Video and Multimedia

Tip: Click on each link to expand and view the content. Click again to collapse.

Chapter 1: Introduction to State and Local Government

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: State Politics & Policy Quarterly
Data archive Web site of State Politics & Policy Quarterly, an academic research journal devoted to the study of state-level questions.

Web Link: Sage Stats
A comprehensive and searchable database of state-level information (requires subscription).

Web Link: United States Census Bureau  
U.S. Bureau of the Census Web site that lists state rankings on population, per capita income, employment, poverty, and other social and economic indexes.

Web Link: The Council of State Governments
Web site of the Council of State Governments (CSG), an organization that represents elected and appointed officials in all three branches of state government. Publishes on a wide variety of topics and issues relevant to state politics and policy.

Web Link: Klarnerpolitics
This site contains a wide variety of data sets on the states that have been collected and made publically available by political scientist Carl Klarner.

Video Link: How State Budgets are Breaking US schools
How State Budgets are Breaking U.S. Schools. America's school systems are funded by the 50 states. In this fiery talk, Bill Gates says that state budgets are riddled with accounting tricks that disguise the true cost of health care and pensions and weighted with worsening deficits — with the financing of education at the losing end.

Video Link: Women Political Candidates
Susannah Shakow talked about why women should run for political office, and how she encourages them to do so. Professor Fox talked about his research into why more women do not run for political office. This was the opening portion of a “Women In Politics” Symposium held at the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University

Chapter 2: Federalism

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: National Conference of State Legislatures.
Web site sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures and dedicated to state-federal issues.

Web Link: National Governors Association.
Web site of the National Governors Association, which includes a section devoted to state-federal relations.

Web Link: Publius.
Web site of Publius, a scholarly journal dedicated to the study of federalism.

Web Link: Supreme Court of the United States.
Web site of the U.S. Supreme Court; includes text of the Court’s opinions.

Web Link: Constitution Society.
This Web site, sponsored by the Constitution Society, discusses the pros and cons of prominent constitutional debates.

Web Link: Bill of Right Institute.
This Web site, sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, provides information on historical political documents and useful teaching materials on constitutional history.

Web Link: The Library of Congress.
This Web site, sponsored by the Library of Congress, provides access to such historical political documents as The Federalist Papers.

Video Link: Richard Nixon and New Federalism.
Panelists discussed what President Richard Nixon did during his presidency to shift power from the federal government to state and local governments. Video clips were shown of the August 8, 1969, speech in which President Nixon called for a policy of New Federalism, and of the October 20, 1972, ceremony as President Nixon signed into law the General Revenue Sharing Bill. The panel was made up of Nixon administration officials who were involved in implementing the policies. They showed slides during their presentations, including a March 1973 audio tape of President Nixon. Professor Warshaw moderated.

Video Link: McCulloch vs. Marshall Explained: US History Review.
The year is 1819 and Chief Justice John Marshall authors one of the seminal cases about federalism. In an opinion that combines textualist and structuralist arguments, Justice Marshall reasons that the U.S. Constitution provides for implied legislative powers in the Necessary and Proper Clause of Article 1, Section 8 to further execute enumerated powers. With one famous line, Justice Marshall sets forth a historic precedent for flexible interpretation by stating that "We must never forget, it is a constitution we are expounding." Perhaps just as importantly, Justice Marshall also explains why in a system of government based on federalism, states can not freely impede federal actions.

Video Link: Marijuana and Federalism 2015 Legislative Summit.
As states move forward with medical and adult-use recreational marijuana policies, the struggle intensifies among federal, state and local governments for control of marijuana law. Learn about the legal issues associated with intergovernmental marijuana authority and enforcement; and hear about interstate litigation and states' rights.

Chapter 3: Constitutions

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Bill of Rights Institute.
This Web site, sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, provides information on historical political documents and useful teaching materials on constitutional history.

Web Link: Rutgers University.
Sponsored by Rutgers University, this Web site for the Center for State Constitutions Studies offers a broad spectrum of information about state constitutions.

Web Link: Constitution Society.
This Web site provides links to the full text of the constitutions of all fifty states and to state Web sites.

Web Link: Initiative and Referendum.
Initiative and Referendums in State Constitutions.

Web Link: Privacy Protections in State Constitutions.
Privacy Protections in State Constitutions.

Web Link: The Term-Limited States.
Term Limits in State Constitutions.

Web Link: Initiative and Referendum Institute.  
Web site for the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California, a clearinghouse for information about the initiative and referendum processes of the states.

Video Link: Levinson on State Constitutions.
Sanford Levinson, author of Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance, on what we can learn from state constitutions at the national level.

Video Link: Constitutional History Lecture 10: State Constitutions.
Professor Kevin Gutzman, author of James Madison and the Making of America, discusses the revolutionary constitutions in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Chapter 4: Finance

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Center of Budget and Policy Priorities.  
Web site of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Founded in 1981, the center studies fiscal policy and public programs at the federal and state levels that affect low-income and moderate-income families and individuals. An excellent source of information on state budget issues.

Web Link: State and Local Government Finances and Employment.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides an online version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States. Section 8, “State and Local Government Finances and Employment,” provides a wealth of information on state and local government revenue and spending. The Census Bureau has announced that it is ceasing publication of the Abstract after 2012 as a budget-cutting measure. The 2013 version is to be published by a private company, ProQuest.

Web Link: U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Home page of the Government Accountability Office, which is tracking the use of ARRA stimulus funds in sixteen of the largest states.

Web Link: National Association of State Budget Officers.
Web site of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Web Link: National Conference of State Legislature.
Web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures. NCSL’s fiscal program produces periodic state budget and tax updates and tracks state actions to close budget gaps.

Web Link: State Government Finances.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides a wealth of state and local data online. This includes an annual survey of state government finances that allows anyone to download detailed revenue and expenditure information.

Video Link: Why a Government’s Budget is Different than a Household’s.
Why a government’s budget is different than a Household’s.

Video Link: Obamacare Explained, in 2 minutes.
Everything you need to know about Obamacare in two minutes.

Video Link: The Debt Limit Explained.
A quick, and somewhat humorous, explanation of the federal debt ceiling.

Chapter 5: Political Attitudes and Participation

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Fair Vote.  
Web site of the Center for Voting and Democracy, which promotes voting and advocates instant-runoff voting and the abolition of the electoral college.

Web Link: Pew Research Center.
Web site of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which conducts surveys and publishes studies that look at the demographic trends affecting politics.

Web Link: Election Line.
This Web site, sponsored by the Election Reform Information Project, provides updates on election law at the local, state, and federal level.

Web Link: Federal Election Commission.
This official Web site of the Federal Elections Commission provides updates on campaign finance law and the regulations that govern the financing of federal campaigns.

Web Link: League of Women Voters.
The official Web site of the League of Women Voters, this site provides a wealth of voter education information.

Web Link: National Association of Secretaries of State.
The official Web site of the National Association of Secretaries of State, this site provides information on such issues as digital archiving efforts being made at the state level.

Web Link: Rock the Vote.
Rock the Vote designed this Web site to attract young people to become engaged in the political process through voting and other means of political participation.

Video Link: John Alford author of the new book “Predisposed” on Dennis Prager Show.
Interview with author John Alford on his book Predisposed, looking at the biological and psychological roots of political attitudes.

Video Link: Political Socialization.
How we adopt our political attitudes through our early socialization.

Chapter 6: Parties and Interest Groups

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: http://ballotpedia.org
A wiki providing information on candidates and ballot measures in all the states.

Web Link: Five Thirty Eight.
Nate Silver’s blog covering electoral polling and politics at the national and state levels.

Web Link: Political MoneyLine.
CQ-Roll Call’s Political MoneyLine Web site, which provides information on campaign finance, lobbying and lobbyists, and parties and candidates.

Web Link: www.dnc.org.
Web site of the Democratic National Committee.

Web Link: National Institute on Money in Politics.
Web site of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, which tracks political donations and lobbying in all fifty states.

Web Link: GOP.
Web site of the Republican National Committee.

Web Link: Political Organization Filing and Disclosure.
The Internal Revenue Service’s Political Organization Filing and Disclosure Web site.

Web Link: National Conference of State Legislature.
Web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Web Link: Open Secrets: Center for Responsive Politics.
Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization tracking money in politics.

Web Link: The Center of Public Integrity.
Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which produces, among other investigative journalism reports, pieces on campaign finance and lobbying activity in the states and Washington, D.C.

Web Link: U.S. PIRG.
This Web site of the Federation of State PIRGs (public interest research groups) provides information on powerful interest groups and what members of the public are doing to engage such groups.

Web Link: Politics 1 News Updates.
This Web site proclaims itself as the most comprehensive online guide to American politics. Provides links to candidates for most major offices in all the states.

Chapter 7: Legislatures

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: National Conference of State Legislature Blog.
The National Conference of State Legislatures’ blog, offers coverage of state issues.

Web Link: The Pew Charitable Trusts.
A foundation-sponsored news service that provides daily news about state government.

Web Link: American Legislative Exchange Council.
Web site for the American Legislative Exchange, an influential conservative organization that drafts model legislation. Both legislators and private-sector interests are members.

Web Link: The Council of State Governments.
Web site for the Council of State Governments, which provides training and information to state government officials.

Web Link: National Conference of State Legislature.
Web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures that includes a wealth of information about legislative structures and procedures as well as the major issues faced by legislators.

Video Link: State Legislatures and ALEC: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. “While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!”

Video Link: Rubber and Glass Diplomacy: The Nebraska Unicameral Debate.
A history and explanation of Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.

Chapter 8: Governors and Executives

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: CQ Press Library.  
The CQ Press Electronic Library, which features an online voting and elections collection with a component for gubernatorial elections.

Web Link: The Council of State Governments.  
Web site of the Council of State Governments, a forum for state officials to swap information on issues of common concern, such as drugs, water, and other policy matters.

Web Link: National Association of Attorneys General.
Web site of the National Association of Attorneys General, which has become increasingly prominent as state attorneys general have banded together on a number of high-profile cases.

Web Link: National Governors Association.
Web site of the National Governors Association, which shares information among governors and also lobbies the federal government on their behalf.

Web Link: Stateside.
Web site of Stateside Associates, a lobbying firm that keeps close tabs on policies and actions in the states.

Chapter 9: Courts

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: American Bar Association.
Web site of the American Bar Association, the largest voluntary professional association in the world, with a membership of more than 400,000.

Web Link: Brennan Center for Justice.
Web site of the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan center at New York University that conducts research and advocates on a range of judicial topics, including state court reform and campaign financing.

Web Link: Justice at Stake.
Web site of the Justice at Stake Campaign, a nonpartisan effort working to keep courts fair and impartial.

Web Link: National Center for State Courts.
Web site of the National Center for State Courts, an independent nonprofit organization that assists court officials to better serve the public.

Web Link: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Web site for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which provides statistics and other information on a variety of justice system–related areas, including courts, sentencing, crimes, and victims.

Chapter 10: Bureaucracy

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web link: American Society for Public Administration.
Website of the American Society for Public Administration, the largest professional association for those who work for or study public agencies.

Web link: Governing: The States and Localities.
Web version of Governing magazine, which is dedicated to covering state and local issues; includes numerous stories and other resources on agency leaders and performance, e-government, and more.

Web link: The Pew Charitable Trusts.
State and consumer initiatives section of the website of the Pew Charitable Trusts, home to a number of analyses of government effectiveness and efficiency, including the Government Performance Project.

Web link: NASDA.
Website of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Web link: National Association of State Workforce Agencies.
Website of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies

Web link: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Website of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Chapter 11: Local Government

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Brookings.
Website of the Brookings Institution, one of Washington, D.C.’s, oldest think tanks, which pursues independent, nonpartisan research in such areas as metropolitan policy and governance.

Web Link: ICMA.
Website of the International City/County Management Association, whose mission is to create excellence in local government by developing and fostering professional local government management worldwide.

Web Link: National Association of Counties.
Website of the National Association of Counties, the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States.

Web Link: National League of Cities.
Website of the National League of Cities, the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments in the United States.

Web Link: The Unties States Conference of Mayors.
Website of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is the official nonpartisan organization of the 1,183 U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 or more.

Video Link: Dillon’s Rule vs. Cooley Doctrine.
Dillon’s Rule and the Cooley Doctrine

Video Link: The Council-Manager Form of Local Government.
In this video by the Michigan Local Government Management Association, mayors, council members, city managers and professors describe the two predominant forms of local government in the U.S. -- council-manager and strong mayor -- and talk about how each impacts its citizens. Learn why more communities across the country have chosen the council-manager form of government over other forms.

Chapter 12: Metropolitics

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
Website of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO), the national organization for MPOs. AMPO is mainly oriented toward transportation issues, but the site includes downloadable studies and publications on a range of issues facing metropolitan areas.

Web Link: Metro.
Website of Portland, Oregon’s, Metro, a rare example of a true regional government in the United States; includes the history of Metro’s formation and information on a range of its activities.

Web Link: National Association of Regional Councils.
Website of the National Association of Regional Councils, an organization of metropolitan planning organizations that seeks to promote cooperation between governments; covers urban, suburban, and rural governments.

Chapter 13: Education

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: AASA.
Website of the American Association of School Administrators. Founded in 1865, AASA has more than 13,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to support and develop individuals dedicated to the highest-quality public education for all children.

Web Link: American Federation of Teachers.
Website of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents the economic, social, and professional interests of classroom teachers. The AFT has more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide, 43 state affiliates, and more than 1.3 million members.

Web Link: Center of Education Policy.
Website of the Center on Education Policy, a national independent advocate for more effective public schools.

Web Link: U.S. Department of Education.
Website of the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees the federal government’s contributions to public education.

Web Link: Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Website of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, whose mission is to advance the understanding and acceptance of effective reform strategies in primary and secondary education.

Web Link: The Center for Education Reform.
Website of the Center for Education Reform, a national organization dedicated to the promotion of more choices in education and more rigorous education programs.

Web Link: Education Week.
Website of Education Week, a weekly publication devoted to primary and secondary education and funded by Editorial Projects in Education. Education Week publishes Quality Counts, an annual evaluation of K–12 education in all 50 states.

Web Link: The Nations Report Card.
Website of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the program that administers standardized tests to Grades 4, 8, and 12 across the United States.

Web Link: National Education Association.
Website of the National Education Association, which is dedicated to advancing public education. The organization has 2.8 million members across every level of education, from preschool to university graduate programs, and affiliates in every state, as well as in more than 13,000 local communities across the United States.

Web Link: National School Boards Association.
Website of the National School Boards Association, a not-for-profit federation of state associations of school boards across the United States.

Chapter 14: Crime and Punishment

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: The Marshall Project.
A new nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that focuses on the work of the criminal justice system.

Web Link: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics pulls together a wide variety of information on the criminal justice system.

Web Link: Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Website of the Federal Bureau of Investigation offers information on national and international criminal activities as well as crime prevention tips. Its Uniform Crime Report is the best source of information on felony and violent crime nationwide.

Web Link: Manhattan Institute.
Website of the Manhattan Institute includes archived articles from the institute’s City Journal, which addresses such issues as the effectiveness of various policing strategies.

Web Link: National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
Website of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service provides statistics on a variety of topics involving crime.

Web Link: National Institute of Justice.
Website of the National Institute of Justice, the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice; the agency researches crime control and justice issues, particularly at the state and local levels.

Web Link: Public Safety Performance Project.
The Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project offers up-to-date information on corrections reform and on the crime–prison connection.

Web Link: The Sentencing Project.
Website of the Sentencing Project offers data and information about racial disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system.

Web Link: Urban Institute.
The nonpartisan Washington, D.C.–based Urban Institute offers an excellent collection of criminal justice research.

Web Link: Vera Institute of Justice.
Website of the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization that conducts research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to improve the justice system.

Chapter 15: Health and Welfare

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: Americas Health Rankings.
Home page of America’s Health Rankings, a twenty-year project tracking health indicators at the state level.

Web Link: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Web site of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Web Link: Families USA.
Web site of FamiliesUSA, a liberal advocacy group that promotes a more activist government policy.

Web Link: Trust for America’s Health.
Web site of Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting public health.

Web Link: Kaiser Health News.
Home page of Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news organization covering state and federal healthcare issues, funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Web Link: Kaiser Family Foundation.
Web site of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation that offers a wealth of detail on state healthcare initiatives in general and Medicaid in particular.

Web Link: National Association of Country & City Health Officials.
Home page of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Web Link: KFF: State Health Facts.
A Kaiser Family Foundation Web site that provides detailed information on state healthcare policies.

Chapter 16: Environment and Climate Change

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Web Link: TED.
Site for many articles and videos on the topic of climate change.

Web Link: Environmental Council of the States.
Web site for the Environmental Council of the States, an association of state environmental agencies; provides a clearinghouse of information for its members.

Web Link: Global Change.
U.S. Global Change Research Program, which integrates research on climate change performed by thirteen federal agencies.

Web Link: Heartland Institute.
Web site for the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank in Chicago that sponsors conferences and research and that is skeptical about the role of humans in causing climate change.

Web Link: ICLEI.
Web site for ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA, the domestic branch of an international organization that provides grants and technical assistance to local governments seeking to improve energy efficiency.