The partisan and ideological polarization associated with federal government plagues states and localities too, bringing with it significant implications for public policy and intergovernmental relations. The trusted and proven Governing States and Localities guides students through these issues and continues its focus on the role economic and budget pressures play. With their engaging journalistic writing and crisp storytelling, Kevin B. Smith and Alan Greenblatt employ a comparative approach to explain how and why states and localities are both similar and different in institutional structure, culture, history, economy, geography, and demographics. A great blend of high-quality academic analysis and the latest scholarship, the Sixth Edition is thoroughly updated to account for such major developments as state vs. federal conflicts over immigration reform, gun control, and voter rights; health and education reforms aimed at improving the effectiveness of state and local government service delivery; and the lingering effects of the Great Recession.

"An easy-to-navigate, comparative book on state and local government. Very student-friendly and well-organized." —Jane Bryant, John A. Logan College The trusted and proven Governing States and Localities guides students through the contentious environment of state and local politics and focuses on the role that economic and budget pressures play in issues facing state and local governments. With their engaging journalistic writing and crisp storytelling, Kevin B. Smith and Alan Greenblatt employ a comparative approach to explain how and why states and localities are both similar and different. The Seventh Edition is thoroughly updated to account for such major developments as state versus federal conflicts over immigration reform, school shootings, and gun control; the impact of the Donald Trump presidency on intergovernmental relations and issues of central interest to states and localities; and the lingering effects of the Great Recession. A Complete Teaching and Learning Package SAGE coursepacks FREE! Easily import our quality instructor and student resource content into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Learn more. SAGE edge FREE online resources for students that make learning easier. See how your students benefit.

This new edition has been extensively updated to reflect developments in Georgia politics and government since 2007—a decade that has seen three presidential election cycles, two midterm elections, and a census. Updates reflect not only changes in how Georgia is governed but also the economic and social trends helping to drive those changes. These include the continued growth and dispersal of His panic and Asian populations; the decline, by a variety of measures, of rural areas; and the moderating effect of probusiness government factions on social conservative agendas. This edition maintains the book’s comparative approach, which examines the state from three revealing perspectives. This allows readers to determine the extent to which Georgia is similar to its peers on such topics as the length and features of the constitution, the organization of the state government, and the nature of policies. All this allows students and scholars to have a better understanding of the political and economic dynamics of Georgia and the relationship of those dynamics to national political and economic developments. The result is a thorough, up-to-date resource on Georgia’s dynamic political system. Features: -Coverage of trends and events since the prior edition appeared in 2007 -Analysis of the most recent state elections -A rewritten chapter on the judiciary that reflects greater representation of women and minorities on the bench and a sharp rise in Republican appointees -A rewritten chapter on policy, with added detail on such topics as transportation, the environment, education, social welfare, and public safety and security -Extensive revisions to sections on the U.S. Constitution -The removal of a chapter on public opinion so that its contents can be more tightly woven throughout the book -Greater attention to the increased power of interest groups -Acknowledgment throughout of the impact of the web and social media in politics and government