Power, Constraint, and Policy Change

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.

• List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgments1. IntroductionThe Fight over FundingA Brief History of Public EducationThe Funding Disparity and the Turn to Court-Ordered SolutionsWhy Courts? A Theory of Policy Change through State CourtsWaves of Finance ReformPlan of the Book2. Why Courts?Introduction: Politics, Law, and Education Finance ReformThe Political EnvironmentHypothesesDataModels, Methodology, and ResultsConclusion: Predicting the Institutional Agent of Court-Ordered Finance Reform3. Citation Patterns in Education Finance PolicyIntroductionVertical Citations and the Power of PrecedentHorizontal Citations and PersuasivenessHypotheses: State Supreme Courts Shaping Education Finance ReformData and MethodsResults4. When Citations Are Not EnoughIntroductionWhat Else MattersTesting the Limits of Citations: Data and MethodsResultsDiscussion and Conclusion5. Policy Diffusion through CourtsIntroduction: Do as I Do, Not as I SayPolicy Diffusion in the StatesDiffusion and Emulation of Court-Ordered EducationFinance ReformPolitical, Institutional, and Legal Factors Influencing EmulationData, Method, and ModelResultsDiscussion6. Conclusion—How State Courts Move and Change PolicyLaw, Politics, and Policy FormationEmpirical FindingsWhat We KnowWhat We Want to KnowNotesReferencesIndex