The Outlier State: Alaska’s FY 2012 Budget
DOI 10.1515/cjpp-2012-0027 Calif. J. Politics Policy 2012; 4(3): 2–38 Research Article Jerry McBeath* and Tanya Buhler Corbin The Outlier State: Alaska’s FY 2012 Budget Abstract: This report discusses the Alaska economy in 2010 and 2011, reviews demographic and workforce changes, and surveys the 2010 primary and general election outcomes. It discusses state issues with federal connections, and then analyzes the FY 2012 budget process (the governor’s requested budgets and legi­slative responses extending into a special session. The state entered FY 2012 with a substantial budget surplus, unlike most other states. Keywords: Alaska Permanent Fund; natural gas pipe line; oil prices; petroleum production tax (ACES); redistricting *Corresponding author: Jerry McBeath, Department of Political Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756420, Fairbanks, AK, USA Tanya Buhler Corbin: Department of Political Science, Radford University, PO Box 6945, Radford, VA, USA 1 Introduction Alaska is a non-contiguous state of the American union. Certainly, it differs from all other American states in its revenue sources and expenditures. This paper describes the fiscal policy process explaining the Alaska FY 2012 budget plan, and covers the period from July 1, 2010 until the end of August, 2011. The report begins with a discussion of the state’s economy in 2010 and the first eight months of 2011, provides an overview of the demographic and workforce changes in the previous year, and then surveys the 2010 primary and general election outcomes. Next, we discuss the state issues with federal connections tracked in this report over the last dozen years. Central to this report is an analysis of the FY 2012 budget process, including the governor’s requested budget (operating, supplemental, and capital), legislative responses, and the extension of debate into two special sessions. A special section examines the main fiscal issue of the legislative session – Governor Parnell’s proposed reform of the state’s oil taxation regime. The report presents the final FY 2012 budget, with explanations of changes from the previous year. Alaska entered FY 2012 with a substantial budget surplus, unlike most of the other states. The plan for this year’s expenditures is positive, and no major
What Recession? Alaska's FY 2011 Budget
THE CALIFORNIA Journal of Politics & Policy Volume 3, Issue 1 What Recession? Alaska’s FY 2011 Budget Jerry McBeath University of Alaska Fairbanks Abstract This report treats factors explaining Alaska’s FY 2011 budget process and out- comes. It discusses the Alaska economy in 2009 and 2010 and some major issues affecting Alaska’s political system during this period (e.g., the natural gas pipeline and outer continental shelf (OCS) drilling). It introduces the governor’s budget requests, legislative responses, and the final operating, supplemental and capital budgets. Keywords: Alaska state budget, state fiscal policy, state taxes, state legislatures, oil revenues, Sarah Palin www.bepress.com/cjpp
THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND COLONIALISM: REASONS FOR AFRICA’S UNDERDEVELOPMENT?
It is probably an understatement to assert that Africa, the world’s second largest continent, is underdeveloped compared with other continents. Two major exogenous factors often cited for Africa’s development crisis are the so called ‘dual historical injustices’ – the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. It is often pointed out that while the former almost completely arrested and retarded Africa’s demographical growth for more than three centuries, evoked a perennial state of acrimony and warfare and created a tense and unprecedented atmosphere of insecurity which hindered economic activities and stifled local entrepreneurship and technological drive and dislocated Africa’s socio-economic and political structures and institutions; the latter tied African countries to the apron strings of western imperial powers thereby rendering the pre-conditions necessary for socio-economic and political transformation unachievable. This paper contends that while the history of Africa’s underdevelopment may be traceable to the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, African leaders had made enormous contributions to the continent’s underdevelopment and backwardness. The paper concludes that irresponsible and irresponsive leadership, vampirism and prodigality, corruption, lack of respect for democratic ideals, insecurity, endemic civil wars, nepotism, etc are the fundamental causes of Africa’s underdevelopment.