Handbook of State Government Administration

Book excerpt: Devised to meet the ongoing challenge of identifying the skills and knowledge necessary for expanding the governing capacity of state and local authorities, this book discusses the fiscal consequences of "get tough" approaches to crime and presents more effective and less expensive policy options. Surveying the range of administrative and management practices employed by state governments, the editor and contributors explore the results of the governmental reform tradition, the impact of federalism and intergovernmental relations, and the effects of political culture on state government by focusing on economic development, welfare, corrections, and environmental programs and policies.