Chapter 1: Making a Case for the States
Chapter 2: States and the Federal System
Chapter 3: The Policymaking Environment of the States
Chapter 4: The Policymaking Capacity of State Governments
Chapter 5: Public Policy and the Role of the States in a Changing
Federal System
Chapter 6: Elections and Political Parties
Chapter 7: State Fiscal Systems
Chapter 8: Why States Matter Now
Gary Moncrief is University Foundation Professor of Political
Science at Boise State University and the author and editor of
numerous books, including Reapportionment and Redistricting in the
West (Lexington Books, 2011).
Peverill Squire holds the Hicks and Martha Griffiths Chair in
American Political Institutions, and Frederick A. Middlebush Chair
in Political Science at the University of Missouri. Among his
recent books is The Evolution of American Legislatures: Colonies,
Territories, and States, 1619-2009 (University of Michigan Press,
2012).
Why States Matter by Gary Moncrief and Peverill Squire not only
answers the question of why, but even more important, why we should
care. Today, with many Americans’ knowledge of government limited
to news clips and sound bites about the breakdown of the federal
government, a full understanding of how state governments influence
citizens’ daily life, as well as the country’s big picture, is
woefully lacking. Why States Matter provides a solid framework for
why states are an essential part of the nation’s federal system.
Moncrief and Squire explain in a straightforward fashion why and
how states differ, how innovative policies that originated at the
state level have rippled through the entire country, and why all
this is important. . . . The book is a great tool for the average
citizen wanting to understand state government or the new lawmaker
seeking to articulate better exactly why states matter.
*State Legislatures Magazine*
Moncrief and Squire offer a different approach from the standard
textbook on state politics. Rather than provide a generic overview
of institutions and processes, they focus on the central role that
states play in shaping public policy in America today. In so doing,
the book provides a superb text for getting undergraduates to
understand how state governments work, how these governments have
changed over time, and why state politics matters.
*Richard Clucas, Portland State University*
Moncrief and Squire provide a detailed look at state policymaking
in the American federal system. They explore not only the
historical roots of the relationship between the states and federal
government but also the current issues facing the states today.
They offer a detailed and accessible account of the important
issues facing the states and clearly show why the states matter.
Given the recent Supreme Court rulings in areas from voting rights
to same-sex marriage, Why States Matter gives a timely critique of
the American federal system that reemphasizes the importance of
state policymaking and politics in America today.
*Jonathan Winburn, University of Mississippi*
Moncrief and Squire offer a different approach from the standard
textbook on state politics. Rather than provide a generic overview
of institutions and processes, they focus on the central role that
states play in shaping public policy in America today. In so doing,
the book provides a superb text for getting undergraduates to
understand how state governments work, how these governments have
changed over time, and why state politics matters.
*Karl Kurtz, Director, Trust for Representative Democracy, National
Conference of State Legislatures*
Many believe that all policies flow from Washington, DC, yet
individual states adopt different and distinctive approaches to
solving local problems. States, not the federal government,
determine many policy issues such as education, health care,
marriage, abortion, concealed weapons, environmental standards,
voting, and political party related matters. Moncrief and Squire
discuss key roles states play and identify policy areas that are
changing or potentially will change in the future. The book guides
the reader outside the organization of the legislature and into
broader areas of federalism, policy making, American institutional
development, electoral systems, and fiscal policy. Readers of this
work will have the tools necessary to begin analyzing the central
role that states play in shaping public policy. In addition, they
will be prepared to assess the actual influence states reserve over
their citizens. The authors' well-documented analysis persuasively
illustrates that, beyond recent controversial headlines, states are
more capable today of governing themselves. Students and general
readers alike will gain insight from this balanced, objective work
on why states matter. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers,
undergraduate students, and professionals.
*CHOICE*
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
