Central / national / federal government policies Books

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 SynopsisPoverty in Britain is at post-war highs and - even with economic growth -is set to increase yet further. Food bank queues are growing, levels of severe deprivation have been rising, and increasing numbers of children are left with their most basic needs unmet. Based on exclusive access to the largest ever survey of poverty in the UK, and its predecessor surveys in the 1980s and 1990s, Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack track changes in deprivation and paint a devastating picture of the reality of poverty today and its causes. Shattering the myth that poverty is the fault of the poor and a generous benefit system, they show that the blame lies with the massive social and economic upheaval that has shifted power from the workforce to corporations and swelled the ranks of the working poor, a group increasingly at the mercy of low-pay, zero-hour contracts and downward social mobility. The high levels of poverty in the UK are not ordained but can be traced directly to the political choices taken by successive governments. Lansley and Mack outline an alternative economic and social strategy that is both perfectly feasible and urgently necessary if we are to reverse the course of the last three decades. One of Listmuse's Greatest British Politics booksTrade Review‘Fascinating and unsettling…a contribution and resource of inestimable value.’ * Political Quarterly *'This book should be widely read and discussed especially by politicians and the media. It provides a panorama of food for thought on important issue of the day.' * SBE (The Society of Business Economists) *"Hard-hitting… researched and argued so carefully - and sensitively - that it is difficult to disagree" * Times Literary Supplement *'Tells the stories of those who are voiceless. Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack forensically dissect poverty... All politicians should be made to read this book' * Independent *‘a new book on poverty, Breadline Britain, deserves to be taken more seriously’ * City AM *"I remember very clearly my sense of elation when I first saw the material that went into Mack and Lansley’s enlightening, but disturbing research. Breadline Britain is a brilliant continuation of their deep engagement with the investigation of unacceptable poverty in Britain’s otherwise prosperous economy." -- Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics“Inequality is the biggest challenge of our time. This important book exposes the real causes of poverty in modern Britain and makes a powerful case for the radical change we need to build a fairer and more equal society.” -- Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee"Careful and hard hitting. The book leaves our politicians no excuses." -- Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit Level"Indispensable. Analytically sophisticated as well as viscerally stirring." -- David Kynaston, author of Austerity Britain, 1945-51"The big debates about social and economic policy in Western countries are shifting from concerns about poverty to a recognition that growing inequality is our fundamental problem. Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack, who have been working in this field for a generation, offer a massively convincing analysis of this problem and the policies it calls for." -- David Donnison, Emeritus Professor of Regional and Town Planning, University of Glasgow and former Chair of the Supplementary Benefits Commission"Brilliant. A devastatingly shocking report. This is the book everyone needs to read – authoritative and compellingly readable." -- Polly Toynbee

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Book SynopsisLife under capitalism. Rampant debilitating denial for the many next to vile enrichment of the few. Material deprivation, denial, and denigration. Dignity defiled. Michael Albert's book No Bosses advocates for the conception and then organization of a new economy. The vision offered is called participatory economics. It elevates self-management, equity, solidarity, diversity, and sustainability. It eliminates elitist, arrogant, dismissive, authoritarian, exploitation, competition, and homogenization. No Bosses proposes a built and natural productive commons, self-management by all who work, income for how long, how hard, and the onerousness of conditions of socially valued work, jobs that give all economic actors comparable means and inclination to participate in decisions that affect them, and a process called participatory planning in which caring behavior and solidarity are the currency of collective and individual success.

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Book SynopsisHousing is increasingly unaffordable in many parts of the UK, with prices and rents rising much faster than earnings because, over many decades, far too few homes have been built. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the homes shortage has become more acute - sending housing affordability to the top of the political agenda. Combining analysis with reportage, Home Truths draws on extensive interviews with cabinet ministers, civil servants, planning officials, leading property executives and priced-out homebuyers from across the country. Informed by deep economic research and political access at the highest level, the book is a no-holds-barred critique of the UK's chronic housing shortage, concluding with eye-catching policy proposals of direct relevance to both Parliament and regional and national government.

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Book SynopsisIs technological innovation spinning out of control? Within one week in 2018, social media was revealed to have had a huge influence on the 2016 presidential election in the United States; while the first fatality from self-driving cars was recorded. What's paradoxical about these understandable fears of machines taking control through software, robots and AI, is that often new technology is introduced for the very purpose of improving our control over a certain task. This is what Ezio di Nucci calls the 'control paradox'. Di Nucci also brings this notion to bear on politics: we delegate power and control to representatives in order for our country to be run by a centralised group of experts. However, recent populist uprisings have shown that populations can feel disempowered and neglected by this system. Through the notion of the control paradox, the author shows how this lack of control can be motivating populism and demonstrates that a better understanding of delegation would be a possible solution.Table of ContentsIntroduction / Part I: The Concept of Control / 1. From controlling to (having) control / 2. Delegating control, ceding control, losing control / Part II: The Technological Paradox / 3. Military Drones and Self-Driving Cars / 4. Social Media, Dating Apps & Smart Environments / 5. AI & Algorithms: the case of Healthcare / 6. The Body Technologic: Automaticity and Habits / Part III: The Political Paradox / 7. Political Power and Representative Democracy / 8. Expertise and the Inevitability of Delegating / 9. "Taking Back Control": Delegation and Populism / 10. Delegating Responsibility?

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Book SynopsisIn the first full length analysis of the rise of left-wing hobbyists, performative radicals and the 'Identity Left', A Left for Itself interrogates the connection between socio-economic realities and politico-cultural views and boldly asks what is a worthy politics, one for the follower count or one for effecting change. 'In the sometimes febrile environment of contemporary left politics, this book is a measured and evaluative contribution. David Swift cuts through the rhetoric of often violent and divisive exchanges to uncover the roots, motivations, diverse character and strengths and weaknesses of the current phenomenon of so-called `identity politics'.' Dr Stephen Meredith

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Book SynopsisThis book addresses topics related to the impact of invasive species including biosecurity, demographics, species diversity and food security. It is meant for researchers, upper-level students, and policy makers and provides a factual basis for the underlying science and a discussion of that information with respect to current and future impacts and possible solutions. This book explores the nexus of climate change and biological invasions, resulting impacts (biological and economic) and assesses ways to reduce vulnerability and increase the resiliency and sustainability of managed and unmanaged ecosystems. The book has three parts, focusing on: (1) the dimensions of the problem; background and science; (2) case studies; (3) Management: detection, prevention, control and adaptation. This revised edition examines a wide range of topics and region, the underlying science, examples (case studies) from around the world, and ways and means to recognize, manage and control the consequences. It includes new cases and new threats; for example, a chapter summarizing case studies regarding climate change and invasive species that are also disease carriers (e.g. ticks and Lyme disease).- Covers a wide range of topics and areas- Examines the synergy between invasive species and climate change- Explains options to control and mitigate effectsThis book is of interest to academics, researchers and students studying climate change and invasive species. Those interested in the environment and ecology, land managers, policy makers, agronomists, federal and state departments of natural resources, climate change activists, public health professionals.

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Book SynopsisThe introduction of Universal Credit arguably stands as the most far-reaching reform so far this century. Clashing Agendas is the traumatic inside story of how this simple concept became unimaginably complicated in execution, and then nearly self-destructed, told by David Freud, who was the Minister for Welfare Reform responsible for the transformation. David's initial welfare proposals in 2007, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in one of his last political initiatives, proved popular across all political parties. When the Conservatives came calling, David Freud accepted the job of reforming the system, initially in the shadow ministerial team and then in Government. His core motivation was to end the welfare trap, by which the legacy systems made it difficult for many people to free themselves from dependency on the state. This personal account reveals the complex interplay between politicians and civil servants - the true determinant of how Government really works. It concludes with his views both on future development of the welfare system and on how the UK Government might organise itself to introduce major system reforms more successfully in future.Trade Review"The big political beasts of the period stalk the pages - from Blair and Cameron to May and Johnson. Clashing Agendas illustrates the extraordinary difficulty of achieving worthwhile change in this country. It reads like a political thriller." MICHAEL DOBBS Conservative politician and creator of global best-selling novel and TV series House of Cards.; "A detailed account of one of the most important policy changes of modern times. David Freud was passionate about delivering a properly incentivised route out of poverty - and this book describes in riveting detail the challenges he had to overcome to deliver his vision of Universal Credit." PHILIP HAMMOND Chancellor of the Exchequer 2016 to 2019.; "A gripping tale of the life of a minister who, unusually, wanted to be a reformer in an area where casualties far outnumber survivors. Whether you like it or not, Universal Credit is one of the big reforms of the last decade and David Freud had his hand on the tiller throughout. If you want to be a reformer, Tory or Labour, read this book." ANDREW ADONIS Labour politician Secretary of State for Transport 2009-2010.; "The absolute insider's account of Universal Credit - conception to disaster to recovery. A story told with pace and pizzazz." NICHOLAS TIMMINS Journalist and author of The Five Giants: A Biography of the Welfare State.; "David Freud spent more time than any other minister at the centre of the biggest programme of welfare reform for half a century. In this fascinating account he takes us through the politics, the complexities, and the frustrations of delivering such a huge programme. Brimming with passion for improving our broken welfare system this is a classic insider's account, essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding not just of how welfare reform works, but how politics works." PAUL JOHNSON Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Table of ContentsPROLOGUE. REFORM. An unplanned journey. AMBUSH. 1. The Welfare Trap. 2. Blunting the Salami-slicer. MANOEUVRES. 3. Change of Regime. 4. Inside the Department. 5. The Conservatives Pounce. OPPOSITION. 6. Get Britain Working. 7. Lords and Legislation. 8. Enter Iain Duncan Smith. 9. Moment of Serendipity. PERSUASION. 10. Minister for Welfare Reform. 11. What's the Catch? 12. Reform for Cuts. PRIVILEGE. 13. Holding the Line. 14. The Lords' Den. AGILE. 15. Digital by Default. 16. Timetable under Pressure. WRITE-OFF. 17. Poacher turns Gamekeeper. 18. The Twin Track. WORTH. 19. Yet another Vacuum. 20. Problems to Solve. 21. UC at Work. 22. Ed Miliband strikes. CUTS. 23. The Pressure Mounts. 24. Tax Credit Volte-face. 25. An Explosive Resignation. VISION. 26. Exit and Future. ADDENDUM: REFORM. Lessons for Government Projects. Acknowledgements. Dramatis Personae. Glossary of terms. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis textbook introduces political ecology as an interdisciplinary approach to critically examine land and environmental issues. Drawing on discourse and narrative analysis, Marxist political economy and insights from natural science, the book points at similarities, differences and inter-connections between environmental governance in the global North and South. A wide range of carefully curated case studies are presented, with a particular focus on Africa and Norway. Key themes of power, justice and environmental sustainability run through all chapters. The authors challenge established views and leading discourses and present research findings that may surprise readers. Chapters cover topics including wildlife conservation, climate change and conflicts, land grabbing, the effects of population growth on the environment, jihadism in the African Sahel, bioprospecting, feminist political ecology, and struggles around carbon mitigation within a fossil fuel-based economy. This introductory text provides tools and examples for both undergraduate and postgraduate students to better understand on-going struggles about some of the world’s most urgent challenges. Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisThis book uniquely combines the authors’ personal experiences, deep cultural and professional experience of living and working in Russia and the former USSR, and interest and experience with language and computational analysis, to shed light on a highly contemporary question: what is motivating conflict and unrest in Russia and its surrounding countries? How does Russian government suppression of information manifest in practice today, and how does it fit into the historical cultural pattern for Russia? The authors take a computational look at social and traditional media in the original languages, from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and the English-speaking world, to glean insights and separate fact from fiction.This book helps readers interested in Eastern Europe to ‘take the temperature’ of the region today, but it is also of interest to readers in the policy and analysis community, because it offers a template, an analytical ‘how-to’ guide which aims to follow in the footsteps of CIA author Richards Heuer’s ‘Psychology of Intelligence Analysis’, to show how state-of-the-art computational analysis techniques could be applied to similar problems in other topic areas, with the human analyst and computational techniques each working together to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.Table of ContentsInformation Maneuvers in and around Ukraine: What is Really Driving Conflict with Russia? 1 Background 1.1 A widespread Russian view of Ukraine: rooted in language, culture, and religion 2 Issues surrounding Ukraine 2.1 Russian troop buildup on the border 2.2 Russian hydrocarbons and their place in Europe 2.2.1 A cultural specific of the Russian hydrocarbon landscape 2.2.2 Russian dependence on hydrocarbons, and its pipelines and infrastructure 2.2.3 The Russia-EU co-dependency 2.2.4 Summary 2.3 NATO enlargement 3 What does social media say about the issues? 3.1 Discussion of ‘Ukraine’ in Russian-speaking Twitter 3.2 Discussion of ‘Ukraine’ in Ukrainian-speaking Twitter 3.3 Discussion of ‘NATO’ in both Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking Twitter 4 Conclusions and recommendations for strategic communications Information Maneuvers in the Baltic region 1 Contents 2 Background: brief history of the Baltics 3 A distillation of multiple threat assessments and perspectives 3.1 Brief background on threat assessment 3.2 Environmental Threats 3.3 Espionage Threats 3.4 Military Threats 3.5 Cyber Threats 3.6 Destabilizing Threats 3.7 Russian Limitations 4 Analysis of social media landscape 4.1 The ‘BEND’ framework 4.2 Research hypotheses 4.3 Topic selection 4.4 Data retrieval 4.5 Data processing 4.6 Exploration of results 4.7 Discussion 5 Conclusions and recommendations for strategic communications Information Maneuvers in and around Poland: Historical Revisionism and Rule of Law 1 Background 1.1 Language, culture, and religion as predictors of geopolitical fault lines 2 Current issues surrounding Poland 2.1 The EU versus Poland on primacy of law 2.2 Polish nationalism and World War II 2.3 The Polish-Belarus border 2.4 The Suwałki Corridor 2.5 The buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine’s border 3 Analysis of social media landscape in Poland versus East Slavdom 3.1 Interpretation of the maneuvers that have led to the current point 3.2 Twitter data collection and analysis 3.2.1 Data collection 3.2.2 Analytical approach 3.2.3 Results of analysis 4 Conclusions and recommendations for strategic communications 5 References Appendix 1: Polish ‘border’ tweets 49 Appendix 2: Russian ‘border’ tweets 62 Information Maneuvers for Soviet Union 2.0 1 Background 2 Features of everyday Soviet life in the twentieth century 2.1 The ‘information island’ created by the Iron Curtain 2.2 Soviet indoctrination 2.3 Repression 2.4 Soviet life – drab and dilapidated 2.5 The ideology of Soviet life 2.6 The bureaucracy of Soviet life 3 Social media analysis 4 Conclusions and recommendations for strategic communications Finding and Analyzing Information Maneuvers on the Fringe 1 Fringe narratives: an illustrative example involving Russia and its Eurasian ambitions 2 The ‘brotherhood of nations’ – a historical pattern, not an anomaly 3 Eurasian integration: coming in the near future? 4 How can we analyze fringe beliefs? 4.1 Why fringe beliefs matter: did they help end the Cold War? 4.2 The role of language in fringe beliefs 4.3 Connection to foundational computational linguistics concepts 4.3.1 Word probabilities 4.3.2 ‘Distinctiveness’ in words and combinations of words 4.3.3 From probability to pointwise mutual information 4.4 Problem statements with respect to fringe beliefs 4.4.1 Analytical approach to ‘known unknowns’ 4.4.2 Analytical approach to ‘unknown unknowns’ 4.5 Combining PMI and clustering to find ‘unknown unknowns’ 5 Demonstration and technical implementation 5.1 Dataset 5.2 Technical implementation 5.3 Key ‘waypoints’ in the approach 5.3.1 Pointwise mutual information 5.3.2 Singular value decomposition 5.3.3 Composition of adjacency matrix 5.3.4 Detection of anomalous clusters 6 Conclusions Appendix 1. The Scythians (by Aleksandr Blok) 54 Appendix 2. Hand-curated ‘fringe belief’ text 57 Appendix 3. Python Jupyter notebook for identifying fringe beliefs 59 Russian media narratives on Ukraine in 2022: a computational analysis 1 Background 2 Data used for this report, and method of collection 3 Our approach: signal processing (and SVD) fundamentals 4 Key narratives in 2022 in Russian media 4.1 Application of SVD to our data 4.2 Topics of interest: detailed discussion 4.2.1 A Russian fake about alleged Ukrainian incursion 4.2.2 Mockery of changing Ukrainian positions on NATO membership 4.2.3 ‘Humanitarian corridors’ propaganda, claims of Russian air superiority 4.2.4 Pre-invasion denials that an invasion would happen 4.2.5 Conspiracy theories about U.S. biolabs in Ukraine 4.2.6 Fears of sabotage in border regions of Russia 4.2.7 Mockery of gaffe by British Foreign Secretary 4.2.8 2014 events in Ukraine described as a ‘coup’ to justify the invasion before the fact 4.2.9 Putin’s NATO grievances 4.2.10 Putin’s ‘my beauty’ remark 4.2.11 Russian reaction to U.S. ‘pre-bunking’ of Russian false flag narratives 4.2.12 Russian comparisons of Ukrainian nationalism and terrorism 4.3 Key takeaways 5 What’s ‘mainstream’ and what’s ‘fringe’ in Russian media? 5.1 How we can answer this question with SVD 5.2 Digging deeper with Keyness analysis 5.2.1 What is a Keyness Relative Frequency Analysis? 5.2.2 Comparing RT and Meduza 5.3 Key takeaways 6 How topics changed over time in Russian media 6.1 January 1st-15th: Kazakhstan unrest 6.2 January 16th-31st: Fractious political relations between Ukraine and Russia 6.3 February 1st-15th: Mockery of Ukrainian and British politicians 6.4 February 16th-28th: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 6.5 March 1st-15th: Evacuating civilians; Ukraine-Russia peace talks 6.6 March 16th-31st: Ukrainian deaths; Chechen fighters in Ukraine 6.7 April 1st-15th: Ukrainians killed in Bucha; alleged terrorist threats within Russia 6.8 April 16th-30th: Russian media stops talking about Ukraine 6.9 May 1st-May 16th: Victory Day in Russia 6.10 Key takeaways 7 Conclusions Appendix 1. Scraping the web for Russian media articles Appendix 2. Full list of topics extracted from 2,838 Russian media articles, 1/1/2022-5/16/2022 Appendix 3. Jupyter Notebook code snippets Appendix 4. Russian stopwords used for Keyness analysis Appendix 5. Time Relative Frequency Analyses: full list of charts by half-month

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Book SynopsisThis open access book foregrounds novel collaborations between the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, for the benefit of European energy policy.

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Book SynopsisThe book aims to explain the emergence of the Norwegian—and to some extent, the Scandinavian—welfare state in historical and anthropological terms. Halvard Vike argues that particular forms of political grassroots mobilization contributed heavily to what he calls “a low level of gravity state”—a political order in which decentralized institutions make it possible to curtail centralizing forces. While there is a large international literature on the Nordic welfare states, there is limited knowledge about how these states are embedded in local contexts. Vike's approach is based on an ethnographic practice which may be labeled “in and out of institutions.” It is based on ethnographic work in municipal assemblies, local bureaucracies, political parties, voluntary organizations, and various informal contexts.Table of Contents1. Local Politics in the Welfare State: Patterns of Conflict and Political Practice2. Cross Cutting Cleavages, the Politics of Resistance – and Social Control3. Local Politics in Historical Perspective4. Culminations of Complexity: Practicing Bureaucracy in Local Worlds5. The Welfare Municipality: Universalism, Gender, and Service Provision6. Post-Liberal Horizons: Conceptions of Freedom in the Northern Periphery7. The Future of the Welfare State in an Age of Centralization

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Book SynopsisThe focus of this book is centered on the participation of children in countries of the South. In this sense, it will review the possibilities of children's participation, as well as their forms of participation in different contexts of daily life. There has been a tendency to underestimate children’s role as active constructors of their surrounding social space, as well as of the internalized interpretations of the way social life operates. Today it is necessary to recognize that children are agents actively involved in the construction of their own lives and the life of the societies they live in; and in this sense, it is important to consider and re-signify the participation of boys and girls as a fundamental pillar in the process of building societies in the 21st century. The book contains chapters that re-significate children’s participation in different countries from South America and South Africa, in relation with different topics: well-being, methods, citizenship, poverty, education, rurality, ethics and human rights.Trade Review“This publication is well placed to assist researchers and policy makers in understanding the complex, diverse, and contextual nature of children’s participation in and as it affects their lives. The knowledge disseminated in the various chapters, if cognisance is taken of the contributions, will allow children, through active participation, to become an integral part of political and social reform in dealing with challenges and future planning.” (Phadiel Hoosen, Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 18 (1), 2023)Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Acknowledgments.- Contributors.- 1. Children’s Participation In South America: A Pproposal Based on the Capability Approach.- 2. Conducting Participatory Research on Children’s Subjective Well-being: At the interface of ethics and methods.- 3. Child Participation in Nigeria: Three examples of dialogue with children and adolescents.-4. Children's Citizenship in 21st Century Societies: Key notes from the South.- 5. Children’s Rights and Participation in School in South Africa.- 6. Purpose For Power (P4P). Participation as a way of being and becoming in Haiti: A practical approach to genuine empowerment, and wellbeing among young people.- 7. Childhood Geography from the South: The right to participation of children living in rural settings.

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Book SynopsisThis report forecasts growth in developing Asia of 7.1% in 2021 and 5.4% in 2022 in an uneven recovery caused by divergent growth paths. Its theme chapter explores sustainable agriculture.Growth forecasts are revised up for East Asia and Central Asia from the projections made in April, but down for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. This reflects differences in vaccination progress and control of domestic COVID-19 outbreaks but also other factors, including rising commodity prices and depressed tourism. Inflation is expected to remain under control. The main risks to the economic outlook come from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of new variants, slower-than-expected vaccine rollouts, and waning vaccine effectiveness.Sustainable food production and agricultural systems that are resilient to climate change will be crucial for developing Asia. To transform agriculture in the region, its economies must tackle challenges from changing consumer demand, changing demographics, and a changing and more fragile environment.

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Book SynopsisThis report explores how regional cooperation and integration (RCI) can be enhanced in Asia and the Pacific to help the region build back resiliently and sustainably from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.The report reflects on lessons learned from efforts to tackle the pandemic through regional cooperation and integration. It provides insights on how region-wide solidarity can be enhanced with the support of multilateral development banks in areas such as trade and investment, connectivity infrastructure, people's mobility, regional public goods, and policy cooperation. The report was jointly prepared by the ADB, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank Group.

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Book Synopsis'The editor has grouped the 15 substantive chapters into one of four themes: order, leadership, institutions, and prospects and perspectives. She succinctly expresses the unifying challenge within the region as one of managing rapid growth but also confronting its vulnerability. There is much of value in this volume …'Journal of the Indian Ocean RegionFive out of the eight South Asian countries have direct access to the Indian ocean, yet research tends to focus instead on the region's landmass. Much less attention is paid to the extensive maritime space that links South Asian countries, provides their populations with vital access to resources, connects their economies to global trade networks and perhaps most importantly, contributes to law and order at sea.At a time when the Indian Ocean has gained great interest and relevance for many global actors, the role and location of South Asia will have critical implications for strategic calculation and alignment. Furthermore, if trade imbalances are to be tackled and economic globalization to regain steam, enhancing South Asia's ability to export and import through the oceans is essential. Finally, climate change is projected to impact South Asia massively. Coping with humanitarian crises and natural disasters will need critical investments in maritime capacities and cooperation.This edited volume brings together multiple perspectives on contemporary maritime governance in South Asia, from practitioners, policy-makers and academics around the world. They examine India's role as South Asia's leading naval and economic power and the capacity of key actors to shape maritime order in the Indian Ocean.

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Book SynopsisA former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutionsTrade Review"Bernanke is the most influential thinker and practitioner on central banking of our era. His book, 21st Century Monetary Policy, offers a lucid account of the evolution of central banking and the US central bank from the ‘great inflation’ of the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s to today and into the future." -- Martin Wolf - Financial Times"...[A] uniquely practical book as the public tries to better understand the powers of the Fed and Congress to juice or slow the economy amid a supply-chain crunch and sky-high demand." -- Andrew Ross Sorkin - The New York Times"This exercise of historical assessment from a central participant is one that more policymakers should probably try. It allows readers to make judgements along with Bernanke and think about what lesson today's policymakers—who are once again battling inflation—might take." -- David Leonhardt - The New York Times

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Book SynopsisUncharitable investigates how for-profit strategies could and should be used by nonprofits. Uncharitable goes where no other book on the nonprofit sector has dared to tread. Where other texts suggest ways to optimize performance inside the existing charity paradigm, Uncharitable suggests that the paradigm itself is the problem and calls into question our fundamental canons about charity. Dan Pallotta argues that society’s nonprofit ethic creates an inequality that denies the nonprofit sector critical tools and permissions that the for-profit sector is allowed to use without restraint. These double standards place the nonprofit sector at an extreme disadvantage. While the for-profit sector is permitted to use all the tools of capitalism, the nonprofit sector is prohibited from using any of them. Capitalism is blamed for creating inequities in our society, but charity is prohibited from using the tools of capitalism to rectify them—and ironically, this is all done in the name of charity. This irrational system, Pallotta explains, has its roots in four-hundred-year-old Puritan ethics that banished self-interest from the realm of charity. The ideology is policed today by watchdog agencies and the use of so-called efficiency measures, which Pallotta argues are flawed, unjust, and should be abandoned. By declaring our independence from these obsolete ideas, Pallotta theorizes, we can dramatically accelerate progress on the most urgent social issues of our time. Uncharitable is an important, provocative, timely, and accessible book—a manifesto about equal economic rights for charity. This edition has a new, updated introduction by the author.Trade Review“Philanthropists and charity execs should read [Uncharitable] to ponder, if judiciously, its lessons.” * Boston Globe *“Pallotta turns on its head the assumption that charity and capitalism should be forever divided. Don't charitable causes deserve the same kind of competitive forces that work to get results in the for-profit sector? Wouldn't social causes be better served if charitable organizations were headed by the kind of bright, aggressive executives that work in the for-profit sector? Pallotta traces the history of nonprofit organizations to Puritan notions of charity and self-denial. He also offers a detailed case study of TeamWorks and other trends in the nonprofit sector that only tweak around the edges of a system that is sorely in need of change if it is to deliver on its mission to improve social inequities or cure diseases. A passionate, thought-provoking look at the nonprofit sector.” * Booklist *“Pallotta produces quite a lot of both data and logic. If you do not first analyze a fundraiser’s results, how is it possible to judge whether what it spent was justified? He also makes a convincing case for charities to spend far more on advertising, perhaps even selling shares to pay for it. If this makes you queasy, read Mr. Pallotta’s book. As he says, ‘To mount a campaign to convert 6 billion people to love—which is essentially the role of charity—takes a lot of money. . . . . Raise the capital to promote the idea by offering a return on investment, hire the best people to manage the effort, and run the advertising to spread the word. You beat capitalism at its own game.’” * The Economist *“This tome is big-time out-of-the-box thinking that will cause ripples. Yet if you care about charity, it is a must read. While I don’t want to lose the volunteer passion and compassion in charitable work, it’s high time we confront the fact that, for the most part, this is no longer a bake sale.” * In Los Angeles Magazine *“Everyone who cares about nonprofit organizations and their potential accomplishments—from journalists to sophisticated donors to foundation officials—should read this book. They’ll surely be convinced that fundraising ratios and program expense ratios are a silly, useless, and even fraudulent way to compare “efficiency” across nonprofit organizations.” * Stanford Social Innovation Review *“What scales would our nonprofit organizations have to achieve to eradicate the great social problems that confront us, and how do our traditions and beliefs about charity stand in their way? Pallotta has elevated the questions we need to be asking. His book provocatively challenges traditional views of how charities should operate and provides a thought-provoking alternative.” -- Dr. David Ho, Time magazine’s 1996 Man of the Year and director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center“Pallotta has written the clearest and most articulate critique I have read of the system of values that our charities and other nonprofit organizations are supposed to follow. He explains in graphic detail how these values undercut what charities are trying to do and prevent them from accomplishing all that they might. Not everyone may agree with his position, but the nonprofit world will surely benefit from a vigorous discussion of his arguments.” -- Derek Bok, former president of Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction to New EditionIntroduction1. The Morality of OutcomesNonprofit IdeologyA Model of Christian CharityConclusion2. The Foundations of Our MisconstructionEconomic ApartheidThe First Error—Constraints on Compensation: Charity and Self-Deprivation Are Not the Same ThingThe Second Error—Prohibition on Risk: Punishing Courage, Rewarding TimidityThe Third Error—Discouragement of Long-Term Vision: The Need for Immediate Gratification Institutionalizes SufferingThe Fourth Error—Discouragement of Paid Advertising: If You Don’t Advertise Here, Your Competition WillThe Fifth Error—Prohibition on Investment Return: The Limits of No Return, and a Stock Market for CharityConclusion3. Stop Asking This QuestionEfficiency Measures—The Puritan GuardEfficiency Measures Miss the PointEfficiency Measures Don’t Measure EfficiencyEfficiency Measures Are UnjustOverhead Is a FictionSummaryNew Questions and a Very Large Assessment Apparatus4. CourageA Cold World?Strategic PlanReclaiming Our DreamsAcknowledgmentsCase Study—Pallotta TeamWorksMethods and ControversyCollapse of the CompanyImpact on Organizations’ AIDS and Breast Cancer FundraisingNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The great Marion Nestle, not a person who spends a lot of time talking about herself, has written a memoir. It’s a gem" * Ruth Reichl *"[A] delight . . . [Nestle’s] prodigious writings, advocacy and public speaking on food policy, political economy and food safety were quite unexpected given [her] career trajectory. But now in 20-20 hindsight, they remain indispensable." * Forbes *"Her prose exhibits the same accessibility she strives for in her academic work . . . . In Slow Cooked, she holds nothing back as she details moments of doubt — like when the Sugar Association threatened to sue her after she published Food Politics in 2002 — with both humor and suspense. A chronicle of hard work and a public health resource, Slow Cooked is also proof that it’s never too late." * New York Times *"An engrossing and beautiful memoir—personal, generous, thoughtful, and inspiring. She calls on all academics, advocates, researchers, and practitioners to help bring about food system changes to promote public health, food equity, and sustainable diets." * Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior *"A magnificent plea for social justice against all types of discrimination and for the emancipation of women. [Nestle] teaches us great lessons on how to overcome obstacles while maintaining intellectual integrity and faith in science and public health." * American Journal of Public Health *Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 A Long, Slow Start 2 My First Academic Job 3 Second Job: A Spousal Hire 4 Back to School 5 Working for the Feds 6 Finally, NYU 7 Joining the Food World 8 Inventing Food Studies 9 Writing Food Politics 10 The Fun Begins 11 How I Do It 12 The Books Conclusion: Some Final Thoughts Acknowledgments Notes Illustration Credits Index

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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 SynopsisFocuses on representations of capitalism and their political effects. This edition includes an introduction in which the authors address critical responses to "The End of Capitalism" and outlines the economic research and activism they have been engaged in since the book was first published.Trade Review"Paralyzing problems are banished by this dazzlingly lucid, creative, and practical rethinking of class and economic transformation." - Meaghan Morris, Lingnan University, Hong Kong "Profoundly imaginative." - Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, City University of New York "Filled with insights, it is clearly written and well supported with good examples of actual, deconstructive practices." - International Journal of Urban and Regional Research"

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn attorney, scholar, and health policy expert, Dawes is also a capable storyteller . . . Dawes is insistent: We're approaching an inflection point, and we can't afford to embrace a partial commitment to equality in health care. The final chapter of his book argues that the future of health equity begins and ends with the political determinants of health. What follows is a rallying cry to harness the political process to implement more equitable and inclusive health policies. As the COVID-19 pandemic underlines the ways in which our nation is sharply divided by racial and socioeconomic disparities, we need to address the political determinants of health or risk an incalculable setback.—Leslie Erdelack, Health AffairsThis book deserves to be in classrooms, community reading programs, and government public health agencies. Although the 2016 elections were a setback for the health equity movement, Dawes has given us a rich and important resource for planning ahead.—Monica Unseld, New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health PolicyThis is a must-read for all those who advocate toward a 'healthy, equitable, and inclusive society.'—Claire Hancock, The Florida Bar JournalPolitical Determinants of Health should be commended for packing an immense amount of theory, history, and health advocacy into a relatively concise text.—Kenneth W. Lin, MD, MPH, Family MedicineTable of ContentsForeword, by David R. WilliamsChapter 1. The Allegory of the Orchard: The Political Determinants of Health InequitiesChapter 2. Setting the Precedent: America's Attempts to Address the Political Determinants of Health InequitiesChapter 3. The Political Determinants of Health ModelChapter 4. How the Game Is Played: Successful Employment of the Political Determinants of HealthChapter 5. Winning the Game That Never Ends: Success Means Continuous Employment of the Political Determinants of HealthChapter 6. Growing Pains: Tackling the Political Determinants of Health Inequities during a Challenging PeriodChapter 7. The Future of Health Equity Begins and Ends with the Political Determinants of HealthAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisNow in its second edition, Parenting Culture Studies seeks to understand how parenting is taken as a particular mode of childrearing that reflects broader social trends. Ten years after the initial volume's groundbreaking publication, the authors once again closely examine how the main aspects of parenting have been established, explored, and critically evaluated. Chapters revisit phenomena such as intensive parenting and politics around parenting, as well as controversial issues including policing pregnant women's bodies and parental determinism. In addition to updates throughout the volume, including those addressing literature that has built from the book’s original publication, the book features a new third part discussing parents dealing with risk assessment, school closures, contradictory care arrangements, and vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.Table of ContentsForeword (Updated)1. Introduction Part 1: ​Parenting Culture2. Intensive Parenting and the Expansion of Parenting3. Experts and Parenting Culture4. The Politics of Parenting 5. Who Cares for Children? The Problem of Intergenerational ContactPart 2: Case Studies in Parental Determinism6. Policing Pregnancy: The Pregnant Woman Who Drinks7. The Problem of Attachment: The Detached Parent8. Babies Brains and Parenting Policy: The Insensitive Mother9. Intensive Fatherhood? The (Un)involved Dad10. The Double Bind of Parenting Culture: Helicopter Parents and Cotton Wool KidsPart 3: Parenting and the Pandemic11. Parenting’ after Covid-19: When the Quantity of ‘Quality time’ Becomes Untenable12. From Safeguarding to Childism? Covid-19 and the School Closures Debate13. Pregnancy and Vaccination: The Precautionary Principle and Parenting Culture in Covid Times14. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe Chinese diaspora, consisting of both Chinese living overseas who are citizens of China (huaqiao), and people of Chinese descent who are citizens of foreign countries (huaren), have significantly shaped the making of modern China.China’s policy towards its diaspora is primarily governed by its national interests and foreign policy imperatives. However, the Chinese government has been careful to ensure that the huaqiao and the huaren fall into different policy domains: Chinese citizens living overseas are subject to China’s domestic policies, while Chinese descendants who are citizens of other countries come under China’s foreign affairs. Nevertheless, from the beginning, the latter continue to be regarded as kinsfolk distinct from other foreign nationals.The huaqiao-huaren distinction is often blurred in ordinary discourse and this has been a source of much misunderstanding. However, it has not been the policy of the Chinese government to blur this distinction, and it is acutely aware of the complexity of the issue and is therefore very cautious about implying any change. As such, when terms such as huaqiao-huaren are introduced in the official lexicon, they are meant to acknowledge certain historical and contemporary realities, and not to deliberately obfuscate the two categories. The use of the combined term is in fact a recognition of the clear-cut distinction between the two groups, and is meant to convey a semantic balance in which neither category is emphasized at the expense of the other.In general, since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese government has treated the diaspora as an asset, rather than a liability. The sole exception was during the Cultural Revolution when returnees, or the guiqiao, were condemned as reactionary and bourgeois elements.There is therefore a fundamental continuity in China’s diaspora policy: namely, that China embraces both groups as part of a global Chinese community. Some policy shifts can be expected in future as China becomes more proactive in reaching out to its diaspora while balancing the needs and interests of Chinese abroad with the needs and interests of the Mainland.

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Book SynopsisManagement experts Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev sift through decades of data to show why workplace diversity training fails and what works. Arguing that it’s time to focus on changing systems rather than individuals, the authors make data-driven recommendations for diversifying management and creating workplaces where everyone can thrive.Trade ReviewToo many companies don’t know how to walk the walk of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Getting to Diversity shows them how. It relies on hard data and real-life examples about what works and what doesn’t, laying out a case for making real change in a thorough, well-written, no-fluff account. Figures showing effects of diversity programs are absolutely riveting. Bravo. -- Lori George Billingsley, former Global Chief DEI Officer, Coca-Cola CompanyFrank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev upended the conventional wisdom of diversity and inclusion practitioners with their seminal article ‘Why Diversity Programs Fail.’ Now they’re back with a data-driven book about one of corporate America’s most pressing contemporary issues, offering up required reading that is certain to shift the paradigm once again. -- Ben-Saba Hasan, Global Chief Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Walmart Inc.Most companies say they want to advance diversity and equity, but they resort to using the same old unsuccessful strategies. In many cases, this is undoubtedly because leaders are uncertain about which approaches really work. Fortunately, Dobbin and Kalev have written an accessible, engaging book that documents which initiatives actually help organizations better reflect the diverse society in which we live—so if you don’t know, now you know! This is the book all leaders need to read to achieve results. -- Adia Wingfield, author of Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Care in the New EconomyGetting to Diversity makes good on the promise of its title. Years of research by Dobbin and Kalev have yielded concrete answers to questions about what is needed to achieve diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforces. Among the critical solutions they offer are ways to end sexual harassment and to democratize leadership opportunities—both keys to systemic, lasting, positive reform. At last a book that shows leaders how they can realize change. -- Anita Hill, University Professor, Brandeis University, and author of Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender ViolenceGetting to Diversity is a compelling, evidence-based book grounded in well-crafted multi-organizational research and the reality of people’s experiences at work. This book has the potential to change CEO mindsets, human resource practices, manager behavior, and employee well-being—if only enough people grab it and heed its powerful messages. -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of Think Outside the BuildingThese influential sociologists have spent their careers studying why diversity initiatives fail and what it takes to fix them. Their data-driven book doesn’t just spotlight the problems—it’s packed with solutions. -- Adam Grant * Adam Grant Thinks Again newsletter *This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn which practices can actually improve managerial diversity in organizations. * Science *A book that is tailored for anyone who is craving actionable, evidence-based advice about how to create effective programs. -- Elizabeth Weingarten * Behavioral Scientist *Drawing on more than 30 years of data from 800 companies as well as in-depth interviews with managers, two leading management experts set out to explain why, despite increasing diversity in American society, change in makeup of the management rank has stalled, and how to do things better. * Human Givens Journal *The great strength of the book is its consequentialist orientation: diversity programs are evaluated solely on the basis of their impact on gender and racial inequalities in organizations, looking away from intentions and discourses…Rich and stimulating. -- Laure Bereni * La Vie des Idées *

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Book SynopsisA first-of-its-kind theoretical overview and practical guide to wargame design Government, industry, and academia need better tools to explore threats, opportunities, and human interactions in cyberspace. The interactive exercises called cyber wargames are a powerful way to solve complex problems in a digital environment that involves both cooperation and conflict. Cyber Wargaming is the first book to provide both the theories and practical examples needed to successfully build, play, and learn from these interactive exercises. The contributors to this book explain what cyber wargames are, how they work, and why they offer insights that other methods cannot match. The lessons learned are not merely artifacts of these games—they also shed light on how people interpret and interact with cyberspace in real life. This book covers topics such as cyber action during conventional war, information effects in conflict scenarios, individual versus group decision-making, the intersection of cyber conflicts and nuclear crises, business resilience, emerging technologies, and more. Cyber Wargaming will be a vital resource for readers interested in security studies and wargame design in higher education, the military, and the private sector.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1 Shall We Play a Game? Fundamentals of Cyber WargamingFrank L. Smith III, Nina A. Kollars, and Benjamin H. Schechter Part I: Research Games2 Cyber Wargames as Synthetic DataAndrew Reddie, Ruby Booth, Bethany Goldblum, Kiran Lakkaraju, and Jason C. Reinhardt3 Wargames Research on Cyber and Nuclear Crisis Dynamics Benjamin H. Schechter, Jacquelyn Schneider, and Rachael Shaffer4 Wargaming International and Domestic Crises: Island Intercept and NetwarDavid E. Banks and Benjamin M. Jensen5 Imperfect Information in Conventional WargamingChris Dougherty and Ed McGrady6 Adding Time to the Cyber Kill Chain: The "Merlin" Tool for WargamingPaul Schmitt, Catherine Lea, Jeremy Sepinsky, Justin Peachy, and Steve Karppi7 Games within Games: Cognition, Social Groups, and Critical InfrastructureRachael Shaffer Part II: Educational Games8 Playful Learning about CybersecurityAndreas Haggman9 The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge: Feedback Loops for Student SuccessSafa Shahwan Edwards and Frank L. Smith III10 The Evolution of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Grid Security ExerciseMatthew Duncan11 Breaching the C-Suite: Cyber Wargaming in the Private SectorMaxim Kovalsky, Benjamin H. Schechter, and Luis R. Carvajal-Kim12 Develop the Dream: Prototyping a Virtual Cyber WargameChris C. Demchak and David H. Johnson13 Breathing Life into Military Doctrine through Cyber GameplayBenjamin C. Leitzel14 Matrix Game Methodologies for Strategic Cyber and Information WarfareHyong Lee and James DeMuth Part III: Conclusion15 Balancing Zealots and Skeptics About Emerging Technology: A Wargaming Blueprint for InnovationNina A. Kollars and Benjamin H. Schechter Index Contributors

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Book SynopsisSelected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013Governments today in both Europe and the United States have succeeded in casting government spending as reckless wastefulness that has made the economy worse. In contrast, they have advanced a policy of draconian budget cuts--austerity--to solve the financial crisis. We are told that we have all lived beyond our means and now need to tighten our belts. This view conveniently forgets where all that debt came from. Not from an orgy of government spending, but as the direct result of bailing out, recapitalizing, and adding liquidity to the broken banking system. Through these actions private debt was rechristened as government debt while those responsible for generating it walked away scot free, placing the blame on the state, and the burden on the taxpayer. That burden now takes the form of a global turn to austerity, the policy of reducing domestic wages and prices to restore competitiveness and balance the budget. The problem, according toTrade Reviewexcellent... timely... illuminating * Political Studies Review, Liam Stanley *A must-read * ACEMAXX-ANALYTICS *One of the especially good things in Mark Blyth's Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea is the way he traces the rise and fall of the idea of 'expansionary austerity', the proposition that cutting spending would actually lead to higher output. As Blyth documents, this idea 'spread like wildfire.' * Paul Krugman, The New York Review of Books *An important polemic... valid and compelling. * Lawrence Summers, Financial Times *Mark Blyth has written a clever, well-argued book that we should all read. * The Friend *Essential reading... The economy is much too important to leave to economists. We need to understand how ideas shape it, and Blyth's new book provides an excellent starting point. * Washington Monthly *Splendid new book. * Martin Wolf, Financial Times *Austerity is an economic policy strategy, but is also an ideology and an approach to economic management freighted with politics. In this book Mark Blyth uncovers these successive strata. In doing so he wields his spade in a way that shows no patience for fools and foolishness. * Barry Eichengreen, George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science University of California, Berkeley *Of all the zombie ideas that have been reanimated in the wake of the global financial crisis, austerity is the most dangerous. Mark Blyth shows how austerity created the disasters of the 1930s, and contributed to the descent of the world into global war. He shows how European austerity policies have prevented any recovery from the crisis of 2009, while rescuing and protecting the banks and financial institutions that created the crisis. An essential guide for anyone who wants to understand the current depression. * John Quiggin, author of Zombie Economics *Most fascinating is the author's discussion of the historical underpinnings of austerity, first formulated by Enlightenment thinkers Locke, Hume and Adam Smith, around the (good) idea of parsimony and the (bad) idea of debt. Ultimately, writes Blyth, austerity is a 'zombie economic idea because it has been disproven time and again, but it just keeps coming. A clear explanation of a complicated, and severely flawed, idea. * Kirkus Reviews *Informed, passionate. * Dissent Magazine *Mark Blyth's fascinating analysis guides the reader through 'the historical ideology which has classified debt as problematic.' In doing so he outlines the relevance of century-old debates between the advocates and opponents of laissez faire, and explains why, after a brief reemergence in 2008-09, and despite the lack of evidence supporting austerity, the world turned its back on Keynesian policies. * Robert Skidelsky, author of Keynes: The Return of the Master *Among all the calamities spawned by the global financial crisis, none was as easily avoidable as the idea that austerity policies were the only way out. In this feisty book, noted political scientist Mark Blyth covers new territory by recounting the intellectual history of this failed idea and how it came to exert a hold on the imagination of economists and politicians. It is an indication of the sorry state of macroeconomics that it takes a political scientist to expose so thoroughly one of the economics profession's most dangerous delusions. * Dani Rodrik, Rafiq Hariri Professor of International Political Economy, The John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University *Table of ContentsPreface ; Austerity, a Personal History ; 1 A Primer on Austerity, Debt, and Morality Plays ; Part One Why We All Need to Be Austere ; 2 America: Too Big to Fail? ; Bankers, Bailouts, and Blaming the State ; 3 Europe-Too Big to Bail ; The Politics of Permanent Austerity ; Part Two Austerity's Twin Histories ; Introduction to Chapters 4, 5, and 6 ; Austerity's Intellectual and Natural Histories ; 4 The Intellectual History of a Dangerous Idea, 1692-1942 ; 5 The Intellectual History of a Dangerous Idea, 1942-2012 ; 6 Austerity's Natural History, 1914-2012 ; Part Three Conclusion ; 7 The End of Banking, New Tales, and a Taxing ; Time Ahead ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Gold Medal in Business Reference, Axiom Business Book Awards""It is hard to imagine a more timely—and entertaining—history."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"An erudite yet good-humored history of taxation. . . . Reading about taxes, it turns out, is a lot more fun than paying them. That's a low bar, but Rebellions, Rascals and Revenue clears it with ease. Check with your accountant: The book may be tax-deductible."---Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal"Offers a historical precedent for almost any tax debate or controversy imaginable. . . . Keen and Slemrod have amassed the most remarkable collection of evidence to bolster and illuminate their case. . . . An invaluable primer to some of the underlying tensions behind contemporary political debate."---Chris Giles, Financial Times"Societies throughout the ages have wrestled with the question of how to tax, who to tax, and how to make people pay. The stories that emerge are remarkable. In this highly enjoyable tour de force, Keen and Slemrod show how the travails of our ancestors can help us understand the problems we face today—and pass on a few eternal lessons. Prepare to read, learn, and enjoy!"---Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank"The main effect of this enjoyable gallop through state levies of the past is to expose the continuing oddities of how governments raise revenue today. . . . The tales of historic folly and wisdom breathe life into dry principles of tax theory."---Liam Proud, Reuters"Amusing historical anecdotes. . . . Shed[s] light on how the modern-day tax system works—as well as its potential pitfalls."---Reed Tucker, New York Post"A fascinating and often funny book. . . . The real skill of Keen and Slemrod is to explain not just the history of tax but (painlessly) the economic forces that shape and are shaped by it."---Frances Cairncross, Literary Review"Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod’s book is wonderful and should be read by any student of tax. It is both entertaining and instructive. . . . Keen and Slemrod’s marvelous book is not an attempt to directly effectuate tax policy or to rewrite tax history. Instead, it is a very wise excursion by two highly experienced public finance economists into the past to better understand the present by comparing it to what was different, and to improve the future by learning from both past wisdom and past follies. Herodotus and Thucydides would have been delighted to read it."---Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, Tax Notes International"Tax history resembles the warehouse in the final scene of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark—an enormous, poorly lit jumble of unlabeled boxes, one of which may be hiding the answer to all the world’s tax problems. This new book by two leading tax analysts turns up the lights, organizes many of the boxes in an enlightening way, and presents the results with a style and flair that make the subject not only understandable but—and this may come as a surprise to many—actually fun to read. The authors may not have found the answer, but even the most experienced reader can learn something from this lively and informative book."---Richard Bird, Finance & Development"It takes more than the entertainment of countless historical tax tales to produce a book on tax that actually pleases the reader. What makes this both so intriguing and worthwhile is how it draws out common threads of tax principles and practice that have underlain tax systems for thousands of years. . . . There is no way to do justice to this book in a few paragraphs." * Vox EU *"A new book on the history of taxes adds levity to, and piques interest in, a topic often with the allure of a root canal."---Joel Schlesinger, Winnipeg Free Press"An entertaining, compelling, and well-researched book."---Simon Heffer, New Criterion"A spry survey of taxes over the course of history. . . . It won’t ward off the April tax blues, but it does a fine job of explaining the hows and whys of taxation." * Kirkus Reviews *"There will likely be a tax-related anecdote (or two) that speaks to you directly in Keen and Slemrod's wonderfully comprehensive walk through the annals of taxation. . . . An immensely enjoyable and comprehensive look at the 'history' of taxation."---Frank G. Colella, New York Law Journal"Keen and Slemrod’s book took me on a romp through 4,000 years tax history. It’s a perfect gift for your CPA, or anyone seeking untoppable zingers for the next faculty club meeting."---George Spencer, Notre Dame Magazine"Unusual and stimulating. . . .a major accomplishment (with a stunning cover) that supplements standard textbooks on tax design and tax policy and provides a lively survey and exhaustive historical analysis of these frequently dry topics."---Richard Allen, Market Screener"Who says the study of taxation can’t be fun? Most of you, I would expect. But Michael Keen, deputy director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF, and Joel Slemrod, the Paul W. McCracken Collegiate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, are out to prove you wrong. Their delightful (you read that right) new book ... is a sprawling compendium of (mostly weird) anecdotes that neatly illustrate the principles of the economics of tax policy."---Peter Passell, Milken Institute Review"At first glance, a book on the history of taxation seems like something only an accountant could love. But as it turns out, Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue is an enjoyable rompt, a fascinating mix of stories and insights." * The Australian *"A delightful book."---Michael Taylor, San Antonio Express News"With their book, Rebellions, Rascals, and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom Through the Ages!, Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod definitively show that taxes and tax policy are anything but 'dull, dull, dull.' With an engaging writing style (especially for fans of puns and other word play), they provide a selective history of tax policy and administration that highlights odd policy choices and unusual behavioral responses to policies." * National Tax Journal *"A masterful compendium of not just fiscal history, but social history throughout the ages." * The Independent Review *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Provocative. . . . A useful corrective to the pervasive and misleading Europe-bashing that often occupies the global press."---Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating history of how the antifascist movement of the 1930s created “the left” as we know it todayTrade Review“This stimulating and insightful volume is the first global and transnational history of antifascism during the mid-1930s. The author’s linguistic abilities and historiographical acumen have created a vital book on the subject.”—Michael Seidman, author of Transatlantic Antifascisms“In stunning prose, Joseph Fronczak re-creates the extraordinary birth of the modern left, speaking across generations to our own time.”—Beverly Gage, Yale University“Elegantly written and meticulously researched, Everything Is Possible is one of those rare books that has the boldness to assert what was in front of our faces the whole time.”—Christopher Vials, author of Haunted by Hitler“Fronczak gives fascism content again, examining it as a practice, a perspective that can help us understand the present and past. He reveals a global fascist network, beyond Europe and Japan, and American participation in it. An extremely valuable historical interpretation.”—Linda Gordon, New York University“Carefully documented and limpidly written, Joseph Fronczak’s book is much more than a magisterial history of antifascism as a global movement; it is a critical and inspiring insight into the identity of the Left. A timely meditation.”—Enzo Traverso, author of Revolution

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Book SynopsisThis book explores how Qatar became a major player in the global energy market. Part historical analysis, part in-the-room narrative, it is the definitive account of oil and gas development in Qatar.Trade ReviewFrom Black Gold to Frozen Gas is the definitive account of Qatar’s growth from a tiny backwater to a major force in global markets and regional politics. This book draws on Tusiani’s fifty years working in Qatar’s gas industry to provide a fascinating and well-told insider’s account, featuring both deep research and unique personal insight. -- Lisa Anderson, Columbia UniversityA unique historical account of Qatar’s energy industry. Tusiani and Johnson detail the country’s accomplishments as well as covering the challenges faced along the way. This book will be a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Qatar, global energy, and geopolitics. -- Talal Abdulla Al-Emadi, dean, Qatar University College of LawTable of ContentsForewordPrefaceList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Qatar Before Oil: A Historical Perspective2. Qatar’s First Oil Concession: Twists and Turns3. Eureka! Oil Is Discovered at Qatar’s Dukhan Field4. Choppy Waters: Qatar’s First Marine Oil Concession5. Qatar’s Ruler Presses for Better Oil Terms6. Labor Strikes, Another Abdication, and an Industrial Project7. Independence, First Gas Liquids Project, and a Bloodless Coup8. The Early Khalifa Years: 1970s Resource Nationalism9. Explosion Destroys Qatar’s First NGL Plant10. Crunch Time Looms for North West Dome Gas Field11. Partners Selected for Major North Field Gas Project12. Qatar Embarks on First Stage of North Field Gas Project13. Rocky Road for Qatar’s First LNG Project14. Tough Launch for Mobil’s RasGas LNG Project15. Financial Difficulties Mount After 1995 CoupEpilogue: North Field Gas Transforms Qatar into Energy SuperpowerAcknowledgmentsBibliographyIndexAbout the Authors

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Book SynopsisAgainst Happiness is a thorough and powerful critique of the “happiness agenda,” revealing the flaws of its concept of happiness and advocating a renewed focus on equality and justice.Trade ReviewHappiness studies started as an idealistic project but took shortcuts and so did not fulfill its ambitions. This important and trustworthy book takes us back to the drawing board to rebuild the foundations of this field. The new vision won’t make the science and policy of happiness easier, but it will make them more humane, more inclusive, and truer to life. -- Anna Alexandrova, author of A Philosophy of Science for Well-BeingReading this book made me happy, but more importantly, I learned a great deal from it. This book is a tour de force: written in a lively, accessible manner; well argued; and empirically well-informed. It is the best available critique of the ideology of the ‘happiness agenda,’ which confuses subjective positive mental states and reported life satisfaction with what really matters. -- Allen Buchanan, author of Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from TribalismHumankind has been preoccupied with happiness since we invented philosophy. We try to cultivate happiness with pithy little sayings, like 'Happiness is a journey, not a destination' and 'Happiness is a state of mind.' We regulate happiness with religion. We judge the quality of a life by the amount of happiness achieved, and the success of a country by the average happiness of its citizens. And yet, no one can agree on exactly what happiness is or what it's worth. Against Happiness masterfully reveals that happiness is not a single experience, physical condition, or unified state of meaning. It's a population of instances that vary across situations and cultures (as are all other categories of emotion). And each instance blooms from unexamined assumptions and preconceptions that likewise vary by situation and culture. This book is a must-read for anyone who has felt happy, hungered for more happiness, or pondered the emotional lives of humans and how happiness matters to the quality of a life. -- Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the BrainIf you are happy read this book. If you are not happy read this book. Either way you will learn about the complexity of the very idea and how it is widely sprinkled throughout our mental space while still remaining an elusive reality. -- Michael Gazzaniga, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of MindThis book is an attempt at doing cross-cultural and thus real philosophy in that it is the love of the wisdom of all peoples, rather than that of the WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) people. It is also an attempt at interdisciplinary works and thus grounded philosophy. While showing the relativity of happiness, it also insists on the universality of certain human goods, such as human rights and sustainable development goals. -- Bai Tongdong, author China: The Middle Way of the Middle KingdomAgainst Happiness moves beyond the one-dimensional and reductionist approaches that have hitherto limited our understanding of happiness to narrow aspects or have obliterated non-western, non-white, and marginalized experiences of well-being. The authors persuasively outline shortcomings of definitions of happiness across different disciplines and different cultural philosophical traditions, a crucial step for investigating more accurate, inclusive, and expansive definitions of happiness in the future. -- Liya Yu, author of Vulnerable Minds: The Neuropolitics of Divided SocietiesTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart I: Happiness Philosophy and Happiness Science1. Introduction: The Happiness Agenda2. Varieties of Theories and Measures of Well-Being and Happiness3. How Should We Think About the Emotion of Happiness Scientifically? Lessons from the Science of Fear4. Why Averaging Happiness Scores and Comparing Them Is a Terrible IdeaPart II: Culture and Happiness5. Positive and Negative Emotions: Culture, Content, and Context6. Happiness and Well-Being as Cultural Projects: Immigration, Biculturalism, Cultural Belonging7. Happiness and Well-Being in Contemporary ChinaPart III: Race, Racism, Resignation8. Happiness, Race, and Hermeneutical Justice: The Case of African American Mental Health9. Interpreting Self-Reports of Well-BeingPart IV: Conclusions10. Recommendations for Policy Use of Happiness Metrics11. Universal Rights, Sustainable Development, and Happiness: Two out of Three Ain’t BadPart V: Responses by Four Critics12. On Ersatz Happiness, by Jennifer A. Frey13. Why the Analysis and Assessment of Happiness Matters, by Hazel Rose Markus14. Three out of Three Is Better, by Jeffrey D. Sachs15. What the Gallup World Poll Could Do to Deepen Our Understanding of Happiness in Different Cultures, by Jeanne L. TsaiNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisIn 1999, Texas passed a landmark clean energy law, beginning a groundswell of new policies that promised to make the US a world leader in renewable energy. As Leah Stokes shows in Short Circuiting Policy, however, that policy did not lead to momentum in Texas, which failed to implement its solar laws or clean up its electricity system. Examining clean energy laws in Texas, Kansas, Arizona, and Ohio over a thirty-year time frame, Stokes argues that organized combat between advocate and opponent interest groups is central to explaining why states are not on track to address the climate crisis. She tells the political history of our energy institutions, explaining how fossil fuel companies and electric utilities have promoted climate denial and delay. Stokes further explains the limits of policy feedback theory, showing the ways that interest groups drive retrenchment through lobbying, public opinion, political parties and the courts. More than a history of renewable energy policy in modeTrade ReviewStokes has written a highly readable and compelling book that will be of interest to environmental policy scholars and the general public alike * Saleem H. Ali, Science Mag *This is a book of the very first importance, a stunningly good piece of investigation that lays bare the answer to what may be the world's most important mystery: why are we moving so slowly to address the greatest crisis the planet has ever faced? It should be read-and memorized-by everyone who deals with energy policy in any way, shape, or form. * Bill McKibben, Middlebury College *With Washington gridlocked or worse, advocates for action on climate change have looked to the states for leadership. In this deeply researched and sobering analysis, Leah Stokes shows why these hopes must be combined with vigilance and tenacity. Even where states have managed to introduce innovative reforms, Stokes shows, deeply entrenched and resourceful fossil fuel interests can often regain the upper hand. * Paul Pierson, University of California-Berkeley *With US national politics deadlocked under right-wing dominance, crucial battles over clean energy are playing out in the states. In this brilliant new book, Leah Stokes spells out exactly how and why entrenched interests can take advantage of weak, ambiguous laws to achieve costly delays and hobble infant clean energy sources. All citizens fighting for effective responses to global warming should heed the lessons in this book-and scholars studying policy battles in many other realms have much to learn from it as well. * Theda R. Skopol, Harvard University and Scholars Strategy Network *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Abbreviations List of Figures Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. When New Policies Fail to Create a New Politics Chapter 3. An Institutional History of Electricity Politics and Climate Inaction Chapter 4. Policy Feedback: Networked and Influential Advocates Use the Public to Drive Clean Energy Leadership in Texas Chapter 5. A Direct Line to Legislators and Regulators: Fossil Fuel Corporations and the Limitations of Texas's Renewable Energy Laws Chapter 6. Retrenchment by a Thousand Cuts: Fossil Fuel Opponents Drive Polarization on Clean Energy in Kansas Chapter 7. Regulatory Capture: Electric Utilities Retrench Arizona's Net Metering Laws Chapter 8. When the Fog of Enactment Lifts: Late Action brings Rapid Retrenchment of Ohio's Renewable Energy Laws Chapter 9. Conclusion References Appendix:List of Interviews

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Book SynopsisThis book examines key issues connected with the distribution of personal wealth in the UK. It studies why wealth is now such an important factor in social differences and public policy. It presents the most recent information on current wealth inequalities and a detailed discussion of trends in the distribution of wealth. It uses newly available data to compare wealth inequalities in the UK with the USA, Canada, and Sweden. It uses longitudinal data, which track the same people over time, to examine trajectories in wealth accumulation over the decade to 2005 and inequalities in inheritances over the same period. It looks at how parental wealth levels and people''s asset-holdings early in adulthood affect outcomes later in their lives. The final part looks at the way in which policies towards wealth-holding developed historically, and the contradictory ways in which a wide range of public policies relate to people''s wealth levels, including through taxation, means-testing, and the encouragement of saving, and discusses what the key issues for policy towards wealth and wealth inequalities now are. Personal wealth in the UK totalled 5.5 trillion by 2010 (9-10 trillion if occupational pension rights are included). Inheritance flows are now equivalent to 4 per cent of national income each year. All households in the wealthiest tenth have more than 75 times the wealth of any of those in the bottom tenth. Absolute differences in wealth levels have increased substantially over the last 15 years, so wealth differences represent many more years of income than in the past. This makes them of great importance to life chances. This makes the book highly relevant for public policy, but also for academic and student understanding of a crucial dimension of social difference. As well as bringing together existing information on the area, the book contains considerable new analysis on wealth inequality, inheritance, and their impacts, drawing on work which is at the forefront of recent research.Trade ReviewThe authors have put together a number of complementary chapters that are of interest and will be useful for researchers and students in a wide range of fields...an excellent contribution to the debate on wealth inequality. * Alan Southern, People, Place and Policy *Table of ContentsPART I: WEALTH AND DISTRIBUTION; PART II: PERSONAL WEALTH ACCUMULATION AND ITS IMPACTS; PART III: WEALTH AND POLICY

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Book SynopsisEuropeans use ''social models'' to refer to the combination of welfare state, industrial relations, and educational institutions jointly structuring what we can think of as the supply-side of the labor market. The dominant view in controversy over the social models has been that in the name of equity they have impaired the labor market''s efficiency, thereby causing unemployment. But doubt is cast on this supply-side-only diagnosis by powerful macroeconomic developments, from the Europe-wide recession following Germany''s post-unification boom to the deepest economic crisis since the interwar Great Depression, which the Eurozone''s truncated economic governance structure transformed into a sovereign debt crisis, threatening the Euro''s and even EU''s very survival. This book explores the interaction of Europe''s diverse social models with the major developments that shaped their macroeconomic environment over the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It concludes that thisTrade Reviewthe editors and their team of experts have provided a detailed and critical compendium of European welfare state evolution over the last two decades. The reader can use it either to gain a comprehensive understanding of trends and issues, or as a point of reference for individual nations. * Tony Gore, JMCS *This book can be recommended to scholars and students of different disciplines, from political sciences and law to all strands of economic and social research. It is an indispensable and timely tool for all EU and domestic policy makers interested in shaping the future direction of the evolution of the European social models. The book could be also very useful for all those who are eager to understand the social dimension of the euro crisis. * Effrosyni Bakirtzi, European Journal of Social Security *`[T]his is an impressive volume that intelligently raises and answers a multitude of questions, and which has yet to find robust competition. The book is a must for the library of every political economist, comparative social policy scholar, and historically attuned economist.' Robert Hancke, Council for European Studies Reviews`This is a fascinating book providing a wealth of information and incisive analysis on how monetary integration affects the evolution of social models in Europe. It is required reading for all those who are eager to understand the social dimension of the euro crisis.' Paul De Grauwe, John Paulson Professor in European Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science`European Social Models from Crisis to Crisis is an amazing volume with sobering conclusions for European welfare state and integration prospects. It is the first collection in welfare regime studies and comparative political economy to show how the European sovereign debt crisis, with its aftershocks of mass unemployment and rising inequality resulted from how monetary integration unfolded since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. By doing so in a highly structured fashion, the volume rightly breaks with the convention of 'methodological nationalism.' It's a first rate, timely and utterly indispensable read for EU and domestic policy makers, welfare state students, political economists and EU integration pundits and academics.' Anton Hemerijck, Professor of Institutional Policy Analysis, VU University Amsterdam, and Centennial Professor of Social Policy, LSE`This volume delivers a pioneering study of the connection between the development of Europe's monetary system and the evolution of European welfare and labour regimes. Analysing the causes and consequences of the recent crisis, Dølvik and Martin conclude that the divergence within the Eurozone is likely to deepen. Clearly, ignoring the crisis' severe social consequences implies risking disintegration of EMU and destabilisation of the EU. To better reconcile Europe's economic and social objectives, EMU needs further reform. Reading this book will help all who want to work on this in either theory or practice."' László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission 2010-2014impressive volume * Caroline de la Porte, Transfer *Table of Contents1: Jon Erik Dølvik and Andrew Martin: Introduction 2: Andrew Martin: Eurozone Economic Governance: "A Currency Without a Country" 3: Wendy Carlin, Anke Hassel, Andrew Martin and David Soskice: The Transformation of the German Model 4: Jacques le Cacheux and George Ross: France in the Middle 5: Ken Mayhew and Mark Wickham-Jones: The United Kingdom's Social Model: From Labour's New Deal to the Economic Crisis and the Coalition 6: Sofia Pérez and Martin Rhodes: The Evolution and Crises of the Social Models in Italy and Spain 7: Alexandre Afonso and Jelle Visser: The Liberal Road to High Employment and Low Inequality? The Dutch and Swiss Social Models in the Crisis 8: Jon Erik Dølvik, Jørgen Goul Andersen, and Juhana Vartiainen: The Nordic Social Models in Turbulent times: Consolidation and Flexible Adaptation 9: Torben Iversen and David Soskice: Redistribution and the Power of the Advanced Nation State: Government Responses to Rising Inequality 10: Erling Barth and Karl Ove Moene: When Institutions Reciprocate: Turning European Social Models Around 11: Jon Erik Dølvik and Andrew Martin: From Crisis to Crisis: European Social Models and Labor Market Outcomes in the Era of Monetary Integration 12: Andrew Martin and Jon Erik Dølvik: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State is the authoritative and definitive guide to the contemporary welfare state. In a volume consisting of nearly fifty newly-written chapters, a broad range of the world''s leading scholars offer a comprehensive account of everything one needs to know about the modern welfare state. The Handbook is divided into eight sections. It opens with three chapters that evaluate the philosophical case for (and against) the welfare state. Surveys of the welfare state''s history and of the approaches taken to its study are followed by four extended sections, running to some thirty-five chapters in all, which offer a comprehensive and in-depth survey of our current state of knowledge across the whole range of issues that the welfare state embraces. The first of these sections looks at inputs and actors (including the roles of parties, unions, and employers), the impact of gender and religion, patterns of migration and a changing public opinion, the role of international organisations and the impact of globalization. The next two sections cover policy inputs (in areas such as pensions, health care, disability, care of the elderly, unemployment, and labour market activation) and their outcomes (in terms of inequality and poverty, macroeconomic performance, and retrenchment). The seventh section consists of seven chapters which survey welfare state experience around the globe (and not just within the OECD). Two final chapters consider questions about the global future of the welfare state.The individual chapters of the Handbook are written in an informed but accessible way by leading researchers in their respective fields giving the reader an excellent and truly up-to-date knowledge of the area under discussion. Taken together, they constitute a comprehensive compendium of all that is best in contemporary welfare state research and a unique guide to what is happening now in this most crucial and contested area of social and political development.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition This landmark book achieves its aspiration to provide the "most authoritative survey and critique of the welfare state yet published"... it should be part of the foundation collection in any college library. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * Choice *This is a landmark book for international scholarship in social policy. It has been compiled by some of the leading international scholars in the field and published, in some style, by Oxford University Press all academics in the field should ensure that university libraries acquire copies of the book. It will prove to be an essential reference for all those studying social policy, as well as many in politics, public administration, sociology and other cognate subjects. More generally, it is attention to detail, co-existing with breadth of vision and reach, which make this such an attractive book. The editors and their contributors are addressing most of the big questions that underpin the history of the welfare state and its future prospects, and they are doing this on an international scale. If you are not passionate about social policy before encountering this Handbook, then surely you will be once you have begun to delve into it. * Journal of Social Policy *Table of ContentsPART I PHILOSOPHICAL JUSTIFICATIONS AND CRITIQUES OF THE WELFARE STATE; PART II HISTORY; PART III APPROACHES; PART IV INPUTS AND ACTORS; PART V POLICIES; PART VI POLICY OUTCOMES; PART VII WORLDS OF WELFARE; PART VIII PROSPECTS

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Book SynopsisThe papers in this volume exploit the substantial variation in U.S. tax policy during the last two decades to investigate how taxes affect a range of household behaviour, including labour-force participation, saving behaviour, and choice of health insurance plan.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Martin Feldstein, James M. Poterba. 1: Labor Supply and the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 Nada Eissa Comment: James J. Heckman 2: The Taxation of Two-Earner Families Martin Feldstein, Daniel R. Feenberg. Comment: Harvey S. Rosen 3: Labor Supply and Welfare Effects of a Shift from Income to Consumption Taxation Gilbert E. Metcalf Comment: Gary Burtless 4: The Distributional Effects of the Tax Treatment of Child Care Expenses William M. Gentry, Alison P. Hagy. Comment: Brigitte C. Madrian 5: Tax Subsidies to Employer-Provided Health Insurance Jonathan Gruber, James M. Poterba. Comment: David F. Bradford 6: High-Income Families and the Tax Changes of the 1980s: The Anatomy of Behavioral Response Joel Slemrod Comment: Don Fullerton 7: Tax Shelters and Passive Losses after the Tax Reform Act of 1986 Andrew A. Samwick Comment: Roger H. Gordon 8: The Relationship between State and Federal Tax Audits James Alm, Brian Erard, Jonathan S. Feinstein. Comment: James W. Wetzler Contributors Author Index Subject Index

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Book SynopsisAn account of congressional responses to foreign policy over the last 30 years. Hinckley argues that congressional assertiveness is as much a myth as the struggle between the elected branches, and proposes reforms that might result in real congressional participation.

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Book SynopsisThis work examines one of the most critical questions of welfare policy: how can a United States government programme help teen mothers - one of the most needful groups of all welfare recipients - move from welfare dependency to employment, independence and responsible citizenship?Table of ContentsPreface Pt. 1: Issues in Program Development 1: Getting to Know Project GED 2: Contested Organizational Cultures: Helping and Authority Pt. 2: Social Service Providers and Teen Mothers 3: Social Service Providers' Problems of Social Identity 4: Social Distance as a Strategy of Compliance 5: Classroom Failure without Redress 6: Sex and Boyfriends: Your Dirty Laundry or Dramatic Dreams 7: Motherhood: Authenticity and the Context of Suspicion 8: Changing Welfare from Stigma to Scholarship: The Arbiters versus the Mediators Pt. 3: Is Welfare Reform Possible? 9: Backstage Links to Public Empowerment 10: The Embodied Reason of Welfare Reform References Index

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