This innovative and useful reference fills the need for practical information and conceptual analysis of the roles and functions of state government by providing accessible state-by-state and regional overviews of government and politics. Features include substantive essays; in-depth profiles of each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories; entries covering the overarching concepts, structures, and processes that are important to state and local government, and politics in general; and a detailed section on data and statistics emphasizing historical and demographic trends that have helped shape regional and state government and politics.

Table of Contents

• A to Z Thematic Outline
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• PART ONE: TOPICAL ESSAYS
• The Evolution and Impact of State Constitutions
• The Impact of Direct Democracy
• Cooperation between the States
• States as Policy Testing Grounds
• PART TWO: REGIONAL AND STATE PROFILES
• THE NORTHEAST
• Connecticut
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• THE SOUTH
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• THE WEST
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Hawai‘i
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming
• THE MIDWEST
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin
• Overseas Territories
• Puerto Rico
• PART THREE: STATE POLITICS A TO Z
• PART FOUR: STATISTICS