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Contents -- Tables, Maps, and Figures -- Preface to the Second Edition -- Acknowledgments -- 1. The Past in the Present -- 2. Some Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Political Explanations -- 3. Traditional Politics and Its Transformation -- 4. Contemporary Political Patterns -- 5. Dealigned Voters and Disadvantaged Political Parties in Contemporary Arkansas -- 6. The Influence of Interest Groups -- 7. The Constitution: Provisions and Politics -- 8. The Power and Politics of the Executive Branch -- 9. The Power and Politics of the Legislative Branch -- 10. The Power and Politics of the Judicial Branch -- 11. Arkansas in the Federal System: Cooperation and Conflict -- 12. Politics at the Grassroots: How Democratic? -- 13. The Politics of State Services -- 14. Continuity and Change in Arkansas Politics -- 15. For the Future: Suggested Sources -- Notes -- Index

"The revised 2nd edition of this successful textbook explores Japanese politics in the postwar era from theoretical and comparative perspectives. After providing historical context, it offers an in-depth exploration of postwar political institutions, political reform in the 1990s, the policymaking process, and the politics of economic growth and stagnation. By delving into Japan's international relations, the book sheds light on Japan's security and foreign policies, and Japan's role in Asia. The textbook concludes by addressing what has changed since party alternation in 2009, the triple disaster in March 2011 and the global Covid pandemic. Themes and questions addressed throughout the text include: - How and why did Japan modernize so successfully when so many other countries fell prey to colonialism and authoritarianism? - What explains the Japanese economic miracle and its subsequent economic stagnation? - What accounts for Japan's successful democratization? - In the international realm, why has Japan achieved economic superpower status without achieving political superpower status? - What is the future trajectory of Japanese politics? Connecting Japan to larger themes in comparative politics and linking Japan's history, institutions, policymaking process, and international relations to experiences and structures in other countries, this book is essential reading for students of Japanese or Asian Politics"--

West Virginia Politics and Government offers the only recent study of politics in the Mountain State. Combining new empirical information about political behavior with a close examination of the capacity of the state's government, this second edition is a comprehensive and pointed study of the ability of the state's government to respond to the needs of a largely rural and relatively low-income population. The authors discuss public demands on state government, the shaping of the political agenda by interest groups, elections and the role of political parties, and the influence of the federal.