Fifty years ago, familiar images of the lottery would have been strange, as no state lottery existed then. Few researchers have uncovered the obscure role lotteries play in the changing composition of American taxation. Even less is known about what role race plays in this process. More than simply taxing those on the social margins, the emergence of state lotteries in contemporary American history represents something much more fundamental about state fiscal policy. This book not only uncovers the underlying racial factors that contextualize lottery proliferation in the U.S., but also reveals the racial consequences that lotteries have in terms of redistributing tax liability.

Intense media coverage of the public pension funding crisis continues to fuel heightened awareness in and debate over public pension benefits. With over $3 trillion in assets currently under management, the ramifications of poor oversight are severe. It is important that practitioners, researchers, and taxpayers be well-advised regarding any concer

Each state government produces large varieties and quantities of useful information that are largely unknown outside their state of origin. This book leads the public to the most useful information sources produced by each state, as well as to depository libraries that will facilitate more effective research. For each of the 50 states, important publications are detailed, along with information on how to obtain them. The publications' topics range from crime statistics to vital statistics, business statistics, health information, statistical abstracts, education directories, state budgets, economic indicators, state laws and legal information, and more. Tapping State Government Information Sources has a broader focus than previously published books in this subject area, most of which have focused solely on depository laws, useful state publications, or indexes to state publications. This book covers all three. The first chapter describes print and electronic sources that provide information about all 50 states. Each state's resources are then described in individual chapters. When possible, information about how to order a copy of the source is given, as are Web addresses for titles that are available online. At the beginning of each state chapter, the state's legal definition of public document or its equivalent is given, which may be of interest to librarians in states that are reexamining their own depository laws.