Central / national / federal government policies Books

Book SynopsisThe COVID-19 pandemic is the first time that many of the UK population, including its national politicians, have become aware of the practical dimensions of devolution to its four nations through the delivery of support to those affected by the virus. Part of the COVID Collection, this topical book explores how the public perception of the decentralized governments has changed during the pandemic and uses case studies to discuss the actions taken by central government to undermine the devolution settlement. Assessing the role of local government in supporting communities despite cuts from central government, it makes a vital contribution to the debate on the future options for the UK within the context of Brexit and what follows.Table of ContentsDevolution in the UK: The Twin Challenges of Brexit and COVID-19 Central Government, Brexit and COVID-19: Centralisation Through Privatisation? The Role of the Devolved Nations in Meeting COVID-19 Getting to the Local: Managing the Pandemic in Practice COVID-19 and a UK Unitary State Post Brexit?

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Book SynopsisRichard J. Baum is Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. He served as Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Executive Director of the President's Opioid Commission (2017-2018) during his 28 years working at the agency. Baum is also a former Congressional staffer, NGO executive, and journalist. He has earned degrees in Government, National Security, and Public Administration. Raised in New York City, Baum has two adult children and resides with his wife Linda in Falls Church, Virginia.

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Book SynopsisFew things are more precious in a democratic society than individual freedom, and few things are easier to take for granted. In this timely, provocative essay, Philip Slayton argues that Canada, in ways large and small, is frittering away the liberties on which a free and open society depends.We give too much power to our politicians and unelected judges. We paper over our divisions and stifle voices that challenge conventional wisdom. We tolerate inaction on the most pressing issues of the day. It is time, writes Slayton, for Canadians to throw off their self-imposed chains, to stand up and fight for what we believe in before we lose our ability to do soa prospect, he warns, that is far more likely than we realize.

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Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com and the Washington Post Three years ago, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges and award-winning cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco set out to take a look at the sacrifice zones, those areas in America that have been offered up for exploitation in the name of profit, progress, and technological advancement. They wanted to show in words and drawings what life looks like in places where the marketplace rules without constraints, where human beings and the natural world are used and then discarded to maximize profit. Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is the searing account of their travels.Trade Review"Sacco's sections are uniformly brilliant. The tone is controlled, the writing smart, the narration neutral... This is an important book." --New York Times Book Review "An unabashedly polemic, angry manifesto that is certain to open eyes, intensify outrage and incite argument about corporate greed... Through immersion reportage and graphic narrative, the duo illuminate the human and environmental devastation in those communities, with the warning that no one is immune... A call for a new American revolution, passionately proclaimed." --Kirkus (Starred Review) "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is a journey through contemporary American misery and what can be done to change the course, interpreted through the eyes of two of today's most relevant literary journalists... The graphics illustrate what words alone cannot, capturing a past as it's told, where there's no longer anything left to photograph." --Asbury Park Press "[T]he radical disjunction between how Hedges and Sacco approach their subjects is fascinating and instructive. Hedges is at ease with the grand, sweeping Howard Zinn--moments of matchbook history... And if sweeping, historical connect-the-dots is your cup of tea, then you will find Hedges deeply moving. But if, like Sacco, you distrust all history that does not have a face, a name, and a voice behind it, you will find more to call you to action in the voices that speak from the decimated landscapes of America's deepest poverty, which we (like Dickens's "telescopic philanthropists") know even less well than we do the sufferings of peoples halfway around the world. Together, Sacco and Hedges might just have created a form that can speak across divides unbridgeable without the supplement of graphic narrative." --Public Books "...a bleak, fist-shaking look at the effects of global capitalism in the United States." --Joe Gross, Austin American-Statesman "This is a book that should warm the hearts of political activists such as Naomi Klein or the nonagenerian Pete Seeger. And cause apoplexy among the Tea Party and its fellow travellers... Sure, it's a polemic, but it's a polemic with a human face." --Globe and Mail (Canada) "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is a harrowing account of the exploited American underclass... It is their stories that shape Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt to be a mesmeric indictment of an America that has failed its populace... From the title alone it is evident that neither Hedges nor Sacco remain objective or shy away from the palpable condemnation of capitalism and the American government. Regardless, they develop an accurate account of the despondency that plagues and divides American culture. This is an imperative read in an era where widespread economic depression and grief reign supreme... Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is powerful and remarkable, arguably one of the best publications of the year." --PopMatters.com "This is an important book." --Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) "It is a fascinating journey... This book hit me in the gut. It will move you to engage in battle." --Ed Garvey "This searing indictment of our unsustainable society is unsettling. To keep our chance for dignity, we must do our part to champion the organizers and whistleblowers, committee members and protesters. Amen. Pass the word." --Brooklyn Rail "[H]arrowing descriptions... Hedges tells the story, not only of the people but of the town, and despite the differences in setting, certain similarities show through: poverty, addiction, violence; but more than that, a long series of broken promises and mounting despair. Sacco illustrates these chapters with his distinctive, careful line drawings... [A]n excellent piece of journalism -- engaging, troubling, and in its own way, beautiful." --TowardFreedom.com "As quixotic as the quest may seem, Days of Destruction brings the rhetoric and the reality into a nobler focus after a very disturbing tour." --The Star-Ledger (New Jersey) "It's rare that a book carries so much courage and conviction, forcing reflection and an urge to immediately rectify the problems." --Bookslut "A powerful social and political exploration." --Midwest Book Review/California Bookwatch "[Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt] is, without question, the most profoundly disquieting (and downright shocking) portrait of modern America in recent years, and one that is essential reading for anyone wanting to comprehend the quotidian struggle of what sociologists called 'the underclass'. To describe the book as Dickensian in its horror-show reports of frontline industrial decrepitude and socio-economic dysfunction is to engage in understatement... Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is unapologetically combative and profoundly J'accuse. And though many a conservative think-tanker could try to punch holes in its arguments no one can remain unmoved or unsettled by its brilliantly documented reportage from the precipice of a society that prefers to turn a blind eye to its nightmarish underside." --The Times (Saturday Review) "[B]rilliant combination of prose and graphic comics." --Ralph Nader "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt (Nation) is as moving a portrait of poverty and as compelling a call to action as Michael Harrington's 'The Other America,' published in 1962." --Boston Globe "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is a gripping and thoroughly researched polemic." --Grantland "[R]ead Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt to know what is happening in this country." --Caffeinated Muslim "... a scorching look at communities burned out not by foreign bombs but by American capitalism." --The Stranger (Seattle) "When their narrative culminates in Zucotti Park, readers will feel just as outraged as the protesters portrayed on the page." --Barnes and Noble Review "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt examines how corruption and greed have shaped the history of the United States in an unfortunate way... This is an excellent book for those who actually need a reason to revolt, and should be read by anyone seeking public office." --San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review "Be prepared for an emotional experience without a happy ending. Be prepared to be defensive. Be prepared to be angry. Be prepared to be ashamed... [T]he book is accompanied by sections that are a graphic novel approach to the individual stories of the real people interviewed in these zones of despair. What is so overpowering, and discussable, in these biographies is that they read as much like a confessional as they do a history... Can there be anything more important to discuss?" --Book Group Buzz, Booklist Online "This is indeed an extraordinary, must read book." --OpEdNews.com

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Book SynopsisThe subject of numerous biographies and history books, Winston Churchill has been repeatedly voted as one of the greatest of Englishmen. Even today, Boris Johnson in his failing attempts to be magisterial, has adopted many of his hero's mannerism! And, as Tariq Ali agrees, Churchill was undoubtedly right in 1940-41 to refuse to capitulate to fascism. However, he was also one of the staunchest defenders of empire and of Britain's imperial doctrine. In this coruscating biography, Tariq Ali challenges Churchill's vaulted record. Throughout his long career as journalist, adventurer, MP, military leader, statesman, and historian, nationalist self belief influenced Churchill's every step, with catastrophic effects. As a young man he rode into battle in South Africa, Sudan and India in order to maintain the Imperial order. As a minister during the first World War, he was responsible for a series of calamitous errors that cost thousands of lives. His attempt to crush the Irish nationalists left scars that have not yet healed. Despite his record as a defender of his homeland during the Second World War, he was willing to sacrifice more distant domains. Singapore fell due to his hubris. Over 3 Millions Bengalis starved in 1943 as a consequence of his policies. As a peace time leader, even as the Empire was starting to crumble, Churchill never questioned his imperial philosophy as he became one of the architects of the postwar world we live in today.Trade ReviewIn Ali's telling, which draws on more honest existing historical scholarship than most popular biographies of Churchill, the two-times prime minister emerges not so much as deeply racist - some of his contemporaries remarked on it in shock - as profoundly authoritarian, with a soft spot for fascist strongmen, and a hostility to working-class assertion. -- Priyamvada Gopal * Prospect *For Tariq Ali, Churchill debunking, like Churchill worship, is a political act. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *Ali portrays Churchill as cruel, incompetent and blinded by prejudice * Spectator *A Marxist insult to history. -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *A powerful corrective...shining a light on the nasty parts of the Churchill story that his supporters conveniently ignore. This book is an unreserved polemic against the man usually celebrated for standing up to Hitler -- Martin Chilton * Independent *An essential antidote to the Churchill myth...This book could not be more timely. -- Lindsey German * Counterfire *A counter to popular mythology; an effort to peel back the curtain of propaganda and locate truth ... a worthy contribution in a crowded field -- Labour Hub * Talal Hangari *[Ali] seeks not so much to flush WC down the toilet of history, but to reassign him to his rightful place as one of history's most over-rated figures ... [a] highly readable book -- Donald Sassoon * Political Quarterly *The important thing about Ali's book, even after a thousand on the same subject, is that it is primarily interested in Churchill's years in service to British imperialism, and only secondarily interested in World War II, inverting the usual balance...a vital corrective. -- Alex Skopic * Current Affairs *Ali's book is a helpful corrective to the cult of Churchill that has come to dominate British culture. His study makes one thing clear: there is ultimately no path to a socialist and internationalist future without challenging this legacy. -- Liam Kennedy * Jacobin *Ali's examination remains an important corrective to the hagiographic praise that Churchill receives to this day. -- Andrew Moravcsik * Foreign Affairs *Ali has produced a searing critique full of little known detail, of a long and powerful British life which did untold damage at home and abroad. -- Victoria Brittain * Review of African Political Economy *

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Book SynopsisIn a public-private partnership, or P3, a private, for-profit corporation assumes control over the design, construction, financing and operation of public infrastructure and services. P3s have been used in Canada since the early 1990s, but they are now so common that they have become the standard way in which multimillion-dollar projects and services are delivered across the country. There are now more than two hundred P3 projects in this country, with contract lengths from twenty to ninety-nine years.The problem? P3s fundamentally transform public infrastructure, public services, labour relations, public sectors and the everyday lives of Canadians. While contracting out services is supposed to save money, P3s often cost more in the long run and are host to poor working conditions and confidentiality and accountability issues. And in the end, it is us, the public, who foots the bill for these increasing costs, essentially subsidizing corporate investments for services that our governments used to provide.

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Book SynopsisProviding a sociological analysis of the policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, this study places particular analytical emphasis on the interplay between powerful structural interests and the influence on the development of COVID-19 policy. Considering a range of actors, (including the government, scientific experts and the medical profession, the media, and the public) and the nature of their relationships with one another, the authors identify the key sociological aspects that have shaped, facilitated, challenged, or constrained COVID-19 policy in England. Drawing on published documentary material, the authors first examine government attempts to contain, delay, mitigate and suppress the spread of the coronavirus with non-pharmaceutical interventions in the absence of a vaccine (during the first wave) and then whilst vaccines were being gradually rolled out (during the second wave and third waves). The focus then shifts on to vaccination policy and the actors central in the design and implementation of the vaccination programme in England. The approach taken to the funding, development, and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines is also explored and furthermore considers vaccine coverage, vaccine passports, and vaccine nationalism. The authors conclude with a discussion of the overall impact of COVID-19 policy on health and between socio-economic groups and with reflections on the sociologies of pandemics and COVID-19. This book will appeal and be accessible both to policymakers and health service managers and to those studying for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the social, medical, and public health sciences. Table of ContentsChapter 1. Situating and Conceptualising Pandemics and Power Chapter 2. Stopping the Spread Chapter 3. The Vaccination Programme Chapter 4. Assessing Power and the Policy Response

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Book Synopsis***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***A Times and Telegraph Book of the Year'Shocking, scathing, entertaining.' Guardian 'Incredibly compelling.' The Times'Heart-breaking.' Sunday TimesWhere can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow?Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Service. Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP Wandsworth, one of the largest and most dysfunctional prisons in Europe.With a cast of characters ranging from wily drug dealers to senior officials bent on endless reform, this powerful memoir uncovers the horrifying reality behind the locked gates. Filled with dark humour and shocking stories, A Bit of a Stretch reveals why our creaking prison system is sorely costing us all - and why you should care.Trade ReviewShocking, scathing, entertaining... If you thought you knew how bad British prisons are, you haven't read this book... It's an inside story to make you weep at the incompetence, stupidity and viciousness of the current system. * Guardian *An incredibly compelling account, not just because of Atkins' incongruity and his knack for black, observational humour, but because it lays bare a system that has become utterly dysfunctional. Atkins is thrust into the heart of Britain's prison crisis and can never quite believe what he is seeing. It's a sort of Kafkaesque haplessness. A bleak catalogue of absurdity. * The Times *Surreal, darkly funny, at times horrifying but always humane account of what it's like to be locked up. * Observer *A soul-searching account... A pacy memoir which is imbued with a dark humour... heartbreaking. [Atkins is] honest enough to have left in the parts that would make his mother wince. * Sunday Times *A razor-sharp and darkly funny memoir... * Spectator *A highly readable and thought-provoking account, which illuminates a failing and anachronistic institution in dire need of a radical overhaul. * Daily Mail *Powerful... a dispassionate record of the grinding down of the human soul, deliberate hopelessness, insane and moribund bureaucracy, the whims of bullying guards, roll calls, curses, kicks and punches. * Roger Lewis, The Telegraph *Terrifically vivid... what makes the book so riveting is that Atkins takes us behind the statistics to show us prison life in all its chaotic, sometimes surreal weirdness. * Reader's Digest *A Bit of a Stretch shows a system in chaos, as guards struggle to deal with mentally ill, poorly educated men housed in decaying old buildings. It is also, in places, very funny. * Helen Lewis, The Atlantic *Heartbreaking and hilarious. * Christie Watson – bestselling author of The Language of Kindness *An entertaining memoir, but also an indictment of our creaking, underfunded prison system. * The Times *Atkins's shocking yet entertaining diary of his time behind bars is a must-read. * Independent *Powerful and highly readable. * Peter Dawson – Director of the Prison Reform Trust and former prison governor *Funny, shocking and powerful. * The Secret Barrister *Gripping, warm and empathetic. Atkins exposes the shocking gap between what politicians claim about prison and the humiliating reality. You'll roar with laughter before turning to deep despair. * Isabel Hardman – author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians *Fabulous. Candid, funny and never self-pitying, this is a must-read insight into why prison simply doesn't work. * Jon Snow – presenter, Channel 4 News *Shocking, funny, and very moving. * Mark Thomas – comedian *Absolutely extraordinary. Heartbreaking without being self-pitying, shocking without being gratuitous and, of course, very, very funny. * John Niven – novelist and screenwriter *Harrowing... required reading for anybody concerned with what entitles a society to call itself civilised. * Law Gazette *Honest and authentic. Atkins perfectly captures the madness, hope and despair of prison. Please read this. * Professor David Wilson – founding Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University and former prison governor *An important, urgent and entertaining memoir. It made me laugh, cry my eyes out and think hard, not only about forgiveness, but about love and life in general. An essential read. * Sathnam Sanghera – bestselling author of The Boy with the Topknot *Table of Contents0: Introduction 1: Trauma and Toothpaste 2: Lockdowns and Love Actually 3: Showers and Slips 4: Goodfellas and Goldilocks 5: Biohazard and Back Rubs 6: Suicide and Sellotape 7: Spinsters and Spiceheads 8: Murder and Mutiny 9: Courtrooms and Cheeseburgers 10: Despair and Dancing Queen 11: Paedophiles and Prizes 12: Epilogue

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Book SynopsisTo be working-class in a middle-class world is to be a ghost. Excluded, marginalised, and subjected to violence, the working class is also deemed by those in power to not exist. We are left with a choice between assimilation into middle-class values and culture, leaving our working-class origins behind, or total annihilation. In The Melancholia of Class, Cynthia Cruz analyses how this choice between assimilation or annihilation has played out in the lives of working-class musicians, artists, writers, and filmmakers — including Amy Winehouse, Ian Curtis, Jason Molina, Barbara Loden, and many more — and the resultant Freudian melancholia that ensues when the working-class subject leaves their origins to “become someone,” only to find that they lose themselves in the process. Part memoir, part cultural theory, and part polemic, The Melancholia of Class shows us how we can resist assimilation, uplifting and carrying our working-class origins and communities with us, as we break the barriers of the middle-class world. There are so many of us, all of us waiting. If we came together, who knows what we could do.Trade Review"This is a vital book, deeply personal and charged with the kind of wisdom and solidarity that only belongs to those who understand what it feels like to be overlooked and left behind.""An unprecedented reckoning with class and poverty as it relates to creative life in the modern age. Cruz forges a merciful new footing to state what's long overdue: that many of us have been dying while we write, and that the sorrow of surviving poverty, if at all, is a grief finally named in this courageous and deeply true work."

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Book SynopsisThe book studies the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy and the country's response to policies. It examines various aspects of national macroeconomic operations, industrial shocks, changes in financial markets, regional economic order, public governance challenges. It also analyzes changes in the world economy while integrating economic, financial, industrial, and environmental disciplines.At the macro level, the book emphasizes counter-cyclical responses, with an emphasis on comprehensive measures and precise efforts. It highlights differentiated development strategies for industries and promotes structural adjustment and supply-side reform. At the micro-level, the book emphasizes enterprises' resumption of work and production and supply chain management. The book promotes the concept of integration, stressing that China's economy was and is sufficiently resilient and the importance of maintaining and improving public confidence. At the same time, it attaches importance to prescribing the correct remedies for shortcomings, strengthening weaknesses, confronting the obstacles and difficulties in economic development, and restoring social order. The studies are not restricted to the facts but also focus on transforming and upgrading a modernized socialist economy and governance in the long term.

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Book SynopsisThe current model of economic expansion driven by fossil fuels is unsustainable, leading many to toy with the idea of ditching growth to save the planet. But, as Alessio Terzi argues, a post-growth world would be prone to catastrophes no less serious than climate change itself. Luckily, with the right policies, growth can be made earth-friendly.Trade ReviewCalls for an energy transition that doesn’t reject growth but does involve more government support, international coordination and social cohesion to ensure nobody gets left behind. -- Lionel Laurent * Bloomberg *[This book] shows what is at stake in the debate surrounding the relationship between the economic system and the environment. Policymakers and those working in environmental sociology and economics will find this book particularly fruitful. -- Yusuf Murteza * LSE Review of Books *Terzi persuasively demonstrates an idealistic argument that the capitalist growth imperative, or market expansion, can be harnessed for good, with the support of governments, international coordination and social cohesion…A welcome addition to the debate on the future of capitalism. -- Kate O'Reilly * International Affairs *This is an essential book for the students, professionals, and people engaged in the debate around green growth in the context of rising climate-led extreme events…Path-breaking. -- Anjal Prakash * Economic & Political Weekly *Growth for Good is a thought-provoking state-of-the-art depiction of the cleavages between our economic model, society and the fight against climate change. With his clear and concise analysis, Terzi makes a refreshingly holistic but pragmatic contribution to a debate that is riddled with normative and idealistic theories. Even more importantly, the book provides a tangible agenda for how governments, businesses and citizens can work together to transform capitalism into a force for good. -- Lucas Resenda Carvalho * Progressive Post *Are capitalism and economic growth the source of humanity’s most pressing problems—climate change in particular—or the solution? Whichever way you come out on this question, this book will be a revelation. Terzi’s optimistic and compelling message is that a green and more equitable future is possible, but only if we remake capitalism as we know it. -- Dani Rodrik, author of The Globalization ParadoxThis important book takes the reader on a journey through economic history to conclude that people, planet, and prosperity are not only compatible—they are inseparable. A must-read for policymakers, and anyone interested in fighting climate change. -- Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy and former Prime Minister of ItalyThis book is an extremely readable guide as to both why we need to treat climate change so much more seriously as well as why such a path might deliver better sustainable and fairer economic growth. -- Jim O’Neill, Member of the House of Lords of the United KingdomA spirited defense (against degrowthers) of the need for growth…Growth for Good does an excellent job of pointing out the silences and the inconsistencies in degrowth arguments. -- Diane Coyle * Enlightened Economist *Terzi thoughtfully engages with the ‘degrowth movement’…Although he acknowledges the urgent need to attend to climate change and income inequality, he makes the case that only the resources made available by an expanding market economy will suffice to address these problems. -- Barry Eichengreen * Foreign Affairs *Growth for Good is thought-provoking and important, and builds a compelling case by linking the literature on economic growth, inequality, and climate change. I hope this book reaches the hands of economic advisors of key politicians and persuades them to embrace the future. -- Roger Fouquet, editor of Handbook on Green GrowthDrawing knowledge from economic history and beyond, Alessio Terzi passionately argues that economic growth can and should be made compatible with a greener future for our planet and that capitalism can become a precious ally to this end. A must-read. -- Sascha O. Becker, Monash University

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Book SynopsisMoore's classic Creating Public Value offered advice to managers about how to create public value, but left unresolved the question how one could recognize when public value had been created. Here, he closes the gap by helping public managers name, observe, and count the value they produce and sustain or increase public value into the future.Trade ReviewThe idea that public managers should operate more like business managers gained momentum in the 1980s, and it continues today. Many reformers and politicians insist that managers should identify the 'customers' for public services and measure agency performance. Moore's new book examines the difficulties in applying this approach to public services, particularly with respect to performance measurement. He argues that private sector methods do not measure the 'public value' created by a wide range of state and local agencies...His case studies demonstrate that it is possible for public managers to incorporate helpful elements of private sector performance measurement, but that it is essential to recognize the special nature of the public value created by public service agencies. -- M. E. Ethridge * Choice *

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Book SynopsisIn an era when immigration on a global scale defines the fears and aspirations of Americans, Restoring America’s Dignity presents the complexities of migration through the stories of families fleeing violence and poverty, the government and nongovernmental organizations helping or hindering their progress, and the American communities receiving them. Ali Noorani, who has spent years building bridges between immigrants and their often conservative communities, takes readers along to Honduras, Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, and Texas, meeting migrants and the organizations and people that help them on both sides of the border, reporting from the inside on why families make the heart-wrenching decision to leave home. Going beyond the polemical, partisan debate, Noorani offers sensitive insights and real solutions. Urgently needed, Restoring America’s Dignity will appeal to a broad audience of concerned citizens across the political spectrum, faith communities, policymakers, and immigrants themselves.

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Book SynopsisThe Earthshot concept is simple: Urgency + Optimism = Action. We have ten years to turn the tide on the environmental crisis, but we need the world's best solutions and one shared goal - to save our planet.It's not too late, but we need collective action now. The Earthshots are unifying, ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for all of us, for the rest of life on Earth, and for generations to come.They are to:· Protect and Restore Nature· Clean our Air· Revive our Oceans· Build a Waste-Free World· Fix our ClimateEARTHSHOT: HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET is the first definitive book about how these goals can tackle the environmental crisis, from rainforests to coral reefs, via wilderness, cities and in our own homes. It is a critical contribution to the most important story of the decade.

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Book SynopsisHELPING THE GOOD DO BETTER pulls back the curtain on the corridors of power in Washington to reveal how social change really happens. This book offers lessons from the trenches on how some of this generation's most defining social issues-AIDS, disabilities, global poverty, cancer, human trafficking, national service, early childhood education, and social entrepreneurship -- engendered landmark federal policies. Each chapter tells the story of how a particular issue was shaped by the movements and legislation at the center of public debate. Each case provides powerful lessons about how coalitions are built, strategies crafted, and powerful interests challenged in high-stakes, no-holds-barred political battles. Doing good requires more than just providing programs and services. It requires coordination, organization, and a new, stronger emphasis on and dedication to advocacy. Participating in advocacy is no longer a luxury -- it is a necessity. Visionaries and activists together with "white hat" lobbyists -- people who understand the power of politics and who are able to put it to work to serve the public interest -- have won some of the most transformative policy fights in recent times. The culmination of those experiences, of fighting and winning on behalf of public interest causes, is presented here in a new theory for social change. Successful campaigns and movements must possess a lobbyist's combined approach to policy, politics, and press. Leveraging these 3 Ps, with true passion and discipline, can create results that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. An insightful first-person guide to advocacy by a white-hat lobbyist who was in the rooms where historic social changes were made, HELPING THE GOOD DO BETTER is a direct and honest look at government in action and the behind-the-scenes players who help make progress a reality.

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Book SynopsisThis study is among the first in Canada to document the transformation of municipal governance and public services from Keynesian to neoliberal public policy at the urban scale. Focusing on the neoliberal transformation of cites in Ontario from 1954 to 2014, with special attention to Toronto, it begins with a theoretical analysis of the remaking of municipal public finances and intergovernmental transfers, exposing the social and political causes of urban fiscal crises. This study makes the case that cities have been underfinanced, which has led to a deterioration of public services based on the contention that they are unaffordable. Reductions to employee compensation have been a stated aim of municipal austerity. Megacity Malaise analyzes the interactions and strategies used by civic workers and community groups as they struggle to understand and respond to demands for concessions. Focusing on two major Toronto strikes (by CUPE locals 79 and 416), it puts forward a range of evidence-based social policy alternatives to austerity, drawing attention to labour-community coalitions as the most effective strategy for building resistance against neoliberalism. As headquarters to Canada s largest financial institutions, local government, employment centre and municipal unions, Toronto provides a vivid setting for studying municipal restructuring. Fanelli s analysis is grounded in critical political economy and informed by his decade-long experiences as a Toronto civic worker and municipal unionist. Rigorous intellectual analysis is combined with municipal employee interviews and participant observation, providing a unique methodological approach to examining the socio-political struggles in Toronto and connecting them to municipalities across Ontario and beyond."

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Book SynopsisIn More Harm Than Good, Carter, Boyd and MacPherson take a critical look at the current state of Canadian drug policy and raise key questions about the effects of Canada s increasing involvement in and commitment to the war on drugs. A primer on Canadian drug policy, the analysis in More Harm Than Good is shaped by critical sociology and feminist perspectives on drugs and incorporates insights not only from individuals who are on the front lines of drug policy in Canada treatment and service workers but also from those who live with the consequences of that policy on a daily basis people who use criminalized drugs. Finally, the authors propose realistic alternatives to today s failed policy approach. "

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Book SynopsisWhen our infrastructures deteriorate, when social benefits are frozen, when our living conditions are precarious, it is because of tax havens. A source of growing inequalities and colossal tax losses, the use of tax havens by large corporations and wealthy individuals explains the increasingly popular austerity policies of governments in the West.With formidable efficacy and clarity, and in the wake of the Paradise Papers leak, Alain Deneault raises the political questions behind of this legalized theft: What are the consequences of tax havens? How do we counter the private sovereignty thus conferred on the powerful? As taxpayers shoulder the social and financial burdens while corporations hide billions in off-shore tax havens, Deneault identifies the urgent need to put an end to this legalized theft.

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Book SynopsisPublic private partnerships in which the private sector takes on roles previously carried out by the public sector have been heavily promoted in the provision of infrastructure throughout the world, but especially in the UK, the USA and Canada. In Ideology Over Economics, economist John Loxley examines the expansion of P3s following the 2008 global financial crisis, when corporations responded to the crisis by lobbying governments for financial assistance and austerity governments responded by expanding financial resources for P3s. For many governments, the rationale for using P3s lies in the state manufactured fiscal crisis. The usual economic arguments underlie government largesse – lower cost, reduced risk and high-quality construction for public projects. In these arguments little has changed.From his close examination of case studies of P3s in the UK, Canada and developing countries, John Loxley concludes that P3s do not achieve any of these promised goals and argues that the expansion of P3s owes more to ideology than to a rational evaluation of their economic and community building benefits.

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Book SynopsisThe first international history of the emergence of economic sanctions during the interwar period and the legacy of this developmentTrade Review“Valuable . . . offers many lessons for Western policy makers today.”—Paul Kennedy, Wall Street Journal“Lucidly written, scholarly and thought-provoking.”—Gideon Rachman, Financial Times“Mulder . . . looks at sanctions over the three decades after the First World War—and reaches unsettling conclusions. . . . The lessons are sobering.”—The Economist“Mulder charts how the rise of economic sanctions and blockade during the interwar years, as a tool to enforce peace, drove the autarkic policies of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, ultimately destabilising the international system rather than fortifying it.”—Robin Harding, Financial Times“Mulder argues in his impeccably well-researched and, because of its timeliness, gripping book that ‘sanctions did not stop political and economic disintegration but accelerated it’ in the interwar period. . . . Mulder’s book provides an uncomfortable warning that while sanctions have sometimes worked, they have also been contentious, ineffective and counterproductive.”—Emma Duncan, The Times“This revelatory history of ‘economic warfare’—blockades and sanctions—reminds us that up to 400,000 people died of blockade-induced malnutrition in Central Europe in the First World War, plus 500,000 in the Ottoman Middle East. You will look at twentieth-century history with fresh eyes.”—Noel Malcolm, Daily Telegraph, “Perfect Holiday Reads”"A fortuitously timed history of the use of economic sanctions during the interwar period of the 20th century. Their mixed success cautions against hoping that the West’s sanctions against Russia can bring about an end to war in Ukraine."—The Economist, "Best Books of 2022"A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2022“As Nicholas Mulder shows in The Economic Weapon, a much longer history lies behind the invention of modern sanctions.”—Tom Stevenson, London Review of Books“A fascinating new book. . . . Taken as a superbly researched work of history, it lights up key aspects of the twentieth century in a deeply thought-provoking way.”—Noel Malcolm, Daily Telegraph“Original and persuasive analysis. . . . For those who see economic sanctions as a relatively mild way of expressing displeasure at a country’s behavior, this book, charting how they first emerged as a potential coercive instrument during the first decades of the twentieth century, will come as something of a revelation.”—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs“[A] superb study of sanctions during the interwar era. . . . Mulder’s fascinating story weaves together politics, economics and law [and] provides invaluable insight into the experience of sanctions one hundred years ago.”—Max Harris, Times Literary Supplement“An excellent historical study. . . . Western countries have directed an unprecedentedly severe battery of punitive economic measures against Russia. . . . For those of us seeking better to understand this reaction and gauge its likely efficacy, there is no better place to turn than Cornell historian Nicholas Mulder’s erudite and uncannily timely book on the origins of economic sanctions."—Alexander Watson, Literary Review“Mulder’s examination of the details of economic diplomacy in the interwar era makes for fascinating reading, and at the least it will remind us that, in the case of determined dictators, something more than sanctions may be needed.”—Matthew Partridge, Money Week, “Book of the Week”“There are few books that can be said to be timely like Nicholas Mulder's The Economic Weapon . . . [it is] an important contribution to the history of economics and international relations in the interwar period.”—Roman Köster, sehepunkteWinner of the Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize for best first book by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)“The Economic Weapon is a superb account of the history of sanctions, and their profound impact on international politics. Although sanctions were once heralded as a force for peace, Mulder shows they often fail and sometimes make war more likely or even produce a humanitarian nightmare.&rdquot;—John Mearsheimer, author of The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities“This is a tour de force of historical research and argument. With great subtlety and richness, Nicholas Mulder transforms our understanding of twentieth-century global and international history.”—David Edgerton, King’s College London“Mulder reveals the history of liberalism’s ultimate weapon. An essential contribution both to scholarship and to the present-day debate on economic sanctions.”—Adam Tooze, author of Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy"A fortuitously timed history of the use of economic sanctions during the interwar period of the 20th century. Their mixed success cautions against hoping that the West’s sanctions against Russia can bring about an end to war in Ukraine."—The Economist, "Best Books of 2022" * Economist *

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Book Synopsis*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*A GUARDIAN AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARAn astonishing book' James O'BrienA gripping, devastating read' Sunday TimesThe inside story of the UK's response to the pandemic from the Insight investigations unit at The Sunday TimesFailures of State recounts the extraordinary political decisions taken at the heart of Boris Johnson's government during the global pandemic.Fully updated and corroborated by hundreds of sources, this is the insider's account of how the government sleepwalked into disaster and tried to cover up its role in the tragedy. Thrillingly told, it exposes one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history.A damning indictment' Alan Johnson, ObserverA devastating piece of journalism' Andrew MarrThis is a scandal' Piers MorganTrade Review‘An astonishing book that you absolutely have to buy … the nearest we’ll get to an inquiry.’ James O’Brien ‘Failures of State is a Christmas-at-Argos sized catalogue of the government’s errors, page after page filled with its mistakes, misjudgments and even its possibly actionable crimes.’ Jonathan Freedland, Guardian ‘This book is superb. Painful but necessary reading.’ Rachel Clarke ‘A masterpiece. This is one of the most important books of our time.’ Owen Jones ‘A brilliantly presented indictment of the UK’s fumbling attempt to meet the Covid challenge.’ Kazuo Ishiguro, Guardian ‘Failures of State is a gripping, devastating read. It’s a piece of first-class investigative journalism… this is a work of history. It’s witness. It’s also a kind of catharsis.’ Christina Patterson, Sunday Times ‘Incredibly reported and wildly damning … It is impossible to read Failures of State, the frequently jaw-dropping book by Sunday Times journalists Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott, and not conclude that the British people deserved far, far better from the government’ Marina Hyde, Guardian ‘A frightening and detailed account of the failures of the last 12 months. Some of the revelations are sickening and shocking.’ Armando Iannucci, satirist and writer ‘A damning indictment’ Alan Johnson, Observer ‘Superb journalism … a truly remarkable book.’ Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health ‘Buy it and read it so you’re never tempted to forget’ John Crace, Guardian journalist ‘A devastating new account of Year Covid exposes the Prime Minister’s utter failure to meet the nation’s greatest health crisis for a century.’ Paul Routledge, Daily Mirror ‘I cannot recommend this book enough’ David Schneider, comedian and writer

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Apocalypse Never is an extremely important book. Within its lively pages, Michael Shellenberger uses science and lived experience to rescue a subject drowning in misunderstanding and partisanship. His message is invigorating: if you have feared for the planet’s future, take heart." — Richard Rhodes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Making of the Atomic Bomb “Environmental issues are frequently confused by conflicting and often extreme views, with both sides fueled to some degree by ideological biases, ignorance and misconceptions. Michael Shellenberger’s balanced and refreshing book delves deeply into a range of environmental issues and exposes misrepresentations by scientists, one-sided distortions by environmental organizations, and biases driven by financial interests. His conclusions are supported by examples, cogent and convincing arguments, facts and source documentation. Apocalypse Never may well be the most important book on the environment ever written.” — Tom Wigley, climate scientist, University of Adelaide, former senior scientist National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) “We must protect the planet, but how? Some strands of the environmental movement have locked themselves into a narrative of sin and doom that is counterproductive, anti-human, and not terribly scientific. Shellenberger advocates a more constructive environmentalism that faces our wicked problems and shows what we have to do to solve them.” — Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now "If there is one thing that we have learned from the coronavirus pandemic, it is that strong passions and polarized politics lead to distortions of science, bad policy, and potentially vast, needless suffering. Are we making the same mistakes with environmental policies? I have long known Michael Shellenberger to be a bold, innovative, and nonpartisan pragmatist. He is a lover of the natural world whose main moral commitment is to figure out what will actually work to safeguard it. If you share that mission, you must read Apocalypse Never.” — Jonathan Haidt, author of Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion "The painfully slow global response to human-caused climate change is usually blamed on the political right’s climate change denial and love affair with fossil fuels. But in this engaging and well-researched treatise, Michael Shellenberger exposes the environmental movement’s hypocrisy in painting climate change in apocalyptic terms while steadfastly working against nuclear power, the one green energy source whose implementation could feasibly avoid the worst climate risks. Disinformation from the left has replaced deception from the right as the greatest obstacle to mitigating climate change." — Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science, MIT "The trouble with end-of-the-world environmental scenarios is that they hide evidence-based diagnoses and exile practical solutions. Love it or hate it, Apocalypse Never asks us to consider whether the apocalyptic headline of the day gets us any closer to a future in which nature and people prosper.” — Peter Kareiva, director of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA, and former chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy "In this tour de force of science journalism, Michael Shellenberger shows through interviews, personal experiences, vignettes, and case histories that environmental science offers paths away from hysteria and toward humanism. This superb book unpacks and explains the facts and forces behind deforestation, climate change, extinction, fracking, nature conservation, industrial agriculture, and other environmental challenges to make them amenable to improvements and solutions." — Mark Sagoff, author of The Economy of the Earth "We environmentalists condemn those with antithetical views of being ignorant of science and susceptible to confirmation bias. But too often we are guilty of the same. Shellenberger offers ‘tough love:’ a challenge to entrenched orthodoxies and rigid, self-defeating mindsets. Apocalypse Never serves up occasionally stinging, but always well-crafted, evidence-based points of view that will help develop the ‘mental muscle’ we need to envision and design not only a hopeful, but an attainable, future.” — Steve McCormick, former CEO, The Nature Conservancy and former President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation "Michael Shellenberger loves the Earth too much to tolerate the conventional wisdom of environmentalism. This book, born of his passions, is a wonder: a research-driven page turner that will change how you view the world. I wish I'd been brave enough to write it, and grateful that he was." — Andrew McAfee, Principal Research Scientist at MIT and author of More from Less "Will declaring a crisis save the planet? The stakes are high, but Michael Shellenberger shows that the real environmental solutions are good for people too. No one will come away from this lively, moving, and well-researched book without a deeper understanding of the very real social challenges and opportunities to making a better future in the Anthropocene." — Erle Ellis, professor of geography and environmental systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and author of Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction "Michael Shellenberger methodically dismantles the tenets of End Times thinking that are so common in environmental thought. From Amazon fires to ocean plastics, Apocalypse Never delivers current science, lucid arguments, sympathetic humanism, and powerful counterpoints to runaway panic. You will not agree with everything in this book, which is why it is so urgent that you read it." — Paul Robbins, Dean, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Book Synopsis''With a dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people, George Monbiot writes about social change with his eyes wide open'' Naomi Klein''A manifesto for change ... The combination of practical detail and creative thinking is immensely impressive'' P. D. Smith, GuardianWe know that climate change is happening. We know that it could, if the worst predictions come true, destroy the conditions which make human life possible. Only one question is now worth asking: can it be stopped? In Heat, George Monbiot shows that it can.In every case, he supports his proposals with a rigorous investigation into what works, what doesn''t, how much it costs and what the problems might be. He wages war on bad ideas as energetically as he promotes good ones. He is not afraid to attack anyone - friend or foe - whose claims are false or whose figures have been fudged. Heat also contains a breath-taking new exposure of the corporationTrade ReviewA dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people ... I never miss reading him. -- Naomi KleinAn impressive piece of investigative journalism -- Rosie Boycott * Mail on Sunday *A book anyone who thinks they know what should be done about global warming must read -- John Gray * New Statesman *At last the global movement has found a vision. * Independent on Sunday *Monbiot's book has an infectious and practical 21st century spirit * Sunday Herald *The combination of practical detail and creative thinking is immensely impressive. * Guardian *One of the best-informed people about climate change ... comprehensive and compelling * The Scotsman *Turns number crunching into inspiration for social change. * Metro *

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Book Synopsis''One of the most important books I''ve read in years'' Brian EnoWe are losing the commons. Austerity and neoliberal policies have depleted our shared wealth; our national utilities have been sold off to foreign conglomerates, social housing is almost non-existent, our parks are cordoned off for private events and our national art galleries are sponsored by banks and oil companies. This plunder deprives us all of our common rights, recognized as far back as the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest of 1217, to share fairly and equitably in our public wealth.Guy Standing leads us through a new appraisal of the commons, stemming from the medieval concept of common land reserved in ancient law from marauding barons, to his modern reappraisal of the resources we all hold in common - a brilliant new synthesis that crystallises quite how much public wealth has been redirected to the 1% in recent decades through the state-approved exploitation of everything from Trade ReviewBrilliant, insightful, terse, apposite, daring, and transformative. A must read to understand both the past and the future -- Danny Dorling, author of All That Is SolidGuy Standing brings great historical knowledge, political insight, and passion to documenting the market enclosures of our common wealth: the great unacknowledged scourge of our time. Plunder of the Commons is both a troubling exposé and a practical-minded call to reclaim the commons for ourselves and posterity. Sitting politicians will ignore this stirring book at their peril. Incoming reformers will learn how we might transform our predatory system of economics and the complicit political culture. -- David Bollier, Director of the Reinventing the Commons Program at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics and author of Free, Fair and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the CommonsIn an era of intensifying privatisation, we're rapidly losing sight of the idea that there are things that can be shared communally without being owned by anybody, things that stand outside of the market system - for example rivers, forests, and other natural resources. Many of them have already been sold off to private interests, and most of the rest are being pursued. This incendiary book exposes this process and explores its corrosive effect on society and resource maintenance. This clear and radical exposition is a call for the defence of the commons, and one of the most important books I've read in years. -- Brian EnoIn this majestic work, Guy Standing not only chronicles the historic plundering of our common wealth. More importantly, he shows how we can reclaim that wealth to address our most urgent contemporary problems: economic insecurity and ecological destruction. This is history, analysis and vision, all at their very best. -- Peter Barnes, author of Capitalism 3.0Standing not only wants to remind us how much common land in Britain has been enclosed by the wealthy few. His vision of the commons is extremely capacious...his provocation could hardly be timelier -- Duncan Kelly * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA challenge to the conventional wisdom surrounding financial risk, providing insight into why easy solutions to control the financial system are doomed to failTrade Review“In The Illusion of Control, [Daníelsson] argues that putting central banks in charge of financial stability is an error because they face ‘a complex, ill-defined policy domain for which there is no clear consensus on either the problem or the objective.’ So, the enterprise is doomed to fail. Separate agencies, with more direct political accountability, are needed for that task.”—Sir Howard Davies, The Guardian“In this thought-provoking book, Jón Daníelsson, professor of finance at the London School of Economics, offers five recommendations. First, ‘the real danger is endogenous risk,’ that is, the risks the system itself creates. Second, models of risk will always miss what matters. Third, remember the objectives of regulation. Fourth, think globally, not locally. Finally, encourage a diverse financial system, not a monoculture.”—Martin Wolf, Financial Times, “Best Books of 2022: Economics”“Daníelsson dives into why financial crises happen. His explanations also lay waste to conventional thinking.”—Mike Berner, The Tycoonist“Jón Daníelsson provides a fascinating synthesis of systemic financial crises, based on theoretical and empirical research.”—George Inderst, IPE“Too little financial regulation or too much of the wrong kind? Whatever your view, Jón Daníelsson’s lively account and richly informed discussion will surely intrigue you and challenge preconceptions.”—Patrick Honohan, former governor, Central Bank of Ireland“Financial regulators should be required to read this book. It shows in sparkling and non-technical language what aspects of risk can, and frequently cannot, be measured. Anyone concerned with portfolio management should read it.”—Charles Goodhart, London School of Economics“Jón Daníelsson makes a compelling case for a fundamental re-think in the approach to risk management taken by both financial services firms and their regulators. Those charged with the management, governance and regulation of risk—either at the level of an entity or an economy—should benefit enormously from Jón ’s alternative framework.”—Lutfey Siddiqi, Risk Management Institute, National University of Singapore“Is international cooperation on regulatory standards stifling good risk taking, leading to bad risk taking? Refreshingly critical, The Illusion of Control is an important contribution to the ongoing mapping of financial risk.”—Yves Mersch, former ECB board member and vice-chair, Single Supervisory Mechanism

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Book SynopsisDemonstrations by far-right groups, such as the English Defence League, Britain First and PEGIDA, have caused considerable social and civic unrest in UK cities for nearly a decade. But how should policymakers respond to far-right and anti-Muslim activism? Drawing on extensive primary research with stakeholders, local authorities and policymakers, this book investigates the political, socio-economic and historic trends that fuel this form of political extremism across the UK. It also maps the different types of policy responses available to local politicians, police forces and behind-the-scenes policy officials involved in the day-to-day management of anti-Islamic street protest. The author demonstrates that it is only through developing successful countermeasures in the realm of politics, security and community-based politics that politicians, police and state actors will truly get to grips with this new far-right activism.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Why Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First?1 Context: The Rise of Anti-Islamic Protest and the Evolution of the UK Far Right2 What Policy Responses? UK National Policy Responses and Localised Countermeasures to Anti-Islamic Protest3 ‘Where it all began’ – Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First in Luton4 Early Responses to Anti-Islamic Protest – Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First in Birmingham 5 West Yorkshire’s Response to Anti-Islamic Protest – Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First in Bradford 6 ‘Somewhere near the Clock tower’ - Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First in Leicester7 Anti-Islamic Protest in London’s East End - Policy Responses to the EDL and Britain First in Tower Hamlets8. Conclusion - Key Findings, Recommendations and Future Responses

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Book SynopsisThe most accessible policy text available.Table of ContentsPART I: POLITICS Chapter 1: The Market and the Polis PART II: GOALS Chapter 2: EquityChapter 3: EfficiencyChapter 4: WelfareChapter 5: SecurityChapter 6: Liberty PART III: PROBLEMS Chapter 7: SymbolsChapter 8: NumbersChapter 9: CausesChapter 10: InterestsChapter 11: Decisions PART IV: SOLUTIONS Chapter 12: IncentivesChapter 13: RulesChapter 14: PersuasionChapter 15: RightsChapter 16: Powers

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Book SynopsisA leading foreign correspondent looks at how social media has transformed the modern battlefield, and how wars are foughtModern warfare is a war of narratives, where bullets are fired both physically and virtually. Whether you are a president or a terrorist, if you don''t understand how to deploy the power of social media effectively you may win the odd battle but you will lose a twenty-first century war. Here, journalist David Patrikarakos draws on unprecedented access to key players to provide a new narrative for modern warfare. He travels thousands of miles across continents to meet a de-radicalized female member of ISIS recruited via Skype, a liberal Russian in Siberia who takes a job manufacturing Ukrainian news, and many others to explore the way social media has transformed the way we fight, win, and consume wars-and what this means for the world going forward.Trade ReviewImportant and accessible....A relatable, even enjoyable, introduction to the way the battlefield has moved onto our phones and laptops, and from there directly into our brains. War in 140 Characters is a necessary read for everyone affected by this baffling state of affairs. * Washington Post *War in 140 Characters details a new kind of conflict that puts military dominance at risk by weaponizing social media in ways that Silicon Valley's digital optimists never imagined...Offers vivid profiles of individuals on both sides of the battlefield. * Wall Street Journal *War in 140 Characters is filled with fantastic on-the-ground reporting on how social media is changing war. It is worth reading for anyone trying to comprehend Russian disinformation campaigns-and to help us anticipate the social media challenges of future wars. * Financial Times *Thrilling...War In 140 Characters offers us the first substantial steps of clarity in the digital maelstrom. * Forbes *Highly readable...Patrikarakos asks searching questions and never overstates his case. * Foreign Affairs *This is not the future of war, but what war is like right now as exposed in this bold, original account of the front lines...War in 140 Characters is no dense tech book, but a gripping war book...It is only a matter of time before the British Army will be fighting on this terrain; War in 140 Characters should be mandatory reading at Sandhurst. * The Times (UK) *Thoughtful and immensely enjoyable...A timely reminder that journalism...is a small-and vital-part of the solution. * Newsweek *What fascinates Patrikarakos, a widely traveled foreign correspondent, is how social media are changing the nature of armed conflict...This is our new reality, and War in 140 Characters is an excellent guide to it. * Weekly Standard *In his highly readable new book War in 140 Characters, David Patrikarakos examines how social media has impacted armed conflict in the 21st century...War in 140 Characters is an important effort to understand why the 21st century does not look like we had fervently hoped it would. * American Interest *The book is a fast-paced read exploring the power of the individual in shaping the narrative of war online...As Patrikarakos's timely work shows, determining who won and who lost depends on where you stand. * The Times of Israel *

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Book SynopsisAn accessible, compelling introduction to today's major policy issues from columnist, best-selling author and Nobel Prizewinning economist Paul Krugman.Trade Review"[Arguing with Zombies] is a timely reminder that actual knowledge and ordinary common sense are two of the rarest qualities in mainstream journalism today." -- Business Telegraph"…Krugman’s book proves that he, a Nobel-prize winning economist, shares two rare qualities with George Orwell, the novelist who also wrote much of the best journalism of the 20th century: deep intelligence and genuine prescience." -- Charles Kaiser - The Guardian"... thoughtful, timely book... " -- Nature"... in terms of easy-to-read economic summaries of some of the biggest issues facing Western (particularly American) financial policy making, this book is a treasure-trove." -- FT Advisor

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth political, legal, and philosophical study into the implications of wealth inequality in modern societies.Wealth, and specifically its distribution, has been a topic of great debate in recent years. Calls for justice against corporations implicated in the 2008 financial crash; populist rallying against the one percent; distrust of the influence of wealthy donors on elections and policyall of these issues have their roots in a larger discussion of how wealth operates in American economic and political life. In Wealth a distinguished interdisciplinary group of scholars in political science, law and philosophy address the complex set of questions that relate to economic wealth and its implications for social and political life in modern societies. The volume thus brings together a range of perspectives on wealth, inequality, capitalism, oligarchy, and democracy. The essays also cover a number of more specific topics including limitarianism, US Consti

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Book Synopsis'This humane, accessible and lucid work will enlighten any voter, and remind any would-be – or currently serving – politician of the pitfalls to avoid' - TLSBarely a week goes by without another government U-turn and with the cost of living crisis and rising mortgage rates we really need those in charge to get it right. In this timely book Cambridge Professor Dennis C. Grube explores the pitfalls, failures and successes of those in power around the world.'A must-read' - Sebastian Payne'Convincing' - David Lammy MPWe live in an era when we really need governments to be effective – the economy, our health and the future of the planet are at stake – but so often they can seem clueless, and their decisions leave us confused. With insight and wit, Grube explains how governments can improve their decision-making and by examining fascinating case studies he highlights the key factors that make for effective government. With the stakes higher than ever before, this original and important book is an essential read for any concerned citizen who wants to understand why governments make the wrong decisions and, crucially, what can be done about it.‘Highly original and very entertaining' - Gavin Esler'There is a real gap for this book' - Isabel HardmanTrade ReviewInsightful . . . A timely book with accessibly provocative arguments -- Steve Richards, author of The Prime Ministers We Never HadA fascinating and timely look at how government decisions affect our lives and how those in charge can do much better. A must-read -- Sebastian Payne, author of Broken HeartlandsEngaging and accessible -- Ivor Crewe, co-author of The Blunders of Our GovernmentsThere is a real gap for this book . . . international in scope and non-partisan -- Isabel Hardman, author of Why We Get the Wrong PoliticiansHighly original and very entertaining . . . This is the book Boris Johnson should have read before he promised to 'Get Brexit Done' -- Gavin Esler, author of How Britain EndsFrom the pandemic to the climate crisis, we are living in an era of historic policy-making. Dennis Grube’s convincing book teaches all of us how governments get decisions wrong and what we have to do to get them right -- David Lammy MPThis humane, accessible and lucid work will enlighten any voter, and remind any would-be – or currently serving – politician of the pitfalls to avoid * TLS *

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Book SynopsisNo longer is the climate emergency purely an external threat to our wellbeing: this profoundly political circumstance is deeply personal.The summerafter giving birth, Sarah Marie Wiebe and her baby endured the 2021 heat dome inBritishColumbia, with temperaturesover 20 degrees above normal, creating all-time heat records across the province.

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Book SynopsisIn this fascinating and provocative book, David Willetts shows how the baby boomer generation has amassed unprecedented wealth and power at the expense of its children. Today's young people will pay heavier taxes, work longer hours for less money and live in a vastly degraded environment in order to pay for their parents' quality of life.Worried about the world they are passing on to their children, baby boomers are taking note. But are they willing to make the sacrifices necessary for a more equal distribution of wealth and assets? The Pinch is an insightful look at one of the most pressing issues facing Britain today; this fully revised and updated edition is essential reading for parents and policymakers alike.Trade ReviewThis is a wonderful, thought-provoking book, and is something of a tour de force...The implications of his argument are profound. * Financial Times *Mr Willetts's book lucidly explains how this unsuitable situation came about through the interaction of demographics, economics and electoral politics. * The Times *The Pinch is both a treasure trove of elegantly harvested statistics and a tremendous syhthesis of social analyses, culled from half a lifetime's study of economic and philosophical thought. -- Dominic Lawson * Sunday Times *Table of Contents0: Introduction to the First Edition 1: Who We Are 2: Breaking Up 3: The Baby Boom 4: Spending the Kids' Inheritance 5: The Social Contract 6: Ages and Stages 7: Why Bother About the Future? 8: What Governments Do 9: Time for Childhood 10: Education and Social Mobility 11: Houses and Jobs: Generation Crunch 12: 3G

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Book SynopsisSteven Cohen presents an approachable and applicable guide to urban sustainability that highlights how new, greener trends in city development touch our lives on a daily basis. Replete with recommendations and insights, The Sustainable City has invaluable lessons for anyone seeking to link public policy to promoting a sustainable lifestyle.Trade ReviewAt the city level, the question of how to handle water resources, energy use, and transportation is not abstract but concrete. Citizens, planners, business people, and policy makers can easily see the problems and how a sustainable approach would be beneficial. Steven Cohen draws on his extensive teaching and public management experience in documenting the kinds of sustainability measures that have been successful in major cities around the world, and he points to what other cities realistically can do in the future. -- Michael E. Kraft, coeditor of The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Environmental PolicyTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments Part I: Concepts1. Defining the Sustainable City2. Sustainable Urban Systems: Defined and Explained3. The Sustainable Lifestyle: Defined and Explained4. The Transition to Sustainably Managed Organizations5. The Role of Politics and Public Policy in Building Sustainable CitiesPart II: Cases in Urban Sustainability6. Waste Management in New York City, Hong Kong and Beijing7. Mass and Personal Transit8. The Building of the Smartgrid: Cases of Microgrid Development9. Parks and Public Space10. Sustainable Urban LivingPart III: Conclusions11. Toward the Sustainable CityWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisIn an age of dwindling economic competition, instead of breaking up corporate giants, we need to compel them to share their technology, data, and knowledgeTrade Review“Bessen is a master of unpacking the nuances of a complex array of interrelated trends to build a coherent story of how the promise of the democratized Internet ended up under the control of just a few. Read The New Goliaths to see how the forest came to have only room for a few tall trees with the rest of us in the undergrowth.”—Joshua Gans, coauthor of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence“Information technologies—from the early bar code to cloud computing and artificial intelligence—are transforming our economy. Do firms use these technologies for the greater good or do they take advantage of lax oversight to increase their power and harm workers, consumers, and citizens? How should we regulate the New Goliaths of the digital age? Jim Bessen uses his broad experience and deep knowledge to shed light on these fundamental and contentious issues.”—Thomas Philippon, author of The Great Reversal“Jim Bessen offers the first detailed account of how concretely the IT revolution ended up discouraging growth and creative destruction in the overall economy while dramatically increasing market concentration and income inequality. This book is an absolute must-read for scholars, policy makers, and anyone interested in the history of growth, innovation, and technological revolutions.”—Philippe Aghion, coauthor of The Power of Creative Destruction“The New Goliaths is a deeply researched and innovative interpretation of how software innovation has produced more concentrated markets, higher inequality, and slower innovation, productivity growth, and new firm formation.”—Yochai Benkler, author of The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom

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