State Devolution in America: Implications for a Diverse Society(Urban Affairs Annual Reviews)

Transforming American Government explores the "reinventing of government" and the dramatic policy changes that affect both the scope and scale of government. Devolution, privatization, and dismantling of state functions are forcing us to search for new divisions of responsibility among national, state, and local governments. At the heart of this reorganization is the issue of geographically distributing power and resources on a diverse map of regional conditions and political cultures. This assemblage of social scientists analyzes the impetus, nature, and impact of state devolution. While debates over such changes typically center on economic, political, and social change, these authors shift the debate to an examination of the complex geographical implications of devolution. In a society as territorially fragmented and diverse as the U.S., changes in the form and function of government are experienced differently in different parts of the country. This comprehensive volume details the outcomes of restructuring and explores how the redistribution of resources and responsibilities affects the lives of all Americans.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - Lynn A Staeheli, Janet E Kodras and Colin Flint PART ONE: SOURCES OF STATE CHANGE State Restructuring, Political Opportunism and Capital Mobility - Robert W Lake Economic Gobalization and Income Inequality in the United States - John O′Loughlin Globalization and Social Restructuring of the American Population - Janet E Kodras Geographies of Exclusion and Vulnerability Citizenship and the Search for Community - Lynn A Staeheli PART TWO: TRANSFORMING THE POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE Restructuring the State - Janet E Kodras Devolution, Privatization and the Geographic Redistribution of Power and Capacity in Governance How Federal Cutbacks Affect the Charitable Sector - Julian Wolpert State Restructuring and the Importance of `Rights-Talk′ - Don Mitchell PART THREE: IMPLICATIONS OF STATE CHANGE FAIR or Foul? Remaking Agricultural Policy for the 21st Century - Brian Page Back to the Future in Labor Relations - Andrew Herod From the New Deal to Newt′s Deal Responsibility, Regulation and Retrenchment - Meghan Cope The End of Welfare? Transnationalism, Nationalism and International Migration - Richard Wright The Changing Role and Relevance of the State Education Policy and the 104th Congress - Fred M Shelley Environmental Policy and Government Restructuring - Marvin Waterstone Conclusion - Colin Flint Regional Collective Memories and the Ideology of State Restructuring