The Legislative Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics

by Thomas H. Little, David B. Ogle

Overview

This comprehensive volume examines the historic and contemporary role of the state legislatures and assemblies of all 50 states, offering insight into important details of how each of these legislative bodies functions.

The Legislative Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics is one of three titles in ABC-CLIO's About State Government set, offering comprehensive coverage of contemporary American politics at the state level. Each of the three volumes focuses on a specific governmental branch, providing both general information and comparative details on how that branch operates in each state.

Ranging from colonial times to the present, this volume takes a broad look at how the nation's state legislative institutions have evolved and operate. Combined with the other two volumes in the set, a clear overview of state government emerges. The Legislative Branch of State Government covers the historical, constitutional, and political environment in which state legislatures exist, then focuses on their functions and processes, the people who serve in them, and their interaction with other key political institutions. A concluding chapter looks at characteristics that make each of the 50 state legislative bodies fascinating and unique.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781851097616
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/21/2006
Series:	About State Government Series
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Thomas H. Little, PhD, is director of curriculum development and research for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, Centerville, MA.

David B. Ogle is an independent consultant on legislative process and organization and democracy development. He is the author of two books on American state legislatures, has written numerous monographs, articles, and reports on legislative organization, management, and process and civic education.

Editorial Reviews

Besides offering comprehensive coverage, the set is well written and accessible to general readers. . . . About State Government highlights the significant role of state governments in a format that is manageable and engaging. It is recommended for high school, college, and public libraries.” —Booklist

“The Legislative Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics provides a good deal of useful background information that students and other interested readers will appreciate. It is easy to use and full of facts and explanations. . . . Where budgets permit, high school, public, and undergraduate libraries should consider purchasing the whole series.” —Against the Grain

“Strongly recommended for academic and community library political science collections.” —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up
The organization of these volumes includes a common introduction followed by five chapters of fundamental explanations on its subject branch. Executive presents a historical overview and a discussion of the roles, functions, and powers of governors and the role of the executive branch in state politics. Judicial includes an introduction to state courts and law; the roles, functions, and powers of state courts; and the structure and process of courts. Legislative includes chapters elucidating the powers and responsibilities of the legislatures and the structure and process of lawmaking. The final chapter in each book provides a state-by-state look at the topic, delineating what makes each state unique, making comparative studies easy. Each volume also contains information about people and politics, a volume-specific glossary, and a thematic annotated bibliography. Interesting sidebars (Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "Coroner's Inquest," "Diversity in the Legislature," and other topics), average-quality black-and-white photographs, and tables are scattered throughout. Readers should be aware of a couple of errors. They include: Theodore Roosevelt is falsely credited with proclaiming Yellowstone National Park the first national park in Executive and a photo in Legislative is mislabeled the Old Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield. Despite these problems, these volumes embody a tremendous quantity of information for reports, thus filling a niche in government reference.
—Patricia Ann OwensCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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