Politics and Public Policy in Hawai'i

Book excerpt: Hawai'i is of special interest as a state because its history differs so greatly from that of the other United States and because its social and political institutions are unique. It is, for example, the only state that has no incorporated villages, towns, or cities, and it has the most centralized system of governance of any U. S. state. This book addresses policy topics of importance to Hawai'i and other communities facing rapid growth, unsettling change, and a new economic environment. The authors describe the policy formation process characteristic of the island state, the formal institutional environment, and significant policy issues. The latter include social and ethnic dynamics, land use, housing, crime, natural resources, budgetary politics, and the situation of contemporary Hawai'ians. The chapters are tied together by the comparative, historical, and prospective approach that characterize each analysis, and by the interpretive comments of editors Smith and Pratt.