Instructor:   Prof. Hedge
                    3338 Turlington Hall
                    392-0262, ext. 287
                   dhedge@polisci.ufl.edu

    Course Web Page:  www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dhedge/hpslgr.html

    Office Hours: M & W, 1:30-4:00 and by appointment.

         COURSE OVERVIEW --  This course provides an introduction to the workings of state and local governments in the United States.  This semester we will pay particular attention to state politics and policy.  In recent years Congress and the White House have shifted considerable responsibility to the states, a movement that began over a decade ago with the Reagan-Bush administrations' attempts to craft a "New Federalism."   That effort reflects not only a dissatisfaction with the national government but a sense that the states are simply better able to govern.  Accordingly,  one of the key issues we will attend to concerns the capacity of state governments to govern in the years ahead.

    A policy framework will be used to organize our examination of the processes, actors, institutions, and choices that constitute state and, to a lesser extent, local government in America.  In the first part of the course, I will outline a "policy perspective" suitable for viewing governmental action at any level of government.  Following that, we will consider the larger setting in which state and local governments operate.  A critical part of that analysis will be a description of the dynamics of American federalism.  Next, we will look at a variety of linkage mechanisms that connect public opinion to public policy, including elections, political parties, and interest groups.  The fourth part of the course considers the actors, processes, and choices involved in making public policies at the state and local level.  The fifth part of the course will look at the implementation process, paying particular attention to two issues--the choice of policy tools and the problem of bureaucratic control.  The final part of the course will examine, as time permits, state and local policies in two crucial areas -- education and welfare reform.

         TEXT --  Bowman and Kearney, State and Local Government, 4th ed. (Houghton Mifflin, 1999).   Additional materials have been placed on reserve in Library West.

        COURSE REQUIREMENTS\EXPECTATIONS

1.  Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate in class discussion.  Much of the material in this course (and on your exams) is  found only in my lectures.

2.  Student are encouraged to keep up with current political and policy affairs at all levels of government.  I especially urge you to follow state and local politics here in Florida.  While this is not a course on Florida government, the relevance of Florida politics to this course (and vice versa) are obvious.

3.  The readings for this course are fairly moderate.   Students should keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class.

4.  There will be two exams -- a midterm and the final.  The final is not  cumulative.  Makeup exams are allowed only in deserving cases and at the discretion of your instructor.  Unexcused absences will result in a grade of E for that examination.  Make-up examinations for excused absences will be by  arrangement with the instructor and will take the form of an essay exam.

5.  Throughout the semester you will complete 4-5 short written assignments/exercises.  Those assignments ask you to relate topics/themes  discussed in class to your hometown or local politics and governments here in Gainesville.

6.   The final grade will be apportioned as follows:   Short Written Assignments     10%
                                                                              Exam # 1                               45%
                                                                              Exam # 2                               45%

7.  All class assignments and the midterm exam must be completed by the end of  dead week unless other arrangements have been made with the instructor. Incompletes are discouraged and given solely at the discretion of the instructor.

8.  Students are expected to comply with UF's Academic Honesty Guidelines.  Students who commit an act of academic dishonesty will suffer the appropriate sanction.

         COURSE WEB PAGE --    I have created a web page for this course at the address listed above.  It includes  links to the course syllabus and a number of  relevant web sites.  Students should view the  announcement page regularly for reading and writing assignments, information on exams, and other course information.
 
 

        I Overview

            Topic:  A Policy Perspective

            Readings:  Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 1.

        II The Policy Environment:  The Setting of State and Local Government

            Readings: Bowman and Kearney, Chapters 2 and 3.

        III The Policy Demand Stage:  Linkage Mechanisms (elections, political parties, interest groups)

            Readings:  1.  Bowman and Kearney, Chapters 4 and 5.
                               2.  "Initiatives"  ®

        IV Making State and Local Policy:  Processes, Actors, and Choices

            Topic:  Models of Decision Making

            Readings:  None.

            Topic:  Governors

            Readings: Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 7.

             Topic:  Legislatures

             Readings: 1.  Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 6.
                               2.  Rosenthal.  1996.  “The Legislature:  Unraveling of Institutional Fabric.”  ®
                               3.  "Term Limits"  ®

            Topic:  The Judiciary

            Readings: Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 9.

            Topic:  Local Governments

            Reading: Bowman and Kearney, Chapters 10 and 11.

            Topic:  Financing State and Local Government

            Readings: Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 13.

        V  Policy Implementation

            Topic:  Policy Tools

            Readings:    None

            Topic:  Bureaucratic Control

            Readings:  Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 8

        V  Policy Outputs

            Topic:   Educational Policy

            Reading: Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 15.

           Topic:   Poverty Policy and Welfare Reform

            Reading: Bowman and Kearney, Chapter 17.

® on two hour reserve in Library West.