Federal-state relations remain contentious as states continue to face stark choices over funding and public services seven years after the start of a recession that's been slow to end. The worst of the economic hardships appear to have passed, but state and local budgets continue to be tight. The new edition of Governing States and Localities continues its focus on economic and budget pressures as they play an important role in the issues facing states and localities concerned with charting a path for the future.



A great blend of high-quality academic analysis, the latest scholarship, and engaging journalist writing, the fifth edition is thoroughly updated to account for such major developments as the early impact on states from the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, the education debate over the Common Core State Standards, and the implications for the public when localities succumb to bankruptcy.



Along with their crisp storytelling, Smith and 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.