Local Government and the States

This book is a major and comprehensive contribution to our understanding of local-state relations in the United States, especially in this polarized era when many blue cities feel abused by their red-state parents. Berman illuminates important contemporary issues, such as state takeovers of local governments and state pre-emptions of local policies, and offers current insights into perennial issues such as Dillon's Rule versus home rule, central cities versus suburbs, and metropolitan consolidation versus metropolitan pluralism. John Kincaid, Lafayette College, USA. The second edition of the Berman book represents a welcomed addition to the rapidly growing scholarship dedicated to the continually evolving relationship between local governments and their states. Understanding the sometimes-complicated relationship that exists between these two governmental entities and how it affects governance and service delivery is not only important for those of us who study state-local relations, but also for those government officials who are at the forefront of this nexus. J. Edwin Benton, University of South Florida, USA David Berman's analysis of U.S. local/state governance is rich, nuanced, well written scholarship; particularly timely in this era of political polarization and high uncertainty about institutional power at all levels of IGR. Stuart Hall, Arizona State University, USA