Alaska Politics and Public Policy

The Dynamics of Beliefs, Institutions, Personalities, and Power

Thomas Clive S.

Politics in Alaska have changed significantly since the last major book on the subject was published more than twenty years ago, with the rise and fall of Sarah Palin and the rise and fall of oil prices being but two of the many developments to alter the political landscape. This book, the most comprehensive on the subject to date, focuses on the question of how beliefs, institutions, personalities, and power interact to shape Alaska politics and public policy. Drawing on these interactions, the contributors explain how and why certain issues get dealt with successfully and others unsuccessfully, and why some issues are taken up quickly while others are not addressed at all. This comprehensive guide to the political climate of Alaska will be essential to anyone studying the politics of America's largest – and in some ways most unusual – state.

About the Author

Clive S. Thomas taught political science for thirty years at the University of Alaska in Juneau. In 1988, he established the Alaska Universities Legislative Internship Program, which he ran for twenty-five years. He is now a senior fellow at the Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University.

Back to the list of books