State and Local Government: Sustainability in the 21st Century examines the social, economic, institutional, and environmental factors that promote or threaten the sustainability of today's state and local governments. Ideal for students who are approaching the subject for the first time, this accessible and engaging introduction covers all of the essential issues faced by contemporary state and local governments. Representing three generations of teaching and scholarship, authors Christopher A. Simon, Brent S. Steel, and Nicholas P. Lovrich provide students with a broad range of perspectives. They draw on a variety of current materials including their own research, the work of distinguished scholars, and the latest literature in the field. State and Local Government also contains a variety of helpful pedagogical tools: * How to Get Involved boxes suggest various ways that students can follow-and actively participate in-their state and local governments. * Chapter introductions help students to identify key concepts right from the start of each selection. * Key Terms and end-of-chapter Study Questions reinforce chapter material and promote active learning. * Informative images provide students with visual cues for recalling chapter content. Supplements include a Companion Website (www.oup.com/us/simon) as well as a comprehensive Test Bank for instructors. Designed to facilitate and encourage lifelong civic engagement, State and Local Government: Sustainability in the 21st Century speaks directly to today's college students. This is especially important because their generation will determine whether we meet the challenge of sustainability or continue to slide toward irretrievable environmental damage. This timely and provocative volume is ideal for courses in state and local government and can also be used as a supplemental text for courses in public policy, environmental policy, and public administration.