"American Intergovernmental Relations," a collection of 41 readings, deals with a variety of questions relating to the challenges of a network of more than 80,000 governments - including federal, state, county, municipal, and special-district units - functioning effectively. The nature of federalism, the roles played by public interest lobbying groups, the politics and economics of various grants and revenue sharing programs, the cities' experiences in implementing programs, the impact of changing administrations and policy goals, and the trend toward contracting out of public services are some of the topics presented. The articles offer students a firm grounding in the fundamental arrangements of the intergovernmental system, as well as the opportunity to explore contemporary issues.