This book examines Alaska's character and the forces shaping it. Underlying their descriptions are the themes of independence, dependence, and the search for sustainable economic development.

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.

Lobbying is about getting the right message to the right people in the right form at the right time. Even the most persuasive arguments or most influential groups will come up short if they aren’t combined with personal connections and an understanding of human nature. How to Lobby Alaska State Government is a guide to the essentials of organizing and implementing a lobbying campaign in Alaska that recognizes how you lobby is as important as who you lobby. This book starts by helping new lobbyists to think politically, by explaining the structure and operation of state government, the psychology and needs of public officials, and where the power lies in Juneau—who’s got political clout. How to Lobby then moves into the nitty-gritty of a lobbying campaign. It covers the basics of group influence, campaign planning and management, the pros and cons of various group tactics, tips on face-to-face meetings, and the challenges of lobbying day-to-day. In addition to extensive guidance on what to do, this book also emphasizes the things to avoid that will undermine or eliminate a lobbyist’s chances of success. Pragmatic and portable, this book will be valuable to new and professional lobbyists both, and anyone looking for fresh perspectives on this important business.

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.

Includes notes.

Marvin W. Falk offers a systemic and select listing of just over 3,000 publications on the history of Alaska, published from the 18th century to early 2004. Early explorations were conducted by nationals from several nations, and the results were published in Russian, German, French, Spanish, and English. Many of these foreign language accounts have been published in translation and are included in the bibliography. This bibliography covers a wide span of Alaskan history including historical literature from: Discovery in 1741 The Russian period ending in 1867 The U.S. territorial period ending with statehood in 1959 The oil boom

Through an in-depth study of Alaskan indigenous communities, Jennings explores the relationship between land and education. He reveals how Euro-American institutions attempt to redefine indigenous understandings of land and spirituality to make them conform to those in the dominant society. The author proposes educational agendas that are components of native sovereignty, with their distinctive spiritual, intellectual, and material relationships to land. This book is valuable for educational policymakers, and instructors in education, anthropology and Native American studies.

Alaska has not evolved in a vacuum. It has been part of larger stories: the movement of Native peoples and their contact and accommodation to Western culture, the spread of European political economy to the New World, and the expansion of American capitalism and culture. Alaska, an American Colony focuses on Russian America and American Alaska, bringing the story of Alaska up to the present and exploring the continuing impact of Alaska Native claims settlements, the trans-Alaska pipeline, and the Alaska Lands Act. In contrast to the stereotype of Alaska as a place where rugged individualists triumph over the harsh environment, distinguished historian Stephen Haycox offers a less romantic, more complex history that emphasizes the broader national and international contexts of Alaska�s past and the similarities between Alaska and the American West. Covering cultural, political, economic, and environmental history, the book also includes an overview of the region�s geography and the anthropology of Alaska�s Native peoples. Throughout Alaska, an American Colony, Haycox stresses the continuing involvement of Alaska Natives in the state�s economic, political, and social life and development. He also explores the power of myth in historical representations of Alaska and the controlling influence of national perceptions of the region.

Providing expert analysis of government and politics in all 50 states and the U.S. territories, this innovative two-volume reference fills the critical need for information and analysis of the roles and functions of state government through accessible state-by-state and regional overviews of government and politics.