Regional, state and local government policies Books

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

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Book SynopsisEssential reading for students and practicing social workers in Wales, this book is the first to examine what makes the Welsh context unique, including the move towards joint children, families and adult provision and the emphasis on early intervention partnership considerations.Table of ContentsForeword - Mark Drakeford Preface - Wulf Livingston, Jo Redcliffe and Abyd Quinn Aziz Part 1: Context Introduction - Eluned Plack, Wulf Livingston, Jo Redcliffe and Abyd Quinn Aziz 1. The Social Policy Context for Social Work in Wales - Hefin Gwilym 2. A Rights-Based approach: The New Social Work Legislation in Wales - Miriam Ennis 3. The Regulation of Social Work in Wales - Ian Thomas 4. The Welsh Context: We Are What We Know - Gwenan Prysor 5. Social Work Education in Wales - Jo Redcliffe and Jaime Ortiz 6. Coproduction and Service User Involvement - Sarah-Jane Waters 7. Applying the Principles of Coproduction - Liz Lefroy Part 2: Practice Examples 8. Child and Family Social Work in Wales - David Wilkins 9. A Joint Children and Adult Approach to Safeguarding - Hayley Douglas and Helena Barlow 10. Experiences of Social Care and Social Work Education: Completing the Circle - Sarah Buckley, Graham Attenborough, Hope Lawrence, Tim Wynn, Jenny Burgess, Eluned Plack, Anna-Louise Edwards, Rhiana Povey and Sandra Williams, with Liz Lefroy 11. Unpaid Carers - Daniel Burrows and Jen Lyttleton-Smith 12. Peer-led Alcohol and Drug Services - Tim Versey, Sarah Vaile, James Deakin and Wulf Livingston 13. Trauma Informed Practice in the Welsh Youth Justice Service - Tegan Brierley-Sollis 14. Social Care With Older People: Embedding and Sustaining Practice – The cARTrefu Project - Penny Alexander, Diane Seddon, Katherine Algar-Skaife, Gill Toms, Sarah Lord and Kelly Barr Part 3: Current Challenges 15. A Holistic Approach to Self-care, Resilience and Well-being - Neil Thompson 16. Social Work with Transgender Children and their Families - Naomi Parry and Ceryl Teleri Davies 17. Young Intimate Relationships: Messages from Research for Practice - Ceryl Teleri Davies 18. Anti-Racist Social Work Practice in Wales - Jade Forbes and Abyd Quinn-Aziz 19. Supporting Sanctuary Seekers in Wales - Tracey Maegusuku-Hewett, Haddy Sallah, Joanne Pye, Beth Pearl and Natacha Leao da Silva 20. Community Development in Social Work Practice - Fiona Verity 21. Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic - Christian Kerr, Gillian Macintyre, Robin Sen and Abyd Quinn Aziz 22. Emerging Social Work Practice in Wales - Rhoda Emlyn-Jones Conclusion - Abyd Quinn Aziz, Jo Redcliffe and Wulf Livingston

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe devolution of social care policy has led to key differences emerging between the UK's four care systems. This book presents research on the perspectives of social care policy makers within the UK's four care systems, concluding that when given equal capacity to reform, the systems in each nation may take radically different shapes.Table of Contents1. Comparing Adult Social Care Systems in the UK 2. What Is Social Care Policy For? 3. What Is in Crisis? The Context of Care Policy in the Four Nations 4. The Mechanisms of Social Care Reform 5. The Outcomes of Social Care Reform 6. Territorial Policy Communities: Scale, Style and Scope 7. The Limits of Social Care Reform 8. Conclusion: Between Care Paradigms

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Book SynopsisThis textbook introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the politics of the European Union using a comparative politics approach. This enables students to utilize their knowledge of domestic politics in understanding the EU and better grasp the specific character of its politics.Trade ReviewPraise for the First Edition: 'In a world of either overly empirical or overly complex EU textbooks, Lelieveldt and Princen strike an excellent balance in writing a theoretically informed, empirically accurate and highly accessible introduction to the politics of the EU.' Mark Rhinard, Stockholm University in Public Administration'Finally, an EU textbook that seamlessly weaves together comparative politics and EU politics … a richly textured, highly informative, yet accessible book for graduates and undergraduates.' Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and European University Institute, FlorenceTable of ContentsList of figures; List of maps; List of tables; List of briefings; List of fact files; List of controversies; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and acronyms; List of country abbreviations used in tables and figures; Part I. Setting the Scene: Origins, Analytical Perspectives and Institutions; 1. The historical development of the EU; 2. Analysing the EU; 3. The institutional framework; 4. Legislation and decision-making: putting the institutional puzzle together; Part II. Key Actors in EU Politics: Citizens, Interest Groups and Political Parties; 5. Public opinion and political participation; 6. Interest groups and interest representation; 7. Political parties and the European Parliament; Part III. EU Policies: Agenda-Setting, Decision-Making and Implementation; 8. An overview of EU policy-making; 9. Agenda-setting; 10. Decision-making; 11. Implementing policies; Conclusions and Reflections; 12. Reflecting on the EU as a political system; Key terms and concepts; Index.

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Book SynopsisThe emergence of new technologies and business models has required a pro-active role from public authorities in defining the rules of evolving markets before issues cement. This book surveys the key areas of the digital economy that demand policy action, such as AI, cybersecurity, and e-commerce, and the EU long term strategic plans to govern them.Table of ContentsPART 1. TOWARDS A DIGITAL ECONOMY 1: A Digital Economy 2: Facts About the European Digital Economy 3: Technology and the Covid-19 Pandemic PART 2. DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE 4: Connectivity 5: The Data Economy 6: Digital Government 7: Cybersecurity PART 3. DIGITAL MARKETS 8: An Introduction to Online Platforms 9: Online Content and Platform Liability 10: E-Commerce 11: The Sharing Economy PART 4. DIGITAL SOCIETY 12: Technology and Employment 13: Digital Inequality 14: Disinformation in the Digital Age 15: Artificial Intelligence Appendix 1. Microeconomics: A Toolkit

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Book SynopsisThis textbook introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the politics of the European Union using a comparative politics approach. This enables students to utilize their knowledge of domestic politics in understanding the EU and better grasp the specific character of its politics.Trade ReviewPraise for the First Edition: 'In a world of either overly empirical or overly complex EU textbooks, Lelieveldt and Princen strike an excellent balance in writing a theoretically informed, empirically accurate and highly accessible introduction to the politics of the EU.' Mark Rhinard, Stockholm University in Public Administration'Finally, an EU textbook that seamlessly weaves together comparative politics and EU politics … a richly textured, highly informative, yet accessible book for graduates and undergraduates.' Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and European University Institute, FlorenceTable of ContentsList of figures; List of maps; List of tables; List of briefings; List of fact files; List of controversies; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and acronyms; List of country abbreviations used in tables and figures; Part I. Setting the Scene: Origins, Analytical Perspectives and Institutions; 1. The historical development of the EU; 2. Analysing the EU; 3. The institutional framework; 4. Legislation and decision-making: putting the institutional puzzle together; Part II. Key Actors in EU Politics: Citizens, Interest Groups and Political Parties; 5. Public opinion and political participation; 6. Interest groups and interest representation; 7. Political parties and the European Parliament; Part III. EU Policies: Agenda-Setting, Decision-Making and Implementation; 8. An overview of EU policy-making; 9. Agenda-setting; 10. Decision-making; 11. Implementing policies; Conclusions and Reflections; 12. Reflecting on the EU as a political system; Key terms and concepts; Index.

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Book SynopsisCovering three Lebanese municipalities with striking sectarian diversity, Saida, Bourj Hammoud and Tyre, this book investigates the ways in which local service delivery, local interactions and vertical relationships matter in building peace.

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Book SynopsisA collection of political writings by the radical socialist and feminist geographer, Doreen Massey, edited by David Featherstone and Diarmaid Kelliher.

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Book SynopsisA new perspective on policy responsiveness in American government. Scholars of American politics have long been skeptical of ordinary citizens' capacity to influence, let alone control, their governments. Drawing on over eight decades of state-level evidence on public opinion, elections, and policymaking, Devin Caughey and Christopher Warshaw pose a powerful challenge to this pessimistic view. Their research reveals that although American democracy cannot be taken for granted, state policymaking is far more responsive to citizens' demands than skeptics claim. Although governments respond sluggishly in the short term, over the long term, electoral incentives induce state parties and politiciansand ultimately policymakingto adapt to voters' preferences. The authors take an empirical and theoretical approach that allows them to assess democracy as a dynamic process. Their evidence across states and over time gives them new leverage to assess relevant outcomes and trends, including tTrade ReviewNamed one of "The Best Scholarly Books of 2022": "It is easy to be pessimistic about American democracy. Elected officials appear far more interested in scoring partisan points than crafting policy that represents their constituents...Dynamic Democracy presents a powerful, data-drenched rejoinder to this line of thinking. The authors argue that, at the state level, policy has been surprisingly reflective of public preferences. Slowly but surely, as voters’ preferences change, so too have the policies of the states in which they live. In the typically staid field of quantitative American politics, Caughey and Warshaw have written a book that speaks to urgent concerns about the state of our democracy." * The Chronicle of Higher Education *"Caughey and Warshaw significantly contribute to the understanding of state governments' responsiveness to the political desires of their citizens....The authors provide an extensive and compelling analysis of the causes and shifts in public policy over a large time frame—especially recent trends, such as the ideological nationalization of partisanship." * Choice *“Dynamic Democracy is a tour de force. It puts forth the most ambitious assessment in a generation of the health of democracy in the American states. Built on an unprecedented wealth of data and using a sweeping and sophisticated empirical approach, Dynamic Democracy examines how institutions, especially political parties and elections, mediate the complex interplay between state governments and the public. It provides an optimistic yet clear-eyed appraisal: state policies reflect remarkable responsiveness to public opinion over the long term, though important gaps remain.” -- Elisabeth R. Gerber, University of Michigan“Caughey and Warshaw have revolutionized the study of public opinion and state politics, and Dynamic Democracy is their magnum opus. The book carefully and rigorously traces the trends in and relationships between opinion and policy in the states—the institutional level that in recent decades has moved from the periphery to the center of American politics. Using cutting-edge statistical tools, Caughey and Warshaw uncover new evidence that over the long term, state governments do indeed respond to the attitudes of their constituents. Dynamic Democracy is a must-read for scholars of state politics and public opinion, or anyone interested in systematic quantitative analysis of American politics.” -- Jacob M. Grumbach, University of Washington“Justice Brandeis advanced the idea of states as laboratories in 1932. But only with this landmark book have political scientists made good on the promise of elucidating democracy via the states. Harnessing new methods, Caughey and Warshaw provide a decisive portrait of the dynamics of policymaking and public opinion. Eventually, state policies come to align with public opinion, a hallmark of democratic governance. But statehouse democracy has faced potent threats: from Jim Crow exclusion, malapportionment, and gerrymandering. Comprehensive and transformative.” -- Daniel J. Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania“Dynamic Democracy is a marvelous analysis of how public opinion can translate into policy in the American states. For this task, Caughey and Warshaw collect massive amounts of data on the ideological directions of state electorates, state-level politicians, and state policies. They put it together to tell a causal story with easy-to-understand statistical analyses. Best of all is their use of the time dimension, showing how the process of democratic representation works better than you might think but often moves slowly.” -- Robert S. Erikson, Columbia UniversityTable of Contents1. Introduction 1.1 Plan of the Book 2 Measurement: Public Opinion and State Policy 2.1 The Challenge of Measurement 2.2 Data and Measures 2.2.1 Policy and Survey Data 2.2.2 Measures of State Policy and Mass Preferences 2.3 Summary 2.A Technical Appendix on Measurement Models 2.A.1 Issue-Specific Opinion 2.A.2 Ideological Summarization 2.A.3 Commonalities among the Ideological Models 3 Preferences: Partisanship and Ideology in State Publics 3.1 Partisan and Ideological Trends in the States 3.1.1 Partisanship 3.1.2 Ideology 3.1.3 Evolution and Stability 3.2 The Alignment of Ideology and Partisanship 3.3 The Ideological Nationalization of Partisanship 3.4 Summary 4 Policies: The Outputs of State Government 4.1 Trends in State Policy Ideology 4.2 Policy, Preferences, and Party 5 Parties: The Policy Effects of Party Control 5.1 Theoretical Framework 5.2 Policy Effects of Party Control 5.3 Regression Discontinuity Estimates 5.4 Dynamic Panel Estimates 5.5 How Much Does Party Control Matter? 5.6 Summary 6 Elections: Selection, Incentives, and Feedback 6.1 Selection and Incentives 6.2 National Tides and Partisanship 6.3 Partisan Selection 6.4 Candidate Positioning and Electoral Success 6.5 Collective Accountability and Negative Feedback 6.5.1 Electoral Feedback 6.6 Summary 7 Responsiveness: The Public’s Influence on State Policies 7.1 Operationalizing Responsiveness 7.2 Position Responsiveness 7.3 Policy Responsiveness 7.3.1 Heterogeneity: Era and Region 7.3.2 Mechanisms: Turnover versus Adaptation 7.3.3 Cumulative Responsiveness 7.4 Summary 8 Proximity: The Match between Preferences and Policies 8.1 Data on Policy-Specific Representation 8.2 Policy Bias 8.3 Policy Proximity 8.3.1 The Dynamics of Policy Proximity 8.4 Summary 9 Deficits: Gaps in American Democracy 9.1 The Jim Crow South 9.1.1 Racial Disparities in Representation 9.2 Legislative Malapportionment 9.3 Partisan Gerrymandering 9.4 Summary 10 Reforms: Improving American Democracy 10.1 Background on Institutional Reforms 10.1.1 Citizen Governance 10.1.2 Voting 10.1.3 Money in Politics 10.1.4 Labor Unions 10.2 The Effects of Institutional Reforms 10.3 Summary 11 Conclusion 11.1 Normative Implications 11.2 Prospects for Reform 11.3 Whither State Politics? 11.4 Implications for Future Research Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhile prior studies have shown the importance of participatory institutions in strengthening civil society and in improving policy outcomes, we know much less about why some participatory institutions take root while others do not. This book explains the divergent trajectories of nationally mandated participatory institutions'' ''stickiness'' by highlighting the powerful and lasting impacts of their origins in different policy-reform projects. Mayka argues that participatory institutions take root when they are bundled into sweeping policy reforms, which upend the status quo and mobilize unexpected coalitions behind participatory institution building. In contrast, participatory institutions created through reforms focused on deepening democracy are easy for entrenched interests to dismantle and sideline. Building Participatory Institutions in Latin America draws on rich case studies of participatory institutions in Brazil and Colombia across three policy areas, offering the first crossTrade Review'Mayka's book is a gem. It provides an original conceptualization and argument for the process of institutional strengthening of participatory innovations. In her carefully crafted and thoroughly researched comparison of participatory institutions in the public policy sectors of health, social assistance, and planning in Brazil and Colombia, Mayka reveals the importance of originating sweeping reforms and policy entrepreneurs that can activate broad coalitions. This book is a must read for anyone interested in institutional creation and change, civic participation, health, social assistance, and the recent institutional innovations and politics of Latin America.' Tulia Falleti, Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania.'Latin America played an innovative role in the global diffusion of participatory reforms in recent decades, but as Lindsay Mayka shows in this insightful book, these reforms varied widely in their effectiveness and levels of grass-roots engagement. This book is a must-read for scholars and policymakers alike who want to understand the larger institutional environments that make popular participation meaningful, inclusive, and responsive to citizens at the grass-roots.' Kenneth Roberts, Cornell University, New YorkTable of Contents1. Introduction: the puzzle of participatory institution building; 2. Theoretical framework: participatory institution building through sweeping sectoral reform and policy entrepreneurs; 3. The origins of participatory reforms in Brazil and Colombia; 4. Brazil's health councils: successful institution building through sweeping reform; 5. Brazil's social assistance councils: the advances of a broad but divided coalition mobilized through sweeping reform; 6. Colombia's planning councils: the limits to participatory institution building without sweeping sectoral reform; 7. Colombia's health committees: failed participatory institution building in the absence of policy entrepreneurs; 8. Lessons for institutional change, interest representation, and accountability.

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Book SynopsisCarrie Manning’s illuminating book examines how policies to limit taxation at state and local levels in the US have direct and lasting consequences for equity, accountability, and ultimately for democracy. Tax structures embed and reproduce an implicit social contract between government and citizens, creating path-dependent outcomes that produce unintended consequences which are rarely traced back to state and local revenue models. This book combines historical American political development with the study of state formation. It provides a clear-eyed investigation into the past, present, and future of the social contract between America’s local governments and citizens.Table of Contents1. Taxes and the Social Contract 2. States, Taxes, and the Polities They Create 3. The US Tax State and the Limited Social Contract 4. Tax and Expenditure Limitations vs. an Expanding Social Contract 5. Implications of the Reliance on Fines and Fees 6. Taxing Democracy: Conclusions

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Book SynopsisOver the past decades the nation state lost its political primacy by processes of devolution, Europeanisation and globalisation, which in turn enhanced municipal autonomy. Why do some cities seek to sidestep the state and widen their sphere of action? Bridging political geography, local politics and urban sociology, this book gives a new perspective on the state’s weakening authority and the parallel rise of cities as political actors. The author considers the tensions between central states and European cities, giving a new perspective to students and researchers in the social sciences.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Ebbs and Flows of Cities as Political Actors 3. The Persistence of Urban Identity in the Global World 4. Fleeing the State 5. The Municipalisation of the European Political Space 6. Civitas Activa: The Mobilising Potential of Cities 7. A Municipal Way Out?

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Book SynopsisThe Mongol conquest of north China inflicted terrible destruction, wiping out more than one-third of the population and dismantling the existing social order. Jinping Wang recounts the riveting story of how northern Chinese people adapted to these trying circumstances and interacted with their conquerors to create a drastically new social order.Trade ReviewIn this new social history, Jinping Wang challenges the tired old clichés of ‘Sinicization,’ guided by a supposedly dominant ‘Confucian literati’ class. -- Christopher AtwoodA large body of important work has been produced on the social history and local history of middle-period China over the last thirty years, but virtually all of it has focused only on south China. Now the emergence of inscriptional sources, some newly available and some simply overlooked, has become the basis for a new wave of rich social-historical work on north China that is transforming our understanding of the middle period. Jinping Wang is a leader in this new wave of northern social history, and her book is a landmark in the field. -- Robert HymesThe whole book, as well as its remarkable quality of translations, are a model of sinological work. It improves our knowledge and understanding of society during the Mongol period and the Yuan dynasty, and from now on any sociological study in this vast field of research will have to refer to it. -- Pierre MarsoneThis study of Han Chinese turning to a school of popular Daoism through a turbulent period of history is remarkable, especially because of the way Wang Jinping utilized epigraphic materials to demonstrate how this social phenomenon emerged. The resilience of Quanzhen institutions in the face of the challenges of Mongol-favoured Buddhism and then imperial Ming Neo-Confucianism has never before been so well described and explained. It is an admirable work of fine scholarship. -- Wang Gungwu

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Book SynopsisThis timely Advanced Introduction explores federalism as a subject of intellectual inquiry, discussion and debate. Alain-G. Gagnon and Arjun Tremblay examine the role federalism can play in achieving fairness, justice and equality, as well as the impact it can have on the survival of political systems.

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Book SynopsisThis is an important book about one of England's most fascinating regions - Yorkshire. Colin Speakman explores Yorkshire's origin as an independent Anglo-Viking Kingdom whose capital was York, which for many centuries was England's second city. Yorkshire was divided into not one but three ancient counties or shires, East, North and West Riding, which survived until 1974. The book celebrates the extraordinary variety of landscapes and rich cultural heritage through what is described as the nine great 'cultural landscapes' that make Yorkshire one of the most distinctive and fascinating regions of England. As an environmentalist, Speakman's interest lies primarily in the landscapes of the Dales, Moors, Wolds and South Pennines, but this is blended with an understanding of the cultural and industrial forces that shaped the landscapes we see today. But this ground-breaking book also looks ahead to a new post Brexit, post pandemic world in which the environment takes centre stage, with the emergence of new greener technologies that promise new economic prosperity for the people of the region, making a powerful case for English Devolution to allow Yorkshire to fulfil its potential within both Britain and Europe.

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Book SynopsisThere is growing interest in Israel''s political system from all parts of the world. This Handbook provides a unique comprehensive presentation of political life in Israel from the formative pre-state period to the present. The themes covered include: political heritage and the unresolved issues that have been left to fester; the institutional framework (the Knesset, government, judiciary, presidency, the state comptroller and commissions of inquiry); citizens'' political participation (elections, political parties, civil society and the media); the four issues that have bedevilled Israeli democracy since its establishment (security, state and religion, the status of Israel''s Arab citizens and economic inequities with concomitant social gaps); and the contours of the political culture and its impact on Israel''s democracy. The authors skilfully integrate detailed basic data with an analysis of structures and processes, making the Handbook accessible to both experts and those with a general interest in Israel.Trade Review'A treasure of information, analysis and insight. A must for anyone who wishes to understand the complex challenges, achievements and difficulties, of the Jewish state.' Shlomo Avineri, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities'This is a monumental work. It is precise and fluent and enables the reader to see both the forest and the trees. The authors know how to distinguish between the important and the unimportant. The book is mandatory reading for anybody interested in Israeli public and political life. It offers a useful and enlightening reading for those interested in political systems.' Mordechai Kremnitzer, Vice President, Research, The Israel Democracy InstituteTable of ContentsPart I. Establishing the State: The Supremacy of Politics: 1. The formative early years of the state (1948–53); 2. Does Israel have a constitution?; Part II. Institutions Matter: 3. The presidency and the symbols of power; 4. The Knesset: first among equals?; 5. The executive branch and attempts to strengthen it; 6. The judiciary's growing involvement in public life; 7. Monitoring mechanisms: the state comptroller and state commissions of inquiry; Part III. Political Society: 8. Political participation: have Israeli citizens given up on the political system?; 9. Political parties: can we get along without them?; 10. Elections: the vague verdict of the Israeli voter; 11. Government coalitions: a steering mechanism in the political system; 12. Civil society: the third sector that grew unnoticed by the state; 13. The media in Israel: do they strengthen or weaken democracy? Part IV. Open Policy Problems: 14. Security reigns supreme; 15. Arab citizens of Israel; 16. Politics, society, and economics: how did the state provide for the society?; 17. Religion and state: between social conflict and political accommodation; Part V. Democracy in Israel: 18. Political culture in Israel.

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Book SynopsisThis book makes a significant contribution to the comparative constitutional law and politics of hybrid regimes, those that are neither liberal democratic nor closed autocracies, whose number is on the rise everywhere in the world. It takes as its case studies China's two Special Administrative Regions: Hong Kong and Macau.Table of Contents1. The rise of hybrid constitutionalism; 2. A transaction cost theory of hybrid constitutionalism; 3. Hybrid by constitutional design; 4. Comparative constitutional review in the Chinese special administrative regions; 5. Transaction cost politics in Hong Kong and Macau; 6. Epilogue; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisStarting as a civil uprising calling for liberal reforms in March 2011, the unrest in Syria rapidly deteriorated into a proxy-led armed conflict involving multiple state-sponsored and non-state actors, including foreign militias and local armed groups. The current state of affairs in Syria, and the uncertainty regarding its future, raise numerous questions for scholars and practitioners of both international law and politics about justice within the context of a changing political reality in Syria. This book contributes uniquely to the scholarship on the Syrian war, raising voices from the Middle East and beyond not often heard within this research context. The volume is divided into three sections: Part I sets the factual and legal framework for the Syrian conflict; Part II focuses on the implications of the conflict for the Syrian neighbourhood; and Part III analyses possible post-conflict scenarios. Together, they address the key themes and questions of the conflicts.Table of Contents1. Introduction: an overview of stakeholders and interests Hilly Moodrick, Even Khen, Nir Boms and Sareta Ashraph; Part I. The Syrian War: Factual and Legal Framework: 2. Syria- international use of force and humanitarian intervention Amichai Cohen; 3. Legal classification of the conflict(s) in Syria Tom Gal; 4. The Syrian government's war against its people Eyal Zisser; 5. All the red lines: the Syrian conflict and its assault on international humanitarian law Sareta Ashraph; 6. Scorched earth in Syria: between crimes against humanity and genocide Hilly Moodrick, Even Khen and Yael Siman; 7. Weaponising gender: sexual violence in the Syrian conflict Lina Biscaia; Part II. The Syrian Neighbourhood: 8. Proxy wars in Syria: exploitation of the Palestinian issue in the Syrian crisis Moran Levanoni; 9. A northern dilemma: understanding Israel's actions facing the Syrian War Nir Boms; 10. The spillover effects of the Syrian Civil War: regional ramifications Joel D. Parker; 11. Syrian refugees in Europe: assessing challenges, practices and integration policies Francesco Farinelli; Part III. A New Syria in a New World Order? Assessing Legal and Political Implications: 12. Transitional justice without transition: the international community's efforts in Syria Beth Van Schaack; 13. Syrian Kurds: rising from the ashes of persecution Sirwan Kajjo; 14. Epilogue: the future of Syria and the Middle East Kamal Allabwani; 15. Conclusion Hilly Moodrick-Even Khen, Nir Boms and Sareta Ashraph.

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Book SynopsisThe labels ''state fragility'' and ''civil war'' suggest that security within several African countries has broken down. As Tim Glawion observes, however, while people do experience insecurity in some parts of conflict-affected countries, in other areas they live in relative security. Conducting in-depth field-research between 2014 and 2018, The Security Arena in Africa is based on first-hand insights into South Sudan and the Central African Republic during their ongoing civil wars, and Somalia''s breakaway state of Somaliland. Gaining valuable accounts from the people whose security is at stake, this bottom-up perspective on discussions of peace and security tells vivid stories from the field to explore complex security dynamics, making theoretical insights translatable to real-world experiences and revealing how security is created and undermined in these fragile states.Trade Review'Based on impressive fieldwork, this book explores the dynamics of security and order at the sub-state level. It shows how local, national and international actors meddle, compete and complement one another in the security arenas found in small towns in Africa's conflict-affected countries, and what this means for the inhabitants' perceptions of security. It is essential reading for anyone interested in comparative security studies.' Alice Hills, University of Durham'Concepts like state failure, security, and order are ubiquitous yet remain opaque. Tim Glawion lifts the hood to reveal tremendous variation ranging from state repression all the way to creative non-state security provision. By approaching security from the bottom up, he enriches our conceptual toolbox and contributes to our substantive understanding.' Stathis N. Kalyvas, University of Oxford'One important feature of this book is that the discussions presented almost entirely rely on Glawion's direct engagement with everyday people whose security is often compromised. This bottom-up approach lends itself well to the topic at a time when most publications are a result of scholars' privileged macro-level discussions with state officials on security matters. This provides insight into the often neglected 'local cleavages'. The book also displays impressive field observations conducted over four years in nine locations within CAR, Somaliland and South Sudan. This relatively broad country coverage allows Glawion to examine why there is more security in some arenas than in others, despite sharing remarkably similar patterns of ordering. It is also important to note that these countries are not easily accessible in terms of field research. Finally, the book's structure and language allow for easy readership and engagement with the arguments presented throughout.' Philip O. Onguny, Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute'… this is an extremely interesting and well-written book …' Ulf Engel, Connections'The Security Arena in Africa is a refreshingly honest and contemplative work in terms of its voice. Glawion is candid and straightforward in his outlining of the methodological challenges and trade-offs faced in undertaking the fieldwork. Thus, he study represents, in this regard, a valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature on the politics and ethics of research in conflict-affected regions …' Jonathan Fisher, Perspectives on PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Ordering the security arena; 2. National and local histories of security; 3. Creating centres and peripheries in the national arena; 4. Inner and outer circles of the arena; 5. Stable ordering and predictable security; 6. Fluid ordering and flexible security; 7. Mixing ordering forms; 8. Embedding into and detaching from the arena; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisIndia and other countries chose a decentralised mode of delivering public services through elected local governments for increasing public welfare. However, great expectations of effective services, increased accountability and people''s participation were widely belied in practice. Based on field research in cities of Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, the book is a detailed examination of how state and local governments function and why decentralisation outcomes vary considerably. It locates the primary reason in governance practices that compromised autonomy and capacity of urban local governments. The book demonstrates that despite a constitutional mandate for decentralised governance, policy implementation got derailed in processes threading through laws, rules, and administrative actions. It shows how habitual practices create hidden institutional rigidities that thwart policy moves despite good intentions and democratic legitimacy. The book also discusses how to navigate policy toTrade Review'In simple and uncomplicated words, this book is path-breaking. Unlike rural panchayats, urban local self governance in India is understudied. By focusing on Trivandrum and Surat, among other things, this book gives us a deep understanding of why city governments function so differently in India. Counter-intuitive insights, especially about Kerala, abound. Urban India will become bigger and bigger in the coming years. Read this book to understand what is at stake!' Ashutosh Varshney, Brown University, USATable of ContentsDedication; Acknowledgements; Preface; List of Tables; List of Figures; Glossary; Abbreviations; Part I. Background: Chapter 1. Two Cities; Chapter 2. Approach and Argument; Part II. Local Capacity: Chapter 3. Running City Governments; Chapter 4. Organising City Governments; Part III. Accountability: Chapter 5. State-Local Relations; Chapter 6. Participation in City Governments; Part IV. Institutions, Policies and Implementation: Chapter 7. Theorising Decentralisation; Chapter 8. Governing Locally: Institutions and Policies; Chapter 9. Implementing 'Governing Locally'; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisFifteen articles on recent reforms and policy in the field of adult education.

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Book SynopsisThis report addresses key challenges facing policy makers, practitioners and academics in their efforts to understand and impact on the changing nature of urban environments today. Combining a detailed case study of the city of Bristol with wide-ranging information and analysis from other sources, the report looks at: the dynamics of employment and population change including the challenges of household growth, urban expansion and new patterns of edge-city development; urban renaissance, urban renewal and the prospects for a turn-around in the fortunes of urban areas; patterns and processes of social exclusion and social polarisation, persisting even in the face of competitive success; the role of the new knowledge-based sectors including financial and business services and the cultural and media sectors; the changing spatial architecture of urban and regional governance and its capacity to shape the towns and cities of the future. Urban transformation and urban governance is essential reading for practitioners and policy makers with an interest in urban policy, regeneration and renewal; voluntary and community sector workers; and academics and students.Trade Review"... a useful model for councils wishing to develop a robust understanding of the environment in which they operate." Local Government First"... a coherent approach to the detailed study of urban policy, its strengths lie in empirical description rather than critical analysis and/or theoretical evaluation." AreaTable of ContentsContents: Introduction ~ Martin Boddy; The changing city ~ Martin Boddy; Reshaping the city ~ Christine Lambert and Ian Smith; City of money? ~ Shaun French and Andrew Leyshon; City of culture? ~ Keith Bassett, Ron Griffiths and Ian Smith; Social exclusion and the polarised city ~ Martin Boddy; Towards collaborative capacity ~ Murray Stewart; Conclusions: shaping the urban future ~ Martin Boddy.

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the juxtaposition between cultural attitudes and national policies on the Scottish environment which offers a fascinating contrast between the landscape in imagination and in practical policy.Trade ReviewThis is very timely, with the new Parliament and a possible crunch-point in Scottish environmental affairs. -- Professor T. C. Smout, Institute for Environmental History, University of St Andrews This book touches upon an extremely important and inadequately considered issue which is about to have a particular political significance. -- Kevin Dunion This is very timely, with the new Parliament and a possible crunch-point in Scottish environmental affairs. This book touches upon an extremely important and inadequately considered issue which is about to have a particular political significance.

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Book SynopsisDevrim Adam Yavuz is Assistant Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, USA, where he teaches in the areas of political sociology and classical theory. He has published articles in peer-review journals such as Sociology and Government and Opposition.Trade ReviewDoes the development of capitalism help or hinder democratization? This is a brilliant contribution to that debate, based on remarkable access to the Turkish business elite, concluding with careful distinctions between state power and the most recent ideological pressures. The book certainly deserves the widest readership. * John A. Hall, Emeritus James McGill Professor of Sociology, McGill University, Canada *This book will create a much-needed debate by bringing Turkey’s capitalists to the forefront to scrutinize state-business relations. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews, Devrim Yavuz analyzes how the country’s wealthiest business elite have played complex leading roles in shaping democratization since 1960s and in navigating through the reversal of democracy in the new millennium. This is a must read for the students and scholars of state-society interaction. * Berna Turam, Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University, USA *In this fascinating account of state-business relations, Yavuz examines how and why the Turkish business elite became agents of democracy. This insightful and persuasive account moves beyond explanations that consider economic interests as the most critical variable explaining capitalists’ actions. Instead, Yavuz directs our attention to the workings of ideological and political power in determining the course and salience of capitalists’ push for regime change. * Yesim Bayar, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Saint Lawrence University, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Democracy in Turkey 2. Capitalism and Democracy; Theorizing the Role of State-Business Relations 3. Turkish Capitalists and The State in The World Economy 4. Awakenings: The Making of The Business Elite 1960s to 1980 5. Prometheus Unbound: Economic Power from 1980 to 2002 6. The Capitalist Spirit: Sources of Power and Democracy 7. New Authoritarianism, Conflict and the Business Elite’s Commitment to Democracy Conclusion References

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a detailed exploration of the way in which administrative and judicial offices and practices provided an essential space for politics in 19th-century Bulgaria, securing local inhabitants' participation with Ottoman imperial governance.

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Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, security became the paramount concern of virtually everyone involved in governing the United States. This title describes the human activities, emotions, relationships, and decisions that shaped the way Americans experienced homeland security.Trade Review"Under Construction is extraordinarily well written, original, timely, and its subject matter is extremely important. Fosher's demonstration of the usefulness of an ethnographic approach to the topic is truly valuable - practitioners, planners, and policy makers especially need to read this book." - Anna Simons, author of The Company They Keep: Life Inside the U.S. Army Special Forces"

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Book SynopsisBarbara M. Hobson . . . makes a compelling case for the reform of prostitution policy in . . . Uneasy Virtue. [This volume] demonstrates an effective analytical approach to understanding public policy and its impact on prostitution policy. . . .Uneasy Virtue proves particularly relevant today as right wing groups begin to guide discourse and influence policy around reproductive rights, sexuality and the future of gender equality. As Hobson proposes, the reform of prostitution polciy must be viewed in the broader context of the political and economic struggles to emancipate women and thereby create a more rational society.Samuel Suchowlecky, Commentaries

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Book SynopsisIn 2012, after Gerard Comeau had driven to Quebec to purchase cheaper beer and crossed back into New Brunswick, police officers tailed and detained him, confiscated his haul, and levied a fine. With Comeau’s story as his starting point, Ryan Manucha tells the fascinating tale of Canadian interprovincial trade.Trade Review“With Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-ups, Ryan Manucha helps explain the history of the internal trade barriers that have led to … head-scratching disparities. Manucha finds a would-be ‘trade-barrier dragon-slayer’ in Gerard Comeau, who in 2013 Was fined for bringing 49 bottles of beer and three bottles of liquor into New Brunswick from Quebec.” Literary Review of Canada“In Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups, Ryan Manucha brilliantly and accessibly writes about the difficult and often bizarre evolution of interprovincial trade in Canada. For decades, politicians and courts have grappled with this issue, often with unsatisfactory results. This important new book gives readers the history of something that is truly (and unfortunately) Canadian — why it is sometimes easier to import something from another country than it is to “import” something from another province.” 2023 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy Jury (Samantha Nutt, Taki Sarantakis, and Scott Young)“Canada’s economy has been hampered by interprovincial trade barriers for decades, … [Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups] sees reasons for hope the provinces can find more common ground.” Director Journal

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Book SynopsisCovers the history of the USA's role in the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the challenge by the President of the American Political Science Association in 2000, who urged scholars to discover how "well-structured institutions could enable the world to have a new birth of freedom".Trade Review“This is a thoroughly researched and extremely well written book on the complex development of global labor standards and the ILO. It should be read urgently by anyone concerned with problems of global justice, and particularly by those who take the view that ‘labor is not merely a commodity.’” —Randolph B. Persaud, Co-Director of the Sub-Field of Comparative and International Race Relations at American University, and Director of American University's Interdisciplinary Council on the Americas“Professor Lorenz has written an important book that provides an invaluable portrait of the International Labor Organization. Especially significant among his several achievements is his analysis of the contributions of one of this country’s unjustly neglected citizens, John G. Winant.” —James O. Freedman, President Emeritus, Dartmouth College"...one cannot help but be impressed by the drive and vigour of Lorenz's prose."—Journal of Contemporary History“This useful review of American attitudes toward international labor standards starts with World War I and the creation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1919. It usefully discusses the movement toward national labor standards within the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, the U.S. failure to ratify many of the ILO conventions, and the divisions within American labor on the ILO.” —Foreign Affairs“Based on an impressive command of a wide variety of sources, this well-organized and clearly written account explains how the social gospel movement, Progressive Era reformers, academics and attorneys, feminists and consumers, and labor unions attempted to shape an international organization that could establish standards to protect workers around the world.” —Register of the Kentucky Historical Society“Defining Global Justice chronicles in an unusual and intriguing way the rise and eventual sequential transformations of the International Labor Organization....[A] novel and very interesting history of real-life battles regarding international labor standards and an important reminder that within the traditions of our profession there once thrived a strong concern about standards of human dignity.” —EH.NET“This volume is timely. Lorenz provides an insightful history of the US’s role in the development of global labor standards through the ILO. This well-written study persuasively demonstrates that ‘well-organized groups can force the policy process to consider values, other than economic efficiency, in setting economic policies.’” —Choice“As the first complete history of the ILO, this book by Edward C. Lorenz is important for its evidence, clear narrative and ... theoretical contribution.” —American Historical Review“...an intriguing story that offers insights into the evolution of international organizations and their ability to define norms of behavior. This is a valuable book in that it carefully and fully lays out the philosophical and legal arguments for labor standards and documents when they have been applied over a long period of history.”—The Journal of Economic History

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Book SynopsisThis publication addresses key governance issues in the management of development, drawing seminal papers from the 1999 Jubilee conference proceedings of the journal Public Administration and Development. It provides a review of the state-of-the-art.Table of ContentsPERSPECTIVES: THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA. The Last Fifty Years and the Next Fifty Years: A Century of PublicAdministration and Development (P. Collins). Combining Good Fortune and Careful Planning in Botswana: Lessons ofSuccess in Presidential Leadership (K. Masire). Challenges before Policy-Makers and Service Providers (P.Sundaram). Globalisation: Threat or Opportunity? (P. Streeten). STATE, MARKET AND CIVIL SOCIETY. State, Market and Civil Society: Towards Partnership? (P.Collins). Securing the Public Interest under Pluralistic Institutional Design(N. Girishankar). Decentralised Governance and Poverty Reduction: Relevant Experiencein Africa and Asia (D. Belshaw). Local Government Reform and Community-Driven Development:Asia-Pacific Experiences (M. Turner). Public Ownership and the Community (P. McKinlay). Subsidiarity in Public Governance: Issues and Implications forStakeholders (D. Wright). Public-Private Partnerships as a Strategy for LocalCapacity-Building: Some Suggestive Evidence from Latin America (A.Fiszbein). Considerations on Governance from a Local Perspective: Towards aFramework for Addressing Critical Disjunctures in Urban Policy (P.McCarney). Networking and Collaboration Among Voluntary Organisations, LocalBodies and Government Functionaries in India: Experiences inStrengthening Local Self-Governance (B. Acharya). Public Interest Partnerships (PIPs): Is a New Governance ParadigmEmerging in ASEAN? (J. Gonzalez & J. Mayfield). Is the Role Played by Donors in Supporting Uganda's NGO SectorEnabling it to Develop Effectively? (T. Wallace). The Changing Role of International Technical Co-operation (L.Joy). ISSUES IN GOVERNANCE. Governance and Development: New Frontiers (P. Collins). Local Government Reform in Central and Eastern Europe: Form andSubstance (K. Davey). Subnational Government in South Africa Since the Transition toDemocracy from Apartheid (T. Mokgoro). Democracy, Development and the Institutionalised Participation ofthe Poor for Poverty Reduction (N. Webster). Small but Smart, or Small and Out-Smarted? Micro States, OffshoreFinance and Economic Vulnerability (M. Hampton). Natural Disasters, Complex Political Emergencies and PublicServices: Re-Juxtaposing the Narratives after Hurricane Mitch (I.Christoplos). The Emerging Development-Security Complex (M. Duffield). Selected Further Reading. Index.

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Book Synopsis* Uses popular press articles, reviews of applied economics literature, and regression--based empirical studies to examine pressing public policy issues in urban areas. * Ends sections with discussion questions and samples from selected further readings.Table of ContentsNotes on Editor and Authors. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction:. 1. Editorial Introduction: Robert W. Wassmer (Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration, California State University, Sacramento). 2. US Cities Coming Back from Decades of Decline: John Machacek (Writer, Gannett News Service). Part II: Urban Growth:. 3. The Draw of Downtown: Big Growth Predicted for Many US Cities: Dorian Friedman (Writer, US News and World Report). 4. The State of the Cities: Downtown is Up: The Economist. 5. Urban Diversity and Economic Growth: John M. Quigley (Department of Economics and Goldman School of Public Policy; University of California, Berkeley). 6. Projecting Growth of Metropolitan Areas: Edwin S. Mills (Department of Finance, Northwestern University) and Luan Sende Lubuelle (Department of Economics, Northwestern University). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part III: Location, Land Use, and Urban Sprawl:. 7. Dreams of Fields: The New Politics of Urban Sprawl: Timothy Egan (Writer, The New York Times). 8. Al Gore Has A New Worry: George F. Will (Newsweek). 9. Urban Spatial Structure: Alex Anas (Department of Economics, University of Buffalo); Richard Arnott (Department of Economics, Boston College); and Kenneth A. Small (Department of Economics, University of California, Irvine). 10. How America's Cities are Growing: The Big Picture: Anthony Downs (Economic Studies Program, Brookings Institution). 11. Prove It: The Costs and Benefits of Sprawl: Peter Gordon (Department of Economics and School of Policy, Planning, and Development; University of Southern California); and Harry W. Richardson (Department of Economics and School of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of Southern California). 12. Comment on Carl Abbott's 'The Portland Region: Where Cities and Suburbs Talk to Each Other and Often Agree': William A. Fischel (Department of Economics, Dartmouth College). 13. Do Suburbs Need Cities?: Richard Voith (Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part IV: Local Economic Development Incentives:. 14. Ohio Looks Hard at What's Lost Through Business Subsidies: Neal R. Pierce (Writer, Washington Post). 15. Jobs, Productivity, and Local Economic Development: What Implications Does Economic Research Have for the Role of Government: Timothy J. Bartik (Economist, W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research). 16. Sports, Jobs, and Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost?: Roger G. Noll (Department of Economics, Stanford University) and Andrew Zimbalist (Department of Economics, Smith College). 17. Can Local Incentives Alter a Metropolitan City's Economic Development?: Robert W. Wassmer (Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration, California State University, Sacramento). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part V: Race, Employment, and Poverty in Urban Areas: . 18. Big U. S. Cities Carry Welfare Burden: Deep Poverty, Isolation from Suburbs Keep Many from Independence: Laura Meckler (Writer, Associated Press). 19. Race Panel Divided Over Poverty: Experts Disagree on Causes, Cures of Urban Problems: Louis Freedberg (Writer, The San Francisco Chronicle). 20. No Easy Way Out: Study Finds Urban Poverty Digs Heels In: Jamie Woodwell (Writer, Nation's Cities Weekly) and Susan Rosenblum (Nation's Cities Weekly). 21. Inner Cities: Edwin S. Mills (Department of Finance, Northwestern University) and Luan Sende Lubuele (Department of Economics, Northwestern University). 22. Information on the Spatial Distribution of Job Opportunities within Metropolitan Areas: Keith R. Ihlanfeldt (Department of Economics, Georgia State University). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part VI: Urban Public Education:. 23. Why I'm Reluctantly Backing Vouchers: Arthur Levine (Teachers College, Columbia University). 24. Current Issues in Public Urban Education: Lawrence O. Picus (School of Education, University of Southern California). 25. Why is it So Hard to Help Central City Schools?: William Duncombe (Department of Public Administration, Syracuse University) and John Yinger (Department of Economics, Syracuse University). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part VII: Urban Public Housing:. 26. Miracle in New Orleans: What Do a Bunch of College Professors Know About Fixing Public Housing Projects? A Lot, it Turns Out: S. C. Gwynne (Writer, Time Magazine). 27. Urban Housing Policy in the 1990s: Stuart A. Gabriel (Department of Finance, University of Southern California). 28. The Dynamics of Housing Assistance Spells: Thomas L. Hungerford (United States General Accounting Office and The American University). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part VIII: Urban Crime:. 29. The Mystery of the Falling Crime Rate: David C. Anderson (Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune). 30. Bright Lights, Big City, and Safe Streets: Urban Dwellers Bask in Greater Sense of Security, as Crime Rates Drop Even Further: Leon Lazaroff (Writer, Christian Science Monitor) and Jim Blair (Writer, Christian Science Monitor). 31. Urban Crime: Issues and Policies: Ann Dryden Witte (Department of Economics, Florida International University). 32. Estimating the Economic Model of Crime with Panel Data: Christopher Cornwell (Department of Economics, University of Georgia) and William Trumbull (Department of Economics, West Virginia University). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part IX: Urban Transportation: . 33. Or, Why Motorists Always Outsmart Planners, Economists, and Traffic Engineers: The Unbridgeable Gap: The Economist. 34. You Ride, I'll Pay: Social Benefits and Transportation Subsidies: Janet Rothenburg Pack (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania). 35. Urban Traffic Congestion: A New Approach to the Gordian Knot: Kenneth A. Small (Department of Economics, University of California, Irvine). 36. Infrastructure Services and the Productivity of Public Capital: The Case of Streets and Highways: Marlon G. Boarnet (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of California, Irvine). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Part X: Local Government:. 37. Why I Love the Suburbs: Debra Meyers (Citizen Editorialist, Buffalo News). 38. Metropolitan Fiscal Disparities: Roy Bahl (Department of Economics, Georgia State University). 39. Economic Influences on the Structure of Local Government in US Metropolitan Areas: Ronald C. Fisher (Department of Economics and Honors College, Michigan State University) and Robert W. Wassmer (Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration, California State University, Sacramento). Further Reading Samples. Discussion Questions. Appendix: Academic Journals and Websites in Applied and Policy-Orientated Urban Economics. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe Mongol conquest of north China inflicted terrible destruction, wiping out more than one-third of the population and dismantling the existing social order. Jinping Wang recounts the riveting story of how northern Chinese people adapted to these trying circumstances and interacted with their conquerors to create a drastically new social order.Trade ReviewIn this new social history, Jinping Wang challenges the tired old clichés of ‘Sinicization,’ guided by a supposedly dominant ‘Confucian literati’ class. -- Christopher AtwoodA large body of important work has been produced on the social history and local history of middle-period China over the last thirty years, but virtually all of it has focused only on south China. Now the emergence of inscriptional sources, some newly available and some simply overlooked, has become the basis for a new wave of rich social-historical work on north China that is transforming our understanding of the middle period. Jinping Wang is a leader in this new wave of northern social history, and her book is a landmark in the field. -- Robert HymesThe whole book, as well as its remarkable quality of translations, are a model of sinological work. It improves our knowledge and understanding of society during the Mongol period and the Yuan dynasty, and from now on any sociological study in this vast field of research will have to refer to it. -- Pierre MarsoneThis study of Han Chinese turning to a school of popular Daoism through a turbulent period of history is remarkable, especially because of the way Wang Jinping utilized epigraphic materials to demonstrate how this social phenomenon emerged. The resilience of Quanzhen institutions in the face of the challenges of Mongol-favoured Buddhism and then imperial Ming Neo-Confucianism has never before been so well described and explained. It is an admirable work of fine scholarship. -- Wang Gungwu

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a beautifully written book that will add much to the scholarly discourse on the origins of comparative development. By looking to medieval Europe for insights on contemporary development, it presents a rare and valuable analysis that has important lessons for all readers. . . . It is an essential addition to a paramount research agenda."---Eoin McGuirk, EH.net

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This well-researched book challenges assumptions regarding the existence of identifiable and unitary community interests and raises important questions about the unintended consequences of the increased reliance on this constellation of community development organizations."---Elizabeth Mueller, The Journal of the American Planning Association

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This well-researched book challenges assumptions regarding the existence of identifiable and unitary community interests and raises important questions about the unintended consequences of the increased reliance on this constellation of community development organizations."---Elizabeth Mueller, The Journal of the American Planning Association"[Constructing Community] is an invitation to reconsider how we view who governs contemporary cities. . . . Levine’s insights are already enriching my conversations with resident leaders about local power dynamics and capacity-building for equitable development in the Boston area."---Laurie Goldman, Journal of Urban Affairs"An excellent analysis of contemporary politics in the urban centers."---Armando Lara-Millán, American Journal of Sociology

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Book SynopsisFor the past few years, the author, a renowned economist, has been applying the statistical tools of economics to decision making under uncertainty in the context of patient health status and response to treatment. He shows how statistical imprecision and identification problems affect empirical research in the patient-care sphere.Trade Review"Medicine has made spectacular advances, but its techniques for approving and selecting treatments remain locked in statistical and experimental design methods developed in the first decades of the twentieth century. In this book, Manski gives an accessible, practical explanation for why failures to confront the ambiguities of treatment decisions harm patients. He describes how modern statistical decision theory, including his own contributions, can save lives if incorporated into medical training and the decision making of clinicians, standard-setting bodies, and regulatory agencies. This is a must-read for those who take the Hippocratic Oath seriously."—Daniel McFadden, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Manski proposes clear, powerful strategies for improving patient care amid the many uncertainties typifying healthcare-delivery environments. Patient Care under Uncertainty offers valuable insights that wise clinicians—and others working in healthcare systems or on health policy design—would do well to consider and to implement in practice."—John Mullahy, University of Wisconsin–Madison “A thoughtful critique of medical decision making, Patient Care under Uncertainty furthers clinical care and evidence-based medicine. Manski examines identification practices, introduces partial identification to a clinical audience, and builds our econometric/statistical toolkit. Just as social scientists have adopted randomized clinical trials, it would be worthwhile for clinicians to adopt Manski’s rich approach to econometrics.”—Ahmad von Schlegell, MD"In this book, Manski highlights the tension between evidence generation in medicine and its credible use in healthcare decisions. Relying on decades of research, he presents various decision-theoretic principles for making better choices in the face of uncertainty. Accessible to a wide range of audiences, this book is a must-read for anyone grappling with the place of evidence in medical choices."—Anirban Basu, University of Washington

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