Guide to State Politics and Policy

Richard G. Niemi is Don Alonzo Watson Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester, where he has taught for forty-five years and has served as department chair, associate dean for graduate studies, and interim dean. He earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1967. Professor Niemi has been a Guggenheim fellow and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Lund (Sweden) and at the University of Iowa. In 2007–2009 he was president of the American Political Science Association’s Section on State Politics and Policy. He is a foreign member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous works on political socialization, civic education, voting behavior, and various aspects of state politics. He has an ongoing interest in the Native Americans of upstate New York and Wisconsin, from whom he can trace a portion of his ancestry. Joshua J. Dyck is associate professor of political science and codirector of the Center for Public Opinion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he has been on the faculty since 2012. Previously, he was associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where he was a faculty member for six years. He also spent a year at the Public Policy Institute of California during the 2005–2006 academic year as a predoctoral fellow. Professor Dyck received his master’s degree and doctorate in government and politics from the University of Maryland and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Western Washington University. His research focuses on the intersection of social context and political institutions on political behavior in the mass public. Much of his research has examined the effects of direct legislation in the American states on public opinion and attitudes about democracy.

• Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations - Carol S. WeissertThe Past, Present, and Future Role of State Constitutions - John DinanGeography, Political Culture, and American Politics - James G. GimpelInterstate Interactions - Ann O’M. BowmanDemocratic Responsiveness - Justin PhillipsInitiative and Referendum - Frederick J. Boehmke and Joshua J. DyckElection Administration - Michael J. Hanmer and Richard G. NiemiInfluences on State Elections - Thomas M. Carsey and Monica MooreState Party Organizations - Paul S. Herrnson and Jeffrey A. TaylorInterest Groups and Their Influence - Peter L. FranciaRegulating Interest Groups in the States - Christopher WitkoMedia Politics in the States - Martin JohnsonHistory and Development of State Legislatures, 1619 to 1961 - Peverill SquireDistricting - Michael P. McDonaldLegislative Diversity - Beth ReingoldLeadership and Committee Organization - James Coleman BattistaLegislative Reform - Alan RosenthalGubernatorial Backgrounds, History, Elections, Powers - Margaret R. Ferguson and Joseph J. FoyBureaucracy - Cynthia BowlingOrganization and Structure of State Courts - Paul BraceJudicial Selection and Retention of State Court Judges - Meghan E. Leonard and Laura CarlsonSpecialization in the Courts - Lawrence BaumCourts and the Initiative and Referendum Process - Kenneth P. Miller and Aditya PaiPolicy Process in the States - Lilliard RichardsonInnovations and Diffusion - Andrew KarchFiscal Policy - James E. Alt, Soledad Artiz Prillaman, and David Dreyer LassenMoral Issues - Laura S. HusseyCriminal Justice Policy and Public Safety in the American States - Nicholas P. Lovrich, Faith E. Lutze, and Nichole R. LovrichEducation Policy - J. Celeste LayEnvironmental Policy - David M. KoniskyHealth Care - Laura Katz OlsonImmigration - Tristany Leikem and Shanna Pearson-MerkowitzWelfare - Richard C. Fording