Amazon.com description: Product Description: Federal-state relations remain contentious as states continue to face stark choices over funding and public services seven years after the start of a recession that's been slow to end. The worst of the economic hardships appear to have passed, but state and local budgets continue to be tight. The new edition of Governing States and Localities continues its focus on economic and budget pressures as they play an important role in the issues facing states and localities concerned with charting a path for the future.