State support of public higher education has rapidly declined relative to total state spending.
Much of this decline in support is due to the rapid growth in spending on such things as …

Winner of the 2017 Mac Jewell Enduring Contribution Award of the APSA's State Politics
and Policy Section. Politics in the American States, Eleventh Edition, brings together the …

As budgetary commitments outpace current revenues and long-term liabilities balloon, the
fiscal sustainability of state and local governments is a matter of mounting concern. Over the …

This paper examines the effect of rainy day funds (RDFs) on state savings behavior. We find
that states with RDFs have higher total balances than states without such funds and also …

The United States has witnessed changing trends, over the past few decades, in the fiscal
behavior and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments. In particular, two of …

Forty-three of the fifty states of the United States have granted item veto authority to their
governors as part of state constitutions. In this paper, I test explanations of why and when a …

Many assemblies grant one or more of their members the right to block decisions even when
a proposal has secured the necessary majority—a veto right. In this paper, I analyze the …

State government spending has grown dramatically out of proportion to inflation and
population growth. Between 1950 and 1990, real state spending grew by more than 500 …

Research into state appropriations across the United States frequently examines the
influence of socio-demographic characteristics and political characteristics on particular …

The fifty US states employ a wide variety of fiscal institutions designed to constrain state tax
and expenditure policy. Some, such as balanced budget requirements and supermajority …