American Intergovernmental Relations: Foundations, Perspectives, and Issues

With the addition of brand new co-editor, Robert Christensen, this trusted reader is back in a fresh and insightful fifth edition.

To the general structure that has made American Intergovernmental Relations so enduring, the editors have added a new section that incorporates the importance of law and courts to intergovernmental relations. This new section explicitly grounds the study of intergovernmental relations to foundational Constitutional text and the dynamic role of the Supreme Court in interpreting constitutional powers.

O′Toole and Christensen have also added new selections that cover society′s current and most pressing intergovernmental policy issues, including health care, immigration, and the evolving and controversial issue of medical marijuana.

As always, each essay is judiciously edited and substantial part introductions further contextualize each essay′s contribution to make American Intergovernmental Relations an accessible and invaluable text, as well as an engaging read.

Laurence J. O’Toole Jr. is the Robert T. and Margaret Hughes Golembiewski Professor of Public Administration as well as Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy, School of Public and International Affairs, at the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. He is the recipient of many teaching and research awards, and he is, most recently, coauthor of Public Management: Organizations, Governance, and Performance (2011).

Robert K. Christensen is a assistant professor of public administration in the Department of Public Administration and Policy, School of Public and International Affairs, at the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington and his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University. He has received several research recognitions, including a best dissertation award from the Academy of Management. He is currently a Lilly Teaching Fellow at the University of Georgia.