Dr. Paula A. Holoviak, professor of Philosophy and Government at Kutztown University, has been published by Penn State University Press with coauthor Thomas J. Baldino for “Pennsylvania Government and Politics: Understanding Public Policy in the Keystone State.” It is now available online and in bookstores.
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the Keystone State’s formal and informal political institutions and players, past and present, and elucidates the place each holds in governing the commonwealth today. Covering a period of more than 300 years, this volume presents a clear and succinct overview of:
- the commonwealth’s political history, culture, and geography;
- interactions between officeholders, civil servants, special interest groups, and the media;
- policy development and implementation;
- how laws are created, enacted, and enforced;
- hierarchy and interaction among state, county, local, and special district government bodies and officials;
- tax collection and disbursement; and
- the political upheaval in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.
Featuring practical appendixes and interviews with current and past officeholders, bureaucrats, party leaders, and political journalists, this astute and informative book is an indispensable tool for understanding politics in the Keystone State.
Holoviak has served as professor and graduate coordinator of the Master of Public Administration program at Kutztown University for 30 years. She has taught courses in state and local government, public policy, and public administration. She specializes in economic and community development in rural Pennsylvania, and she has published numerous research studies in collaboration with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. She has also authored several articles on Pennsylvania government and politics.
To order, visit https://www.psupress.org/.
