J. Edwin Benton - Böcker

Counties generally fulfill three service roles: traditional or state-mandated; local or municipal; and regional or urban. Benton has written the first scholarly treatment of county governments as providers of all three of these types of services, dispelling the notion that counties are mere providers of services they are mandated to perform by their state governments. County governments in the United States have become increasingly important as service providers over the past several decades, vis-a-vis municipalities and townships. These services change over time and vary from region to region.Variations in the roles that county governments play in the provision of traditional, local, and regional service are explained. Therefore, in addition to examining multiple indicators of service roles for all 3,043 counties in the United States, the analysis is extended to investigate the influence of political, state constitutions, statutes, and financial aid, population growth patterns, metropolitan/non-metropolitan status, and form of government.

Unlike other works in the field, Intergovernmental Relations and Public Policy deals with all levels of intergovernmental relations in the United States. Following an introductory section on the intergovernmental setting of public-policy, the book explores federal-state, state-local, and federal-state-local relations. There are discussions of health and safety, natural resources and environmental regulatory policy, federal aid programs, state small community development programs, and many other areas of current concern. Each of the fifteen chapters examines a significant development in contemporary intergovernmental relations, and the authors attempt to focus on the interactions of governmental units, which have a direct effect on the making, implementation, and impact of public policy.

An authoritative resource on state and local government and political processes in Florida, ideal for students and useful for researchers, professionals, and citizensFor more than 35 years, Government and Politics in Florida has offered authoritative information on the operations of government and nuances of politics in the Sunshine State. Published in three previous editions (1991, 1998, and 2008), the book has consistently featured contributions by Florida’s most well-known and respected political scientists.In this fourth edition, editor Edwin Benton emphasizes change as a defining characteristic of the state in recent decades, bringing together a group of leading contemporary scholars to provide an updated overview of current state and local government and politics. The chapters in this book include discussions of changes and events since the publication of the third edition, such as the state’s recent population growth, increasing racial and ethnic diversity, presidential and midterm elections, the COVID-19 pandemic, recessions and inflation, healthcare policy, and rising political polarization.From the executive branch to the legislature, from the court system to political parties, this book serves as an ideal introductory text for courses on Florida government. It is also a valuable resource for those who work or volunteer in Florida politics, or for residents interested in learning about the political processes and institutions of their state.

An authoritative resource on state and local government and political processes in Florida, ideal for students and useful for researchers, professionals, and citizensFor more than 35 years, Government and Politics in Florida has offered authoritative information on the operations of government and nuances of politics in the Sunshine State. Published in three previous editions (1991, 1998, and 2008), the book has consistently featured contributions by Florida’s most well-known and respected political scientists.In this fourth edition, editor Edwin Benton emphasizes change as a defining characteristic of the state in recent decades, bringing together a group of leading contemporary scholars to provide an updated overview of current state and local government and politics. The chapters in this book include discussions of changes and events since the publication of the third edition, such as the state’s recent population growth, increasing racial and ethnic diversity, presidential and midterm elections, the COVID-19 pandemic, recessions and inflation, healthcare policy, and rising political polarization.From the executive branch to the legislature, from the court system to political parties, this book serves as an ideal introductory text for courses on Florida government. It is also a valuable resource for those who work or volunteer in Florida politics, or for residents interested in learning about the political processes and institutions of their state.

With limited fiscal capabilities, effective and efficient budgeting is a necessity for local governments in the United States. Acknowledging the critical (but often overlooked) part that raising enough revenue to fund desirable and mandatory programs plays in the budgetary process, this book offers an exclusive and comprehensive examination of the revenue side of the budget. It provides much-needed and wide-ranging context for examining and understanding local government revenues and local government revenue policy.Author J. Edwin Benton presents a comprehensive overview of the revenue structure for local governments, in general, and for counties, municipalities, townships, special districts, and school districts, in particular. The bulk of this book meticulously examines the historical patterns and trends in revenue usage by local governments and provides explanations for variations among different units of government, states, and regions of the country. This book enhances our understanding of the most relevant research and aids in refining theories that seek to explain why local governments (or different types of local governments) rely more on certain kinds of revenues. It also offers immediately applicable real-world case studies on revenue-raising capabilities, practicalities, and experiences of local governments around the country. It will be of enormous interest to public budgeting practitioners, students, and scholars.