This volume offers both historical and contemporary perspectives on the office of the governor, covering all 50 states and providing a comprehensive examination of the executive branch at the state level. One of three titles in ABC-CLIO's About State Government set, this work offers comprehensive coverage of contemporary American politics at the state level. It explores the critical roles played by the governorship and state-level bureaucracies—both in managing the state's business and as a component of the overall national system of government. Written by some of the nation's foremost authorities on state politics, The Executive Branch of State Government chronicles the evolution of the state-level executive apparatus from colonial times to the present, emphasizing its current importance on the local and national political stage. Chapters examine the structure and function of the governorship and state agencies, the people who serve as governor and in those agencies, and the multitude of forces that impact their work. A separate chapter examines the particular characteristics of executive branches state by state.