State and Local Government and Politics: Prospects for Sustainability - 2nd Edition

Reviewed by Benjamin Melusky, Associate Professor, Old Dominion University on 7/7/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

As an open textbook, I was surprised at how remarkably comprehensive this text was in its ability to delve into the heterogenous world of state and local governments in the United States. I was impressed by the depth and breadth of this work, particularly in its exploration of the intricate relationship between these governmental entities and the pursuit of sustainability (which is novel in the scope of state and local texts currently on the market). This text covers a wide range of topics, offering a deep understanding of the complex structures, functions, and policy-making processes at play within state and local governments. As a result, the text confronts readers with the seemingly out of reach nature of sustainable governance and the challenges that arise when trying to align decision-making by lower levels of government with broader sustainability goals. One of the notable features of this book is its emphasis on practical applications connecting traditional theoretical understandings of the concepts to actionable behavior by incorporating case studies and exemplifying successful sustainability initiatives implemented by state and local governments.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Overall, this is a well-crafted open textbook that upholds a high standard of accuracy, professionalism, and fairly unbiased content. The authors have taken great care to present the material from a sustainability perspective, allowing some personal opinions to emerge. However, these opinions are effectively substantiated with logical reasoning and factual evidence.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This text was originally published in 2018 and had its last version update at the end of 2020. As such, given the nature of this text’s focus – sustainability -- the issues and challenges related to it and lower-level governance are continually changing. While the core concepts and principles explored are likely to remain relevant, specific policies, examples, or statistics mentioned in the text may become outdated. For example, the text highlights the impact of the Great Recession, but now lacks discussion of the significant effects of COVID 19 on state and local governments – thus highlighting the need for an update. Adopters of this text can still utilize the core concepts and principles, but supplement the reading and course instruction with the most up-to-date research and current events to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter – in particular providing further insights into the latest developments and trends in state and local government sustainability efforts.

Clarity rating: 4

This text provides an easy entry point for students in an introductory state politics course (which I could see used at either the high school or university level depending how it is embedded within the overall course). It is a well-structured and organized book, with clear explanations and logical progression of ideas (following a similar progression compared to other texts on the market but integrating the focus of sustainability both in an introductory chapter as well as throughout the subsequent substantive chapters on institutional structure and policy). The authors' effectively communicate complex concepts, policies, and theories in an accessible manner utilizing plain language, providing relevant examples, and using some visuals (mostly charts and graphs).

Consistency rating: 5

Overall the text maintains a coherent framework and utilizes consistent terminology throughout. Each chapter opens with an introduction which leads into a set of learning objectives, which both establish a clear and consistent framework which helps readers follow the arguments, understand the concepts, and make connections between different sections and chapters (especially as it relates to applying the concept of sustainability through the text). Further, the standard usage and definition of key terms (all housed within a Glossary at the end of the text) follow usual conventions found within similar political science texts both students and instructors will be familiar with.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is broken into easily consumable sections, which should make the text easily accessible for varying levels of students. Further, each chapter is broken down into manageable sections which can be easily assigned throughout a course week to correspond to a day-by-day weekly syllabus schedule –something many students appreciate for course preparation and planning. This makes it easy for an adopting faculty member to integrate this text into their syllabus and course schedule.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The text departs a bit from many state and local government texts currently on the market in that many of these texts (including similar introductory American Government texts) lay out the structure and actors first before progressing into how these institutions and actors interact to drive public policy. Because of the focus on sustainability, this text however leads with a great deal of the public policy making process – something I really appreciate given the authors’ emphasis on the practical application in connecting theoretical understandings of the concepts to actionable behavior. This framework helps to indirectly establish from the start the idea of states being “laboratories of democracy” – something other texts tend to directly open with but this text finishes with (literally the last paragraph of the text in Chapter 12).

Interface rating: 5

I appreciate how many different formats this text is available in - online and downloadable (.pdf, ebook, etc). This accommodates student needs in the variability of how and when they access course materials. I have tried accessing this text both on a computer and on mobile and there is very little difference in the accessing and reading experience (though some of the charts on mobile require a little bit of pinching or drawing the shrink or expand the content).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The textbook contained no noticeable grammar or punctuation issues which detract for overall readability nor communication of the key concepts and material.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This text does well to recognize and include diverse perspectives, including those of women and minorities, into its discussions of government and politics. It does this by discussing the experiences, contributions, and challenges faced by women and minorities within the context of state and local government – in particular focusing on representation, participation, policy impacts, and the barriers faced by these traditional marginalized and underrepresented groups.

Comments

Overall I like what this open textbook is able to accomplish and it provides a nice alternative for faculty who are looking to make their courses more affordable for their students through the adoption of OER resources. I do hope that the authors release an update moving forward to continue to maintain its relevance.

Reviewed by Jakob Miller, Asst. Prof. of Pol. Science, Taylor University on 11/15/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

There is a full glossary, and important terms are called out in the text and collected at the end of each chapter. The PDF version does seem to lack a Table of Contents, but the online version includes one.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book seems well-checked and error-free. Their use of figures and statistics throughout the text backs this up, as well as frequent citations to authoritative sources. There are a few passages that are doubtful in their citations - the nature of leadership, the concept of peak oil - but these are contained to side references and never core content.
They fare less well on bias - several times throughout the text, the authors' personal opinion can be easily deduced, such as their coverage of state hiring of third party contractors or the long block quotes from the NEA on charter schools.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

There are several glaring examples of datedness in the text - one example being the idea that "E-Government" is primarily useful for paperwork speed increases, or the use of the term "E-government" itself. It's rare to see a citation from later than 2006/7 in the glossary. Most of the content is evergreen, but statements of current affairs seldom go into recent events.

There are also a few dated references throughout the text, such as the predominance of television for young generations as an entertainment option. The use of "visiting websites" for most of the in-text activities not only dates the book to the lifespan of those addresses, but will also strike many student as dated. The suggestion to "visit Linkedin.com!" is one example.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is clear and accessible. Terms are defined in the text and at the end of each chapter, and there's never enough jargon that an attentive reader would be confused. The figures used in the text are well-constructed stylistically and in the way they break down complex information.

Consistency rating: 3

For the most part, the book is consistent. The one glaring exception to this is the sustainability part of the book's framework - the concept becomes less important as the book covers basic state and local concepts, and often seems to be forced or worked in awkwardly. The concept of sustainability itself moves from a broad idea of long-term planning (the well-written introduction uses the idea of "preferred conditions") to simple recycling/Earth day environmentalism and back throughout the text. A student who wants to learn about state and local government may not expect or appreciate an activity in their textbook suggesting they wash their clothes in cold water.

On a minor note, the activities start out with concrete ways for students to get hands-on in their local government, and then transitions into a series of links to visit quickly.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is divided into 12 chapters, each with a clear focus, and further divided into numbered subsections. Breaking it into pieces for a course syllabus reading schedule would be easy and intuitive. Each chapter has discussion questions as well, which are useful and help to bring chapters together.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book moves from an introduction to the book's main themes to the essential concept of federalism, stops to introduce the idea of sustainability and how it relates to the plan of the book, and then moves through the major institutions of state and local government before ending on services and activities of governments such as budgeting, providing entitlements, and law enforcement/education/etc. This is a logical way to organize and introduce this topic to a new student.

Interface rating: 5

I found no issues with either the online or PDF versions I read through.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

I found around a dozen errors in my read through. Most were missing words where the meaning of the text was clear despite the omission, so the book remains thoroughly readable.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found no offensive material of any kind. The book uses examples and data from throughout the United States and attendant local governments.

Comments

Overall, despite a few dated-sounding sections, low-quality activities, and a weak overall focus on sustainability, I would happily use this book to introduce a new student to the system of state and local governments in the US context.

Reviewed by Cynthia Breneman, Instructor of Political Science, Limestone University on 3/9/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

After each chapter there is a list of terms used with a hyperlink to the glossary. A more effective method would be a mouse-over definition or a hyperlink to the page as it was discussed in the chapter. The glossary is located in the back of the e-book; the hyperlink jumps the reader to the definition without a way to hyperlink or 'go back' to the previous page. The glossary is comprehensive.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The textbook is error-free and professional. I have yet to read a textbook which is completely unbiased; on that note, however, the reading does not contain obvious or overt biases. The book itself leans to the left without a disregard to conservative views.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The book was published in 2018 which is relatively new as of 2022. Some of the statistical data is dated but does have relevance to the topic (i.e., Table 4.1 NGO Resources and Capacity - 2015) and does explain the data inclusion to the reading which, in my opinion, is more important.

Chapter 5: State Constitutions / Section E - Constitutional Amendment Trends provides two hyperlinks to Civics Exams which are both broken or decommissioned. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services provides a 2008 Civic Practice Test at https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/civics-practice-test-2008.

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook is an easy read. I would put it at a High School level. In Political Science, jargon stays relevant for years; in other words, there are no new terminology introduced without full explanation, i.e., sustainability.

Consistency rating: 3

Learning Objectives: most of the learning objectives specify topics in brief bullet points while a few (i.e., Chapter 4: Key Actors and the Policy Process in State and Local Governments) use the discussion points (i.e., "review the ...", "examine how ...", "compare ..."). The later provides the reader with a more indepth conception of the chapter. Versus bullet points as in Chapter 7: Executives
This chapter will discuss:
* the power and role of the governor.
* state executive branch leaders.
* the roles of county and city elected leaders.
* special districts as quasi executive/legislative institutions.
* the role of administrative executives.
* the role of executives in sustainability.
Chapter 5: State Constitutions does not have Learning Objectives.

Modularity rating: 5

All Chapters have sections and subsections which are boldly highlighted with appropriate headers. Chapter 10: Budgeting and Sustainability is the only chapter of concern. Admittedly, the budgetary process of government is not an easy section to teach. It is a dry topic which the authors do explain in a step-by-step manner. Section 10C.I. - The preparation of Budget Estimates, I personally believe needs a cohesive rewrite concurrent with the other section paragraphs.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

Current pedagogy suggests grouping chapters into logical units and testing per unit versus per chapter. I try to keeps chapters as concurrent as much as possible. In this book, I will be re-organizing the book into the following units:
Unit 1: Introduction to State and Local Government
• Chapter 1: Introduction and Themes
• Chapter 2: Federalism
• Chapter 4: Key Actors and the Policy Process in State and Local Governments
Unit 2: Legislation and State Courts
• Chapter 5: State Constitutions
• Chapter 6: Legislatures
• Chapter 8: Courts
Unit 3: The State Capitol: Executive Branch
• Chapter 7: Executives
• Chapter 9: State and Local Bureaucracy and Administration
• Additional Reading pertaining to State Specific Governors and/or Bureaucracy
Unit 4: State Programs & Budgetary Systems
• Chapter 10: Budgeting and Sustainability
• Chapter 11: Entitlements
• Additional Reading pertaining to State Specific Public Assistance Programs or Initiatives
Unit 5: State Actors
• Chapter 3: The New Margins: Sustainability
• Chapter 12: Traditional and Visible Services: Criminal Justice, Education, Transportation and Emergency Management
• Additional Reading pertaining to State Specific Criminal Justice matter

Interface rating: 4

The web version of the textbook is easier to navigate than the downloaded version. For example, to click on a definition from the PDF version, the link takes you to the web version.

Accessibility: A reader will require additional software to read the web version text. Adobe does have a built in "Read Out Loud" program, the fluidity of the reading is choppy at best and still requires the reader to click at every line or after every period.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I could not find grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook provides an adequate overview of all demographics of any municipality. Because the textbook is not specific to any one region, a generalization of cultural movements (LGBTQIA) are mention in reference to Chapter 4: Key Actors, Chapter 5: State Constitutions, and Chapter 8: Courts. Race & Ethnicity and socioeconomic diversity is graphed in various chapters without offense.

Reviewed by Gina Scutelnicu, Associate Professor, Pace University on 8/31/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook is comprehensive and covers all areas and ideas of state and local government functions, policy and sustainability in an appropriate manner, and provides an effective index and/or glossary. I really like that, in addition to providing the typical material to be found in a textbook about State and Local Government: Federalism, Legislatures, Executives, and Courts, the text offers four chapters dedicated to Public Administration that discuss current trends in the areas of collaborative governance, budgeting, entitlement programs and the most visible services that state and local governments provide. I also appreciate the fact that the text offers a clear overview of local governments and forms of municipal management. A unique perspective that this textbook brings is its focus on how state and local government can contribute to sustainability. One area that needs improvement is the lack of images, tables and other graphics that would make the reading more appealing.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased. I appreciate the authors incorporated information about employment trends and careers in state and local government.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Content is up-to-date and contains a combination of both historic and current trends which makes the material very relevant. The text is written in such a way that necessary updates will be easy to implement. I like that the authors chose to expand on budgeting, entitlement programs and the traditional services of criminal justice, education, transportation and emergency management as these topics would always be relevant for state and local governments.

Clarity rating: 4

Overall, this text was easy to read, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used. One reservation I have about this text is the limited amount of images, tables and graphs that are being used. More graphics would have enhanced the reading clarity and accessibility of the text.

Consistency rating: 5

I found the text to be internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. I appreciate how each chapter connects its topic to sustainability, as well as the exercises and discussion questions presented in each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course. However, I found the order of the chapters a bit out of order. When using this text in my classes, I would first teach about all levels of government including federalism and then, I would describe the public policy process and actors. I found the text to be easily reorganized and realigned with my way of teaching without presenting much disruption to the reader.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion. As stated before, more images, tables and graphs would have enhanced the structure and organization of the book.

Interface rating: 5

The text does not present any interface issues. The links to the glossary work well, tables are typically presented on one page (with few exceptions), and learning objectives and exercises in each chapter have their own format.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found the text to contain no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text provides insights and examples that address diversity and cultural competence in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, political, and socio-economic background. I appreciate the discussion in chapter 9 about women and minorities in public administration and the ones in chapters 11 and 12 that address social justice and equity. Overall, the text does a good job in balancing competing public service values such as efficiency and social equity.

Comments

This book is a very pleasant surprise and proves to be a helpful teaching aide for my graduate courses in Intergovernmental Relations and Municipal Management.

Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 7/19/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The text is comprehensive in the needed areas of an introductory state and local government course. I was particularly pleased with its material on State Constitutions, Legislatures, Executives, and on Traditional and Visible Services. I gave it a four instead of a five due to a frequent lack of appropriate graphs, organizational charts, and other statistical imagery, and for the occasional long stretches of text unbroken by subheading and imagery .

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text is accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

My biggest complaint is the lack of graphs and other charts especially in the chapters on State and Local Bureaucracies, on Budgeting and Sustainability, and on Entitlements. Furthermore, many of the charts that are present date back to 2014 hence are already quite out of date. There are some chapters with very good graphs, such as in chapter one and in the chapter on Traditional and Visible Services.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is lucid and accessible in prose.

Consistency rating: 4

The test is internally consistent. I like the "Learning Objectives" at the beginning of every chapter and the "Discussion Questions" at the conclusion of chapters.

Modularity rating: 4

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections in some chapters but not all. For example, in the chapter on Budgeting and Sustainability there is considerable dense and lengthy narrative unbroken by images or graphs or subheadings.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics flow fairly well. As stated before, there are stretches of lengthy narrative without appropriate graphs, charts, or other imagery that would make the material more conducive to sustained reading and thought.

Interface rating: 4

The text is mostly free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems. It would benefit from more images and charts rather than less,

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no significant grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There is no culturally insensitive or offensive text that I noticed.

Comments

The lack of visual imagery is a significant weakness of this textbook. Also a weakness is that what graphs and charts that are presented are often many years old and thus out of date. There are strengths, too, such as the well written section in the Entitlements chapter. I also like the "Exercises" sections and "Discussion Questions."

Reviewed by Kerriann Stout, Adjunct Instructor of Political Science, Pace University on 7/5/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text covers all the areas necessary for an introductory State and Local government course. I gave a 4 instead of a 5 because I like more detail on federalism than this text provided but that may just be my personal preference.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found this textbook to be very accurate and as unbiased as is reasonably possible.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This textbook is up to date and it seems like it would be very easy to update by swapping out old examples and case studies for new ones when the time comes. It is also easy to add your own materials alongside it.

Clarity rating: 5

Overall, this textbook was a very easy read. There were just a few examples of words that I think maybe required more context but I think it is good for students to be pushed to look things up.

Consistency rating: 5

This textbook is consistent throughout and easy to follow the framework.

Modularity rating: 5

I plan to teach my class in the order the text is organized because it makes sense to me! However, I am leaving out a chapter and that does not seem to create any issues. I think it would be easy to teach the class in a different order.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of this textbook is great.

Interface rating: 5

I did not find any navigation issues with this text. I also printed it out without issue and had plenty of space to take notes in the margins.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no glaring grammatical issues with this text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found this text to be very inclusive and gives the opportunity to expand into these areas with supplemental material or in future editions.

Comments

I will be using this class in my upcoming State and Local government class. It is on par with the $90 textbook I used to use. Also, I am not taking the sustainability route that the text takes and it was not difficult at all to work around that.

Reviewed by Shane Martin, Adjunct Faculty, Mount Wachusett Community College on 6/30/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers all of the core chapters and key concepts used for an intro level class on state and local government.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text content was accurate and depicted the material in an unbiased way. Most, if not all, textbooks may have an ideological leaning but the discussion on “sustainability” was done more to provoke thought than agreement.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is a 2nd edition and is up to date within the last 3 years. For a state and local government textbook this is incredibly relevant and a great resource for students! The last, for purchase, state and local government book used in my class is outdated by 3-5 years in comparison.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is well written and straight to the point. Each chapter is defined and students will find material easily.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent with comparable, for purchase, textbooks.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is split up into 12 chapters with a glossary. It is easily assignable for module work.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion comparable to, for purchase, textbooks.

Interface rating: 5

The textbook utilizes a friendly user format with up-to-date charts and graphs to help the students grasp the text. Faculty and students will be able to navigate the chapters with relative ease.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The textbook contains minimal to no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook provides numerous examples highlighting the differences from one community to the next. Ethnicity, gender, and race, are discussed and considered throughout.

Comments

I will use this textbook the next time I teach state and local government!

Reviewed by Joshua Habursky, Adjunct Professor, The George Washington University on 2/10/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook provides a clear overview of the common themes around State and Local Government and Politics. In addition to providing students with a foundational understanding of the basic themes of state and local government, the text offers a significant number of universally applied case studies. In graduate level courses, these case studies are useful to instructors in developing holistic lessons that connect back to the textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The textbook does not contain errors or a bias that would detract from the quality of the material. The text is presented from the "sustainability" point of view, which does allow for some of the personal opinions of the authors to surface. However, the authors substantiate their opinions through reason and fact.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The information in the textbook draws upon both historic information as well as contemporary examples. In any social or political science class, it is important to utilize a textbook that is not outdated and one that be adapted accordingly.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is an easy read with clearly defined sections that afford the student the opportunity to look back on specific material within a chapter with ease. For our course, we used most of the chapters in our lessons but did not follow a strict chronological order. The clarity of the textbook allows us to adapt accordingly without causing any fluidity issues.

Consistency rating: 5

The framework of the textbook was the main factor in determining it's use for our course. The terminology reflected our lessons and core themes that we strive to teach throughout the course. I appreciate a text that has a defined structure, but affords instructors the ability to adapt and occasionally call and audible.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is an easy read with clearly defined sections that afford the student the opportunity to look back on specific material within a chapter with ease. For our course, we used most of the chapters in our lessons but did not follow a strict chronological order. The clarity of the textbook allows us to adapt accordingly without causing any fluidity issues.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is organized in a logical format and in most cases we instructed chapter to chapter with a correlation to lesson to lesson.

Interface rating: 5

The visuals and overlaid content provide further context and depth to the overall user experience. The text does not present any interface issues and the text can be printed or used in a digital format. The formatting provides an added value and is free from navigation issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The textbook was clearly proofread and does not contain any major grammar or punctuation issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook is cognizant of inclusivity and provides insights that reflect a variety of race, ethnicities, political, and socio-economic background. This is critical in any social science course.

Comments

I highly recommend this text for graduate level learning.