Author Bio

John R. Vile is professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the author of Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues (1996) and other books. His colleague, Mark Byrnes, associate professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University, is the author of Politics and Space (1994).

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Main Description

Tennessee Government and Politics offers a timely and comprehensive new survey of the state's political evolution. With its concise historical analysis, up-to-date presentation of contemporary issues, and appended state constitution, Tennessee Government and Politics will serve as a primary text for any course on Tennessee government and as a supplemental text for broader courses in state and local government or southern politics.

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Michael Nelson
Introduction
Tennessee's Post-Bellum Political History, by M. Lee Smith
The Constitution, by Lewis Laska
The Institutionalization of the Tennessee Legislature, 1968-1997, by Thomas D. Ungs and Frank Essex
The Governorship, by David Carleton
The Changing Court System, by Thomas Van Dervort
Local Government and Politics, by David Kanervo
Turnout and Partisanship in Tennessee Elections, by Lilliard E. Richardson, Jr. and Grant W. Neeley
Women in Tennessee Politics, by Anne Sloan
African Americans in Tennessee: The Case of Memphis, by Marcus D. Pohlmann
Representing Tennessee in Congress, by Jim Cooper
Trends in Public Opinion, by John Scheb II, William Lyons, and Grant W. Neeley
Education in the Volunteer State, by Nancy Keese and James Huffman
The Tennessee Prison System, by Richard D. Chesteen
Finances of State Government, by Kelly D. Edmiston and Matthew Murray
State Policy, Global Economy, by Steven G. Livingston
Appendix: The State Constitution

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