At least once a generation, the relationship among state, local and federal power becomes an enduring theme in the continuing debate that constitutes American democracy. The "Contract with America," with its call to return control over many program areas to states and municipalities, is only the latest example. Politics in States and Communities, by the University of Florida's Thomas R. Dye, uses comparative analysis and a political focus to explain the interrelationships of local, state and federal governments that are part of the interwoven strands of every newscast and the front page of every newspaper.
Dye's detailed explanation of the why as well as the what of American politics (xv) provides a context for such continuing controversies as the call to return program areas to states and municipalities. In addition, revised and expanded consideration of constitutional issues in the seventh edition "seeks to explain what is limited by constitutional government and what the differences are between representational and direct democracy." As the title indicates, Dye is interested in helping students understand politics, which he sees as the interpersonal process that shapes both who decides and what is decided in the public arena. That emphasis adds some drama to the standard textbook format withs its bulleted headings, illustrations and graphs designed to clarify the various levels of government and their interrelationships with one other.
Geographically, at least, city and state governments are more accessible to most citizens than the national government. After all, most Americans can easily drive to their city halls and county seats, and most are probably within a few hundred miles of their state capitols. Yet, paradoxically, state and, especially, local governments are the least understood of U.S. governmental structures. Although the texture of daily life is shaped by the education and safety issues local governments cont...