The Oxford Handbook of New York State Government and Politics

by Gerald Benjamin

Overview

New York remains the Empire State. Its trillion dollar economy makes the state a national-and often world-leader in banking, finance, publishing, soft services (law, accounting, insurance, consulting), higher education, culture, and the arts. With more than one in five of its residents having immigrated from elsewhere, New York State is an ethnic and social harbinger for an increasingly diverse nation. Recent years have found it, like many other big states, challenged to achieve effective governance. How is, can, or should such a state be governed? What is its history? What is its future? The Oxford Handbook of New York State Government and Politics offers an unusually comprehensive, detailed, and systematic study of this unique and influential state.

The thirty-one chapters in The Oxford Handbook of New York State Government and Politics assemble new scholarship in key areas of governance in New York, document the state's record in comparison to other US states, and identify directions for future research. Following editor Gerald Benjamin's introduction, the handbook chapters are organized in five sections that look at the state constitution, state political processes, state governmental institutions, intergovernmental relations, and management and policy areas. Chapters address a wide array of topics including political parties, campaign finance policy, public opinion polling, elections and election management, lobbying and interest group systems, the state legislature, the governorship, the judiciary, the state's "foreign policy," education, health care policy, public safety, economic development, transportation policy, energy policy, and more. A final chapter, compiled by the state archivist, consists of a most extensive annotated bibliography of resources on state history, state political history, the state constitution, and state political processes. Chapter authors include both scholars of New York State and current and former state officials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195387230
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/03/2012
Series:	Oxford Handbooks
Pages:	1036
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 7.00(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Gerald Benjamin is Associate Vice President for Regional Engagement,
Director of the Center for Research, Regional Engagement and Outreach (CRREO), and
SUNY Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the State
University of New York at New Paltz.

Table of Contents

About the contributors

PART I: Introduction
1. The Study of New York State Government, Gerald Benjamin

PART II: The State Constitution
2. The New York State Constitution and the Federal System, Peter Galie


PART III: Political Institutions and Processes
3. Political Parties in New York, Gerald Benjamin
4. Campaign Finance Policy in the State and City of New York, Michael J. Malbin and Peter W. Brusoe
5. Public Opinion Polling and New York Politics And Governance, Donald Levy and Ashley Koning
6. Elections and Election Management, Ron Hayduk
7. Lobbying and the Interest Group System, Norman Adler and Bruce N. Gyory
8. Politics and the News Media in the Empire State, Douglas Muzzio

PART IV: Political and Governmental Institutions
9. The New York State Legislature, Eric Lane and Joshua M. Wolf
10. The Governor of New York, Dall Forsythe
11. The New York State Comptroller's Office, Thomas Sanzillo
12. The New York State Attorney General, Daniel L. Feldman
13. The Judiciary and Judicial Reform, Patricia E. Salkin and Amy Lavine
14. The Executive Branch, Terrence A. Maxwell
15. New York State and the National Government, Joel Lefkowitz

PART V: Intergovernmental Relations
16. New York in Fiscal Federalism, Robert B. Ward
17. The State and Its Localities, Michael R. Hattery
18. New York State and New York City Relations, Bruce F. Berg
19. New York State's "Foreign Policy", Kathryn Bryk Friedman

PART VI: Management and Policy Areas
20. The Public Fisc in New York State, Charles Brecher
21. New York State Education Policy and Politics, Jack Buckley and Allison Armour-Garb
22. Health Care Politics and Policy in New York State, Michael K. Gusmano, Courtney Burke, and Frank J. Thompson
23. Public Safety Policy in New York State, Dennis C. Smith and Martin Horn
24. Higher Education in New York State, Henry Steck
25. Mental Health Policy in New York State, Richard T. Pulice
26. Economic Development in New York State, Jonathan Drapkin
27. Welfare Policy in New York State, Cathy M. Johnson and Thomas L. Gais
28. The Environment in New York State, Michael B. Gerrard and Claire Woods
29. Transportation Policy and Politics in New York State, Peter Derrick and Robert Paaswell, with Danielle Petretta
30. The Politics of Energy in New York State, Paul A. DeCotis and Sean Ferguson
31. Selective Bibliography of New York Government and Politics, James D. Folts

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Gerald Benjamin packs 31 chapters into a thousand pages punctuated by keen insights from fellow academicians and pragmatic practitioners of politics and policy in the Empire State. This is a book meant for people who take state government very seriously." —Sam Roberts, The New York Times

From the Publisher