Description

---

Arizona has become a swing state in recent national elections, the source of controversial policies and policy proposals, and the home of well-known political personalities. In this new edition of Arizona Politics and Government, David R. Berman examines contemporary issues in a broad historical, comparative, and theoretical context to identify the mixture of ideas, activities, and events that have helped shape the essential character of the Arizona polity.

Beginning with an overview of continuities and changes in Arizona politics, Berman then discusses more specific topics such as immigration and water issues, cultural wars, political extremism, voting rights, and political reform, as well as intergovernmental relations, judicial elections, the place of rural Arizona and organized labor in state politics, and the state’s treatment of Natives, Mexican Americans, and African Americans. Above all Berman considers the values, beliefs, and behavioral patterns reflected in the state’s political life that have fueled Arizonans’ quests for autonomy, democracy, and development.
 

About the Author

---

David R. Berman is professor emeritus of political science at the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University. He is the author of many books, including Local Government and the States: Autonomy, Politics, and Policy and Governors and the Progressive Movement.
 

Praise For…

---

“Among all the books I’ve read about Arizona history and politics, there is nothing that matches this one in scope and depth. The range of topics—and the author’s mastery of each of them—should make the book a ‘must’ for a wide array of scholars, attorneys and judges, city managers, politicians, nonprofit directors, etc.”—Daniel J. Herman, author of Hell on the Range: A Story of Honor, Conscience, and the American West

“David Berman has an unmatched knowledge of the breadth of Arizona politics and government, both historical and contemporary. He understands the range of structural elements of Arizona’s government, its election patterns, and its interest and cultural groups. . . . Of particular use and insight is his coverage of reforming the election system.”—Philip VanderMeer, author of Burton Barr: Political Leadership and the Transformation of Arizona