Federal Role in Education
Who Pays for Public Education?
Non-public School Education
The Campuses Struggle to Maintain Independence
 
PART V: DEMOCRACY AND ETHICS
Chapter 12:  Democracy and Ethics at the Grassroots
Representative Democracy
Metropolitanization and Globalization
Ethics in Politics
Practical Exercises
 
Chapter Notes

Summary

This dynamic new text examines state and local government through the prism of the struggle for power within institutions.  The authors - both scholars and elected officials -  give students a unique insider's account of how power and influence are obtained in a democratic society.  Employing their own experiences in politics and in the classroom, Simpson, Nowlan, and O'Shaughnessy make the stakes of state and local government apparent to students in a rich, real-world style that is sure to capture and keep any reader's attention.
 

Product details

• Authors: James Nowlan, James D. Nowlan, Betty O'Shaughnessy, Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy, Dick Simpson
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2010
• EAN: 9780321105189
• ISBN: 978-0-321-10518-9
• No. of pages: 400
• Weight: 540 g
• Series: Longman; Longman
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science