After reading this chapter, you should be able to understand:

• the comparative method
• what factors contribute to policy differences between, among, and within states
• how moralistic, individualistic, and traditionalistic political cultures differ
• the process of devolution
• why the states are considered “laboratories of democracy”
• what factors affect the ability of states to serve as “laboratories of democracy”
• why some states are more innovative in terms of public policy than others
• the power relationship between states and localities