State and Local Politics: Government by the People (10th Edition) [Paperback]

James Macgregor Burns (Editor), J. W. Peltason (Editor), Thomas E. Cronin (Editor), David B. Magleby (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0130256889 | ISBN-13: 978-0130256881 | Edition: 10

This up-to-date and concise paperback offers a highly readable analysis of state and local government and politics. It provides current information on topics such as: who and what influences state policy developments; metropolitan reform strategies; the function and role of legislative committees; the politics of governors and state legislatures; how judges are chosen; women in politics; and the way political conflicts are managed or resolved at the grass-roots level. For future politicians—or any individuals interested in learning more about how politics work at the state and local levels.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

PREFACE

This book is about the institutions and political forces that shape policy making and policy outcomes in state and local communities. To those of us who are students of American politics, states and their local government subdivisions are fascinating political laboratories that allow comparisons among different political systems. States vary in the powers given governors, how their legislatures are structured, how judges are selected and reviewed, and how they operate in a host of policy areas, including how they impose taxes. The party system is much weaker in some regions of the country than in others. State legislatures in some of the smaller or rural states meet for just a few months a year, whereas in other states they meet all year. The importance of interest groups and the media varies from state to state and from city to city. Generalizations are sometimes difficult, yet we try in this book to summarize what political scientists know about state and local politics and government.

State and local government and politics remain important not only to the residents of a particular state but to all Americans. A tax-cutting ballot initiative or legislative term limitation can spawn scores of similar votes in other states. And as we learned from the welfare reform legislation of recent years, states can be catalysts for change on the national level and then central to its implementation.

Those who want better government in their communities and states will not achieve it by sitting around and waiting for it. If government by the people, of the people, and for the people is to be more than just rhetoric, citizens must understand state and local politics and be willing to form political alliances, respect and protect the rights of those with whom they differ, and be willing to serve as citizen leaders, citizen politicians. We hope this book will motivate you to appreciate that every person can make a difference, and that all of us should work toward that end.

This book consists of the last nine chapters plus the chapter on federalism from the eighteenth edition of Government by the People, National, State, and Local Version 2000. We have had the benefit of useful criticisms and suggestions from Professors Thad Beyle, University of North Carolina; Randall Bland, Southwest Texas State University; John Green, Akron University; and Karl Kurtz of the National Conference of State Legislatures. We also wish to express our sincere thanks to our production editor at Prentice Hall, Serena Hoffman, and to the political science editor, Beth Gillett Mejia.

We would be pleased to hear from our readers with any reactions or suggestions. Write to us at our college addresses or in care of the Political Science Editor, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Thanks.

James MacGregor Burns
Williams College
Williamstown, MA 01267

J.W Peltason
University of California
Irvine, CA 92717

Thomas E. Cronin
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA 99362

David B. Magleby
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602

From the Back Cover

This up-to-date and concise paperback offers a highly readable analysis of state and local government and politics. It provides current information on topics such as: who and what influences state policy developments; metropolitan reform strategies; the function and role of legislative committees; the politics of governors and state legislatures; how judges are chosen; women in politics; and the way political conflicts are managed or resolved at the grass-roots level. For future politicians—or any individuals interested in learning more about how politics work at the state and local levels.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall College Div; 10 edition (May 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130256889
• ISBN-13: 978-0130256881
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,634,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slick but superficial, December 18, 2009

By 

Joseph A. Harder "coffee drinking papist" (Warren Michigan,) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: State and Local Politics, Government By The People (14th Edition) (Paperback)

The latest edition of State and Local Government: Government By the People, exemplifies what is good-and bad-in most political science textbooks today. Its strengths include a clear writing style , and colorful graphs and illustrations. Every chapter is built around lucidly presented' learning objectives. Then what is wrong with this book?
Sadly, a lot. For one thing, it is much too short and abrupt for a 16 or 17 week course. However, this could be blessing in disguise, as it forces the instructor to be clever. I taught State and Local last year using an edition which had ten chapters. This gave me time to have three movie nights( All Thge Kings Men-1950 version, of course- City Hall and the Great McGinty. and bring in several outside speakers.
However, the latest version is even shorter ( 9 chapters, instead of ten.) Even worse,the omitted material consists of the chapter on, hold on to your hats, FEDERALISM. Leaving federalism out of a discussion of US politics is absurd. As I have remarked in another place, it is like leaving the Atonement out of a textbook on Christianity or the Four Noble Truths out of a discussion of Buddhism.With all due respect to Messrs. Magleby and Light, this is a well meaning but badly flawed textbook

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great knowledge read..., May 11, 2009

By 

kbdelight (Chama, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: State and Local Politics: Government by the People (13th Edition) (Paperback)

State and Local Politics: Government by the People (13th Edition) (MySearchLab Series)

Required college read for my daughter. Very good source for knowledge on local politics...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars State ane Local Government book review, September 29, 2009

By 

Nancy M. Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: State and Local Politics, Government By The People (14th Edition) (Paperback)

I was very happy that this book arrived before the 2 days shipping was up. The books looks brand new and has no highlighting in it. I was very pleased with the pricing. This was a very positive experience.