Overview

Examines how state courts change public policy through an analysis of their influence on state education finance reform. Power, Constraint, and Policy Change analyzes state court influence on state education finance reform. Beginning in the early 1970s litigants began filing suits in state courts to change state education funding in order to prevent disparities in education resources between wealthy and poor communities. These cases represent a fundamental policy debate in American society, pitting the importance of education against the cost and method of funding it. Through education finance, the authors explore how and why courts often end up determining and resolving policy funding debates. Education funding has involved both the federal constitution and state constitutions, as well as legislation and court-mandated remedies, which, ultimately, determine who and how we pay for this critical American value.

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert M. Howard ,  Christine H. Roch ,  Susanne Schorpp ,  Shane A. Gleason
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.218kg
ISBN:  

9781438481364

ISBN 10:   1438481365
Pages:   162
Publication Date:   02 July 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments 1. Introduction The Fight over Funding A Brief History of Public Education The Funding Disparity and the Turn to Court-Ordered Solutions Why Courts? A Theory of Policy Change through State Courts Waves of Finance Reform Plan of the Book 2. Why Courts? Introduction: Politics, Law, and Education Finance Reform The Political Environment Hypotheses Data Models, Methodology, and Results Conclusion: Predicting the Institutional Agent of Court-Ordered Finance Reform 3. Citation Patterns in Education Finance Policy Introduction Vertical Citations and the Power of Precedent Horizontal Citations and Persuasiveness Hypotheses: State Supreme Courts Shaping Education Finance Reform Data and Methods Results 4. When Citations Are Not Enough Introduction What Else Matters Testing the Limits of Citations: Data and Methods Results Discussion and Conclusion 5. Policy Diffusion through Courts Introduction: Do as I Do, Not as I Say Policy Diffusion in the States Diffusion and Emulation of Court-Ordered Education Finance Reform Political, Institutional, and Legal Factors Influencing Emulation Data, Method, and Model Results Discussion 6. Conclusion—How State Courts Move and Change Policy Law, Politics, and Policy Formation Empirical Findings What We Know What We Want to Know Notes References Index

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Author Information

Robert M. Howard is Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. He is the author of several books, including Getting a Poor Return: Courts, Justice, and Taxes, also published by SUNY Press. Also at Georgia State University, Christine H. Roch is Professor of Public Management and Policy. Susanne Schorpp is Research Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at La Trobe University, Australia. Shane A. Gleason is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.

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