Bridging the Urban–Rural Divide
In recent years, newspaper headlines and commentators have bemoaned a growing “urban–rural divide,” characterized by stark differences in political and social attitudes that appear to be fueled, at least in
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Principles of Home Rule for the 21st Century
Cities, counties, and towns are on the front lines of America’s most pressing problems. Local governments today are responsible for protecting our health and safety and are increasingly called to
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Reinventing American Democracy For The 21st Century
A healthy constitutional democracy depends on a virtuous cycle in which responsive political institutions foster a healthy civic culture of participation and responsibility, while a healthy civic culture—a combination of
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The fiscal health of state and local governments across the nation
What’s the latest thinking regarding the fiscal health of state and local governments across the nation? Overview. The 2019 update to the GAO’s annual outlook on the fiscal condition of
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How do partisan views and ideology relate to Americans’ support for decentralization?
A research study published in the latest issue of Public Administration Review analyzes Americans’ preferences for making policy at the national versus the subnational level. Relying on a Pew Research
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The Significant Features data book is a work in progress…
It has been almost 25 years since the last Significant Features data book was published in 1996. Our ambition is to complete the online 2020 edition of Significant Features of
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State Fiscal Briefs (2020)
National recessions and federal tax and spending changes can affect budgets in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And big policy questions, such as whether to increase teacher
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How High are State and Local Tax Collections in Your State?
The latest state tax map prepared by the Tax Foundation shows state and local tax collections per capita in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The
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A feud over local taxes turns into a referendum on government itself
For more than a year, the residents of Amelia, just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, have been consumed by a fiery debate over a proposal to impose a new local tax of
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2017 State & Local Government Finance Tables Released by Census Bureau
The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation’s state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment. The Census of
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When can (or should) a state government remove a locally elected official?
According to the U.S. Constitution, neither the President nor Congress have the power to remove a state governor or state official. At the state level, however, legislation often permits a
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Burlington Moves Toward Letting Non-Citizen Residents Vote in Local Elections
Voters in Burlington, Vermont could soon determine whether refugees and permanent residents who aren’t citizens will be allowed to cast their own ballots in local city elections. Councilmember Adam Roof
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