Regional, state and other local government Books

700 products


  • Federalism in Canada

    University of Toronto Press Federalism in Canada

    Book SynopsisWith a focus on the dynamics of actors, institutions, and the processes embedded in considerations of regional and cultural diversity, this book traces Canada's sovereignty journey.Trade Review"Federalism in Canada is fresh and matter of fact, a constitutional travelogue." -- Holly Doan * Blacklock’s Reporter *"I highly recommend this book to all students of federalism interested in understanding how the Canadian federal system came to be and how it evolved over the past century and a half. It is a textbook example of a contribution that is perfectly balanced between advancing knowledge and making scholarly research accessible to the public." -- Félix Mathieu, University of Winnipeg * Canadian Journal of Political Science *"This book rightfully should take its place within this scholarly history of federalism as a useful and original contribution." -- James T. McHugh, University of Akron * Publius: The Journal of Federalism *Table of ContentsPrologue: Approaches to Canadian Federalism A Personal Account by Means of Acknowledgement Contested Concepts as the Underlying Dynamic and Central Theme Organization and Outline 1 An Introductory Understanding of Canadian Federalism Shared Sovereignty Power of the Courts Sunny Ways of Compromise Fiscal Imbalance Executive Dominance Imperfection 2 Confederation Coming Together Lately Relics of Empire Unitary Impositions Federal Accommodations Parliamentary Concessions “Indians” An Incomplete Contract 3 Judicial Interpretations Pith and Substance From Need to Necessity Beyond Provincial Concern Federalism Demands Nothing Less Law and Politics 4 From a Crisis of Capitalism to a Crisis of Federalism Dramatic Crisis and BNA Act Federalism at a Loss Prairie Populism Enlightened Reactionaries Rowell-Sirois Commission Reversal of Functions 5 Mostly Fiscal Relations Tax Sharing Cost Sharing Fiscal Equalization Under the Indian Act Fiscal Imbalance and the Spending Power 6 Difference, Dependency, and Displacement Quebec Nationalism Western Alienation Eastern Dependencies Indigenous Displacement Regionalism and Federalism 7 Patriation and the Constitution Act, 1982 The Long Road to Patriation Amendment Charter Aboriginal Rights Flexible Renewal 8 The Unfinished Business of Canadian Federalism Constitutional Politics Secession and Clarity Interstate Federalism and Intrastate Federalism Indigenous Land Rights and Self-Government Shifting Identities 9 Contested Concepts of Canadian Federalism A Plural Compact of Provinces or a Dual Compact of Nationalities? How Much Autonomy or Interdependence? Treaty Federalism Epilogue: Still a Federal Country Bibliography Index

    £34.20

  • Federalism in Canada  Contested Concepts and

    MY - University of Toronto Press Federalism in Canada Contested Concepts and

    Book SynopsisWith a focus on the dynamics of actors, institutions, and the processes embedded in considerations of regional and cultural diversity, this book traces Canada’s sovereignty journey.Trade Review"Federalism in Canada is fresh and matter of fact, a constitutional travelogue." -- Holly Doan * Blacklock’s Reporter *"I highly recommend this book to all students of federalism interested in understanding how the Canadian federal system came to be and how it evolved over the past century and a half. It is a textbook example of a contribution that is perfectly balanced between advancing knowledge and making scholarly research accessible to the public." -- Félix Mathieu, University of Winnipeg * Canadian Journal of Political Science *"This book rightfully should take its place within this scholarly history of federalism as a useful and original contribution." -- James T. McHugh, University of Akron * Publius: The Journal of Federalism *Table of ContentsPrologue: Approaches to Canadian Federalism A Personal Account by Means of Acknowledgement Contested Concepts as the Underlying Dynamic and Central Theme Organization and Outline 1 An Introductory Understanding of Canadian Federalism Shared Sovereignty Power of the Courts Sunny Ways of Compromise Fiscal Imbalance Executive Dominance Imperfection 2 Confederation Coming Together Lately Relics of Empire Unitary Impositions Federal Accommodations Parliamentary Concessions “Indians” An Incomplete Contract 3 Judicial Interpretations Pith and Substance From Need to Necessity Beyond Provincial Concern Federalism Demands Nothing Less Law and Politics 4 From a Crisis of Capitalism to a Crisis of Federalism Dramatic Crisis and BNA Act Federalism at a Loss Prairie Populism Enlightened Reactionaries Rowell-Sirois Commission Reversal of Functions 5 Mostly Fiscal Relations Tax Sharing Cost Sharing Fiscal Equalization Under the Indian Act Fiscal Imbalance and the Spending Power 6 Difference, Dependency, and Displacement Quebec Nationalism Western Alienation Eastern Dependencies Indigenous Displacement Regionalism and Federalism 7 Patriation and the Constitution Act, 1982 The Long Road to Patriation Amendment Charter Aboriginal Rights Flexible Renewal 8 The Unfinished Business of Canadian Federalism Constitutional Politics Secession and Clarity Interstate Federalism and Intrastate Federalism Indigenous Land Rights and Self-Government Shifting Identities 9 Contested Concepts of Canadian Federalism A Plural Compact of Provinces or a Dual Compact of Nationalities? How Much Autonomy or Interdependence? Treaty Federalism Epilogue: Still a Federal Country Bibliography Index

    £67.15

  • University of Toronto Press Femocratic Administration

    Book SynopsisFemocratic Administration examines the gendered nature of public administration through a study of the Ontario Women's Directorate (OWD) between 1985 and 2000.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Gender, Governance, and Democracy in Ontario 1: A Feminist Political Economy of Representation 2: Gender Regimes of Public Administration 3: Experiments with State Feminism in the Weberian Gender Regime 4: Gendered Governance and the New Public Management Regime Conclusion: Building a Femocratic Administration

    £47.70

  • Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty

    University of Toronto Press Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAlready translated into fifteen languages from the original French, Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty is an essential text on the theory of multinational federalism and the politics of minority nations.Table of ContentsForeword by James Tully Introduction: National Cultures, Democracy, and Legitimacy 1. Linguistic Diversity, Language Policy, and the Limits of Federal Accommodation 2. New Challenges for Multinational States: Globalization and Competing Citizenship Regimes 3. The Pillars of Quebec's New Citizenship Regime: The Informal Constitution and Interculturalism 4. From Containment to Empowerment: Moving towards Positive Autonomy 5. Towards Multinational Federalism: Moving beyond the Integration-Accommodation Dyad 6. Rethinking Intercommunal Relations in Canada Conclusion: Embracing a New Politics of Dignity and Hospitality Appendix: The Dignity of Catalonia

    1 in stock

    £36.90

  • Lions or Jellyfish

    University of Toronto Press Lions or Jellyfish

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisWritten by a noted expert on Newfoundland politics and intergovernmental affairs in Canada, this book studies a vital but frequently overlooked aspect of modern Canadian federalism.Trade Review'Lions and Jellyfish, a trenchant, gripping, and revealing study... Raymond Blake's book is one that should be read by all who wish to understand eight of the most important events in the history of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.' -- Robert Edwards Newfoundland and Labrador Quarterly vol 108:04:2016 'Lions or Jellyfish is a polished investigation of the often-strained relationship between Ottawa and Newfoundland and Labrador... Raymond Blake brings sophisticated analysis and a well- constructed narrative.' Canadian Historical Society Bulletin vol 42:02:2016Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Smallwood, Diefenbaker and Term 29: Failed Intergovernmentalism Chapter 2. Federalism for Bullies: Newfoundland, Quebec, Ottawa and Hydroelectric Development in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1960-1970 Chapter 3. Classic Federalism: The Resettlement of Fishing Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador to 1965 Chapter 4. Co-operative Federalism: Newfoundland, Ottawa and Resettlement after 1965 Chapter 5. Unraveling the Question: Federal or Provincial Jurisdiction on Offshore Oil and Gas Chapter 6. The Nationalists: Trudeau, Peckford and the Struggle for Offshore Oil and Gas Chapter 7. Reason, Passion and Intransigence: Federalism, Clyde Wells and Brian Mulroney Chapter 8. The Battle for A Fair Share: Danny Williams, Equalization and Ottawa Conclusion

    2 in stock

    £56.10

  • Negotiating Cohesion Inequality and Change

    Bristol University Press Negotiating Cohesion Inequality and Change

    Book SynopsisUsing original empirical data, this book explores how local government officers and politicians negotiate 'difficult subjects' linked with community cohesion policy: diversity, inequality, discrimination, extremism, migration, religion, class, power and change. Winner of the BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize 2014Trade Review"A beautifully written book that gets right to the heart of negotiations over community relations in contemporary Britain." Ben Rogaly, University of Sussex"Provides original insights into the challenges of negotiating multiculturalism and diversity in the U.K. context." American Journal of Sociology"This book provides an original and critical analysis with significant implications for public policy and will be essential reading for those concerned with cohesion, inequality and social change." Marjorie Mayo, Emeritus Professor, Goldsmiths, University of London"Focusing on the how rather than the what, this incisive and challenging account explores community cohesion policy as practice, exploring how it is embedded in particular places and in the narratives and emotional biographies of its practitioners." Claire Alexander, University of Manchester"Reading this book is rewarding…compelling account of how policy is translated through negotiations and narrative frames" Public AdministrationJones draws on a range of methods – participant observation, interviews, and documentary analysis – to produce a rich and detailed ethnography of community cohesion policy and practice in particular places and specific moments." Critical Social Policy"The rich details of this book, in which interviews and in situ accounts are integrated with a national imperative to engage with and direct the diversification of society, are compelling, and the book should be widely read by academics, policy makers and policy enactors." LSE Review of Books blog"Hannah Jones sympathetically and persuasively brings the politics of local government to life far beyond the mechanics of service delivery, showing how politicians and bureaucrats make up places as they make policy." Allan Cochrane, The Open University"This important book delivers fresh thinking on cohesion as a policy approach to complex, diverse communities. It elegantly extends our understandings of emotion and policy work and makes a significant contribution to public sociology debates." Dr Sarah Neal, University of SurreyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Getting Uncomfortable; Negotiating cohesion, inequality and change; Contradictory narratives of cohesion; 'Is there anything the council did that distracted you from extremism?'; I Love Hackney/Keep It Crap; 'We spent a lot of time trying to be known for other things'; 'You need to be totally objective, but you can't be'; Thinking Inside the Box.

    £27.54

  • Kill It to Save It

    Bristol University Press Kill It to Save It

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisKill it to save it lays bare the hypocrisy of US political discourse by documenting the story of capitalism's triumph over democracy. Dolgon argues that American citizens now accept policies that destroy the public sector and promote political stories that feel right in the gut, regardless of science or facts.Trade Review"Longtime activist and provocative thinker, Corey Dolgon, has written a compelling and timely new book, "Kill It to Save It," which explores neoliberalism, popular culture, the decline of public institutions, and the serious challenges activists and organizers face as we imagine a world beyond the crumbling edifices of U.S. capitalism." Barbara Ransby, University of Illinois, Chicago"Dolgon’s analysis will be useful in efforts to oppose privatization and reassert the idea that government’s main function is serving the people, not propping up business. What’s more, Kill It to Save It...offers a clear and accessible look at how policy is crafted, marketed, and ultimately sold or rejected." - Rewire"A precious trove of information and analysis for policy makers, “social partners”, NGOs and researchers in quest of policies and consensus-building for barring the road to populism by strengthening democracy that should lead to an economy and society with a human face." Relations industrielles/Industrial Relations"The left is in disbelief by Trump’s election. Thankfully, Corey Dolgon’s book had anticipated such a development. Dolgon shows how capitalist hegemony and hyper-individualism reshaped America’s national identity, making us ever more susceptible to embracing a Reality TV star who promises to “Make America Great Again” despite promoting the worst elements of the country’s historical DNA. Required reading for those hoping not only to resist Trumpism, but envision a new left for the 21st Century." Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Author of Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America“A provocative, thoughtful, and engaging book, a must-read for people trying to find out “what’s that sound and what is goin’ down.” Policymakers looking out for the interests of their corporate benefactors are selling our institutions to the highest bidders and idly looking away as the lives of the most vulnerable among us are pushed to the edge of survival.” Rogelio Sáenz, University of Texas at San Antonio"To understand the popularity of Donald J. Trump and the prevailing logic that turns billionaires into job creators, unions into job destroyers, and climate scientists into godless Communists, we need Corey Dolgon. .... Kill It to Save It is mandatory reading if we are to replace the neoliberal “common sense” with the radical possibilities of “good sense." Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"Overall, the book is engagingly written and persuades the reader of the need to save our public institutions by investing in them, not by killing them." - Choice Reviews“I always love a good whodunit and like a good Agatha Christie mystery, Dolgon peels back the layers of neoliberalism to expose not only the crimes and who committed them, but the weapons they used and the fake alibis they told. If you want to know why reality TV politics and budget austerity killed our democracy and economy, read this book.” Jim Hightower, Author, radio commentator, and editor of The Hightower Lowdown“There is no better time in US history to examine how common sense ideas have made American life and freedoms worse, not better - ours is a crisis many years in the making. This is a must read book if, like me, you are trying to make sense of a society that seems to have gone bonkers!” Dr. David G. Embrick, University of ConnecticutTable of ContentsIntroduction: In My Life; Part One: The Strange Life of Kill it to Save it: Origins, Theories and Myths; Part Overview: Why an Autopsy? The Politics of History; The Vietnamization of American; Mourning Again in America; Part Two: Learning American Style: The Life and Death of American Education; Part Overview: History of Learning American Style; How the Knowledge Economy Killed Knowledge, and Other Scary Stories Out of School; The University Burns While the Knowledge Factory Hums; Part Three: Junk Food, Junk Science, and Junk Freedom: Life and Death in America; Part Overview: History of Health in America; Industrialized Food and Industrialized Farmers; Junk Food, Junk Science and a Bad Case of Mad Truth Disease; Junk Freedom, Broken Windows, and Black Lives Matter; Part Four: The Life and Death of America’s Economy and Government; Part Overview: It’s the Political Economy Stupid; Beyond Voodoo Economics: The Myth of Marco Rubio; Shock Doctrines, Disaster Capitalism, and Smart ALECs; The Myth of Common Sense Austerity and the Slow Death of America's Economy; Epilogue: Innocents Abroad; Trouble at Home: Kill it to Save it Goes Global. Postscript.

    7 in stock

    £19.94

  • Fragile Democracy  The Struggle over Race and

    MP-NCA Uni of North Carolina Fragile Democracy The Struggle over Race and

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisTells the story of race and voting rights, from the end of the Civil War until the present day. The authors show that battles over the franchise have played out through cycles of emancipatory politics and conservative retrenchment.

    1 in stock

    £15.26

  • Democratizing Texas Politics

    University of Texas Press Democratizing Texas Politics

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA senior scholar of Latino political action examines the intriguing incongruities in post–WWII Texas politics, particularly the curious flourishing of Latino leadership during the state’s simultaneous transition to conservatism.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One. Mexican Americans and Social Change Chapter Two. The 1950s—A Decade in Flux Chapter Three. The Dilemmas of Ethnic Solidarity Chapter Four. The Quiet Revolution Chapter Five. A Two-Party State Chapter Six. Tony Sánchez for Governor Chapter Seven. The Long and Grinding Road Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £18.99

  • The Republican Party of Texas

    University of Texas Press The Republican Party of Texas

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom Reconstruction to the twenty-first century, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas presents a comprehensive history of his party and its meandering path from limited local appeal to political dominance.Trade ReviewStudents of American politics will find Thorburn’s history valuable. * Kirkus *[A] granular blow-by-blow account...Political historians will appreciate the fine-grained details. * Publishers Weekly *In presenting a long timeline with pivotal turning points, [Thorburn] offers a panoramic view of Lone Star politics...Thorburn aims for a deeply-researched take on how Republicans were for a long time the underdogs, striving for a definitive 'two-party' state until they gained dominance. * Sightlines *Thorburn’s book is most useful as a tightly organized, semi-official record of the party’s growth in Texas, written with apparent evenhandedness by a major participant in the state GOP. More significantly for non-Texans, it’s useful as a stimulus to reflection on the nature of partisan dominance and its potential decay or reversal. * Law & Liberty *Thorburn provides a well-written, well-organized portrait of the origins, evolution, and political dominance of the GOP in Texas...Although not ignoring the major figures well known by the public, Thorburn’s work reminds readers of the importance of those who worked at the city and county level to ensure both voter turnout and the day-to-day operations needed to secure state-wide electoral victories. Thorburn’s history provides a model for those who wish to understand Texas politics and why the phrase 'Sold South' now best describes the Republican Party's dominance of the region...Highly recommended. * CHOICE *This is an enthusiast’s history...But it is also a soberly conducted and extensively researched scholarly work that should interest students of Texas political history and also of southern Republicanism...Thorburn’s history is largely one of party officials, activists, candidates, and officeholders...This approach makes the book a wonderful resource for who did what when. * Journal of Southern History *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Nineteenth-Century Republicanism 2. The Early-Twentieth-Century Republicans 3. Creager and Wurzbach: The Patronage Wars 4. From Roosevelt to Truman 5. The Eisenhower Years 6. The 1960s Breakthrough 7. After Goldwater 8. The Highs and Lows of the 1970s 9. Breaking the Glass Ceiling 10. The Reagan-Bush Years 11. George W. Bush and the Republican Majority 12. The Year That Changed Texas Politics 13. Bush 43 and Governor Perry 14. The Bush Era Transitions 15. Donald Trump and the Republican Future Acknowledgments Notes Index

    5 in stock

    £26.59

  • A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles

    University of Texas Press A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles

    20 in stock

    Book Synopsis Finalist, 2021 Writers’ League of Texas Book Award For John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner, there was one simple rule in politics: “You’ve got to bloody your knuckles.” It’s a maxim that applies in so many ways to the state of Texas, where the struggle for power has often unfolded through underhanded politicking, backroom dealings, and, quite literally, bloodshed. The contentious history of Texas politics has been shaped by dangerous and often violent events, and been formed not just in the halls of power but by marginalized voices omitted from the official narratives. A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles traces the state’s conflicted and dramatic evolution over the past 150 years through its pivotal political players, including oft-neglected women and people of color. Beginning in 1870 with the birth of Texas’s modern political framework, Bill Minutaglio chronicles Texas political life against the backdrop of Trade ReviewSmoothly tackling this near-herculean research task, [Minutaglio] keeps the sweat stains from showing and writes in prose as cool as a trout stream. * New York Times *Even if you don’t live in Texas, this overview of the state’s history from the 1870s to the 2020 presidential election will have you thinking about the South in a whole new way. * Vogue *What's striking about [A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles]...is [Minutaglio's] ability to resurrect not only the marquee names we would expect to find in a history of Texas politics (famous and infamous) but also fascinating names that have faded into the fog of history. * Houston Chronicle *[A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles] offers a well-rounded look at the complexities of race and politics, as well as the various characters involved. Minutaglio is to be commended for adding to the underrepresented topics of race and politics in post-civil war Texas historiography. * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *[Minutaglio] delivers a vibrant political history of Texas from the 1870s to the 2020 presidential election...Minutaglio packs his brisk history with entertaining anecdotes...and keeps a close eye on the ways that Black and Latino voters have been marginalized by Texas power brokers. This is a rollicking and richly detailed portrait of the Lone Star state. * Publishers Weekly *Bill Minutaglio has a written an excellent (and thoroughly readable) analytical synthesis that should inspire anyone interested in American politics to think more carefully about how the racism of our collective pasts continues to shape and plague our world today. * Western Historical Quarterly *Minutaglio’s work presents a useful introduction to the civil rights history of Texas...Minutaglio tells his stories well...in an easygoing, approachable style...Readers seeking a broad overview of Texas political history that emphasizes the expansion of civil rights will find that here. * Journal of Southern History *A readable, even rollicking survey of a century and a half of political conflict...A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles does the vital work of presenting to a general audience a powerful argument for the centrality of race in the past, present, and future of Texas politics. * Texas Monthly *[An] engaging new work... A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles is a noteworthy, timely, and well-written addition to the continuing debates over politics and race in Texas. * Lone Star Literary Life *Minutaglio is one of the greatest living prose stylists in the land, including lands outside Texas...Starting in 1870 and working up to the present, Minutaglio has produced the best book about the intersection of race and politics throughout Texas history. * San Antonio Express-News *Table of ContentsPrologue Chapter One. Remain Quietly: The 1870s Chapter Two. Our Defective Plan: The 1880s Chapter Three. Elites and Aliens: The 1890s Chapter Four. The Bosses: The 1900s Chapter Five. Legislative Rest: The 1910s Chapter Six. The Second Coming: The 1920s Chapter Seven. Black Blizzards: The 1930s Chapter Eight. Beautiful Texas: The 1940s Chapter Nine. I Have a Plaintiff: The 1950s Chapter Ten. The Mink Coat Mob: The 1960s Chapter Eleven. Bitten by the Political Bug: The 1970s Chapter Twelve. The Sands Have Shifted: The 1980s Chapter Thirteen. Reality Day: The 1990s Chapter Fourteen. Smear Tactics: The 2000s Chapter Fifteen. Total Command: The 2010s Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Photo Credits Index

    20 in stock

    £18.04

  • Stand on Guard

    University of Toronto Press Stand on Guard

    Book SynopsisIn Stand on Guard, Stephanie Carvin sets out to explain the range of activities considered national security threats by Canadian security services today. As new forms of terrorism and extremism appear, especially online, we need a responsibly widened view of such threats and how they manifest in the contemporary world. Canadians should not be more fearful, Carvin explains, but a more sophisticated understanding among security services personnel and the general public is needed if we are to anticipate and ameliorate threats to national security.As a former security analyst tasked with providing threat assessments to high levels of government, Carvin writes with both authority and urgency. Her book presents an insider’s look at the issues facing the Canadian security and intelligence community. Timely and accessible, Stand on Guard will be required reading for scholars, practitioners, and any Canadian concerned about national security in the twenty-first ceTrade Review“Carvin’s book is more than a reminder that the world is not always a friendly place. It is also a plea. It asks that citizens — and, by extension, our elected officials and the security and intelligence services they oversee — take Canada’s national security more seriously than we have of late. ‘Canada finds itself in the most complex threat environment since the Second World War,’ Carvin writes. ‘Global leadership appears to be in flux, and the international order that defends the rules and norms under which Canada has prospered are no longer guaranteed.’ Her point isn’t to scare us but to remind us of our democratic responsibilities.” -- Dan Dunsky * Open Canada *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Violent Extremism – the Canadian Context 2. Violent Extremist Threats in Canada Today 3. Espionage 4. The Economy and National Security 5. Cyber Security 6. Clandestine Foreign Influence 7. Disinformation and Threats to Democratic Institutions Conclusion Appendix

    £23.39

  • Canadian Politics Seventh Edition

    University of Toronto Press Canadian Politics Seventh Edition

    Book SynopsisFor this new edition, James Bickerton and Alain-G. Gagnon have organized the book into six parts. Part I covers the origins and foundation of Canada as a political entity while Part II focuses on government, parliament, and the courts. Part III examines matters pertaining to federalism and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Part IV casts some new light on electoral politics and political communications and Part V examines citizenship, diversity, and social movements. Part VI, the final section of the book, concentrates on a number of political issues that merit special attention on the part of political actors and decision makers, namely the evolving relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples, immigration and refugees, environment and climate change, and relations between Canada and the United States. This seventh edition of Canadian Politics includes 12 new chapters, with ten new contributing authors and coverage of six new subjects, and is essentialTable of ContentsPart I. Canadian Politics: Origins and Foundations 1. Understanding Canada’s Origins: Federalism, Multiculturalism, and the Will to Live Together Samuel V. LaSelva 2. The Canadian Political Regime from a Québec Perspective Guy Laforest and Alain-G. Gagnon Part II. Government, Parliament, and the Courts 3. The Centre Rules: Executive Dominance Donald J. Savoie 4. The House of Commons and Responsible Government Lori Turnbull 5. The Senate: A Late Blooming Chameleon Andrew Heard 6. The Civil Service Amanda Clarke 7. Interest Groups in Canada and in the United States: Evidence of Convergence Éric Montpetit and Graham Wilson Part III. Federalism and the Charter 8. Practices of Federalism in Canada Jennifer Wallner 9. Politics and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Raymond Bazowski 10. Five Faces of Quebec: Shifting Small Worlds and Evolving Political Dynamics Alain-G. Gagnon 11. The Two Faces of Treaty Federalism Martin Papillon Part IV. Electoral Politics and Political Communication 12. Public Opinion and Political Cleavages in Canada Allison Harell, Laura Stephenson, and Lyne Deschatelêts 13. Parties and Elections: An End to Canadian Exceptionalism James Bickerton 14. Democratic Reform and the Vagaries of Partisan Politics in Canada Brian Tanguay 15. Media and Strategic Communication in Canadian Politics Alex Marland Part V. Citizenship and Diversity 16. Citizenship, Communities, and Identity in Canada Will Kymlicka 17. Diversity in Canadian Politics Yasmeen Abu-Laban 18. Of Pots and Pans and Radical Handmaids: Social Movements and Civil Society Michael Orsini 19. Acting In and On History: The Canadian Women’s Movement Jacquetta Newman Part VI. Contemporary Issues 20. The Relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples: Where Are We? Naiomi Walqwam Metallic 21. Immigration in Canada: From Low to High Politics Mireille Paquet 22. Canada and the Climate Policy Dilemma Debora VanNijnatten and Douglas Macdonald 23. Canada in the World Mark R. Brawley

    £44.10

  • What Is Democracy and How Do We Study It

    University of Toronto Press What Is Democracy and How Do We Study It

    Book SynopsisThere are many different ways to do political science research. This book takes a core question that motivates research in political science what is democracy? and presents, in a single volume, original research demonstrating a variety of approaches to studying it. The approaches and related methods covered by the chapters in this book include normative political theory, positivist quantitative analysis, behaviouralism, critical theory, post-structuralism, historical institutionalism, process tracing, case studies, and literature reviews. Readers are confronted with the different assumptions that researchers make when entering the research process and can compare and contrast the many different ways that a single question can be studied . This book will be enlightening for students of democracy as well as those interested in research design and methodological approaches.Table of Contents1. Approaching the Study of Democracy Cameron D. Anderson, Western University and Laura B. Stephenson, Western University Part I – Democracy in Theory: Normative Approaches 2. Democracy: What and Why Charles Jones, Western University 3. Is Majority Rule Democratic? Richard Vernon, Western University Part II – Analyzing Democracy: Positivist Approaches 4. Evaluating a Democracy: Are Citizens Engaged? Cameron D. Anderson, Western University and Laura B. Stephenson, Western University 5. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy David Armstrong, Western University 6. A Democratic Continuum? Bruce Morrison, Western University 7. Membership Rules for Democratic Communities: Canada and the United States Andrew Sancton, Western University and Christopher Alcantara, Western University 8. Representation and the Practice of Politics Rob Leone, Western University and Josh Morgan, City Councilor, London, Ontario 9. The Democratic Dimensions of Specialized Governments Joseph Lyons, Western University Part III – Interpreting Democracy: Critical and Post-modern Approaches 10. Hatred of Democracy Dan Bousfield, Western University 11. Rethinking Democracy Nandita Biswas Mellamphy, Western University

    £22.49

  • What Is Democracy and How Do We Study It

    University of Toronto Press What Is Democracy and How Do We Study It

    Book SynopsisThere are many different ways to do political science research. This book takes a core question that motivates research in political science what is democracy? and presents, in a single volume, original research demonstrating a variety of approaches to studying it. The approaches and related methods covered by the chapters in this book include normative political theory, positivist quantitative analysis, behaviouralism, critical theory, post-structuralism, historical institutionalism, process tracing, case studies, and literature reviews. Readers are confronted with the different assumptions that researchers make when entering the research process and can compare and contrast the many different ways that a single question can be studied . This book will be enlightening for students of democracy as well as those interested in research design and methodological approaches.Table of Contents1. Approaching the Study of Democracy Cameron D. Anderson, Western University and Laura B. Stephenson, Western University Part I – Democracy in Theory: Normative Approaches 2. Democracy: What and Why Charles Jones, Western University 3. Is Majority Rule Democratic? Richard Vernon, Western University Part II – Analyzing Democracy: Positivist Approaches 4. Evaluating a Democracy: Are Citizens Engaged? Cameron D. Anderson, Western University and Laura B. Stephenson, Western University 5. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy David Armstrong, Western University 6. A Democratic Continuum? Bruce Morrison, Western University 7. Membership Rules for Democratic Communities: Canada and the United States Andrew Sancton, Western University and Christopher Alcantara, Western University 8. Representation and the Practice of Politics Rob Leone, Western University and Josh Morgan, City Councilor, London, Ontario 9. The Democratic Dimensions of Specialized Governments Joseph Lyons, Western University Part III – Interpreting Democracy: Critical and Post-modern Approaches 10. Hatred of Democracy Dan Bousfield, Western University 11. Rethinking Democracy Nandita Biswas Mellamphy, Western University

    £49.50

  • Washington State Politics and Government

    University of Nebraska Press Washington State Politics and Government

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisWashington State Politics and Government explains how the many parts of government function and introduces readers to a diverse array of people who are actually in government, including how they got there and what it is they’re trying to do. Trade Review“At a time in our nation’s history when civics could not be more important to the future health of our democracy, T. M. Sell comes through with an easy-to-understand resource for folks who want to tackle real problems in our communities through their political institutions and systems.”—Kristine Reeves, Washington State representative (D–Federal Way)“Washington State Politics and Government is more than just informative and illuminating: it’s a flat-out good read. Even if you consider yourself well versed in Washington politics, government, and history, you’ll likely learn something new and undoubtedly be entertained. Meticulously researched and engagingly presented, this should be on the bookshelf of every Washington student, politician, and voter.”—Cheryl Reid-Simons, Fife School Board director“Washington State Politics and Government brims with practical political wisdom and bristles with T. M. Sell’s manifold knowledge and experiences. . . . Sell is particularly adept at explaining trade-offs and compromises that make ‘the people’s business’ possible—albeit demanding, exasperating, risible, and at times perverse.”—William Haltom, professor of politics and government at the University of Puget Sound“If you are seeking to restore your faith in the power of government to build a better society in these dark times of division, look no further than T. M. Sell’s Washington State Politics and Government, an engaging, colorful, and hopeful illumination of the mechanics of Washington State’s political world. For all of the state’s tax and geographic tensions, T. M. Sell reinforces how lucky we are to live here.”—Vicente Omar Barraza, attorney for the First Homeowners Association“Washington State Politics and Government provides detailed information every Washingtonian who wants to understand state politics and policy would benefit from. It delivers an entertaining and readable summary of how Washington State government was established, how it developed, and the nuances of our political culture, with a rich understanding of the state constitution and how law is created in Washington. Every person seeking to gain expertise in how Washington State government works needs to read it.”—Paul Berendt, former chair of the Washington State Democratic Party“T. M. Sell provides an incredibly comprehensive description of the systems, structures, and people of Washington State government. Washington State Politics and Government includes aspects and details often missing from textbooks and overlooked by academics. Sell uses his wealth of experience to provide us with a thorough and complete accounting of how the wheels of democracy turn in Washington State. He brings the subject to life with personal stories, profiles, and an infectious passion for democracy.”—Dave Upthegrove, King County councilman“At a time when the worst elected officials get the most attention, Washington State Politics and Government will educate and inspire the reader to believe that our collective ambitions for our community can be achieved through participation in government at every one of the many levels that exist. . . . . What a refreshing and enlightening work.”—Dan Satterberg, King County prosecuting attorney (2007–2022)“I’ve known T. M. Sell my entire political career. This book is such a wonderful gift to all of us in Washington State and beyond at a time when we need to put partisan bickering and rhetoric-filled nonsense away. It’s such a good reminder of how much great work can be done when we bring diverse ideas and voices together for the common good.”—Mia Su-Ling Gregerson, Washington State representative, D–SeaTac“This is a story about government, your government. It’s also why access, ownership, and voice matter. It’s why it’s called the ‘people’s house’ doing the ‘people’s business’—trying to make things better for everyone. The goal may be simple, but the process is not, which is why this book is such a great read and a great teaching tool.”—Claire Wilson, Washington State senator, D–Federal Way“T. M. Sell has written the consummate book on political life in Washington State. Though the book is based on empirical research and written by an academic, it is also the perfect book for those who are not experts on government but have a desire to be better informed. . . . Sell’s voice is avuncular and reassuring though steeped in knowledge and research. Whether you are a college student, a member of government, or a just curious citizen, you should read this book and become a more knowledgeable and better citizen.”—Jasper M. LiCalzi, professor emeritus of political economy at the College of Idaho and author of Idaho Politics and GovernmentTable of ContentsPreface Part I. The View from Above 1. Not-So-Mobile Homes: The Story of a Bill 2. Overview: The Playing Field 3. Federalism: States within the State 4. Rules of the Road: The Constitution Part II. Choosing Leaders, Chasing Policy 5. How We Choose: Elections and Voting 6. Initiatives and Referenda: Government by (Some of) the People 7. Let’s Party! Political Parties in Washington State 8. Interest Groups: The Politics of Power Part III. State Government: Olympia and Beyond 9. Where It Happens: The Legislature 10. The Gang of Nine: The Executive Branch 11. All Rise: The Courts Are in Session 12. Turning Policy into Practice: State Agencies and What They Do 13. Where It Comes from and Where It Goes: The Budget and Taxes Part IV. In Your Neighborhood: Local Governments 14. County Government: Regions within the State 15. Cities: Police, Planning, Parks, and Potholes 16. Special Purpose Districts: Services Where You Live 17. Tribal Governments: Nations within the Nation 18. Jobs and Money: Economic Development Epilogue: The People’s Business Notes Bibliography Index

    15 in stock

    £25.19

  • The Fight for Local Control

    Cornell University Press The Fight for Local Control

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThroughout the twentieth century, local control of school districts was one of the most contentious issues in American politics. As state and federal regulation attempted to standardize public schools, conservatives defended local prerogative as a bulwark of democratic values. Yet their commitment to those values was shifting and selective. In The Fight for Local Control, Campbell F. Scribner demonstrates how, in the decades after World War II, suburban communities appropriated legacies of rural education to assert their political autonomy and in the process radically changed educational law. Scribner's account unfolds on the metropolitan fringe, where rapid suburbanization overlapped with the consolidation of thousands of small rural schools. Rural residents initially clashed with their new neighbors, but by the 1960s the groups had rallied to resist government oversight. What began as residual opposition to school consolidation would transform into campaigns against Trade ReviewAn excellent book forces the reader into such thorny terrain, and Scribner's important and meticulously researched study clearly does that. In sum, his brilliantly argued book should seriously interest this journal’s readers, and its careful and accessible prose also makes it suitable for advanced undergraduates in both history and education policy programs. -- Jon Shelton, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay * History of Education Quarterly *Especially for a first book based on a dissertation, the reach of The Fight for Local Control—spanning multiple cities and towns across a half-century in realms from court cases to curriculum controversy to fiscal and union politics—is impressive and, at moments, astonishing.... Scholars of history, education, politics, and policy are lucky this important volume exists. -- Natalia Mehlman Petrzela * American Historical Review *As fundamental questions about publicly governed education are intensely debated in the United States today, Scribner makes a valuable contribution to historians' understanding of the freighted and protean concept of "local control." * JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY *Table of ContentsIntroduction. A Past Found 1. The Meaning of Local Control 2. The Long History of School District Consolidation 3. The Exurban Exchange 4. The Struggle for Status 5. The Fight for Funding 6. Tax Revolts 7. The Battle of Ideas 8. Redefining Parents' Rights Conclusion. A Past Lost

    1 in stock

    £33.25

  • The One Percent Solution

    Cornell University Press The One Percent Solution

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of the 2010 Citizens United decision, it''s become commonplace to note the growing political dominance of a small segment of the economic elite. But what exactly are those members of the elite doing with their newfound influence? The One Percent Solution provides an answer to this question for the first time. Gordon Lafer''s book is a comprehensive account of legislation promoted by the nation''s biggest corporate lobbies across all fifty state legislatures and encompassing a wide range of labor and economic policies.In an era of growing economic insecurity, it turns out that one of the main reasons life is becoming harder for American workers is a relentlessand concertedoffensive by the country's best-funded and most powerful political forces: corporate lobbies empowered by the Supreme Court to influence legislative outcomes with an endless supply of cash. These actors have successfully championed hundreds of new laws that lower wages, eliminate paid sick leTrade Review[T]he good news is that much of the conservative and corporate agenda recounted by The One Percent Solution is highly unpopular. Large majorities of adults, even Republicans, support efforts to take care of the environment, bolster social programs for families and children, improve our nation's infrastructure, and expand labor rights, even union rights. The bad news is that opponents to the right-wing, business-friendly troika have been slow to mobilize counterweights of their own. The One Percent Solution should thus be a wake-up call to anyone concerned about the economic well-being of working Americans. * Dissent *Gordon Lafer's The One Percent Solution seeks to explain several puzzling aspects of American politics today. Why do people of modest means who depend on government-funded health care and Social Security or other supplements to their income continue to vote for candidates who promise to privatize or get rid of those very programs. Why do pepole who are poor vote for politicians who promise to cut corporate taxes?... [Lafer] meticulously demonstrates how the Koch brothers and the Suprme Court's Citizen's United decision of 2010 have influenced elections and public policy in the states. * The New York Review of Books *Lafer (Univ. of Oregon) focuses interdisciplinary attention on the strategies and tactics of a handful of registered nationwide lobbyists (American Legislative Exchange Council, Americans for Prosperity, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the National Federation of Independent Business), which submitted "model legislation" to state legislators. He critiques the policies these groups espoused regarding minimum wages, union memberships, employee rights, government funding, and public education. The author presents evidence of economic impact from these state laws, which contrast greatly from the original proclamations of how these changes should improve a state’s economy. Lafer examines tactics lobbyists used to weaken state funding for auditing and enforcing payroll regulations and promoting charter schools and voucher programs, irrespective of the actual results from those reforms. The voluminous resources listed in the notes are accurate and very accessible. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Corporate Political Agenda for the Twenty-First Century1. Wisconsin and Beyond: Dismantling the Government2. Deunionizing the Private Sector3. Remaking the Nonunion Economy4. The Destruction of Public Schooling5. Silencing Labor's Voice: The Campaign to Remove Unions from PoliticsConclusion: Populist Pushback and the Shrinking of Democracy

    1 in stock

    £22.79

  • Governing Neighborhoods in Urban China

    Cornell University Press Governing Neighborhoods in Urban China

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisGoverning Neighborhoods in Urban China examines the key mechanisms operating at the grassroots level in China that contribute to urban development and increased public support for the legitimacy and authority of the Chinese state. Beibei Tang uncovers new trends and dynamics of urban neighborhood governance since the 2000s to reveal the significant factors that contribute to regime survival. Tang introduces the concept of hybrid authoritarianism, a governance mechanism an authoritarian state employs to produce governance legitimacy, public support, and regime sustainability. Hybrid authoritarianism is situated in an intermediary governance space between state and society. It accommodates both state and non-state actors, deals with a wide range of governance issues, employs flexible governance strategies, and in this context, ultimately strengthens CCP leadership. Tang documents processes of hybrid authoritarianism through her focus on various types

    4 in stock

    £35.10

  • Zouping Revisited: Adaptive Governance in a

    Stanford University Press Zouping Revisited: Adaptive Governance in a

    Book SynopsisChina has undergone dramatic change in its economic institutions in recent years, but surprisingly little change politically. Somehow, the political institutions seem capable of governing a vastly more complex market economy and a rapidly changing labor force. One possible explanation, examined in Zouping Revisited, is that within the old organizational molds there have been subtle but profound changes to the ways these governing bodies actually work. The authors take as a case study the local government of Zouping County and find that it has been able to evolve significantly through ad hoc bureaucratic adaptations and accommodations that drastically change the operation of government institutions. Zouping has long served as a window into local-level Chinese politics, economy, and culture. In this volume, top scholars analyze the most important changes in the county over the last two decades. The picture that emerges is one of institutional agility and creativity as a new form of resilience within an authoritarian regime.Trade Review"A compelling and important book, Zouping Revisited amply demonstrates the political changes that have occurred—and persist—in China's countryside. Grounded in the soil of rural China, this book examines the startling ways old institutional structures are repurposed to perform new functions."—David M. Lampton, Johns Hopkins University"This is an important contribution to the literature on rural politics that highlights a central theme of governance that has creatively adapted to manage the economic and social transformation of Zouping from an agricultural to an industrial and commercial site. The book provides valuable insights into informal bargaining relationships among officials."—Thomas P. Bernstein, Columbia UniversityTable of Contents1. Change Within Continuity: Zouping County Government 2. Zouping in Historical Perspective 3. Creativity and Flexibility in County and Township Economic Governance 4. Directed Improvisation in Administrative Financing 5. The Evolution and Adaption of Business-Government Relations in Zouping 6. Non-Judicial Interpreters of "Legality" and the Development of Law in the Local State 7. The Role of the Organization Department in Political Selection 8. Reforming and Updating Cadre Training in Zouping's Communist Party Schools 9. Institutional Agility and Regime Adaptation

    £50.40

  • Manipulating Globalization: The Influence of

    Stanford University Press Manipulating Globalization: The Influence of

    Book SynopsisThe era of globalization saw China emerge as the world's manufacturing titan. However, the "made in China" model—with its reliance on cheap labor and thin profits—has begun to wane. Beginning in the 2000s, the Chinese state shifted from attracting foreign investment to promoting the technological competitiveness of domestic firms. This shift caused tensions between winners and losers, leading local bureaucrats to compete for resources in government budget, funding, and tax breaks. While bureaucrats successfully built coalitions to motivate businesses to upgrade in some cities, in others, vested interests within the government deprived businesses of developmental resources and left them in a desperate race to the bottom. In Manipulating Globalization, Ling Chen argues that the roots of coalitional variation lie in the type of foreign firms with which local governments forged alliances. Cities that initially attracted large global firms with a significant share of exports were more likely to experience manipulation from vested interests down the road compared to those that attracted smaller foreign firms. The book develops the argument with in-depth interviews and tests it with quantitative data across hundreds of Chinese cities and thousands of firms. Chen advances a new theory of economic policies in authoritarian regimes and informs debates about the nature of Chinese capitalism. Her findings shed light on state-led development and coalition formation in other emerging economies that comprise the new "globalized" generation.Trade Review"There is an urgent need to understand the sources of China's industrial prowess. Avoiding sweeping generalizations, Ling Chen spotlights China's divergent development paths and convincingly argues that each city's use of foreign capital in the heyday of FDI attraction has shaped and altered its government-business coalitions, with important consequences for industrial upgrading and innovation. This is a must read for anyone interested in China's political economy and its global implications." -- Dali L. Yang * The University of Chicago *"This book should be required reading for anyone hoping to understand how China's relations to foreign capital work in practice. It represents the next generation of research, showing how the strategies of local governments vary fundamentally across regions, how these variations are rooted in local political history, and why some are significantly more effective than others." -- Peter Evans * University of California, Berkeley *"In this impressively researched and tantalizing book, Ling Chen advances capitalism literature by bringing it to subnational development in China. She offers this key development lesson: choices made in the early stages of economic liberalization profoundly shape the subnational political economy for years to come." -- Edmund Malesky * Duke University *"Contrary to the popular image, Chinese localities vary tremendously in their interactions with the global economy. In the past two decades, Beijing has moved from pressing Chinese cities to attract FDI at all costs to upgrading capacity through "indigenous" innovation. Ling Chen gives a masterful account of the interaction of local governments, firms, and vested international coalitions, and why Beijing's new direction could be welcomed in some areas, but not others." -- Margaret M. Pearson * University of Maryland *"One of China's key challenges is managing the shift away from export-led manufacturing toward more profitable, innovation-rich industrial policies. Despite intense leadership attention, implementation remains puzzlingly mixed at best. In this wonderful book, Ling Chen takes us to the very nexus of this shift, arguing that the size of locally-investing foreign firms influences and reinforces coalitions of local bureaucrats, leading some locales to foster and others to stifle these national policy priorities." -- Andrew Mertha * Cornell University *"Manipulating Globalizationcontributes to the best of subnational research in the study of both China's political economy in particular and social science generally. [Chen's] approach contributes to growing concerns that the strategies producing political compliance and economic success in one period have serious consequences for subsequent stages of development, especially for countries developing in the age of globalization, where managing domestic and international firms presents additional challenges." -- Michael Thompson-Brusstar * H-Diplo *"Ling Chen has produced a well-researched and highly detailed account of the ways in which, among other things, China's local bureaucrats have responded to the incentives placed before them by central policy-makers...The book certainly sheds further light on the nature of Chinese capitalism and, more generally, the nature of the developmental state. This type of research can really help us better appreciate Chinese development."––Dylan Sutherland, The China Quarterly"Manipulating Globalization advances our understanding of business-state relations, interest-group politics and industrial policies in contemporary China. It should be on the reading list of any scholar interested in these topics." -- Yue Hou * Perspectives on Politics *"By opening the black box of state and exploring the interaction between government and businesses, Manipulating Globalization advances our understanding of internal driving factors of economic development in an authoritarian regime, which also provides a vivid explanation for the dynamic state–market relationship. How an emerging economy such as China integrates itself into a new globalized world, while still preserving autonomous policies, remains an appealing puzzle. Chen's book provides one feasible and interesting explanation." -- Wei Li * China International Strategy Review *"Rich in its data, authoritative in its argumentation, thorough in its investigation, and important in its findings about globalization and structural economic transformation of China, Chen's work constitutes an essential reading on Chinese political economy." -- Vasilis Trigkas * Pacific Affairs *Table of ContentsContents and Abstracts2Chasing Foreign Capital chapter abstractThis chapter examines the rise of the FDI-attraction paradigm at the national level and the emergence of local investment-seeking states in the 1990s. It explores in detail the varied strategies that city governments employed to attract foreign investors to launch the campaign of FDI attraction, ranging from tax cuts and land and utility discounts to industrial zone establishments. At one end of the strategic continuum are local governments that prioritized large, leading multinationals that have been playing the role of the "dragon's head" at the top of the global value chain, whereas, on the other end are cities where bureaucrats brokered deals with small-scale foreign firms established by "guerilla investors" at the bottom of the value chain through flexible arrangements. 3From FDI Attraction to Domestic Competitiveness chapter abstractThis chapter traces the relative decline of the previous FDI attraction paradigm and the emerging paradigm of domestic technology competitiveness, drawing on government documents, media text analysis, and interviews. The chapter then introduces the actors, arguments, and the matrix of supporting institutions and policy tools underpinning the two policy paradigms. It draws attention to the coexistence of the two paradigms at the local level, where policies and institutions of FDI attraction profoundly affect the government's response to domestic upgrading and their choice of development strategies. 4Local Policy Making, Globalized Coalitions, and Resource Allocation chapter abstractThis chapter delves into the coalitional politics of policy making and resource allocation by investigating strategies of city government officials. The chapter examines the patterns of bureaucratic competition between international commerce departments and newly emerged domestic technology departments and their respective business clients, including foreign and domestic firms. I explain the influence of FDI attraction on domestic politics by showing (1) how the overlap between FIEs and exporters shaped the degree of perceived threat and the cohesiveness of the vested interests in international commerce under the rule of fragmented bureaucratic competition and (2) how the existence of large foreign firms strengthened the bargaining power of the vested interest bureaucrats against allocating resources to the domestic technology coalition. The direction and the magnitude of foreign influence, therefore, is filtered and channeled through local bureaucracy. 5The Microfoundations of State Intervention and Policy Effectiveness chapter abstractThis chapter explains the effectiveness of policy implementation and the varied capabilities of local governments, using policy tools to generate firm-level upgrading incentives. Using China's largest manufacturing industry—the electronics industry—as an example, the chapter compares the development of China's two largest manufacturing cities, Suzhou and Shenzhen. It demonstrates how earlier patterns of FDI attraction and the prioritization of large or small FIEs gave rise to distinctive foreign–domestic firm relations. Through both in-depth case studies and hierarchical models, the chapter shows that a segregated relationship started by the group-offshoring strategy of large FIEs makes upgrading policies, such as government funding and tax cuts, less effective and dampens the innovation incentives for domestic private firms. By contrast, a more equal, broadly connected relationship started by the subcontracting strategy of small FIEs makes upgrading policies more likely to generate firm-level innovation behavior. 6Varieties of Local Capitalism in Historical Perspective chapter abstractThis chapter traces the historical roots of local variation by chronologically and cross-sectionally placing China in a comparative historical perspective. It compares varieties of local capitalism in China across four periods: the late Qing and early Republican period, the Mao era, the post-Mao period, and the globalized era. It explores how the historically entrenched top-down and bottom-up modes of capitalism have conditioned local government preferences, as well as their reaction to centrally driven development initiatives, leading them to attract foreign firms in the globalized era. The narrowly selective development strategies based on top-down capitalism were more effective in the industrial transformation during the preglobalized era before the 1990s. The influx of FDI since then, however, has unleashed new complexity so that cultivating bottom-up, broadly supportive networks with small firms was more likely to provide an institutional environment for the competitiveness of domestic private businesses. 7Making Economic Policies Work chapter abstractThis chapter summarizes the findings of the book. It draws attention to how global production fragmented or integrated state agencies and businesses, shaped the ways they perceived their interests, and ultimately affected the local political environments for domestic private firms. Compared with other approaches, the theory advanced in this book takes the incentives of local state agencies seriously. It shows that in an authoritarian country where businesses do not have a direct role in policy making, the local bureaucrats, by pursuing their own political and economic interests, can influence the political and economic environment of production. The chapter then broadens out to map major Asian economies in Northeast and Southeast Asia in a comparative picture. 1Bureaucrats, Businesses, and Economic Policies in a Globalized China chapter abstractThis chapter introduces background on emergence of national campaigns to cultivate domestic competitiveness in contrast to China's previous role as the "world's workshop." It reveals the divergent ways in which localities responded to and carried out policies. The chapter accounts for such variation by breaking down the assumption of a coherent and single-level state that is inherent in the state-centric approach, while at the same time disaggregating the influence of foreign capital assumed by the FDI-driven perspective. By examining the interaction of foreign capital and local states, the chapter discusses how globalization influences the rise of investment-seeking states, the bureaucratic coalitions in city policy making, the effectiveness of policies for local firms, and the varieties of local capitalism. It also discusses the logic of the research design, the major sites of field work, and the sources of qualitative and quantitative data that the book draws on.

    £21.59

  • Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia

    Stanford University Press Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia

    Book Synopsis"Mafia" has become an indigenous South Asian term. Like Italian mobsters, the South Asian "gangster politicians" are known for inflicting brutal violence while simultaneously upholding vigilante justice—inspiring fear and fantasy. But the term also refers to the diffuse spheres of crime, business, and politics operating within a shadow world that is popularly referred to as the rule of the mafia, or "Mafia Raj." Through intimate stories of the lives of powerful and aspiring bosses in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this book illustrates their personal struggles for sovereignty as they climb the ladder of success. Ethnographically tracing the particularities of the South Asian case, the authors theorize what they call "the art of bossing," providing nuanced ideas about crime, corruption, and the lure of the strongman across the world. Trade Review"Through meticulous and uniquely collaborative ethnography, Mafia Raj opens readers' eyes to the murky world of bosses in South Asia. With unforgettable portraits of the gangsters, politicians, hustlers, and extortionists dotting the region, this is the rare scholarly account that upends our commonly accepted notions of democracy, formality, and legitimacy."—Milan Vaishnav, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"Why does the figure of 'the boss,' in its various guises, loom so large in South Asia? In answering this question, the authors of this engagingly written book make a path-breaking contribution to the study of South Asian politics."—John Harriss, Simon Fraser University"The authors, who are experts in anthropology and South Asian studies at several European institutions, illustrate the 'art of bossing'—techniques and methods used by such figures to climb to power and maintain their sovereignty. While some of these strategies are shared by their counterparts in different parts of the world, South Asian gangsters demonstrate a unique strength: their involvement in and utilization of electoral democracy, which, ironically, keeps them in power...This book is a timely scholarly work on a little-studied aspect of South Asian politics...Recommended."—A. Y. Lee, CHOICETable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Backdrops 2. The Rookie 3. The Bluffer 4. The Henchman 5. The Adjudicators 6. Lady Dabang 7. The Godfather 8. The Legend Conclusion: The Art of Bossing

    £92.80

  • Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia

    Stanford University Press Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia

    Book Synopsis"Mafia" has become an indigenous South Asian term. Like Italian mobsters, the South Asian "gangster politicians" are known for inflicting brutal violence while simultaneously upholding vigilante justice—inspiring fear and fantasy. But the term also refers to the diffuse spheres of crime, business, and politics operating within a shadow world that is popularly referred to as the rule of the mafia, or "Mafia Raj." Through intimate stories of the lives of powerful and aspiring bosses in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this book illustrates their personal struggles for sovereignty as they climb the ladder of success. Ethnographically tracing the particularities of the South Asian case, the authors theorize what they call "the art of bossing," providing nuanced ideas about crime, corruption, and the lure of the strongman across the world. Trade Review"Through meticulous and uniquely collaborative ethnography, Mafia Raj opens readers' eyes to the murky world of bosses in South Asia. With unforgettable portraits of the gangsters, politicians, hustlers, and extortionists dotting the region, this is the rare scholarly account that upends our commonly accepted notions of democracy, formality, and legitimacy."—Milan Vaishnav, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"Why does the figure of 'the boss,' in its various guises, loom so large in South Asia? In answering this question, the authors of this engagingly written book make a path-breaking contribution to the study of South Asian politics."—John Harriss, Simon Fraser University"The authors, who are experts in anthropology and South Asian studies at several European institutions, illustrate the 'art of bossing'—techniques and methods used by such figures to climb to power and maintain their sovereignty. While some of these strategies are shared by their counterparts in different parts of the world, South Asian gangsters demonstrate a unique strength: their involvement in and utilization of electoral democracy, which, ironically, keeps them in power...This book is a timely scholarly work on a little-studied aspect of South Asian politics...Recommended."—A. Y. Lee, CHOICETable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Backdrops 2. The Rookie 3. The Bluffer 4. The Henchman 5. The Adjudicators 6. Lady Dabang 7. The Godfather 8. The Legend Conclusion: The Art of Bossing

    £23.79

  • From Mandate to Blueprint: Lessons from

    Stanford University Press From Mandate to Blueprint: Lessons from

    Book SynopsisIn From Mandate to Blueprint, Thomas Fingar offers a guide for new federal government appointees faced with the complex task of rebuilding institutions and transitioning to a new administration. Synthesizing his own experience implementing the most comprehensive reforms to the national security establishment since 1947, Fingar provides crucial guidance to newly appointed officials. When Fingar was appointed the first Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis in 2005, he discovered the challenges of establishing a new federal agency and implementing sweeping reforms of intelligence procedure and performance. The mandate required prompt action but provided no guidance on how to achieve required and desirable changes. Fingar describes how he defined and prioritized the tasks involved in building and staffing a new organization, integrating and improving the work of sixteen agencies, and contending with pressure from powerful players. For appointees without the luxury of taking command of fully staffed and well-functioning federal agencies, From Mandate to Blueprint is an informed and practical guide for the challenges ahead.Trade Review"From Mandate to Blueprint should be required reading for all policy makers. The thought process and attention to detail that Tom Fingar provides are directly applicable to all aspects of policy making, not just intelligence reform. The tools are the same: people, mission, priorities, and end state. A must-read."—Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State"There is no better time for this thoughtful, essential book to instruct government servants on what to know and do, through Tom Fingar's trenchant examples from fixing US intelligence. From Mandate to Blueprint is a must-read for old hands and newbies in public service."—Thomas R. Pickering, former Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to the UN, Russia, India and Israel"From Mandate to Blueprint provides timely insight into the challenges facing new federal appointees. Drawing on decades of experience in bureaucratic structures, Tom Fingar shares lessons learned in the aftermath of 9/11. This book should become a valuable reference work for the intelligence community."—Charles S. Robb, co-chair of the WMD Commission"The smooth running of government has been under siege for some time. A new team gives us the opportunity to halt and change direction. With From Mandate to Blueprint, Tom Fingar takes lessons he learned from intelligence reform and broadens them for today."—General Michael V. Hayden (Ret.), former Director, CIA and NSATable of ContentsIntroduction: From Mandate to Blueprint Intelligence Reform: Unique Opportunity or Fool's Errand? Sliding Toward an Offer I Couldn't Refuse Blank White Board and Ticking Clock Building a Team and Building Support Translating Ideas into Actions Organizing Themes and Goals Think Big, Start Small, Fail Cheap, Fix Fast Taking Stock Training and Tradecraft Transforming the PDB into a Community Product Management of the Analysis Mission Transforming Analysis Roads Not Taken Reflections and Lessons Lessons for New Appointees

    £19.79

  • Indigenous Autocracy: Power, Race, and Resources

    Stanford University Press Indigenous Autocracy: Power, Race, and Resources

    Book SynopsisWhen General Porfirio Díaz assumed power in 1876, he ushered in Mexico's first prolonged period of political stability and national economic growth—though "progress" came at the cost of democracy. Indigenous Autocracy presents a new story about how regional actors negotiated between national authoritarian rule and local circumstances by explaining how an Indigenous person held state-level power in Mexico during the thirty-five-year dictatorship that preceded the Mexican Revolution (the Porfiriato), and the apogee of scientific racism across Latin America. Although he was one of few recognizably Indigenous persons in office, Próspero Cahuantzi of Tlaxcala kept his position (1885–1911) longer than any other gubernatorial appointee under Porfirio Díaz's transformative but highly oppressive dictatorship (1876–1911). Cahuantzi leveraged his identity and his region's Indigenous heritage to ingratiate himself to Díaz and other nation-building elites. Locally, Cahuantzi navigated between national directives aimed at modernizing Mexico, often at the expense of the impoverished rural majority, and strategic management of Tlaxcala's natural resources—in particular, balancing growing industrial demand for water with the needs of the local population. Jaclyn Ann Sumner shows how this intermediary actor brokered national expectations and local conditions to maintain state power, challenging the idea that governors during the Porfirian dictatorship were little more than provincial stewards who repressed dissent. Drawing upon documentation from more than a dozen Mexican archives, the book brings Porfirian-era Mexico into critical conversations about race and environmental politics in Latin America.Trade Review"Indigenous Autocracy reveals how Tlaxcala's Próspero Cahuantzi managed to stay in power for twenty-six years as one of Mexico's few 'full-blooded' Indigenous governors. Compellingly arguing that the secret to Cahuantzi's political longevity was a deft and selective use of his indigeneity and its signifiers, the book effectively integrates cultural, political, and environmental history to revise our understanding of Porfirian Mexico."—Mikael Wolfe, Stanford University"Reconstructing in painstaking detail the life and times of a powerful Indigenous governor, Jaclyn Ann Sumner gives us a heady combination of predictable elite thuggery and development with far less predictable racial politics, regional autonomy, development, environmental consideration, and even populism. The result is credible, readable, and professionally unmissable."—Paul Gillingham Northwestern University

    £79.20

  • Indigenous Autocracy: Power, Race, and Resources

    Stanford University Press Indigenous Autocracy: Power, Race, and Resources

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen General Porfirio Díaz assumed power in 1876, he ushered in Mexico's first prolonged period of political stability and national economic growth—though "progress" came at the cost of democracy. Indigenous Autocracy presents a new story about how regional actors negotiated between national authoritarian rule and local circumstances by explaining how an Indigenous person held state-level power in Mexico during the thirty-five-year dictatorship that preceded the Mexican Revolution (the Porfiriato), and the apogee of scientific racism across Latin America. Although he was one of few recognizably Indigenous persons in office, Próspero Cahuantzi of Tlaxcala kept his position (1885–1911) longer than any other gubernatorial appointee under Porfirio Díaz's transformative but highly oppressive dictatorship (1876–1911). Cahuantzi leveraged his identity and his region's Indigenous heritage to ingratiate himself to Díaz and other nation-building elites. Locally, Cahuantzi navigated between national directives aimed at modernizing Mexico, often at the expense of the impoverished rural majority, and strategic management of Tlaxcala's natural resources—in particular, balancing growing industrial demand for water with the needs of the local population. Jaclyn Ann Sumner shows how this intermediary actor brokered national expectations and local conditions to maintain state power, challenging the idea that governors during the Porfirian dictatorship were little more than provincial stewards who repressed dissent. Drawing upon documentation from more than a dozen Mexican archives, the book brings Porfirian-era Mexico into critical conversations about race and environmental politics in Latin America.Trade Review"Indigenous Autocracy reveals how Tlaxcala's Próspero Cahuantzi managed to stay in power for twenty-six years as one of Mexico's few 'full-blooded' Indigenous governors. Compellingly arguing that the secret to Cahuantzi's political longevity was a deft and selective use of his indigeneity and its signifiers, the book effectively integrates cultural, political, and environmental history to revise our understanding of Porfirian Mexico."—Mikael Wolfe, Stanford University"Reconstructing in painstaking detail the life and times of a powerful Indigenous governor, Jaclyn Ann Sumner gives us a heady combination of predictable elite thuggery and development with far less predictable racial politics, regional autonomy, development, environmental consideration, and even populism. The result is credible, readable, and professionally unmissable."—Paul Gillingham Northwestern University

    5 in stock

    £21.59

  • UW Struggle: When a State Attacks Its University

    University of Minnesota Press UW Struggle: When a State Attacks Its University

    Book SynopsisA Wisconsin story that serves as a national warningUW Struggle provides an on-the-ground view of the smoldering attack on public higher education in Wisconsin. Chuck Rybak, who works in the University of Wisconsin System, provides important glimpses into the personal lives of those affected, the dismantling of tenure protections, the diminishment of shared governance, and how faculty remain the scapegoat for all of the university’s problems. This is a chronicle of failed leadership and what actions, if any, can protect this vital American institution. Table of ContentsContentsIntroductionReal PeopleThe Attack on TenureFailed LeadershipEye on the BallNo ConfidenceConclusion: Where Are We Now?Acknowledgments

    £9.00

  • Town Hall Meetings and the Death of Deliberation

    University of Minnesota Press Town Hall Meetings and the Death of Deliberation

    Book SynopsisTracing the erosion of democratic norms in the US and the conditions that make it possible Jonathan Beecher Field tracks the permutations of the town hall meeting from its original context as a form of democratic community governance in New England into a format for presidential debates and a staple of corporate governance. In its contemporary iteration, the town hall meeting models the aesthetic of the former but replaces actual democratic deliberation with a spectacle that involves no immediate electoral stakes or functions as a glorified press conference. Urgently, Field notes that though this evolution might be apparent, evidence suggests many US citizens don’t care to differentiate. Forerunners: Ideas First Short books of thought-in-process scholarship, where intense analysis, questioning, and speculation take the lead Trade Review"In clear, sometimes acerbic, even humorous prose, Field adeptly accounts for the metamorphosis of town meetings into town halls."—ALH Online Review

    £9.00

  • Private Metropolis: The Eclipse of Local

    University of Minnesota Press Private Metropolis: The Eclipse of Local

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisExamines the complex ecology of quasi-public and privatized institutions that mobilize and administer many of the political, administrative, and fiscal resources of today’s metropolitan regionsIn recent decades metropolitan regions in the United States have witnessed the rise of multitudes of “shadow governments” that often supersede or replace functions traditionally associated with municipalities and other local governments inherited from the urban past. Shadow governments take many forms, ranging from billion-dollar special authorities that span entire urban regions, to public–private partnerships and special districts created to accomplish particular tasks, to privatized gated communities, to neighborhood organizations empowered to receive private and public funds. They finance and administer public services ranging from the prosaic (garbage collection and water utilities) to the transformative (economic development and infrastructure). Private Metropolis demonstrates that this complex ecosystem of local governance has compromised and even eclipsed democratic processes by moving important policy decisions out of public sight. The quasi-public institutions of urban governance generally escape the budgetary and statutory restraints imposed on traditional local governments and protect policy decisions from the limitations and vagaries of electoral politics. Moving major policy decisions into a privatized and corporatized realm facilitates efficiency and speed, but at the cost of democratic oversight. Increasingly, the urban electorate is left debating symbolic issues only tangentially connected to the actual distribution of the resources that affect people’s lives. The essays in Private Metropolis grapple with the difficult and timely questions that arise from this new ecology of governance: What are the consequences of the proliferation of special authorities, privatized governments, and public–private arrangements? Is the trade-off between democratic accountability and efficiency worth it? Has the public sector, with its messiness and inefficiencies—but also its checks and balances—ceded too much power to these new institutions? By examining such questions, this book provokes a long-overdue debate about the future of urban governance.Contributors: Douglas Cantor, California State U, Long Beach; Ellen Dannin, Pennsylvania State U; Jameson W. Doig, Princeton U; Mary Donoghue; Peter Eisinger, New School; Steven P. Erie, U of California, San Diego; Rebecca Hendrick, U of Illinois at Chicago; Sara Hinkley, U of California, Berkeley; Amanda Kass, U of Illinois at Chicago; Scott A. MacKenzie, U of California, Davis; David C. Perry, U of Illinois at Chicago; James M. Smith, U of Indiana South Bend; Shu Wang, Michigan State U; Rachel Weber, U of Illinois at Chicago.Trade Review "A valuable resource in graduate courses in urban politics and policy."—Journal of Urban Affairs Table of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Shadow Governments and the Remaking of the American Local StateDennis R. Judd, Evan McKenzie, and Alba AlexanderPart I. The Eclipse of the (Municipal) State1. City Building Capacity and Special-Purpose Authorities: Institutions, Interests, and the Local StateJames M. Smith2. Phantom Governments: Multiple Function Special Districts as Substitutes for MunicipalitiesEvan McKenzie3. Governing Detroit: The Withering of the (Municipal) StatePeter EisingerPart II. The Evolving Role of Public-Private Authorities4. Transportation Empires in the New York and Los Angeles Regions: From the Old to the New Politics of Governance and DevelopmentSteven P. Erie, Scott MacKenzie, and Jameson W. Doig5. Whetting Their Appetites: Privatization Schemes and the Case of WaterEllen Dannin and Douglas Cantor6. The Role of the State in Public-Private Initiatives: Lessons from Great BritainAlba AlexanderPart III. The Fiscal Politics of the New American Local State7. Financing Urban Infrastructure (and Services) under the New Normal: A Look at Special AssessmentsShu Wang and Rebecca Hendrick8. Devolution and Debt: Financing Public Facilities in an Age of AusterityRachel Weber, Amanda Kass, and Sara HinkleyPart IV. Bringing the (Public) State Back In9. Building the Public City, PrivatelyDavid Perry and Mary Donoghue10. The Fate of the Public Realm: ConclusionsDennis R. Judd, Evan McKenzie, and Alba Alexander ContributorsIndex

    2 in stock

    £86.40

  • Expelling Public Schools: How Antiracist Politics

    University of Minnesota Press Expelling Public Schools: How Antiracist Politics

    Book SynopsisExploring the role of identitarian politics in the privatization of Newark’s public school system In Expelling Public Schools, John Arena explores the more than two-decade struggle to privatize public schools in Newark, New Jersey—a conflict that is raging in cities across the country—from the vantage point of elites advancing the pro-privatization agenda and their grassroots challengers.Analyzing the unsuccessful effort of Cory Booker—Newark’s leading pro-privatization activist and mayor—to generate popular support for the agenda, and Booker’s rival and ultimate successor Ras Baraka’s eventual galvanization of the charter movement, Arena argues that Baraka’s black radical politics cloaked a revanchist agenda of privatization.Expelling Public Schools reveals the political rise of Booker and Baraka, their one-time rivalry and subsequent alliance, and what this particular case study illuminates about contemporary post–civil rights Black politics. Ultimately, Expelling Public Schools is a critique of Black urban regime politics and the way in which antiracist messaging obscures real class divisions, interests, and ideological diversity.Trade Review "Expelling Public Schools offers a fascinating look into the racial politics of corporate school reform in Newark Public Schools. John Arena takes a long view—just over two decades—and examines the reform movements and countermovements in the district from the top down and the bottom up. In assessing corporate school reform efforts under mayors Cory Booker and Ras Baraka, this deeply researched book illuminates the mechanisms that maintain educational inequality."—Rand Quinn, author of Class Action: Desegregation and Diversity in San Francisco Schools "It is rare to encounter a work that treats actually existing Black life, an approach best articulated by Cedric Johnson, to critically address contemporary Black urban regimes. Thoughtful, careful, and incisive, Expelling Public Schools does just that. In this moment when antiracism (and surface critiques of antiracism) is rife, John Arena’s work provides a wonderful tonic."—Lester Spence, author of Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics

    £86.40

  • Expelling Public Schools: How Antiracist Politics

    University of Minnesota Press Expelling Public Schools: How Antiracist Politics

    Book SynopsisExploring the role of identitarian politics in the privatization of Newark’s public school system In Expelling Public Schools, John Arena explores the more than two-decade struggle to privatize public schools in Newark, New Jersey—a conflict that is raging in cities across the country—from the vantage point of elites advancing the pro-privatization agenda and their grassroots challengers.Analyzing the unsuccessful effort of Cory Booker—Newark’s leading pro-privatization activist and mayor—to generate popular support for the agenda, and Booker’s rival and ultimate successor Ras Baraka’s eventual galvanization of the charter movement, Arena argues that Baraka’s black radical politics cloaked a revanchist agenda of privatization.Expelling Public Schools reveals the political rise of Booker and Baraka, their one-time rivalry and subsequent alliance, and what this particular case study illuminates about contemporary post–civil rights Black politics. Ultimately, Expelling Public Schools is a critique of Black urban regime politics and the way in which antiracist messaging obscures real class divisions, interests, and ideological diversity.Trade Review "Expelling Public Schools offers a fascinating look into the racial politics of corporate school reform in Newark Public Schools. John Arena takes a long view—just over two decades—and examines the reform movements and countermovements in the district from the top down and the bottom up. In assessing corporate school reform efforts under mayors Cory Booker and Ras Baraka, this deeply researched book illuminates the mechanisms that maintain educational inequality."—Rand Quinn, author of Class Action: Desegregation and Diversity in San Francisco Schools "It is rare to encounter a work that treats actually existing Black life, an approach best articulated by Cedric Johnson, to critically address contemporary Black urban regimes. Thoughtful, careful, and incisive, Expelling Public Schools does just that. In this moment when antiracism (and surface critiques of antiracism) is rife, John Arena’s work provides a wonderful tonic."—Lester Spence, author of Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics

    £23.39

  • Regional Organizations and Their Responses to

    Bristol University Press Regional Organizations and Their Responses to

    Book SynopsisCoups d’état continue to present one of the most extreme risks to democracy and stable governance worldwide. This book examines the unique role played by regional organizations (ROs) following the occurrence of a coup d’état. The book analyses the factors that influence the strength of reactions demonstrated by ROs and explores the different post-coup solutions ROs pursue. It argues that, when confronted with a coup, ROs take both basic democratic standards and regional stability into account before forming their responses. Using a mixed-methods approach, the book concludes that ROs’ response to a coup depends on how detrimental it will be for the state of democracy in a country and how far it risks destabilizing the region.Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Theorizing the Role of ROs After Coups 3: Mapping the Global Pattern of RO Responses to Coups 4: Explaining the Strength of RO Responses to Coups 5: Examining Differential Post-coup Solutions 6: Conclusion

    £76.50

  • Navigating the Local: Politics of Peacebuilding

    Bristol University Press Navigating the Local: Politics of Peacebuilding

    Book SynopsisHow is peace built at the local level? Covering 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. Using the stories and experiences of municipal councillors, employees and civil society actors, it illustrates how local activities and agencies are performed and what it means for local peace in Lebanon. Through its analysis, the book illustrates what the practice of peacebuilding can look like at the local level and the wider lessons - both practical and theoretical - that can be drawn from it.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Theorizing Local Peacebuilding 2. Lebanese Municipalities, Centralized Peacebuilding and Possibilities for Change 3. Service Delivery: Providing for Local Needs 4. Local Interactions: Formal and Informal Everyday Interactions 5. Vertical Relationships: Connecting the Local to the National and Global Conclusion

    £77.39

  • Inter-Organizational Relations and World Order:

    Bristol University Press Inter-Organizational Relations and World Order:

    Book SynopsisWithin international relations scholarship, the nature of international organizations and their relationship with each other and nation-states has been widely contested. This edited volume brings together a team of experts to shed new light on inter-organizational relations in world politics. The book covers areas from the rule of law and international security to business and sport. Through its analysis, it demonstrates that, just as inter-organizational relations themselves are diverse and complex, research on this topic should also be pluralistic in order to draw new and valuable results and insights.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Examining Inter-Organizational Relations – Ulrich Franke and Martin Koch 2. Hybrid Anti-Impunity Commissions and the Rule of Law – Theresa Reinold 3. Inter-Organizational Relations in Counter-Terrorism – Eva Herschinger and Martin Koch 4. Changing Models of Peacekeeping and the Downsizing of Human Rights Norms – Anna Geis and Louise Wiuff Moe 5. Political Cleavages and the Competition Over Epistemic Authority – Thomas Müller 6. Individual Linking Pins and the Life Cycle of Inter-Organizational Cooperation – Jutta Joachim and Andrea Schneiker 7. The UN Global Compact As Inter-Organizational Relations – Matthias Hofferberth 8. World Sports and Russia’s War Against Ukraine – Ulrich Franke and Martin Koch 9. Conclusion: A Pragmatist View of Inter-Organizational Relations and World Order – Ulrich Franke

    £72.00

  • A Polity on the Edge: Canada and the Politics of

    Broadview Press Ltd A Polity on the Edge: Canada and the Politics of

    7 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    7 in stock

    £30.72

  • Local Government in Action: A Simulation

    Broadview Press Ltd Local Government in Action: A Simulation

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £24.29

  • New York Unbound: The City and the Politics of

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd New York Unbound: The City and the Politics of

    Book SynopsisNew York Unbound is a critical examination of the problems and prospects of New York City as it approaches the twenty-first century and a call to arms for a new infusion of energy and creativity in charting its future. As the authors take stock of the city's remarkable resources, they build the argument that the wellsprings of New York's continuing prosperity reside not in further regulation, taxation, subsidization, and political intransigence, but rather in the release of market forces as the stimulant to further growth and greater prosperity and opportunity. From the creation of better housing to the streamlining of social services, the lessons proffered in New York Unbound will have implications not only for the future of the world's greatest city, but for every city attempting to grapple with the challenges of the future.Table of ContentsPreface vii About the Authors ix Introduction 1 1 New York Unbound 7 2 New York's Economic Renaissance 30 3 The New New Yorkers 54 4 Getting Around New York 73 5 Clearing the Regulatory Clutter 93 6 Considering Privatization 109 7 Shaping the Face of New York 127 8 A Social Service System to End Dependency 141 9 Making the Schools Work 153 10 Easing the Housing Crisis 170 11 Reforming the Political System 187 12 Looking Backward--and Forward 203 Index 219

    £37.00

  • Readings in State and Local Public Finance

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd Readings in State and Local Public Finance

    Book SynopsisThis is the first collection of readings in the economics of state and local public finance in almost thirty years. The scope of the thirty pieces is broad, including both classic and current articles. The articles fall into three broad categories: public choice and fiscal federalism, revenue sources and the fiscal condition of cities. The book is an excellent resource for undergraduate economics courses in which state and local public finance comprises a substantial part of the syllabus, and for graduate courses in state and local public finance in public policy programs, planning and public administration. The collection is also valuable to anyone who needs to understand the theory and practice of public finance, including policy analysts, planners, public administrators, and financial market analysts.Trade Review"Readings in State and Local Public Finance by Drennan and Netzer is highly suitable to accompany the Fisher text, at least based on the first edition of the book. The articles serve several purposes: * They provide exposure to some of the well-known economists in the field, such as Richard and Peggy Musgrave, James Buchanan, Charles Tiebout, and Peter Mieszkowski. * They illustrate some of the controversy in the field, for example, by comparing Buchanan's views on which level of government should be responsible for redistributing income with the view of the Musgraves. * They go into more depth than is possible in a text, in specific topic areas, such as the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and urban fiscal problems. * They push the students hard in some areas and thereby give a sense of the potential for more sophisticated conceptual and empirical analysis, as in the Mieszkowski and Zodrow article and the Ladd and Yinger article." Helen F. Ladd, Professor of Public Policy at Duke University "I think that this is an excellent collection. It is well organized, the introductions by the editors are helpful, the selections are sensible, and it would be an ideal supplement for State and Local Public Finance by Ronald Fisher. The Fisher book is very good, but it does not present the analytical arguments in much depth or with much sense for the broader issues in the literature. The readings in this collection add those dimensions." John Yinger, Professor of Economics, Syracuse UniversityTable of ContentsTable of Contents:. Part I: Public Choice and Fiscal Federalism (Fisher's Part 2):. 1.1 Buchanan, James M., 'Public Finance and Public Choice,' National Tax Journal, Vol.28, Dec., 1975, pp.383-94. 1.2 Tiebout, Charles M., 'A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures,' Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 64, Feb., 1956, pp. 416-24. 1.3 Musgrave, Richard A. and Peggy B. Musgrave, 'Principals of Multiunit Finance,' Chap 27 in Public Finance in Theory and Practice, 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1989, pp. 445-56. 1.4 Buchanan, James M., 'Who Should Distribute What in a Federal System?' Hochman and Peterson, eds., Redistibution Through Public Choice. New York: Columbia University Press, 1974, pp. 22-42. 1.5 Gramlich, Edward M., 'The Economics of Fiscal Federalism and Its Reform,' in Swartz and Peck, eds., The Changing Face of Fiscal Federalism. New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., 1990, pp. 152-174. Part II: Revenues for State and Local Governments (Fisher's Part 3): . 2.1 Smith, Adam, 'Of Taxes,' The Wealth of Nations, Book V, Chap. II, Part II, New York: Modern Library, 1937, pp. 777-79. 2.2 Mieszkowski, Peter M., 'Tax Incidence Theory: The Effects of Taxes of the Distribution of Income,' Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 7, 1969, pp. 1103-1124. 2.3 Zodrow, George R. and Peter Mieszkowski, 'The Incidence of the Property Tax: The Benefit of View Versus the New View,' in Zodrow, ed., Local Provision of Public Services. New York: Academic Press, 1983, pp. 109-29. 2.4 Heilbrun, James, 'Who Bears the Burden of the Property Tax?' C. Lowell Hariss, ed., The Property Tax and Local Finance. New York: The Academy of Political Science, 1983, pp. 57-71. 2.5 Netzer, Dick, 'Property Taxes: Their Past, Present, and Future Place in Government Finance' Urban Finance Under Siege. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1993, pp. 51-78. 2.6 Poterba, James M., 'Lifetime Incidence and the Distributional Burden of Excise Taxes, American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings,' Vol. 79, May 1989, pp. 325-330. 2.7 Siegfried, John J., and Paul A. Smith, 'The Distributional Effects of a Sales Tax on Services,' National Tax Journal, Vol. 44 (1991), pp. 41-53. 2.8 Mikesell, John L., 'Fiscal Effects of Differences in Sales Tax Coverage: Revenue Elasticity, Stability and Reliance,' in National Tax Association-Tax Institute of America, Proceedings of the Eighty-Fourth Annual Conference, 1991, pp. 50-57. 2.9 McLure, Charles E., Jr., 'The State Corporate Income Tax: Lambs in Wolves' Clothing," in Aaron and Boskin, eds., The Economics of Taxation. Washington: The Brookings Institution, 1980, pp. 327-346. 2.10 Netzer, Dick, 'Differences in Reliance on User Charges by American State and Local Governments,' Public Finance Quarterly, Vol. 20 (1992), pp. 499-511. 2.11 Gramlich, Edward M., 'The Deductibility of State and Local Taxes,' National Tax Journal, Vol. 38 (1985), pp. 447-65. 2.12 Chernick, Howard and Andrew Reschovsky, "Comment on 'The Deductability of State and Local Taxes,' 'National Tax Journal, Vol. 40, 1987, pp. 95-102. 2.13 Courant, Paul N. and Daniel L. Rubinfeld, 'Tax Reform: Implications for the State-Local Public Sector, 'Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 1, Summer, 1987, pp. 87-100. 2.14 Zimmerman, Dennis, The Private Use of Tax-Exempt Bonds. Washington, Urban Institute Press, 1991, (Ch. 5) pp. 83-111. 2.15 Netzer, Dick, 'State Tax Policy and Economic Development: What Should Governors Do When Economists Tell Them Nothing Works?' in New York Affairs, Vol. 9 (1986), pp. 19-36. Part III: Applications: The Fiscal Conditions of Cities (Fisher's Part 5):. 3.1 Baumol, William, 'Macroeconomics of Unbalanced Growth: The Anatomy of Urban Crisis,' American Economic Review, Vol. LVII, No. 3, 1967. 3.2 Thompson, Wilbur, 'The City as a Distorted Price System,' The Urban Economy, H. Hochman, ed., New York: W. W. Norton, 1976, pp. 74-86. 3.3 Moody's Investors Service, 'City of New York, New York,' Municipal Credit Report, April 8, 1975. 3.4 Gramlich, Edward M., 'The New York City Fiscal Crisis: What Happened and What is to Be Done?', American Economic Review, Vol. 66, No. 2, May, 1976, pp. 415-429. 3.5 Drennan, Matthew P., 'The Present and Future Fiscal Problems of the Two New Yorks: What Happened This Time,' Public Budgeting and Finance, Vol. 14, No. 2, Summer, 1994. 3.6 Ladd, Helen F., 'Big City Finances in The New Era of Fiscal Federalism,' Swartz and Peck, eds, op cit, pp. 127-151. 3.7 Reschovsky, Andrew, 'Are City Fiscal Crises on the Horizon?' Urban Finance Under Siege, op cit, pp. 107-137. 3.8 Reischauer, Robert D., 'The Rise and Fall of National Urban Policy:' M. Kaplan and F. James, eds. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1990, pp. 225-34. 3.9 Yinger, John and Helen F. Ladd, 'The Determinants of State Assistance to Central Cities,' National Tax Journal, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 413-28. 3.10 Netzer, Dick, 'National Assistance to Urban Areas in the United States,' 'Urban Change in the United States and Western Europe,' A. Summers, P. Cheshire, and L. Senn, eds. Washington: The Urban Institute Press, 1993, pp. 465-91.

    £73.10

  • Property Tax Relief for Homeowners

    Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Property Tax Relief for Homeowners

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts to Influence

    Temple University Press,U.S. Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts to Influence

    Book SynopsisCitizen Lobbyists explores how U.S. citizens participate in local government. Although many commentators have lamented the apathy of the American citizenry, Brian Adams focuses on what makes ordinary Americans become involved in and attempt to influence public policy issues that concern them. It connects theory and empirical data in a new and revealing way, providing both a thorough review of the relevant scholarly discussions and a detailed case study of citizen engagement in the politics of Santa Ana, a mid-sized Southern California city. After interviewing more than fifty residents, Adams found that they can be best described as \u0022lobbyists\u0022 who identify issues of personal importance and then lobby their local government bodies. Through his research, he discovered that public meetings and social networks emerged as essential elements in citizens' efforts to influence local policy. By testing theory against reality, this work fills a void in our understanding of the actual participatory practices of \u0022civically engaged\u0022 citizens.Trade Review"This book is a valuable contribution to the literature on grassroots politics in American communities... In his focus on the issues that prompt participation and on the nature of the citizen lobbying responses that result, Brian Adams plows new ground in the study of citizen activism. Citizen Lobbyists is a worthwhile read." -Urban Affairs ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Part I: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Citizen Efforts to Influence Local Policy Part II: Participation Across Local Policies Chapter 3: Policy Characteristics and Patterns of Participation Chapter 4: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Opportunity to Participate Chapter 5: Local Newspapers and Participation Chapter 6: Social Conflict and Participation Part III: How Citizens Participate Chapter 7: Participatory Strategies and Tactics: An Overview Chapter 8: Public Meetings and the Democratic Process Chapter 9: The Political Value of Social Networks Part IV: Conclusion Chapter 10: The Practice of Local Democracy Appendix: Policies Discussed by Interview Respondents Notes References Tables and Figures

    £25.19

  • Strangers on Their Native Soil: Opposition to United States' Governance in Louisiana's Orleans Territory, 1803-1809

    University Press of Mississippi Strangers on Their Native Soil: Opposition to United States' Governance in Louisiana's Orleans Territory, 1803-1809

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAfter the United States purchased Louisiana, many inhabitants of the new American territory believed that Louisiana would quickly be incorporated into the Union and that they would soon enjoy rights as citizens. In March of 1804, however, Congress passed the Act for the Organization of Orleans Territory, which divided Louisiana into two sections: Orleans Territory, which lay southwest of the Mississippi Territory; and the Louisiana District. Under this act, President Jefferson possessed the power to appoint the government of Orleans Territory and its thirteen-man legislative council. The act also prohibited importation of most slaves. Anxieties about their livelihoods and an unrepresentative government drove some Louisiana merchants and planters to organize protests. At first this group used petitions and newspaper editorials to demand revisions; later they pressed for reforms as a political faction within the territorial government. Outside of Louisiana, the conflict became a harbinger for the obstacles to westward expansion and clashes ahead. American politicians became alarmed about the future of American governance, territorial expansion, and the growth of slavery, all issues raised by the Orleans protesters. John Quincy Adams, for example, worried that the government established for Louisianans violated the principles of the American Revolution. Federalist Fisher Ames believed that Jefferson's power over Louisiana would allow him to establish a western Republican empire ensuring the national demise of the Federalist Party. Slaveholders and supporters of slavery in the Congress attacked the restrictions on importation of slaves, using arguments in debates with opponents of slavery that were repeated until the outbreak of the Civil War. Because they caused politicians in the Congress to reconsider how people in areas acquired by the United States should be governed and because they reinvigorated the national discussion about the future of slavery in the United States, the Orleans protesters played a significant role in influencing the shape of American territorial expansion.

    1 in stock

    £45.00

  • The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism:

    University of Massachusetts Press The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism:

    Book SynopsisAre claims of Massachusetts's special and instructive place in American history and politics justified? Alternately described as a "city upon a hill" and "an organized system of hatreds," Massachusetts politics has indisputably exerted an outsized pull on the national stage. The Commonwealth's leaders often argue for the state's distinct position within the union, citing its proud abolitionist history and its status as a policy leader on health care, gay marriage, and transgender rights, not to mention its fertile soil for budding national politicians. Detractors point to the state's busing crisis, sky high levels of economic inequality, and mixed support for undocumented immigrants.The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism tackles these tensions, offering a collection of essays from public policy experts that address the state's noteworthy contributions to the nation's political history. This is a much-needed volume for Massachusetts policymakers, journalists, and community leaders, as well as those learning about political power at the state level, inside and outside of the classroom. Contributors include the editors as well as Maurice T. Cunningham, Lawrence Friedman, Shannon Jenkins, Luis F. Jiménez, and Peter Ubertaccio.

    £22.75

  • The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism:

    University of Massachusetts Press The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism:

    Book SynopsisAre claims of Massachusetts's special and instructive place in American history and politics justified? Alternately described as a "city upon a hill" and "an organized system of hatreds," Massachusetts politics has indisputably exerted an outsized pull on the national stage. The Commonwealth's leaders often argue for the state's distinct position within the union, citing its proud abolitionist history and its status as a policy leader on health care, gay marriage, and transgender rights, not to mention its fertile soil for budding national politicians. Detractors point to the state's busing crisis, sky high levels of economic inequality, and mixed support for undocumented immigrants.The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism tackles these tensions, offering a collection of essays from public policy experts that address the state's noteworthy contributions to the nation's political history. This is a much-needed volume for Massachusetts policymakers, journalists, and community leaders, as well as those learning about political power at the state level, inside and outside of the classroom. Contributors include the editors as well as Maurice T. Cunningham, Lawrence Friedman, Shannon Jenkins, Luis F. Jiménez, and Peter Ubertaccio.

    £69.30

  • From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas

    University of Arkansas Press From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn the morning of Election Day 2010, Democrats occupied three of the four Arkansas seats in the US House of Representatives, both US Senate seats, all state constitutional offices, and decisive majorities in both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly. By the time votes were counted that evening, it was clear that the balance of power had shifted. Within five years, Arkansas Republicans would hold all six US congressional positions and every state constitutional seat and claim growing supermajorities in both state chambers. Since then, Republicans have enjoyed robust electoral success in Arkansas—formerly the last remaining state of the “Solid South” held by Democrats. John C. Davis’s From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas provides a rigorous yet accessible study of this partisan shift, tracking changes in voter preference at the top of the ticket in the 1960s, generational replacement in Arkansas’ political power structure in the 1990s, and the emergence of a more nationalized and polarized electorate in the 2000s, among other developments. From Blue to Red is a fascinating look at how Arkansas went from being one of the country’s most solidly Democratic states to one of its most ardently Republican in just a few years.

    1 in stock

    £28.46

  • Capacity Building in the Tourism Sector: A Few

    Arcler Education Inc Capacity Building in the Tourism Sector: A Few

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe book Capacity Building in the Tourism Sector: A Few Lessons for Government emphasizes on the role of governments around the world in improving the conditions and environment for tourism. It emphasizes on the need for skilling up the local people, building proper infrastructure, providing primary and basic education to the locals, enhancing the trade market and local craftsmen and maintenance of the tourist spots and various other things that aim at capacity building for tourism. It explains the manner in which each of these things can enhance the tourism sector and help in reaping better returns.

    1 in stock

    £130.90

  • Governing Complex City-Regions in the

    Wits University Press Governing Complex City-Regions in the

    Book SynopsisThe scale, complexity and pace of urban change in the recent past has been disorienting. As individual cities evolve into complex urban agglomerations, sometimes called city-regions, urban scholars battle to find adequate vocabularies for contemporary urban processes while practitioners continually search for meaningful governance responses. Governing Complex City-Regions in the Twenty-First Century explores the ongoing evolution of regional and metropolitan governance as diverse urban agents grapple with the dilemmas of collective action across multi-layered and fragmented institutions, in contexts where there are manifold centres of influence and decision-making. The author draws on the experiences of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), situating his analysis against the particular historical and political cycles of each. This expands the geography of knowledge in the study of city-region governance, revealing meanings, processes and outcomes of city-region governance that are not apparent in the more settled urban contexts of Western Europe and North America on which much of the existing literature is founded. Intended for students, academics, and professionals, the book provides a critique of the ‘best practice’ approach, showing that governance approaches are rarely designed but emerge, rather, from the disparate intentions, actions and practices of multiple collaborating and competing actors working within diverse contexts of political settlement and political culture. While it does not offer packaged solutions or easy answers to the challenges of urban governance, it does show the value of comparative study in inspiring new thought and perspectives, which could lead to improved governance practice within South African contexts. Table of ContentsList of plates Preface Acknowledgements Acronyms Introduction: Exploring hyper-complexity Chapter 1 The global view: The city-region as material form, discourse and governmental practice Chapter 2 The governance of Brazil’s metropolitan regions Chapter 3 The governance of Russia’s urban agglomerations Chapter 4 Metropolitan and city-region governance in India Chapter 5 Governing the city clusters of China Chapter 6 City-region governance in South Africa Chapter 7 Concluding and comparative insights References Index

    £28.00

  • Neighbourhood Governance in Urban China

    Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Neighbourhood Governance in Urban China

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisAs the economy and society of China has become more diversified, so have its urban neighborhoods. The last decade has witnessed a surge in collective action by homeowners in China against the infringement of their rights. Research on neighborhood governance is sparse and limited, so this book fills a vital gap in the literature and understanding.The authors reveal how the Chinese authorities have themselves become increasingly sensitive to the potential risk of collective actions becoming destabilizing forces in urban arenas. This thought-provoking book looks at both the theoretical and empirical underpinning of the self-governance of homeowners and their collective action, as well as control mechanisms in neighborhood governance. The book offers a window through which contending issues, such as changing state-society relations, rights-based social movements and the emergence of civil society, can be further explored.Neighborhood governance is a multifaceted concept that cuts across academic disciplines and intersects an array of policy areas. Therefore this book will find a wide audience amongst public and social policy academics, particularly those with an interest in urban studies, governance and Asian cities, as well as politics.Contributors: W. Breitung, H. Chai, J. Chen, L. Chen, Y. Chen, Y. Gui, S. Guo, R. Huang, Y. Jiang, W. Ma, B.L. Read, X. Sun, J. Tang, J. Wang, Y.Wu, N.-M. YipTrade Review‘This book is timely, coming as it does at a time when interest in China’s urban growth remains high (for example, Ren, 2013), and neighbourhood/community governance is increasingly emphasised in many countries, particularly the UK (cf. the 2011 Localism Act). However, as Chapter 2 of the book, written by Benjamin Read, acknowl-edges, Western theories around neighbour-hood governance ‘were created against the backdrop of a pluralist model of societal organization’ (p. 30), with more-or-less independent grassroots activity. That model, certainly in recent years, is not directly trans-ferable to the Chinese context, so this book makes a valuable contribution to developing our knowledge of neighbourhood gover-nance in a specific setting.’ -- John Sturzaker, Town Planning Review‘The editor did a fine job of bringing together a rare collection of research works that demonstrate an excellent understanding of the overall climate of urban governance in China. The book is eloquently presented and should attract a wide audience among the public and social policy researchers interested in China.’ -- Miao Zhang, Institutions and EconomiesTable of ContentsContents Preface 1. Introduction: Neighbourhood Governance in Context Ngai-Ming Yip PART I THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS 2. Theoretical Approaches to Neighbourhood Governance: Searching for Lost Treasure and Comparative Frameworks Benjamin L. Read 3. Neighbourhood Governance and the Creation of Urban Commons in China Limei Chen PART II STATE SOCIETY INTERACTION AT THE GRASSROOTS 4. The Institutionalization of Neighbourhood Governance - Dilemma and Political Hurdles Yong Gui and Weihong Ma 5. Are Residents’ Committees Able to Contain Homeowner Resistance? The Interaction between Residents’ Committees and Homeowners’ Associations Ronggui Huang 6. Loyalist-activist Networks and Institutional Identification in Urban Neighbourhoods Shengli Guo and Xiaoyi Sun PART III INSTITUTIONAL SETUP OF HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS 7. Institutional Innovations in Homeowner Self-governance: Case Study of Beijing Youhong Chen 8. Homeowner Self-governance and its Sustainability: Case Study of A Residential Neighbourhood in Shenzhen Juan Tang, Jianjun Wang and Hongxia Chan PART IV AGENTS OF CHANGE IN THE EMERGING CIVIL SOCIETY 9. Differentiated Neighbourhood Governance in Transitional Urban China: Comparative Study of Two Housing Estates in Guangzhou Werner Breitung 10. The Constructive Significance of Homeowners’ Rightful Protest in China Ying Wu, and Junhua Chen 11. Altering the Rules: Homeowners’ Participation in Legislation Yihong Jiang Index

    5 in stock

    £95.00

  • Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Local Government Finance: The Challenges of the

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis book, compiled from the 2nd Global Report of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) on Decentralization and Local Democracy, analyzes the architecture of fiscal decentralization in one hundred and ten countries as well as in major metropolitan areas. In the majority of these countries, local authorities are taking on more and more responsibilities for public investment and the provision of services that are essential for both economic development and the well being of their citizens. If increasing fiscal decentralization has been a global trend in recent decades, there are significant variations across and within regions and countries. Local budgets make up on average 25% of public expenditure in the countries of the European Union but less than 5% in many developing countries. Decentralization in terms of revenue and expenditure autonomy has also increased, however this has been uneven across countries and has seen greater advances in expenditure than in revenues, where sources remain limited and uncertain, especially for small and middle size cities. With accelerating urbanization and important shifts in the global context (climate change, increasing risk of natural disaster, migration, and demographic changes among others), current funding levels are insufficient for local governments to respond to the urbanization of poverty, growing investment requirements and other pressing needs. The economic and financial crisis that began in 2008 only worsened the situation. This report, offered as part of UCLG's ongoing commitment to deepen understanding of the level of government closest to citizens, identifies universal challenges facing local government finance, as well as those more regional and country specific. Some of the most common are inadequate sources of revenue, unpredictable transfers and grants, excessive higher-level budget controls, and unfunded mandates. In addition to analyzing these challenges and opportunities, the Report proposes recommendations to strengthen the fiscal role and performance of local governments around the world.Trade Review‘. . . the contributors do a fine job of highlighting important trends in local government autonomy and finance and then linking those trends to practical recommendations for reform. Policymakers and local public finance scholars will certainly find the report a useful reference.’ -- J.C. Hall, ChoiceTable of ContentsContents: Foreword 1. Introduction 2. Africa 3. Asia-Pacific 4. Eurasia 5. Europe 6. Latin America 7. Middle East and Western Asia 8. North America 9. Financing Metropolitan Areas 10. Conclusion Bibliography

    5 in stock

    £49.35

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