In this outstanding book, Alex Hertel-Fernandez systematically documents how the states, once celebrated as a diverse set of locally-grounded 'labratories of democracy,' are increasingly subject to capture by powerful and well coordinated national interest groups. The message of State Capture is compelling and troubling: more and more, major policy choices in states where Republicans gain power reflect the activites of narrow interests able to deploy political
resources on a national scale rather than the concerns and preferences of local voters."- Paul Pierson, John Gross Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley, and co-author of Winner-Take-All Politics and American Amnesia
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez is an Associate Professor in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is also the author of Politics at Work.