STATE & LOCAL POLITICS

This course focuses on the two subnational levels of government – states and localities – which have the greatest impact on the lives of ordinary Americans. Policies determined by the fifty state governments and by the thousands of local (urban) goverments include the management of traffic lights, streets and highways, water and sewer services, K-12 education, higher education, parks, mass transit, law enforcement, environmental preservation, industrial regulation, and many other public services. At the same time, political discord and electoral outcomes at the state and local levels often have real-world consequences for our freedoms and our economic opportunities.