Annotated on Federalism

            
            
             Emerging Conflicts in the Doctrine of Federalism: The Intergovernmental Predicament.
            
            
            
             The theme of Smith's books to the linkages between intergovernmental policies and regional development upon policy actions among the states. Smith delves into how levels of government operate to mediate conflicts with the struggles of interest groups and elected officials. Smith wrote the book in hopes of supplementing urban politics, intergovernmental relations, urban studies, state and local government, and state administration classes. He feels that the intergovernmental relations textbooks of the time period do not fully describe the nature of the field.
             The book discusses actors in intergovernmental relations and their interactions. Political officials, state, local and federal government officials, commissions, and other parts of the American bureaucracy were features. .
             I enjoyed several aspects of the book. The book was easy to understand. Smith adequately explains each topic clearly and effectively for the reader. Because it is meant to be used as a textbook, he does a great job in his organization of the material. Smith also provides example, charts, graphs, and other supplementary materials that aid in explanation of points and messages. Each chapter also includes an introduction and a summary. The type face used in the book, however, is somewhat difficult to read and is used throughout the book's entirety. I also had difficulty with the large number of citations throughout the text. I thought that the citations should have been printed in a smaller font and placed at the end of the chapter.
             I found the textbook easier to understand than the textbook used in PS 484-01. Smith's breakdown of information was in depth, yet uncomplicated. He discusses the same topics that have been presented in PS 484-01 but gives more examples than the current text. I would recommend it to any student in a political science class for further clarification of class topics.