Political structure and processes Books

Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of significant reports and testimonies issued in June 2018.Table of ContentsFor more information, please visit our website at:https://novapublishers.com/shop/top-5-reports-and-testimonies-in-june-2018/

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Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of significant reports and testimonies issued in July 2018.Table of ContentsFor more information, please visit our website at:https://novapublishers.com/shop/top-5-reports-and-testimonies-in-july-2018/

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Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of significant reports and testimonies issued in December 2018.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of significant reports and testimonies issued in August 2018.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a profile of the membership of the 115th Congress (2017-2018) as of 1 October 2018. Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.

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Book SynopsisAmerican Institutions by Alexis De Tocqueville has attracted great attention throughout Europe, where it is universally regarded as a sound, philosophical, impartial, and remarkably clear and distinct view of our political institutions, and of our manners, opinions, and habits, as influencing or influenced by those institutions. Writers, reviewers, and statesmen of all parties, have united in the highest commendations of its ability and integrity. The people, described by a work of such a character, should not be the only one in Christendom unacquainted with its contents. At least, so thought many of our most distinguished men, who have urged the publishers of this edition to reprint the work, and present it to the American public. They have done so in the hope of promoting among their countrymen a more thorough knowledge of their frames of government, and a more just appreciation of the great principles on which they are founded.Table of ContentsFor more information, please visit our website at:https://novapublishers.com/shop/american-institutions/

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Book SynopsisAgencies plan to spend more than $96 billion on IT in fiscal year 2018; however, they continue to face longstanding challenges in doing so. Congress established the Chief Information Officers (CIO) position to serve as an agency focal point for IT to address these challenges. Recognizing the importance of the CIO position to successful IT management a government-wide review of CIO responsibilities was conducted. The objective of chapter 1 is to determine the extent to which agencies have addressed the role of the CIO in accordance with federal laws and guidance, and major factors that have enabled and challenged agency CIOs in fulfilling their responsibilities to carry out federal laws and guidance. The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) provided an opportunity to strengthen the authority of CIOs to provide needed direction and oversight of agencies'' IT budgets. Chapter 2 addresses the extent to which selected federal agencies established policies and procedures that address IT budgeting requirements, could demonstrate that they had developed fiscal year 2017 IT budgets for sampled investments consistent with FITARA and OMB guidance, and implemented processes to ensure that annual IT budgets are informed by reliable cost information.

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Book SynopsisThis book intends to contribute to the discussions on the "New" Turkey, which has become a noteworthy term during the third term of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and which was officially used by Erdogan, the Republic of Turkey in 2014. The "New" Turkey, although a connotation used frequently for a new beginning of politics followed by each political power, has been attributed to a symbolic value by the current political power, AKP. The "New" Turkey has a bipolar meaning in Turkish politics: One that is strongly defended and supported by the current political power to maintain the historical bond between the Ottoman heritage, a mixture of Turkish culture and Islamic identity, and the Turkish republic, therefore to reinstate the Ottoman understanding among the people through state institutions while challenging the secular and Kemalist side, which resists losing the "old" Turkey's Kemalist identity. Political, social and economic transformations are visible in daily and social life in Turkey toward Turkish-Islamic synthesis. Such a visibility is of concern for both polarized sides in Turkey. The "conservative democrat" AKP is deeply keen on bringing back the "national" and "local" philosophy of culture, production, technology and identity while protecting their "own" and "othering" those who do not agree with the AKP, securitizing the opposition who disregard the Ottoman heritage and who states the Turkish Republic was founded from a scratch. This book focuses on the political regime transformation, social problems such as aging and nation, economic problems such as import and export destinations during the third term of AKP, when they officially started to name it "New" Turkey. Although the "New" Turkey is very often used to denote a state culturally and ideologically conservative, it is also a term to utter a regional power, which centers itself in the world politics. Today, the biggest question is whether Turkey is going to manage to undo polarization of the society while maintaining development. The present work seeks answers to these questions.Table of ContentsPreface; Political Party System in Turkey and the Transformation of the Political Regime in the New Turkey; From Citizenship to Nation: The Transformation of Government Conceptualizations in the New Turkey; Aging as a New Socio-Demographic Reality in Turkey: Processes, Patterns and Outcomes; Is the New Turkey Paradigm Shifting from West to East? An Analysis of the Relationship Between Exportation Regions and Innovation; The Changing Geography of Foreign Real Estate Acquisition in Turkey; New Cities of Dissatisfied Capital: A Comparative Analysis of Capitalist Production of Space in Eskişehir and Konya; A Society without Space and Space without a Society: Theme Parks of New Turkey; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis compilation opens with an analysis of the way in which developing competition policies in the provision of health services in Vietnam could creating a fair, equitable and effective environment for health service providers, as well as protection for health service users. Policy recommendations are proposed in an effort to improve the efficiency of Vietnam's investment in public services, thus increasing people's access to and benefit from health services. Similarly, policy recommendations are proposed in the context of educational services. In the history of translation and interpretation, community interpreting has been of great importance. As such, the rapid advances in defining this type of interpretation, or the concept of interpreting in general, are explored. One author presents a case study based on her personal experiences as an intern and as a professional interpreter at the Spanish Commission for Refugees, outlining the abilities, expertise and skills gained from said experiences. Interpretation is a growing sector, both in terms of employment and research, which offers many opportunities around the world. In closing, the authors examine which purchasing competencies, practices, and measurements are considered relevant to service purchasing development in the transportation public agency.Table of ContentsPreface; Competition Policy in the Provision of Vietnams Health Services with Opportunities and Challenges; State Investment in Health Services in Vietnam: Situation and Problems Raised; State Investment in Education Services in Vietnam: Current Situation and Issues; The Regulation of Community Interpreting in Europe: A Comparison between Germany and Spain; NGO Interpreting: A Case Study Based on Experience at the Spanish Commission for Refugees; New Techniques, Skills and Opportunities in Language Interpretation for Public Services; Development of Purchasing Competence in Service Procurement: Case Transportation Public Agency; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume gathers articles of crucial concern to Black Americans. These issues include education, research funding at historically black colleges and universities, voting rights, unemployment, income support policies, health care reform and racism. These contributions, taken together, form a crucible for thought.

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Book SynopsisThis book is based on the thesis that the process of European integration is far more than just the building and further development of institutions. It is far more than the adjustment of economic and political procedures in a changing environmental and ever new challenges. Instead it is a social process which takes place even if the "social dimension" is underexposed by the official policy. And just this makes it all the more interesting because it shows the limits and opportunities to influence "great history" by the social basis of soci(et)al being - the peoples and their organisations. The main foci of the chapters in this book are: the role and function of social policy, and the role and function of civil society, namely the NGOs.

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Book SynopsisCentral & Eastern Europe in Transition, Volume 4

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Book Synopsis Over the last few years, there has been a noticeable increase in studies on the postwar period of Germany, reflecting the crucial importance of these years for an understanding of the developments in the two Germanys. With her study of U.S. occupation policy and its effects on German social and political developments in Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart, Rebecca Boehling offers a most valuable contribution to this debate. She examines the decisions made by the U.S. Military Government regarding German municipal personnel from the first year of the occupation, when all city officials were appointed directly by Military Government of with its explicit approval, through the first postwar municipal elections in 1946 and 1948, when democratic self-government was gradually restored. Boehling explores the far-reaching effects of personnel decisions on German political life within the framework of U.S. policies intended to denazify and democratize Germany. The conclusion she draws is that the early local-level German developments under U.S. occupation facilitated economic recovery in a manner that restricted the implementation of political and social goals of democratization.Trade Review "A well-written and informative source ... a useful contrast to much of the existing literature." · H-Net Reviews (H-German) "... a much appreciated contribution to the current discussions about the reunification of Germany and what it can mean for its economy and relationships to the other European powers." · Wisconsin Bookwatch "... most welcome as the first detailed analysis of political reconstruction in major postwar German cities available in English." · Choice ... unique quality. There is really nothing in English - and relatively little in German - that explores the early days of the occupation of Germany with this degree of detail or with such an extensive knowledge of the interaction between Germans and Americans at the local level." · Thomas Schwartz, Vanderbilt UniversityTable of Contents List of Abbreviations Preface Introduction Chapter 1. American Preparations for Postwar German Self-Government Chapter 2. Structure, Jurisdiction, and Policies of the Office of Military Government – U.S. Zone (OMGUS) Chapter 3. From Resistance and Liberation to Conquest and Occupation Chapter 4. The Stunde Null: American Occupiers, German Appointees, and Pre-democratic Municipal Administration Chapter 5. German Grassroots Democracy and U.S. Military Government: Early Manifestations of Local Self-Government Chapter 6. U.S. Military Government in Retreat: The Return of German Self-Government and the Results of Democratization Initiatives Chapter 7. Conclusion: The Legacy of the U.S. Occupation Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book provides current and historical information on the budget resolution. It provides a list of the budget resolutions adopted and rejected by Congress since implementation of the Budget Act, including the U.S. Statutes-at-Large citations and committee report numbers, and describes their formulation and content. The book provides a table of selected optional components, a list of reconciliation measures, and information on the number of years covered by budget resolutions. It also provides information on the consideration and adoption of budget resolutions, including an identification of the House special rules that provided for consideration of budget resolutions; the amendments in the nature of a substitute to the budget resolution considered in the House; the number and disposition of House and Senate amendments to budget resolutions; and dates of House and Senate action on budget resolutions.

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Book SynopsisAppropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. The process begins with the President''s budget request and is bounded by the rules of the House and Senate, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (as amended), the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, and current program authorisations. This book is a guide to the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House Committee on Appropriations and Senate Subcommittee on Legislative Branch of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. It summarises the current legislative status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related legislative activity.

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Book SynopsisThe constitutional transfer of power and authority from an incumbent American President to a successor is a momentous occasion in American government. In the present day, this transfer of authority is a complex and multi-faceted undertaking, as the outgoing Administration concludes its affairs and the incoming Administration gets organised. In recent decades, presidential transition activities have begun months before the general election; the major candidates usually have asked individuals or small groups to begin to formulate plans in the event of an electoral victory. Preparations have accelerated after the election, as the attention of the President-elect and his supporters has turned from campaigning to governing. The President-elect and his team have approximately 11 weeks. This book presents important issues dealing with major aspects of these critical transitions.

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Book SynopsisCongress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization & Priorities Act of 1976. The act states that "the primary function of the OSTP Director is to provide, within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), advice on the scientific, engineering and technological aspects of issues that require attention at the highest level of Government. Scientific and technical knowledge and guidance influences not just policy related to science and technology, but also many of today''s public policies as policymakers seek knowledge to enhance the quality of their decisions. This book examines the several organisations which, when requested by the federal government or Congress, provide formal science and technology policy advice. In addition, this book provides a basic understanding of science and technology policy including the nature of S&T policy, how scientific and technical knowledge is useful for public policy decision-making, and an overview of the key stakeholders in science and technology policy. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisPresidential succession was widely considered a settled issue prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. These events demonstrated the potential for a mass "decapitation" of both the legislative and executive branches of government, and raised questions as to whether current arrangements were adequate to guarantee continuity in Congress and the presidency under such circumstances. With respect to presidential succession, there has been a wide range of discussions in both Congress and the public policy community since that time, and Members of both chambers have introduced legislation addressing this question in the contemporary context. This book provides analytical perspective on presidential and congressional succession questions in U.S. history, identifies and assesses contemporary succession issues, and identifies and analyses relevant legislation.

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Book SynopsisISIS started as rebels under the US occupation of Iraq. They grew by ravaging Libya and Syria. Their backers are Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and they fight as proxies for US neocons and allies. The motives are oil, gas, and empire-building. ISIS is a supercharged new brand of Al Qaeda, which like Gladio was founded by the US to fight Russia. The so-called founders and bogeymen of ISIS, Zarqawi and Baghdadi, were puppets invented by the CIA. ISIS is the latest offensive in a very long-term Anglo-Zionist Divide and Conquer project to balkanise and subjugate the Middle East, by fostering narrow sectarianism and infighting among its peoples. Britain installed the Saudi-Wahhabi monarchy over 200 years ago, which is the main source of funding for Islamic extremism, including ISIS. Turkey''s dictator Erdogan runs ISIS for NATO; like the Saudis, he is an Islamic fundamentalist and a long-term ally of Israel. ISIS fighters were used to smash up and take over Qaddafi''s Libya, then sent through Turkey to lay waste to Syria and Iraq. The US and its allies in Europe and the Middle East covertly support ISIS, while pretending to fight it, leaving Russia to take action on its own to quash the cancer threatening the entire region. However, the attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and Brussels are best explained as classic Gladio false flag operations, pinned on ISIS to foster the "Clash of Civilisations. The name ISIS is short for "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria", and it is also known as ISIL, Daesh and Al Qaeda in Iraq.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a profile of the diverse membership of the 111th Congress. Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age and length of service, occupation, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the National Disaster Housing Strategy and implementation plan. Today we face a wider range of hazards and potentially catastrophic events than we have ever faced before. These include terrorist attacks and major natural disasters that could destroy large sections of the Nation''s infrastructure. This book describes how we as a Nation currently provide housing to those affected by disasters and an examines the many sheltering and housing efforts we have in the United States and the broad array of organisations that are involved in managing these programs.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents an overview of the Draft 2011 Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations and Unfunded Mandates on State, Local, and Tribal Entities and the benefits and costs of the U.S. Government''s regulatory program. The decomposition of benefits and costs of regulations by agencies, and in some cases by major categories of benefits, are instructive. The 10-year look back is valuable to illustrate the longer-term trends in benefits and costs of government regulations and recommendations for reform.

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Book SynopsisAn issue for Congress and state and local governments is whether the pay and benefits of public workers are comparable to those of workers in the private sector. To deal with budget deficits, many policymakers are looking at the pay and benefits of public sector employees as a way to reduce government spending. This book provides a comparison of selected characteristics, including age, education, and occupation, of public and private sector workers.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines a common concern voiced by proponents of regulatory reform in recent decades which has been that the costs associated with certain regulations outweigh the benefits that the regulations are intended to provide. To improve the quality and effectiveness of federal rules and minimise burden, regulatory reform proponents have frequently advocated greater use of a range of analytic tools during the rulemaking process, including cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis.

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010 as the administration begins its implementation. The act offers many important opportunities to focus attention on successfully improving the effectiveness of government programs and operations, and addresses significant fiscal, performance, and management challenges facing the federal government. The federal government is the world''s largest and most complex entity, with about $3.5 trillion in outlays in the fiscal year of 2010 that fund a broad array of programs and operations. Long-term simulations of the government''s financial condition underscore the need to begin addressing the long-term federal fiscal outlook.

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Book SynopsisThe American presidency has become one of the most powerful offices in the world with the ascendancy of American power in the 20th century. "White House Studies Compendium" brings together piercing analyses of the American presidency -- dealing with both current issues and historical events. The compendia are the bound issues of ''White House Studies'' with the addition of a comprehensive subject index.

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Book SynopsisFrom a customer service perspective, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has set a standard for superior customer service among governmental agencies. It has historically received high marks from beneficiaries, and most Americans do not have to travel far to reach a SSA field office, where they can apply for benefits, become a representative payee for someone incapable of managing his or her finances, or apply for a name change after marriage. Yet continuing budget constraints, which began at the start of the decade, have forced SSA to make difficult decisions to reduce service to the public. At a time when Baby Boomers are retiring and filing disability and retirement claims at record numbers, SSA has shed 11,000 workers agency-wide over three years. This book discusses the reduction in face-to-face services at the SSA; provides a report on the policies and procedures for closing and consolidating field offices; long-term strategies for addressing key management strategies; and budget issues.

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Book SynopsisFinancial regulators conduct rulemaking and enforcement to implement law and supervise financial institutions. This book begins by discussing features that make federal financial regulators relatively independent from the President and Congress. It provides a history and overview of the rationale for making financial regulators independent, a discussion of what structural characteristics contribute toward independence and how those characteristics vary among regulators. It then continues to gives a brief description of the structure of the Federal Reserve System (Fed), and discusses the economics of how Fed independence affects monetary policy. The book concludes with an overview of the regulatory policies of the agencies that oversee banking and securities markets and explains which agencies are responsible for which institutions, activities, and markets.

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Book SynopsisReal property disposal is the process by which federal agencies identify and then transfer, donate, or sell real property they no longer need. Disposition is an important asset management function because the costs of maintaining unneeded properties can be substantial, consuming financial resources that might be applied to long-standing real property needs, such as repairing existing facilities, or other pressing policy issues, such as reducing the national debt. Also, timely and proper disposal of obsolete ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, is critical to protecting the environment. Because these ships often contain hazardous materials, members of Congress and others have raised issues about the environmental concerns. This is also true for the management of civilian radioactive waste, and defence surplus equipment disposal.

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Book SynopsisWhile public-private partnerships (PPPs) have long been used to manage real property, congressional interest in PPPs has recently increased due to the large number of underutilized and excess buildings owned by federal agencies, as well as sequestration and other spending constraints. This book provides an overview of key policy and legal issues pertaining to PPPs for purposes of federal real property management. The book also discusses the potential for collocation and the factors that can affect that potential; the possible benefits of collocation; the the challenges associated with collocation, and what solutions, if any, can mitigate these challenges; the extent to which agencies attribute the full benefits and costs of their enhanced use leases (EUL) in their assessments of their EUL programs; and the experiences of agencies in using their EUL authority.

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Book SynopsisThe term social security in this report refers to programs established by statute that insure individuals against interruption or loss of earning power and for certain special expenditures arising from marriage, birth, or death. This definition also includes allowances to families for the support of children. This book reports on the social security programs of Africa and the Americas. This book serves as an overview of programs in all regions.

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Book SynopsisInnovative contracting case studies is an iterative, evolving document that describes a number of ways Federal agencies are getting more innovation per taxpayer dollar -- all under existing laws and regulations. This book discusses the case studies, and provides a legal overview of the competition in federal contracting.

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Book SynopsisThe authority to regulate U.S. elections is shared by federal, state, and local officials. Congress has addressed major functional areas in the voting process, such as voter registration. However, the responsibility for administration of state and federal elections resides at the state level. In 2002 Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which requires states to request ID from first time voters who register by mail, when they register to vote or cast a ballot for the first time, and to permit individuals to vote a provisional ballot if they do not have the requisite ID. Numerous states have enacted additional laws to address how an individual may register to vote or cast a ballot. As of June 2014, 33 states had enacted requirements for all eligible voters to show ID before casting a ballot at the polls on Election Day. This book reviews what available literature indicates about voter ownership of and direct costs to obtain select IDs; what available literature and analyses of available data indicate about how, if at all, voter ID laws have affected turnout in select states; to what extent provisional ballots were cast due to ID reasons in select states; and what challenges may exist in using available information to estimate the incidence of in-person voter fraud.

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Book SynopsisThe New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) is a non-refundable tax credit intended to encourage private capital investment in eligible, impoverished, low-income communities. NMTCs are allocated by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI), a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury, under a competitive application process. Investors who make qualified equity investments reduce their federal income tax liability by claiming the credit. This book describes the New Markets Tax Credit Program and the major considerations banks may need to address when using the tax credits to support community and economic development activities. The book examines the primary opportunities and risks associated with the use of NMTCs and discusses the methods used by national banks and federal savings associations (collectively, banks) to structure transactions and use the credits effectively.

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Book SynopsisArticle III of the Constitution established the judicial branch of the United States, consisting of the Supreme Court and of any "inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.... " To staff such courts, the Constitution empowered life-tenured and salary-protected judges to adjudicate certain "cases" or "controversies," including cases arising under the Constitution. The Supreme Court, in Marbury v. Madison, held that the judicial power to interpret the Constitution necessarily includes the power of judicial reviewthat is, the power to countermand the decisions by other government agents because a given decision contravenes the Constitution. The Supreme Court has established a host of loosely related rules generally called the constitutional avoidance doctrine that discourage a federal court from issuing broad rulings on matters of constitutional law. After providing general background on the power of judicial review and the major theories on the constitutional avoidance doctrine, this book explores the various rules that allow a court to avoid a ruling that invalidates a democratically enacted law and the logic behind those rules. This book provides an exploration of how the doctrine of constitutional avoidance has influenced some of the recent jurisprudence of the Roberts Court, criticisms of the doctrine, and the implications for Congress. The book also discusses the justiciability and the separation of powers in the political question doctrine, which the Supreme Court has articulated to restrict when federal courts will adjudicate disputes.

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Book SynopsisThis series gathers and presents original research in the study of the Presidency of the United States. Each article has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial topical data across a broad spectrum. Topics discussed in this compilation include the issuance, modification and revocation of executive orders; the debate over selected presidential assistants and advisors; nominations to cabinet positions during inter-term transitions since 1984; financial assets and conflict of interest regulations in the executive branch; and an analysis of young-adult voting for presidential elections from 1964 to 2012.

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