Political science and theory Books

Book SynopsisAmerican religious professionals occupy a prominent role in shaping the interests and attitudes of their congregations. Djupe and Gilbert analyse national data from a survey of over 2400 Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America clergy, looking at their motivations for political action.Trade ReviewThis is a very perceptive book—especially its attention to the dynamic interplay between clergy, their congregations, and the broader community. The authors write clearly and support their arguments with an unprecedented array of data and evidence. The Prophetic Pulpit focuses on clergy politics, but also illumines the broader issues of religion and American politics. -- Daniel J. B. Hofrenning, St. Olaf CollegeThis is an outstanding book, full of important and path-breaking findings about the full range of factors that drive clergy's decisions about taking political action. Djupe and Gilbert show that the external contexts in which clergy live and work have profound ramifications for their attitudes about political engagement. -- Laura R. Olson, Clemson UniversityDjupe and Gilbert are to be commended for a path-breaking study that challenges numerous stereotypes of mainline clergy activism and that paves the way for more sophisticated scholarship in the field. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *In this fine book, Djupe and Gilbert provide an exemplar for future studies of clerical politics in the United States. This nuanced, methodologically sophisticated study will give pause to those who are too quick to relegate the Protestant Mainline to the political sideline. -- Ted G. Jelen, University of Nevada, Las VegasTable of ContentsChapter 1 List of Tables and Figures Chapter 2 Clergy, Churches, and Communities Chapter 3 An Overview of ELCA and Episcopal Clergy Chapter 4 Congregational Resources for Clergy Political Action Chapter 5 Communities of Concern: The Context of Clergy Political Activity Chapter 6 The Political Voice of Clergy Chapter 7 Leaders of the Flock or Lone Rangers? Clergy in Electoral Politics Chapter 8 The Local Political Participation of ELCA and Episcopal Clergy Chapter 9 Sending a Message to Government: Clergy Conventional and Unconventional Contacting Chapter 10 Denominational Politics: Clergy Opinions and Actions Regarding Full Communion Chapter 11 Conclusion: The Evolution of Clergy Political Activity Chapter 12 Coding of Variables Used Chapter 13 Methodological Notes Chapter 14 References

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Book SynopsisLinking together political theory, American history, journalism and contemporary commentary, this book defends a democratic politics of civil society without illusions.Trade ReviewAnyone interested in the future of American politics should read The Poverty of Progressivism. Isaac has brilliantly dissected the current demise of liberalism and progressive thought. He sets out an alternative vision of how civil society and democratic participation might improve politics, without overplaying his argument. Isaac has renewed a form of political thought missing from contemporary academic life—historically informed and willing to engage contemporary realities and practical questions. -- Kevin Mattson, Ohio UniversityThis chastening call for a decent, pragmatic, humanistic politics is an important intervention in public life by one of our most thoughtful political theorists. Situating current initiatives in historical context and reminding us not to confuse wishes with opportunities, The Poverty of Progressivism powerfully counsels a politics of non-grandiose experimentation to advance the core values of liberalism and democracy. -- Ira Katznelson, Columbia UniversityThe Poverty of Progressivism is a beautifully written prod and a challenge to the contemporary left. It also challenges the right to take its rhetoric about decentralization and its devotion to local community seriously. Jeff Isaac has an exceptional gift for linking profound philosophical reflection with brilliant commentary on our current political condition. Thank God he has exercised it again. -- E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Why Americans Hate PoliticsJeff Isaac is one of those rare political theorists who is actually interested in and engaged with real politics. His analysis and critique of 'progressivism' is smart, toughminded, bracing, absolutely honest, sometimes grim—and essential reading for political activists and for citizens generally. -- Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton UniversityIsaac once again demonstrates he is a master comentator. * Perspectives on Politics *Valuable and readable book. . . . The Poverty of Progressivism is a sharp challenge to that optimistic prospective. It illuminates the serious obstacles faced by the progressive revival, while also offering the neoprogressives a more realistic, if limited, alternative path. Isaac's book raises important theoretical issues about the need for progressives to construct strategic theories informed by a historically-informed democratic theory. Isaac eloquently calls on progressives to see their task like the unending burden of Sisyphus who, on Camus' retelling, found endurance by focusing on the rock itself, rather than on his repeated failures to push it all the way to the mountaintop. * New Political Science *Table of ContentsChapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 The Progressive Revival Chapter 5 Why a Progressive Revival? Chapter 6 The World We Have Lost Chapter 7 Rethinking the Future of Democratic Innovation

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Book SynopsisThis text looks at how we capsized racial progress in the quest for self-esteem. It uncovers the hidden trajectory and terms of our thinking about race relations since the 1960s.Trade ReviewElisabeth Lasch-Quinn has written an important book. It can be read in at least three ways: As a courageous critique of the racial etiquette that has become institutionalized in post-integration America. As a case study of the pervasive psychologization of American culture. And as a Menckenesque account of the way in which both cultural developments can be exploited lucratively by alleged experts. The reader will consecutively nod with recognition, laugh somewhat bitterly, and perhaps even get angry. -- Peter Berger, author of The Social Construction of RealityAmerica's racial crisis is getting worse. While there is plenty of blame to go around, much falls on 'race experts' who disseminate disinformation and promote thinly disguised totalitarian ideology. In clear, hard-hitting English, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn presents a well-reasoned and well-balanced analysis that exposes an insidious racket. Race Experts contributes significantly to the two-front struggle against racism and demagogy. -- Eugene D. Genovese, author of Roll, Jordan, RollThis is a book for those who want more specifics on how the activists in the Civil Rights Movement—aided and abetted by pandering white liberal elites—are in full retreat from the American principle of color-blindness, and are now celebrating race-consciousness and 'racial differences.' As a whole, it is an essential primer, replete with eye-opening horror tales of political correctness, including the antics of racial/ethnic stereotype-reinforcement, which masquerade as 'sensitivity' and diversity training in workplaces and schools. Moreover, this is a handy reference for those already knowledgeable but thoroughly fed up with the histronics of racial therapy, which plays on guilt, and touchy feelings, rather than on evidence and intellect as the basis for evaluating ideas and overcoming parochial prejudices. -- Michael Meyers, executive director, New York Civil Rights CoalitionAfter a talk I once gave suggesting new practical paths that the Civil Rights movement might take, a black student told me disappointedly that she had expected that I would lend her guidance in 'forming an identity.' Race Experts crisply uncovers the source of this student's expectation. Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn deftly shows how the original Civil Rights leaders' quest for concrete community uplift has been hijacked by attempts to police and cleanse the thought processes of individuals. Anyone seeking truly to understanding the theatrics of Jesse Jackson, the black white score gap in education, the new career of 'diversity counselor,' the rise and fall of the Black Panthers, or many other often perplexing aspects of America's racial landscape cannot afford to let this book pass them by. -- John McWhorter, author of Losing the RaceRichly textured and throughly readable, Race Experts boldy explores the dense thicket of contemporary racial confusions about self-identity and color consciousness. How refreshing it is to find a work so crammed with common sense on a topic that too often has prompted scholarly muddle-headedness and theoretical overkill. Joining the trenchant work of Orlando Patterson and Darly Scott, Race Experts should draw wide acclaim. -- Bertram Wyatt-Brown, author of The Shaping of Southern CultureIn this insightful and troubling book, Lasch-Quinn explores the subtle and not so subtle ways in which the reification of race is perpetuated, despite the absence of biological evidence for the existence of race itself and even in the name of fighting racism. -- David Noble, author of America by DesignRace Experts is an important book, which should be read by every corporate leader, every educator, and every parent. Lasch-Quinn explains carefully and quietly how the idealistic goals of the civil rights movement have been displaced by misguided 'therapies' that promote racial divisiveness and narcissism, which harm all of us. -- Diane RavitchRace Experts is the first book to link together America's two favorite conversations, the one about self-help and the one about race. There is enough sloppy thinking and posturing on both subjects to make this book an effective and necessary one. * The New York Times Book Review *Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn argues quite convincingly that multiculturalism and ethnic diversity programs might instead breed contempt for and condescending behavior toward blacks. Race Experts is a scathing indictment of the new politically correct thinking on race. * The Washington Times *An original and impressive presentation that does much to illuminate the current racial situation. * Kirkus *This is sure to be a controversial book among readers interested in race issues. * Booklist *Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn offers an unflinching look at the elaborate codes that govern racial exchanges and relations and at the entrenched 'experts' who purport to know more than ordinary citizens about how men and women are to comport themselves across lines of racial division. Crisply written, forthright, replete with vivid examples, Race Experts helps to break open a long overdue debate. -- Jean Bethke Elshtain, The Laura Spelman Rockeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics, University of Chicago; author of Just War Against TerrorElisabeth Lasch-Quinn's thought provoking book brilliantly critiques the industry of the race advocates who tend to exaggerate the importance of racial differences. This is a book that dedicated proponents of social justice have been waiting for. It could even help us refocus our energies on fighting poverty and inequality. -- William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard UniversityIn measured but rigorously critical tones, she excoriates the theory and politics of identity, diversity training, racially based psychotherapy and educational politicies aimed at increasing racial self-esteem. Thoughtful and provocative. * Times Literary Supplement *Convincingly and cogently argued. This is an important book for Britain as well as America. * Black and Asian Studies Association Newsletter *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Acknowledgements Chapter 2 Prologue Chapter 3 The New Racial Etiquette: The Ritual of Racial Reprimand Chapter 4 Radical Chic and the Rise of a Politics of Therapy Chapter 5 The Encounter Group: A New Interracial Mode for Integration Chapter 6 Racial Identity Theory: Groundwork for a Renewal of Suspicion Chapter 7 Revolt against Repression: New Age Therapy from the Fringe to the Mainstream Chapter 8 A World of Endless Slights: Diversity Training and its Illogical Consequences Chapter 9 In Perpetual Recovery: The Problem with Multicultural Education for Self-Esteem Chapter 10 Epilogue Chapter 11 Notes Chapter 12 Credits Chapter 13 Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the relevance of the Gramscian concept of passive revolution and Caesarism in the context of the Egyptian revolution and counter-revolution.Trade Review'An important contribution to debates which should concern us all as researchers and students of potential revolutionary transformation, of Egyptian politics and of Gramsci's political thought' -- Dr. Maha Abdelrahman, Reader in Development Studies and Middle East Politics, University of Cambridge, and author of 'Egypt's Long Revolution: Protest Movements and Uprisings' (Routledge, 2014)'A wide-ranging and innovative work that will be of invaluable use to scholars of the Middle East, revolution, and 'democratic transition' and the use of Gramscian political concepts in global political economy' -- Dr. Jamie Allinson, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Edinburgh, and Editor at 'Salvage''This is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and provocative analyses of not only the recent Egyptian revolution' -- Progress in Political EconomyTable of ContentsSeries Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction Part I: On the Subject of Revolution 2. From Bourgeois to Permanent Revolution 3. A Criterion for Interpretation 4. Caesarism Part II: Gramsci in Egypt 5. Passive Revolution and Imperialism 6. Lineages of Egyptian Caesarism 7. The 25 January Revolution 8. Revolution and Restoration 9. Conclusions Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first comprehensive exposition of the work of one of the most important intellectual historians and political theorists writing today. Quentin Skinner''s treatment of political theory as a dimension of political life marks a revolutionary move in the historical as well as the philosophical study of political thought. Skinner brings the study of political theory closer to the language of agents and treats theorists as politicians of a special kind. This is as true of his accounts of his contemporaries, such as Rawls, Rorty, Geertz and Habermas, as it is of his interpretations of classical thinkers such as Machiavelli and Hobbes. Skinner has become internationally renowned for this approach, which ties together historical and contemporary analysis in order to integrate the study of the past and the present, and which tries fully to uncover the historical context and development of key concepts in political theory such as freedom and the state. ThisTrade Review‘Skinner and Palonen between them have explained, more deeply than anyone, the relation between writing the history of political thoughts and thinking about politics in history.’ John Pocock, Professor Emeritus, John Hopkins University ‘Kari Palonen’s impressive knowledge of twentieth-century European historiography creates an appropriately broad canvas for this fine study of the Cambridge contextual historian Quentin Skinner as a political theorist in the grand tradition. Palonen shows to what degree Skinner’s projects belong to the world post Nietzsche and post Wittgenstein, which give priority to “life” and the “lived experience” over theory and scholastic history (or historicism). For the modern homo politicus no longer speaks “ for eternity”, but as a person of his/her own time. It is in this very special sense that context and text belong together: as the ground, and perhaps the only ground, against which human actions now have meaning’. Patricia Springborg, University of SydneyTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction. 1.1. A Revolution in the Study of Political Thought. 1.2. A Political Reading. Chapter 2. History as an Argument. 2.1. Death of Political Philosophy?. 2.2. The Defence of the Historian: Laslett and Pocock. 2.3. The ‘historical’ as a criterion. 2.4. The Politics of History. Chapter 3. Theories as Moves. 3.1. Intelligibility of Politics as Activity. 3.2. The Action Perspective on Political Thought. 3.3. Ideas and Concepts as Moves in Argument. 3.4. Conventions and intentions. 3.5. Legitimation of Action. 3.6. The Innovating Ideologist. 3.7. Linguistic Action and its Legitimation. Chapter 4. The Foundations: a History of Theory Politics. 4.1. Genres of Studying Political Thought. 4.2. Why "Foundations"?. 4.3. The Matrix of Questions. 4.4. Ideologies and Legitimation. 4.5. The Formation of the Concept of the State. 4.6. From the History of Ideas Towards a History of Concepts. 4.7. The Skinnerian Revolution. Chapter 5. Rethinking Political Liberty. 5.1. Liberty as a Contested Concept Par Excellence. 5.2. Revising the Conceptual History of Liberty. 5.3. Liberty of the City-Republics. 5.4. Machiavelli as a Philosopher of Liberty. 5.5. Hobbes on Natural Liberty and the Liberty of Subjects. 5.6. The Neo-roman Theorists: Liberty vs. Dependence. 5.7. Intervention in the Contemporary Debate. 5.8. A Profile on the History and Theory of Liberty. Chapter 6. From Philosophy to Rhetoric. 6.1. The Rise of Rhetoric. 6.2. Rhetorical Philosophy: Wittgenstein and Austin. 6.3. Skinner’s Critique of Philosophy. 6.4. Rhetoric and Philosophy in Hobbes. 6.5. The rhetorical Culture of the Renaissance. 6.6. Rhetoric and the Critique of Philosophy. 6.7. Conceptual Change: from Speech Acts to Rhetoric. 6.8. Skinner and Rhetoric Studies Today. Chapter 7. Quentin Skinner as a Contemporary Thinker. 7.1 The Intellectual Profile. 7.2. A vision of Time. References.

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Book Synopsis* A lively discussion of politics and political theory by one of the world's most distinguished political theorists and philosophers. * Provides an excellent introduction to the work of Bobbio for the newcomer. * Explains the idea of the Republic and some of the major political and ethical themes of the day.Trade Review"This delightful dialogue moves with ease between ideas in the history of political thought and political theory and issues in contemporary politics, Italian, European and global. It breathes new political life into old academic bones." —Philip Pettit, William Nelson Cromwell, Professor of Politics, Princeton UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction to the English Edition. 1 Virtue and the Republic. 2 Patriotism. 3 What Kind of Freedom? 4 Meekness and Intransigence. 5 Rights and Duties. 6 Fear of God and Love of God. 7 The Republic and its Problems. 8 Hidden Powers. 9 Can the Republic be Renewed? Notes.

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together leading experts in the field to develop a new agenda for the centre--left. In his extensive introduction, Anthony Giddens draws the threads together to sketch a powerful and novel left--centre political approach.Table of ContentsContributors. Preface. Introduction. Neoprogressivism: A New Agenda for Social Democracy (Anthony Giddens). 1: The Embedded Market (John Kay). 2: The Ensuring State (Folke Schuppert). 3: 21st-Century Citizenship (Tom Bentley and David Halpern). 4: Against Social Inheritance (Gösta Esping-Andersen). 5: Managed Diversity (Nicola Rossi). 6: Global Social Democracy (David Held). 7: Global Terrorism (Mary Kaldor). 8: Technology, Risk and the Environment (Rebecca Willis and James Wilsdon)

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Book SynopsisHe seemed to be the last Baltimorean to see how well he had succeeded."-from the PrefaceTrade ReviewSchaefer's story, as told here, appeals beyond the state's borders, showing how one seemingly ordinary man made a difference in attacking the most serious social and economic problems government faces-no small lesson for an era of raging cynicism about politicians and their motives. Washington Post How do you write about an unpredictable hothead? Very carefully, says C. Fraser Smith the Sun editorial writer whose fine biography of William Donald Schaefer is new for Johns Hopkins Press. -- Margaret Guroff Baltimore Magazine

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Book SynopsisAt once far-reaching and detailed, Place and Belonging in America offers a though-provoking new perspective on the myriad, often spiritual connections between territoriality, national identity, and civic culture.Trade ReviewPlace and Belonging in America should provoke reflection on the importance of issues such as immigration, geographic mobility, and globalization for the viability of politics, properly understood. -- Jeremy Beer Perspectives on Political Science Jacobson's lucid and insightful analysis is multilayered and interdisciplinary. Along with deft historical interpretation and incisive sociological investigation, he integrates discussions on politics, philosophy, literature, and religion, highlighting their roles in revealing American's evolving sense of place and identity. Virginia Quarterly Review Paying keen attention to interpretation, textuality, and the social uses of landscape, Jacobson's study engages questions that make it a must read. -- Susan Kollin Journal of American History A thoughtful overview of major events and changes to the American linkages of place and identity to the landscape. -- William G. Holt Contemporary SociologyTable of ContentsContents: Acknowledgments Introduction: Terra Firma ONE An American Eden TWO Surveying the Landscape THREE Nature's Nation: Preserving the Future FOUR Spatial Rhythms: Changing the Past FIVE Intangible Property: A Multihued Landscape CODA The Labyrinth of the Soul Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe authors show how theoretical principles of a properly constructed Senate interacted with political interests and power politics in the multidimensional struggle to construct the Senate, before, during, and after the convention.Trade ReviewThis exemplary new book by Daniel and Stephen Wirls brings theory and history together in a lucid and timely analysis of this pivotal institution's formation and early development in a way suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. -- Robert J. Sptizer Jr. Perspectives on Political Science 2004 Two learned political scientists explore the foundations and early development of the US Senate. Choice 2004 A masterful treatment of the origins and early evolution of the U.S. Senate... Extremely well-written and informed... Raises the bar substantially for future studies of congressional development. -- Sarah A. Binder Political Science Quarterly 2005 Highly scholarly but also highly engaging work. -- Fred R. Harris Perspectives on Politics 2005 No previous work offers an account that ties the theoretical and practical origins of the Senate with its early institutional development. Wirls and Wirls prove to be able guides and their journey worthy of our efforts. -- Charles A. Kromkowski American Historical Review 2006

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Book SynopsisSchmitter, European University Institute, Florence; Doh Chull Shin, University of Missouri at Columbia.Trade ReviewAn important milestone in the study of democratic quality, and an excellent resource for both scholarly researchers and graduate courses on comparative democracy and democratization. -- Daunis Auerson Political Studies Review 2007Table of ContentsAcknowldgmentsIntroductionI. Dimensions of Democratic Quality1. Why the Rule of Law Matters2. The Ambiguous Virtues of Accountability3. Freedom as the Foundation4. Addressing Inequality5. The Chain of Responsiveness6. A Skeptical PerspectiveII. Comparative Case Studies7. Italy and Spain8. Chile and Brazil9. Bangladesh and India10. South korea and Taiwan11. Poland and Romania12. Ghana and South AfricaIndex

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Book SynopsisPangle shows how these analysts have in effect imported Straussian impulses into a newkind of political and social science.Trade ReviewPangle... brings to his task the remarkable erudition, and his volume may be said to have succeeded in restoring, and perhaps even deepening, the more sober view of Strauss's intention that prevailed in his lifetime and for a decade or so after death. -- Steven J. Lenzner Claremont Review of Books 2007 Pangle's bibliography at the end alone is worth the price of the book. -- Benjamin Wiker Crisis Magazine 2007Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Relativism: The Crux of Our Liberal Culture2. The Revival of Classical Political Philosophy3. The Rediscovery and Reassessment of the Foundations of Modernity4. Strauss's Legacy in Political ScienceNotesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisBreslin draws a critically important distinction between constitutional texts and constitutional practice.Trade ReviewThis is an important work... written by a scholar who knows how to express complex ideas clearly and is well versed in the literature on public law, political theory, and comparative constitutionalism. -- Mark Graber Balkinization blog 2009 From Words to Worlds provides a refreshing break from the common focus on the U.S. Constitution in favor of a global perspective that explores the functions of constitutions in many different societies. Harvard Law Review 2009 One of the most successful works of genuinely comparative constitutional theory to emerge recently... Breslin's writing is also readily accessible, and the book could easily be assigned to undergraduates. His points are clearly developed, and his examples are illuminating. -- Keith E. Whittington Law and Politics Book Review 2009 Breslin leaves no stone unturned in his analysis of constitutionalism as a theoretical construct and a modus operandi for relatively successful political systems... Recommended. Choice 2009 From Words to Worlds is an excellent introduction to constitutional design. Each chapter is self-contained and can be read in isolation, which works well for teaching purposes. The book also summarizes concisely the key scholarly works relevant to the topics he discusses. -- Paul Chen Law and Society Review 2010 Breslin's erudite book elucidates the reasons a people might engage in constitutional creation in the first place-the point at which dreams are the most glorious and words are the most inspirational. What follows can never match a people's sheer audacity in that moment, but with Breslin's helpful prompting, it may one day be possible to test their leap of faith. -- Robert L. Tsai Perspectives on Politics 2010Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Constitutional Order2. Constitutional Tansformation3. Constitutional Aspiration4. Constitutional Design5. Constitutional Conflict6. Constitutional Recognition7. Constitutional Empowerment8. Constitutional LimitsConclusion: Constitutional FuturesNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisSeligson, Sandeep Shastri, Doh C. Shin, Mark Tessler, Christian Welzel, Yogendra YadavTrade ReviewHow People View Democracy is a scholarly and unbiased look at the power of the vote in today's world. Midwest Book Review 2009Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. How People Understand DemocracyChapter 2. The Role of Ordinary People in DemocratizationChapter 3. Public Opinion and Democratic LegitimacyChapter 4. Learning to Support New Regimes in EuropeChapter 5. Latin America's Diversity of ViewsChapter 6. Authoritarian Nostalgia in AsiaChapter 7. The Fragility of Support for Democracy in South AsiaChapter 8. Formal versus Informal Institutions in AfricaChapter 9. The "Alternation Effect" in AfricaChapter 10. The Arab Aspiration for DemocracyChapter 11. How Muslims in Central Asia View DemocracyIndex

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Book SynopsisMeasuring Democracy offers specific, real-world lessons that scholars and practitioners can use to improve the quality and utility of data about democracy.Trade ReviewThere is something for everybody in this book... Highly recommended. -- Todd Landman Journal of Latin American Studies 2010Table of ContentsList of Figures and TablesPreface1. Bringing Knowledge to Bear on Politics: The Uses and Misuses of Data in Democracy Promotion2. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: An Evaluation of Alternative Indices3. Drawing Boundaries: The Crafting of Intermediate Regime Categories4. Producing and Validating Political Data: The Case of the Electoral Democracy Index5. Assessing Elections: A Methodology for Election Observation Missions6. Revisiting Concepts: Democracy and Other Political Values7. Developing Measures: Beyond Electoral DemocracyNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisMeasuring Democracy offers specific, real-world lessons that scholars and practitioners can use to improve the quality and utility of data about democracy.Trade ReviewThere is something for everybody in this book... Highly recommended. -- Todd Landman Journal of Latin American Studies 2010Table of ContentsList of Figures and TablesPreface1. Bringing Knowledge to Bear on Politics: The Uses and Misuses of Data in Democracy Promotion2. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: An Evaluation of Alternative Indices3. Drawing Boundaries: The Crafting of Intermediate Regime Categories4. Producing and Validating Political Data: The Case of the Electoral Democracy Index5. Assessing Elections: A Methodology for Election Observation Missions6. Revisiting Concepts: Democracy and Other Political Values7. Developing Measures: Beyond Electoral DemocracyNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe award-winning author of Founding Brothers and The Quartet now gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams to some of the most divisive issues in America today.The story of history is a ceaseless conversation between past and present, and in American Dialogue Joseph J. Ellis focuses the conversation on the often-asked question What would the Founding Fathers think? He examines four of our most seminal historical figures through the prism of particular topics, using the perspective of the present to shed light on their views and, in turn, to make clear how their now centuries-old ideas illuminate the disturbing impasse of today's political conflicts. He discusses Jefferson and the issue of racism, Adams and the specter of economic inequality, Washington and American imperialism, Madison and the doctrine of original intent. Through these juxtapositions&m

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Book SynopsisINVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS (IRE) BOOK AWARD WINNER • The story of the history-changing break-in at the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, by a group of unlikely activists—quiet, ordinary, hardworking Americans—that made clear the shocking truth that J. Edgar Hoover had created and was operating, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, his own shadow Bureau of Investigation.“Impeccably researched, elegantly presented, engaging.”—David Oshinsky, New York Times Book Review • “Riveting and extremely readable. Relevant to today's debates over national security, privacy, and the leaking of government secrets to journalists.”—The Huffington PostIt begins in 1971 in an America being split apart by the Vietnam War . . . A small group of activists set out to use a more active, but nonviolent, method of civil disobedience to provide hard evidence once and for all that the government was operating outside the laws of the land. The would-be burglars—nonpro’s—were ordinary people leading lives of purpose: a professor of religion and former freedom rider; a day-care director; a physicist; a cab driver; an antiwar activist, a lock picker; a graduate student haunted by members of her family lost to the Holocaust and the passivity of German civilians under Nazi rule.Betty Medsger's extraordinary book re-creates in resonant detail how this group scouted out the low-security FBI building in a small town just west of Philadelphia, taking into consideration every possible factor, and how they planned the break-in for the night of the long-anticipated boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, knowing that all would be fixated on their televisions and radios.Medsger writes that the burglars removed all of the FBI files and released them to various journalists and members of Congress, soon upending the public’s perception of the inviolate head of the Bureau and paving the way for the first overhaul of the FBI since Hoover became its director in 1924. And we see how the release of the FBI files to the press set the stage for the sensational release three months later, by Daniel Ellsberg, of the top-secret, seven-thousand-page Pentagon study on U.S. decision-making regarding the Vietnam War, which became known as the Pentagon Papers.The Burglary is an important and gripping book, a portrait of the potential power of non­violent resistance and the destructive power of excessive government secrecy and spying.

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Book SynopsisNational Book Critics Circle 2021 Biography Finalist53rd NAACP Image Award Nominee: Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Autobiography“[A] riveting and timely exploration of Hamer’s life. . . . Brilliantly constructed to be both forward and backward looking, Blain’s book functions simultaneously as a much needed history lesson and an indispensable guide for modern activists.”—New York Times Book ReviewMs. Magazine “Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of Us – 2021” · KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW · BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW · Publishers Weekly Big Indie Books of Fall 2021 Explores the Black activist’s ideas and political strategies, highlighting their relevance for tackling modern social issues including voter suppression, police violence, and economic inequality.“We have a long fight and thi

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Book Synopsis“This powerful and meticulously argued book reveals that immigration crackdowns … [have] always been about saving and protecting the racist idea of a white America.” —Ibram X. Kendi, award-winning author of Four Hundred Souls and Stamped from the Beginning“A damning inquiry into the history of the border as a place where race is created and racism honed into a razor-sharp ideology.” —Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The End of the MythRecent racist anti-immigration policies, from the border wall to the Muslim ban, have left many Americans wondering: How did we get here? In what readers call a “chilling and revelatory” account, Reece Jones reveals the painful answer: although the US is often mythologized as a nation of immigrants, it has a long history of immigration restrictions that are rooted in the racist fear of the “great replace

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Book SynopsisThe first book to uncover the hidden and powerful role campaign professionals play in shaping American democracy by delving into the exclusive world of politicos through off-the-record interviewsWe may think we know our politicians, but we know very little about the people who create them. Producing Politics will change the way we think about our country’s political candidates, the campaigns that bolster them, and the people who craft them.Political campaigns are designed to influence voter behavior and determine elections. They are supposed to serve as a conduit between candidates and voters: politicos get to know communities, communicate their concerns to candidates, and encourage individuals to vote. However, sociologist Daniel Laurison reveals a much different reality: campaigns are riddled with outdated strategies, unquestioned conventional wisdom, and preconceived notions about voters that are more reflective of campaign professionals’ im

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Book Synopsis“This powerful and meticulously argued book reveals that immigration crackdowns … [have] always been about saving and protecting the racist idea of a white America.” —Ibram X. Kendi, award-winning author of Four Hundred Souls and Stamped from the Beginning“A damning inquiry into the history of the border as a place where race is created and racism honed into a razor-sharp ideology.” —Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The End of the MythRecent racist anti-immigration policies, from the border wall to the Muslim ban, have left many Americans wondering: How did we get here? In what readers call a “chilling and revelatory” account, Reece Jones reveals the painful answer: although the US is often mythologized as a nation of immigrants, it has a long history of immigration restrictions that are rooted in the racist fear of the “great replace

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Book SynopsisThis extraordinary collection gathers the never-before-seen correspondence of a true American original—the acclaimed historian and lion of the liberal establishment, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.   An advisor to presidents, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and tireless champion of progressive government, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., was also an inveterate letter writer. Indeed, the term “man of letters” could easily have been coined for Schlesinger, a faithful and prolific correspondent whose wide range of associates included powerful public officials, notable literary figures, prominent journalists, Hollywood celebrities, and distinguished fellow scholars.   The Letters of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. reveals the late historian’s unvarnished views on the great issues and personalities of his time, from the dawn of the Cold War to the aftermath of September 11. Here is Schlesinger’s correspondence with such icons of Am

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Book SynopsisFor readers of Jill Lepore, Joseph J. Ellis, and Tony Horwitz comes a lively, thought-provoking intellectual history of the golden age of American utopianism—and the bold, revolutionary, and eccentric visions for the future put forward by five of history’s most influential utopian movements. In the wake of the Enlightenment and the onset of industrialism, a generation of dreamers took it upon themselves to confront the messiness and injustice of a rapidly changing world. To our eyes, the utopian communities that took root in America in the nineteenth century may seem ambitious to the point of delusion, but they attracted members willing to dedicate their lives to creating a new social order and to asking the bold question What should the future look like? In Paradise Now, Chris Jennings tells the story of five interrelated utopian movements, revealing their relevance both to their time and to our own. Here is Mother Ann Lee, the prophet

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Book SynopsisAmerican Culture in Peril illuminates Reagan's powerful legacy and investigates whether his traditional view of American culture can successfully compete in postmodern America.ContributorsHadley ArkesPaul A.

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Book SynopsisBush both led the United States through watershed events in foreign relations: the end of the Cold War and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many high-level cabinet members and advisers played important foreign policy roles in both administrations, most notably Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and Condoleeza Rice.

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Book SynopsisSaul Bellow is one of the twentieth century's most influential, respected, and honored writers.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisBy making powerful historic comparisons and drawing from personal experience, Kolenda draws thought-provoking and actionable conclusions about the utility of American military power in the contemporary world.Table of ContentsIntroduction The Past as Prologue Part I Further Defining War Termination The Decisive Victory Paradigm Undermines Strategy for Irregular War Part II Light Footprints to a Long War Plans Hit Reality The Fall of the Taliban and the Bonn Conference America's Bureaucratic Way of War Conclusion to Part II Part III Accelerating Success, 2003-7 Failing to Keep Pace with the Insurgency, 2007-9 The Good War Going Badly Surging into the Good War More Shovels in the Quicksand Misapplying the Iraq Formula Assessments and Risks Conclusion to Part III Part IV Reconciliation versus Transition Reconciling Reconciliation Competing Visions: Karzai, Taliban, Pakistan Exploratory Talks: Building and Damaging Confidence Coming off the Rails Fall-Out: BSA, Bergdahl, and the 2014 Elections Conclusion to Part IV Part V Operation Iraqi Freedom A Complicated Approach to a Complex Situation From Decisive Victory to Transition Conclusion to Part V Part VI Achieving Milestones while Losing the War Trapped by Partners in a Losing Strategy Mirror imaging civil-military relations To Surge or Not to Surge A New Plan on Shaky Foundations Conclusion to Part VI Part VII Surge Misunderstood The Absence of a Political Strategy Erodes U.S. Leverage New Administration, Similar Challenges Conclusion to Part VII Part VIII Iraq and Afghanistan Compared Implications for U.S. foreign policy Implications for scholarship Appendix Abbreviations Glosssary of Key Actors Key Events in the Afhanistan Conflict Key Events in the Iraq Conflict

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Book SynopsisAn innovative basis to understand the relationship between two leaders.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1969-1980 1981 1982 1983-1984 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis "power-capital institution" based on three millennia of Confucian ideology and decades of Maoist communism exercises monopolistic control of public resources at the expense of civil society and social justice for the majority of citizens.The Price of China's Economic Development urges policymakers to alter their analytic lens.

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Book SynopsisIllustrates how colleges and universities are the sustaining lifeblood of civil society and that when these vital institutions are underfunded, both the community and economy suffer. Michael T. Benson and Hal R. Boyd examine the historical origins of higher education in America and analyze the benefits of postsecondary education.

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Book SynopsisExamines human rights disasters during Myanmar’s democratisation.Table of ContentsIntroduction Theorizing and Studying Response to Norm Conflict Commitment to the Norms Norm Reconciliation in Indonesia Strategic Norm Replacement in Thailand From Norm Replacement to Conflict Denial in Malaysia Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis title seeks to show that the mass media can either enrich or enslave the human spirit, depending upon their moral foundation. If the media follow a liberal democratic model, they contribute to a free society. If they follow an authoritarian or totalitarian model they can perpetuate a regime.

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Book SynopsisExamines some of the salient historiographical and conceptual issues that animate various debates about the nature of the medieval contribution to modern Western political ideas. This book includes three sections that address salient themes that illustrate continuity and change: Dissent and Power, Empire and Republic, and Political Economy.

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