POLS 680-01
State and Local Governance
Tuesday 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Armstrong Hall 223A
Instructor: Dr. Kevin Parsneau
Office: Morris Hall 204 B
Office hours: Friday 1:00-4:00 PM or by arrangement
E-mail: kevin.parsneau@mnsu.edu
Course Description:
This course will focus on a comparative analysis of state and local politics in the context of a federal
system. While the nature of state and local governments differs across the nation, state and local
governments have always been important sites of contact between Americans and their government.
Even as the federal government expanded its role in citizens’ lives in the second half of the twentieth
century, state and local governments remained areas of intense democratic competition and policy
activity. The federal government has often sought to account for regional, state and local differences even
as states have tried to learn and adapt policy strategies used in other states. As more authority over
implementation of federal programs has been given to the states in “New Federalism,” it has become the
standard operating assumption of federal and state authorities that policy is implemented at the state and
local levels with many decisions made below the federal level. Examining state and local politics and
policy with comparative analysis is indispensible in understanding the American system and it gives
scholars, experts, students and public officials leverage upon key issues in American politics, because
states differ in many important ways, providing both political scientists and policy advocates “laboratories
of democracy.”
The goals of this course are threefold. First, students will build upon their knowledge of American
government and policy and learn more about some of the major issues related to state and local politics.
While there are more issues than it is possible to cover in fifteen weeks, this course will address many of
the most interesting and important ones. Second, students will develop their ability to understand,
analyze and critique scholarly literature related to state and local politics. Understanding state and local
politics at the graduate level requires the ability to address the scholarly literature and research.
Furthermore, a well-developed ability to understand sophisticated literature will be an asset in whatever
careers students seek with their graduate degree. Finally, each student will become a policy expert for the
class in one chosen area of state and local policy. Students will then share their expertise with other
students so that all gain a breadth of understanding of the variety of issues.
Text Books:
Virginia Gray, Russell L. Hanson, eds. Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis.
Washington D.C.: CQ Press. 2008.
Peverill Squire and Gary Moncrief. State Legislatures Today: Politics Under the Domes. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2010.
Robert D. Putnam. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York:
Simon and Schuster. 2000.
Most weeks also include supplemental readings that will be available on-line or as class handouts.
Additional readings may be added to address questions and issues that arise during class. It is your
responsibility to keep abreast of any changes and to come prepared to discuss any assigned readings.
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Grades:
Your final grade will be based upon two exams, a policy analysis paper, an in-class presentation about the
paper’s conclusions, and four short summaries given in class. Each will be weighted as follows:
Mid-term Exam:
Final Exam
Expert Summary Paper:
Reading Summaries
Class Participation:
Grade Scale:
93-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-83
77-79
A
AB+
B
BC+
25%
25%
25%
15%
10%
73-76
70-73
67-69
63-66
60-63
below 60%
C
CD+
D
DF
Grades are not based upon a curve, but rather upon reasonable expectations for learning and a standard of
the graduate-level learning that each student should have after completing this course. As of the first day
of class, I would happily give everyone in the class an A, provided each person earned one. That said,
students should recognize that a C represents an average score that meets basic requirements.
To receive an A, students must have achievement that is “outstanding relative to the level necessary to
meet course requirements.” Do not assume that you will get an A unless you are willing to put in the
work necessary to reach that standard.
Class Assignments:
The three most prominent requirements for this course are the two exams and an expert summary paper.
The exams will include the materials from each half of the course. While not explicitly comprehensive,
the final exam will assume familiarity with the material from the first half of the course. Students will be
expected to incorporate the materials from the whole course in their expert summary paper.
Each student will author an expert summary paper in which he or she chooses one topic related to state
and local politics and writes a 10-12 page report summarizing the issue, analyzing the contemporary
research and applying class concepts and reading to the issue. Students will make their papers available
to each other and review each other’s work. Before the final due date for the report, each student will
receive a copy and write a review with suggestions for improvements for other members of the class.
Detailed description of the process for the expert summary papers will be handed out later in the course,
and the final paper will be due on the last day of class.
Each student will sign up to write a summary and analysis (two-page) of four different weeks’ readings.
We will divide the weeks among the class in the first week and the students assigned for each week will
be responsible to lead a discussion on the week’s readings and issues. I am flexible about how students
manage their portion of the class and encourage experimentation, but the default arrangement will be to
expect each student who is assigned for the week to give a brief discussion of what they saw as the most
important, interesting or controversial aspects of the readings and offer two to three questions for the class
to discuss. It is important also to note that all students, regardless of whether it is their turn, are expected
to read and participate in the discussions. The summaries will be graded as will the discussions and class
participation.
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It is my belief that at the undergraduate level students learn from the instructor, but at the graduate level
students learn to teach themselves and to learn from each other. I will do as much as I can to encourage
discussion and learning, but at the graduate level the responsibility for learning and assisting supporting
other students lies with the students themselves.
Class policies:
Students are expected to take the exams and turn in assignments on the dates listed. If you can not take an
exam on the scheduled date, you must make arrangements with me at least a week in advance. Do not
assume that you have made arrangements unless I have responded and agreed in person, by phone or via
email. I will not give make-up exams, and will make exceptions only in unusual circumstances, so it is
up to you to notify me as soon as you know there may be a conflict.
Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade per day that they are late. Except as otherwise noted
or in unusual circumstances, I will not accept emailed assignments. Students are responsible for keeping
all returned copies of their assignments so that they can produce a graded copy of returned assignments in
case of errors.
Unless otherwise noted, all written assignments must be typed and double space in 12-point, Times New
Roman font with 1" margins. Any paper that fails to meet this requirement will be graded down. This
policy is not meant to be punitive, but rather to ease the task of grading. It becomes difficult to grade
papers of the various fonts, font sizes and margins, and it feels insulting when people try to deceive me by
changing spacing, fonts and margins. If this requirement presents a problem for you or your computer,
talk to me.
I am highly skeptical of using computer problems as an excuse for late assignments, and will not accept
this as a valid excuse. Students should take all reasonable precautions, make multiple backups of any
notes or assignments, and print hard copies of work as a protection against computer malfunction.
Readings are listed on the syllabus and you are expected to read the material prior to class so that you can
participate in class discussions. Anything in the assigned readings is fair game for the tests, because I will
not cover everything in course lectures.
No cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated, and such acts of academic misconduct will be punished
according to established university rules. If you have any questions regarding cheating or plagiarism,
please discuss them with me or consult university rules.
Students with Disabilities:
I support the university’s policies related to students with disabilities. My experiences with these services
have been positive and I encourage qualifying students to take advantage of these helpful services.
Minnesota State University provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in
educational programs, activities or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodation to
participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first register with the Office of Disability
Services, (Memorial Library 132, telephone 289-2825, TDD 711) to establish an accommodation plan and
then contact me as soon as possible. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me early in the
semester to discuss their individual needs for accommodations, and all related correspondence will be
kept in confidence.
Questions about Grading:
I try to make the contents and requirements of my tests and assignments as clear as possible and if you
have any questions about expectations, please ask as soon as possible. I do my best to be fair in my
grading but if you feel that you have been graded unfairly, I will re-grade your test or assignment. To
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provide the best environment for all students to be treated equally, I have two requirements prior to
reconsidering a grade. First, there is a 24-hour waiting period, so that the student can also reconsider their
work rather than reacting out of anxiety or frustration. Second, students must provide a written
explanation of why their work fully meets the question or requirements. In addition to being unfair to
fellow students, simply explaining why you want a better grade is not sufficient reason to change a grade.
Finally, whenever I re-grade, I reserve the right to raise or lower the grade if I feel it has received an
unwarranted grade. Remember, the most important result of any class at is the knowledge gained from
the class and not the grade received. Even if you are disappointed in a grade, it is most important to learn
the material and understand the subject for your development as a student, citizen and scholar.
Week 1 (August 22-26): Introduction
Week 2 (August 29-September 2): Federalism
Gray and Hanson. p. 1-61.
Daniel Elazar. American Federalism: A View From the States. 3rd ed., p. 109-149.
Pietro Nivola. “Rediscovering Federalism.” Issues in Governance Studies (July 2007): 1-18.
John Kincaid and Richard L. Cole. “Issues of Federalism in Response to Terrorism” Public
Administration Review (September 2002): 181-192.
Richard L. Cole, Rodney V. Hissong, Enid Arvidson. “Devolution: Where’s the Revolution?” Publius:
Journal of Federalism (Autumn 1999): 99-112.
Week 3 (September 6-9): Labor Day Break
Week 4 (September 12-16): Political Culture
Robert Putnam. Bowling Alone. (2000).
Week 5 (September 19-23): State Legislatures
Gray and Hanson. p. 157-193.
James D. King. “Changes in Professionalism in State Legislatures” Legislative Studies Quarterly (May
2000): 327-343.
Herrick and Thomas. “Do Term Limits Make a Difference?” American Politics Research (September
2005): 726-747.
Meinke and Hasecke. “Term Limits, Professionalization, and Party Control in U.S. State Legislatures”
Journal of Politics (August 2003): 898-908.
Gary F. Moncrief, Peverell Squire and Malcolm F. Jewell. Who Runs for the State Legislature. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (2001): 1-75.
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Week 6 (September 26-30): State Legislatures (continued)
Squire and Moncrief. State Legislatures Today.
Week 7 (October 3-7): Governors
Gray and Hanson. p. 194-231.
Glenn Abney and Thomas Lauth. “The End of Executive Dominance in State Appropriations” Public
Administration Review (September- October 1998): 388-394.
Susan B. Hansen. “Life Is Not Fair: Governors’ Job Performance Ratings and State Economies” Political
Research Quarterly (March 1999): 167-188.
Jeffrey E. Cohen and James D. King. “Relative Unemployment and Gubernatorial Popularity” Journal of
Politics (Nov. 2004): 1267-1282.
Zoe M. Oxley and Richard L. Fox. “Women in Executive Office: Variations Across American States”
Political Research Quarterly (March 2004): 113-120.
Week 8 (October 10-14): Midterm
Week 9: (October 17-21): Courts
Gray and Hanson. p. 232-260.
Valerie Hoekstra. “Competing Constraints: State Court Responses to Supreme Court Decisions and
Legislation on Wages and Hours” Political Research Quarterly (June 2005): 317-328.
Melinda Gann Hall. “State Supreme Courts in American Democracy: Probing the Myths of Judicial
Reform” American Political Science Review (June 2001): 315-330.
Melinda Gann Hall. “Does Quality Matter? Challengers in State Supreme Court Elections” American
Journal of Political Science (Jan 2006): 20-33.
Staci L. Beavers and Craig F. Emmert. “Explaining State High-Courts’ Selective Use of State
Constitutions” Publius (Summer 2000): 1-15.
Week 10 (October 24-27): Parties and Elections
Gray and Hanson. p. 61-97.
Adam J. Berinsky. “The Perverse Consequences of Electoral Reform in the United States” American
Politics Research (2005): 471-91.
Gross et al. “State Campaign Finance Regulations and Electoral Competition” American Politics
Research (March 2002), p. 143-165.
Week 11 (October 31-November 4): Interests and Lobbying in the States
Gray and Hanson. p. 98-128.
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David Lowery and Virginia Gray. “The Population Ecology of Gucci Gulch, or the National Regulation
of Interest Group Numbers in the American States. American Journal of Political Science (February
1995): 1-29.
David H. Everson and Samuel K. Gove. “Illinois: Political Microcosm of the Nation” in Ronald J.
Hrebenar and Clive S. Thomas, eds. Interest Groups in the Midwestern States. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State
University Press (1993): 20-49.
Craig H. Grau. "Minnesota: Labor and Business in an Issue-Oriented State” in Hrebenar and Thomas,
eds.: 145-164.
John H. Comer. “Nebraska: Almost Heaven” in in Hrebenar and Thomas, eds.: 192-215.
Week 12 (November 7-11): Public Opinion and Responsiveness
Gray and Hanson. p. 129-156.
Kim Quaile Hill and Jan E. Leighley. “The Policy Consequences of Class Bias in State Electorates.”
American Journal of Political Science (May 1992): 351-366.
Joel Paddock. “Explaining State Variation in Interparty Ideological Differences.” Political Research
Quarterly (September 1998): 763-780.
Mark A. Smith. “Ballot Initiatives and the Democratic Citizen” Journal of Politics (Aug 2002): 892-903.
David Magleby “Ballot Initiatives and Intergovernmental Relations in the United States” Publius (Winter
1998): 147-163.
Week 13 (November 14-18): Comparative Policy (Readings to Be Announced)
Week 14 (November 21-23): To Be Announced (Readings to Be Announced)
Week 15 (November 28-December 2): To Be Announced (Readings to Be Announced)
Final Exam Schedule: Wednesday, December 7 at 12:30-2:30 PM.
I reserve the right to change this syllabus as needed.
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