In the aftermath of the Great Recession, states and localities were forced to make stark choices over funding and public services as they battled to balance their budgets. So what's next? Kevin B. Smith and Alan Greenblatt chart the future for states and localities as they deal with new federal regulations, a decrease in public sector employment, the consolidation of agencies, and the weakening of labor unions' political clout. The
fourth edition
of
Governing States and Localities
continues what has always set this introductory text apart: its expert blend of the latest scholarship with engaging journalistic writing. Along with their crisp storytelling, the authors employ a comparative approach so students walk away from the course understanding how and why states and localities are both similar and different in institutional structure, culture, history, geography, economy, and demographics.