American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition (Harrison)

Chapter 18: State and Local Government

Chapter Outline



  1. Direct Democracy: Letting the People Decide
    1. Referenda and Initiatives
    2. Recall of Elected Officials
  2. State Constitutions and Local Charters
    1. The Elements of State Constitutions
    2. Local Charters: How Much Local Discretion?
  3. Diversity in Political Cultures, People, Environments, and Resources
    1. Political Culture and Its Effect on Governing
    2. People: Dealing with Demographics
    3. Environment and Resources: Variations in Needs and Tax Capacity
  4. State and Local Government Budgets
    1. Balanced Budgets
    2. State and Local Expenditures on Day-to-Day Domestic Matters
      1. Public Education
      2. Public Health and Safety
    3. State Government Revenues
    4. Local Government Revenues
    5. The Federal Government as a Fiscal Equalizer
  5. Responsibilities of State and Local Governments in National Politics
    1. States in National Politics: Formal Roles
    2. States in National Politics: Informal Functions
      1. Training Grounds for National Office
      2. Laboratories for New Public Policies
  6. Institutions of State Government
    1. Legislative Branch: Formulating and Approving Policy
    2. Executive Branch: Putting Policy into Action
      1. Governor
      2. Other Statewide Elected Executives
    3. Judicial Branch: Resolving Questions of Law
      1. Structure of State Court Systems
      2. Judges
  7. Local Governments
    1. General-Purpose Local Governments
    2. Single-Purpose Local Governments
Harrison: American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition
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