Chapter One

State and Local Politics: Who Governs?

Chapter Outline

I. The location of power

A. State and Local governments are important

1. 87,500 local governments

2. Employ most government workers

B. Analyzing patterns of power

1. The operations and problems of state and local government can be understood by calling

attention to the core problems of democratic governance: citizen participation, liberty,

constitutional checks and balances, representation, and responsible leadership

2. The question, who governs?, throws light on all the problems of state and local government

3. Relying on various research methods, social scientists have studied patterns of power in communities and have come up with varied findings

C. Rule by a few or rule by the many?

1. Social stratification studies

2. Community studies

3. Studies of who rules, and the procedures and rules of the game that operate to prevent some issues from arising

II. The stakes in the political struggle

A. The maze of interests

1. Group interests can be concentrated in states and localities, whereas their strength tends to be

diluted in the national government

2. Special interest groups concerned with public policy

3. Many businesses supplement their representation through public relations specialists and political consultants

B. Lobbyists at the statehouse

1. There is a widespread impression that lobbyists have freer rein in state legislatures than they do in

the U.S. Congress and that bribers by lobbyists are cruder and more obvious in state legislatures

2. Several legislatures have enacted comprehensive financial disclosure laws, and today most state governments are more open, professional, and accountable than in the past

3. Lobbyists at the state level appear to be prone to try to persuade the opposition or the undecided

in the legislature

4. In most states there is open competition among organizations, so that no single group or coalition of groups stands out

III. Participation patterns in small and medium-sized cities

A. Local government participation

1. Citizens generally take less interest in, vote less often, and are less informed about their local governments than they are about the national government

2. Cities do not, as a rule, promote redistributive policies – programs to shift wealth or benefits

from one segment of the population to another

3. Neighborhood groups sometimes become involved in protecting their areas and petitioning for improvements

4. Groups and individuals active in local affairs

B. The role of local media

1. Some local newspapers have a cozy relationship with elected local officials, affecting what is

written and not written

2. Local officials and citizens are more dependent on the local press than are state and national

officials

3. The relationship between local officials and the local media is often one in which the media are important players

C. Apathy in grassroots America

1. Many important political and economic transactions in a community are ignored by both the

press and the citizenry

2. The major reason for grassroots apathy is that the average person is just not very interested in

local politics

3. When certain issues become intense, people become politically active

D. Civic initiatives in local governments

1. Examples of local innovation: energy conservation, environmental cleanup, recycling.

2. Problem-solving and opportunity-enhancing community efforts create partnerships among local community people with outsiders

3. Neighborhood organizations and spirited civic renewal are critical to the vitality of local

government

IV. Challenges for state and local governments

A. Central issues in the states and local communities

1. People want more services

2. Racism still exists in many communities

3. Drugs, gangs, and drug-related crime impose tough policy challenges

4. Poverty in the inner cities persists

5. We need to guarantee the best possible education for all our young people

6. Environmental regulation, land use and recycling are a major challenge

7. Providing quality health care at a low cost is an increasing difficult problem