"This is a provocative and important book that provides a new prism through which to view both state politics and public policy in America."--Paula D. McClain, University of Virginia."This is a most exciting new book on state politics. . . . It offers fresh perspectives on standard treatments of state politics and is extraordinary well-researched. It is both a comprehensive survey of the field of American state politics and a fresh theoretical primer for understanding state policy dynamics."--Robert B. Albritton, Northern Illinois University.