Pennsylvania Government and Politics

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 three hundred years, this volume presents a clear and succinct overview of

• the commonwealth’s political history, culture, and geography;

• interactions between office holders, 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 office holders, bureaucrats, party leaders, and political journalists, this astute and informative book is an indispensable tool for understanding politics in the Keystone State.

“This book is an excellent text that one can use for personal growth. It can also help laypeople develop reasonable expectations of their political leaders.”—Pennsylvania Magazine

Thomas J. Baldino taught courses in American politics and governmental institutions for more than forty years, retiring as Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Wilkes University. He coauthored three books on voting behavior, campaigns, and elections, as well as articles and papers on Pennsylvania state and local politics.

Paula A. Duda Holoviak has been Professor and Graduate Coordinator of the Master of Public Administration program at Kutztown University for thirty 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.

Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Pennsylvania History

Chapter 2: Pennsylvania’s Political Culture and Political Geography

Chapter 3: Elections, Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media

Chapter 4: The Legislative Branch: The General Assembly

Chapter 5: The Governor

Chapter 6: The Executive Branch

Chapter 7: The Judicial Branch: Judges, the Law, and Pennsylvania’s Court System

Chapter 8: Pennsylvania and the Federal System

Chapter 9: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: State Government Relations with Its Counties, Local Governments, and Special Districts

Chapter 10: Pennsylvania Politics in the Time of a Pandemic and a Presidential Election

Appendix A: People Interviewed

Appendix B: Statewide Election Results, 1932–2020

Appendix C: Legal Actions Filed in State and Federal Courts Related to the Pandemic and 2020 Presidential Election

Appendix D: Pandemic-Related Actions of the General Assembly

Appendix E: Election-Related Actions of the General Assembly

Appendix F: Election-and Pandemic-Related Actions of the Executive Branch

Index

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Introduction

Pennsylvania & the Mid-Atlantic

Political Science

           American Politics