Since the Reagan presidency, more and more public policymaking authority has devolved to the states, a trend that the contributors to this volume argue is unlikely to abate soon. Public Opinion in State Politics is an innovative collection of recent research developed in response to signs of this growing importance of state politics. It updates and expands the previous work on public opinion and state politics, taking into account new data and methods, and drawing comparisons across states. The book is organized around three major themes: the conceptualization and measurement of public opinion in the states; explanations of variation in state public opinion; and the impact of public opinion on state politics and policy. Jeffrey E. Cohen is Professor of Political Science at Fordham University.

“This excellent volume both presents new material and updates past work in the study of public opinion and politics and policymaking in the American states. Its state of the art presentation is certain to lead to further work in the field.”—Robert Y. Shapiro, Columbia University