Written by two prominent political scientists working in the field of local government theory and practice, Metropolitan Government and Governance offers a comprehensive understanding of the nature of local and metropolitan government and its relationship to the larger intergovernmental system. It examines a wide range of common governmental practices and issues relating to local government in metropolitan areas as well as local government generally in the United States. Stephens and Wikstrom define and present several theoretical and applied perspectives including the...

The one constant in the American federal system is change--change that is not always beneficial. American Intergovernmental Relations: A Fragmented Federal Polity examines how the dynamic social, economic, and political forces that impinge on American government at all levels shape the way that our federal system functions.
Stephens and Wikstrom--both senior scholars specializing in federalism, intergovernmental relations, and fiscal policy--offer concise, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand coverage of these materials. Beginning with the key elements of federalism, the...