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New York Politics: A Tale of Two States, Second Edition
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Comments/Reviews
Description: Most New Yorkers have very little knowledge of how influence is wielded in Albany. This acclaimed book offers a chance to look behind those closed doors. The authors--an Albany-based political scientist and a former State Assembly member, now joined by an expert on both state politics and political blogging and networking--infuse their discussion of institutions and processes with the drama and significance of real power politics.
Completely revised and updated with extensive new material, the book covers recent political developments and electoral contests as well as all the basics: constitutional issues; historical, economic, social, and demographic factors; the functioning of executive, legislative, and judicial institutions; urban, local, and special district governments; parties, interest groups, and bureaucracies; finance, budgets, and health, education, and welfare programs. Throughout, the authors are attentive to the many paradoxes and dualities that distinguish political, social, and economic life in the Empire State. To keep coverage current, updates, links, and related readings will be provided via the authors' website.
Selected Contents:
List of Tables, Figures, Boxes, and Maps
Preface
1. The States of New York
2. New York in the Federal System
3. Parties, Politics, and Elections
4. Power, Pluralism, Public Opinion, and the Permanent Government
5. The Living Constitution
6. Struggles for Power, Position, and Access
7. Making Public Policy
8. Taxing, Spending, and Public Policy Priorities
9. New Directions for New York
Appendix A: A Citizen's Guide to the 2009-2010 New York State Legislature
Appendix B: Maps
Notes
Index
About the Authors
Comment(s): "The Schneier et al. book is comprehensive, covering the state's political history, constitutional structure, and political patterns. Most notably, it blends the insights of participants in New York politics into the academic analysis--making it by far the best text I ever used in my New York politics course. My students found it readable and informative, always stimulating interesting class discussions." -- Ken Sherrill, Hunter College (on the previous edition) (on the previous edition)
Review(s): ...one of the finest examinations of politics on the state level ever written. The formula of matching two political scientists with a thoughtful former member of the New York State Assembly used here is a winning one. Useful mid-level concepts from the political science literature are brought to life with insider accounts of Albany. ... Anyone wanting to learn more about the nation's third largest state, or looking for a model about how to write a book about politics in other states, must read New York Politics. Highly recommended. All readership levels. Choice
This is a thorough, instructive, and entertaining analysis of government and politics in one of the nation's largest and most distinctive states. The two authors--a respected political scientist and a savvy former state legislator--blend sound scholarship with sophisticated politics. The coverage is comprehensive: history and demography, constitution and institutions, process and policy. One comes away knowing not just how politics is played in New York but also with a sense of why it happens that way. Monographs on politics and government in a single state are often dry, lifeless, and have little relevance to the rest of the country. This volume demonstrates that they do not need to be that way. Highly recommended for general readers, undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers. Choice (on the previous edition)
A masterly work. ... Schneier and Murtaugh have written a citizen's textbook on one of the nation's most complicated political systems. It deserves to be widely read by scholars in American politics and should be required reading for all students in the Empire State. It will be ranked with the classic works of William L. Riordan, Joseph F. Zimmerman, Warren Moscow, Robert A. Caro, and Theodore J. Lowi. Perspectives on Political Science (on the previous edition)
    
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