ABSTRACT
Under the US federal system, state and local governments have the responsibility for providing their citizens with access to many of the most important ingredients of civilised life. Citizens of the United States depend on their state and local governments for the education of their children, the cleaning of their streets, the protection of their persons and property from fire and crime, and many other services essential to health and happiness. Improvement in the quality of these services is needed to achieve a rising standard of living.
