Increasingly, the governments of virtually all industrialised countries are confronted with persistent problems of unemployment and low pay for those with little formal education and few skills. To combat this growing problem, various countries are utilising different remedies - usually with disappointing results.Policy Measures for Low-Wage Employment in Europe is a focused and up-to-date set of studies highlighting several important new findings. The book considers in-depth policy measures in the areas of taxation, benefits and employer subsidies aimed at the low-skilled and illustrates the limitations of short-term solutions. The policy debate is extended to encompass the role of product demand related to low-paid, low-skilled work and to the functioning of the labour market. In particular, the study investigates the role of job satisfaction and turn over in two major low-paying sectors - the retail trade and the hotel industry. This book will prove a valuable contribution to the literature for labour economists and policymakers at European and national level and policy officers of trade union and employment organisations. Those interested in labour market problems will also find the work to be a fascinating read.

What are the characteristics that render the media free and independent, and do European media policies develop in ways that promote media freedom and independence? What are the main constraints or threats to the operation of free and independent media, and what are the policy processes, institutional structures, regulatory practices and tools that can help counteract these? In a period of profound changes brought to the media ecosystem, media consumption and use, Media Policies Revisited explores key features of media policies and regulation in fourteen countries, investigating their strengths and weaknesses in the protection of media freedom and the promotion of independent media behaviour. Standing at the crossroads of media studies and legal and media governance research, this volume of groundbreaking essays offers fresh thinking on the conditions under which media policies can support free and independent media, providing a valuable reference for students, scholars, policy-makers and regulators.

DEGREESIThe Assault on Equality DEGREESR critiques the social theory underpinning the social policies of the new political right. It focuses on the attempt by Herrnstein and Murray in DEGREESIThe Bell Curve DEGREESR to provide theoretical justification for social program cutbacks and coercive social policies. DEGREESIThe Assault on Equality DEGREESR reanalyzes Herrnstein and Murray's own data and demonstrates that their conclusions are questionable results of polemic and ideology that ignore and contradict the fundamental findings and methods of 20th-century sociology and genetics. The policy proposals of Newt Gingrich are the political counterpart to the flawed social theory of DEGREESIThe Bell Curve DEGREESR. Both scholarly and readable, this is an appropriate supplement in courses such as race relations, stratification, theory, policy, and research methods. It shows the contemporary relevance of basic theoretical and methodological insights of sociology contradicted by DEGREESIThe Bell Curve DEGREESR and other works of the new political right. Appendices present the statistical issues and the theoretical background ignored by such works. From a multi-disciplinary perspective, the authors take issue with the social policy positions of the new right concerning affirmative action, educat

This book examines the policies, conducts, and performances of organizations tasked with developing medium and high technologies in Iran. This collection assists readers in understanding the interaction between different players involve in the process of Iran's science, technology, and innovation development in specific technology areas over the last two decades. Chapters from expert contributors are organized into three themed parts: science and technology policy formulation and implementation, outcomes, and evaluation, including recommendations for further development of technological learning in Iran.

In the United States, government participation in education has traditionally involved guaranteeing public access, public funding, and public governance to achieve accountability, representativeness and equality. This volume discusses the role of broad regimes of local community actors to promote school improvement through greater civic engagement. Taking a historical perspective, this text examines the relationship between government at the federal, state, and local level and local actors both inside the traditional education regime and those stakeholders outside the schools including parents, non-profit organizations, and businesses. It then drills deeper into the role of state legislatures and finally local leadership both inside and outside the schools to promote change, focusing on efforts that include parental choice through tax incentives, charter schools, magnet schools, and school vouchers to achieve accountability, representativeness and equality. The text examines the perceptions and relationships of various actors in urban education reform in numerous cities across the country with special attention dedicated to Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin to offer a deeper understanding of the barriers to and opportunities for fostering greater civic capacity and engagement in urban education reform, as well as developing inclusive educational policy. Attention is also given to accountability and measuring success, traditionally defined by high stakes testing which fails to consider non-classroom factors within the community that contribute to student performance. An alternative approach is offered driven by a wholistic accounting of various factors that contribute to school success centered around third-party inspections and accreditation. Providing insight into school reform at the local level, this book will be useful to researchers and students interested in public policy, education policy, urban governance, intergovernmental relations, and educational leadership, as well as teaching professionals, administrators, and local government officials.

There is a broad consensus that the United States' immigration system is broken, yet the political momentum behind the movement has not yet led to a consensus on how to fix it. This momentum has stemmed from the agreement that we have an immigration "crisis" on our hands - millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States under increasingly harsh conditions, tremendous spending on border security and enforcement measures without protection of civil rights, changing voter demographics, and other pressing issues have ushered in the moment for immigration reform. This book presents research and policy recommendations from leading U.S. immigration experts and scholars, who have many valuable insights and nuanced perspectives to offer to the current debate on immigration reform. The goal of this immigration study is to disseminate knowledge and policy recommendations to scholars, government officials, the media, and the general policy community on vital issues regarding the present question of immigration reform. This book discusses the future prospects of immigration reform and delves into various details, options, and obstacles related to immigration reform. The chapters presented shed light on a number of issues that are currently being debated in the immigration bill. Some of them address the salience of the immigration issue in Latino political behavior and the impact of demographic context. Other papers hone in on the landscape of legislative initiatives addressing immigration at the state and local levels, and some authors address the implications of immigration reform for the labor market and economic climate. The book will be of interest to both scholars and policy-makers concerned with immigration in the United States.

As political leaders acknowledge the limits of their power they increasingly integrate constructive input from inside and outside government into their decision-making. A Ministry or Commission of Public Input is necessary to collect, process and communicate input more effectively and politicians need to work with the public to identify solutions.

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Winner of the 2006 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Organized Section Best First Book Award from the American Political Science Association

Winner of the 2006 W.E.B. DuBois Book Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists

""The Politics of Disgust" is a very thoughtful, theoretically sophisticated, empirically rich analysis of the discourse of welfare reform."
--"Political Science Quarterly"

"An important contribution to our understanding."
--"Perspectives on Politics"

aFor those concerned about inequality and democratic theory in America, Hancockas introduction alone, in which she frames the characteristics of politics of disgust, makes the book worthwhile.a
&3151;"Perspectives on Politics"

"Brilliantly conceived and executed. . .[A] stunning work of public policy that, if embraced, could radically change 'welfare'--and America--as we know it."
--Robin D. G. Kelley, author of "Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"

"[A] challenging and disturbing account of the impact of stereotypes in politics. Anyone interested in the means by which the poor, the unpopular, and the alienated are kept from participating in politics to demand better treatment should read this book."
--Frank R. Baumgartner, coauthor of "Agendas and Instability in American Politics"

"[An] excellent and outstanding book; Ange-Marie Hancock has established herself without doubt as a rising star in political science."
--Gerald Horne, author of "Race War! White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire"

Ange-Marie Hancock argues that longstanding beliefs about poor African Americanmothers were the foundation for the contentious 1996 welfare reform debate that effectively "ended welfare as we know it." By examining the public identity of the so-called welfare queen and its role in hindering democratic deliberation, The Politics of Disgust shows how stereotypes and politically motivated misperceptions about race, class and gender were effectively used to instigate a politics of disgust.

The ongoing role of the politics of disgust in welfare policy is revealed here by using content analyses of the news media, the 1996 congressional floor debates, historical evidence and interviews with welfare recipients themselves. Hancock's incisive analysis is both compelling and disturbing, suggesting the great limits of today's democracy in guaranteeing not just fair and equitable policy outcomes, but even a fair chance for marginalized citizens to participate in the process.

This book discusses all the questions related to Kashmiri Pandits and their relation and current issues regarding their return to Kashmir. The book explores the importance of return of Kashmiri Pandits for Kashmir and both major Kashmiri communities, especially those who really want to return home, out of their own volition and for all right reasons. The book shows how to bring about a reasonable and realistic degree of practical and sustainable reconciliation between the two communities, whilst trying to make them stand in each other's shoes, understand each other's perspective and pain and then self-introspect sincerely, so that a bridge of mutual trust and acceptance is rebuilt between the two communities, which can then allow those Pandits who genuinely want to return cross over and be home.

Centering its study around three explanatory variables - actors, institutions and ideas - this book argues that Russia's hybrid institutional environment reduces the competition of policy ideas, both at the stage of policy elaboration by the community of state and non-state policy experts, and also at the stage of policy adoption by parliament.

This lucid and comprehensive book explores the ways in which the State, the market and the citizen can collaborate to satisfy people's health care needs. It argues that health care is not a commodity like any other. It asks if its unique properties mean that there is a role for social regulation and political management. Apples and oranges can be left to the buyers and the sellers. Health care may require an input from the consensus, the experts, the insurers, the politicians and the bureaucrats as well. David Reisman makes a fresh contribution to the debate. He argues that the three policy issues that are of primary importance are choice, equality and cost. He explores the balance between the patient, the practitioner and public opinion; the disparities in outcome indicators and access to medical care; and the escalation in prices and quantities at the expense of other areas of social life. Reisman concludes that, despite its significance for the individual and the nation, there is no single definition of health or health care. The maximand is a mix. Yet decisions have to be made. This thought-provoking and insightful book will be of use to students and scholars of public policy, social policy and health economics. It will also be of interest to medical practitioners who want to situate hard choices about health and illness in a broad multidisciplinary context.

This book addresses up-to-date urban health issues from a systems perspective and provides an appealing integrated urban development strategy based on a 10-year global interdisciplinary research programme created by the International Council for Science (ICSU), and sponsored by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the United Nations University (UNU). The unique feature of this book is its "systems approach" to urban health and wellbeing: solution-oriented for science and society and not purely theoretical, it can be applied in the context of decision-making, and has the potential to unlock cities' unused potential by promoting health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the inter- and transdisciplinary urban issues addressed in this book are examined from a cross-sectoral perspective - e.g. the transport sector is addressed in connection with air pollution, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and the loss of productivity. The interconnected thinking to urban health and wellbeing makes the book a particularly valuable resource. Decision makers in city administrations and civil society organizations from different geographical regions will find the book an informative and inspiring guide for delivering towards the goals of the New Urban Agenda, for which health can be the vital indicator of progress. Graduate students and researchers will be attracted by the case studies, systems methods and models provided in the book.

This is an analysis of think-tanks in Britain and Germany and their role in the re-making of the British Labour party and Germany's Social Democrats as 'Third Way' parties. The part that think-tanks played in the creation of the the 'workfare state' in the 1990s and 2000s is also explored in this book.

"This excellent study combines considerable institutional and policy detail with an assured analysis of government and private sector agent interactions." . Modern and Contemporary France

"One of the main conclusions the reader of this] book can draw is that the best specialists of French contemporary political movements come from the Anglo-Saxon academic world." . H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews OnLine

..". a most welcome contribution to the development of environmental policy] ... Overall, this book is well worth buying, both from an individual and from an institutional perspective. It is excellent value for money and an excellent source of information on environmental policy development and practice that allows one's knowledge to be pushed beyond the traditional Anglo-American axis." . Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy

" A] solid, insightful, fair-minded survey of French environmental policies" . Choice

Drawing on an extensive range of political, legal and sociological materials, the author presents and evaluates environmental policy-making in France at a time when environmental problems are growing in complexity and gravity.

He highlights the range of inputs to the policy process - including popular movements, green parties, interest group representation, EU legislation and international treaties - and evaluates the diverse nature of the outcomes which lead him to conclude that because new developments involve not only changes in policy content but also adaptation of policy style, environmental demands are progressively changing the shape of politics itself."

As we enter the mid-eighties, higher education is faced with deepening crises stemming from declines in both funding and enrollment and from rapidly changing social needs. This volume of essays, contributed by distinguished scholars from various disciplines, identifies and discusses the many problems that will require attention in the coming decades if our colleges and universities are to continue to supply quality educational opportunities on a broad scale. In seeking solutions to these problems, the authors stress the need for a realistic appraisal of the policymaking system. It is emphasized that educators and policymakers will need to take into account the levels at which political and policy-making activity occur and the complex political interrelationships existing among the different levels of institutional, governmental, and public authority.

Three policy actions taken during the Revolutionary War period helped form the military supply and acquisition structure still in place today. These include the formation of a management structure; the choice of management methods; and debates related to ancillary issues such as R&D, fostering of expertise, encouraging innovation, and the role of the federal government in the development of an industrial base. To provide valuable context, Horgan looks not only at decisions made by the Continental Congress, but also at the environment in which these plans were made. Of the wide range of methods used to procure the supplies needed for war, many were harsh measures taken by beleaguered policy makers, forced to desperate steps by the demands of war.

The organizational structure created to manage the supply effort was, Horgan reveals, in constant flux, characterized by the abandoning of one failed experiment in favor of another that would soon be exposed as equally unsuccessful. The two major weapons of the period, the big guns of Army artillery and navel ordnance and Navy ships, are examined within this framework. Horgan explores how the Congress managed their acquisition, including procedures related to the manufacture of artillery in private sector founders and government facilities, as well as the construction projects for Navy ships. She demonstrates how policy decisions made during these early years relate to the present policy environment for the acquisition of major weapon systems.

Over the past hundred years, tourism has evolved into the world's biggest business, and few countries today question the common wisdom that the road to economic development is paved with tourist dollars. Yet questions should be raised, Patricia Goldstone argues in this path-breaking book on the social and political impacts of tourism. She examines for the first time the close connections between business and politics as government and industry leaders work together to reengineer political trouble spots into tourist destinations in places like Ireland, Turkey, and Cuba. She also probes the impact of tourism on diverse cultures.

In a keenly perceptive account of the history of tourism in the twentieth century, the book tells how and why tourism aligned itself with political power, how it became embedded within such nontourist institutions as the World Bank, and how since World War II it has become an instrument of international development policy. In detailed case studies that are also compelling travel narratives, Goldstone documents the effects of tourism on local people, including its tendency to lead governments toward greater social repression. She offers fascinating insights into the ironies of modern tourism -- how, for example, it can insulate tourists from the very things they seek to encounter, and how, despite its preservational efforts, tourism can affect a culture in complex, sometimes troubling, ways.

This book comprehensively analyzes COVID-19 and its impact as well as the response from the perspectives of humanities and social sciences. This book covers topics ranging from geopolitical relations to regional integration, public health governance and even the evolution of professional practices in the time of COVID-19. It constitutes a precious and timely interdisciplinary reference for anyone aspiring not only to grasp the origins and dynamics of the present challenge, but also to identify future opportunities for further growth and holistic progress for humanity.

Munch and his colleagues examine how democracy works in the practice of political regulation. Based on empirical research on the politics of clean air in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States, they provide a comparative sociological perspective. Thus, they look at social change and social integration rather than issues of governance and administration in terms of effectiveness and democratic legitimation.

The analysis looks at how different forms of democracy given in the four countries achieve more or less in the political regulation of clean air in terms of societal innovation, conflict settlement, and consensus formation. They concentrate on the network of actors involved, their professions included with their concepts of rationality, the institutional rules of policymaking, and the cultural ideas that are invoked in the legitimation of procedures and decisions. While each country has developed a peculiar form of democracy-representative democracy in the UK, etatist-republican democracy in France, consensus and rule of law democracy in Germany, and multilevel pluralist competitive democracy in the US-they conclude that challenges of the established regulatory style and political order are pushing each country towards a more open democracy. Scholars and students in comparative sociology and political science as well as environmentalists will find the study of particular interest.

Lobbyists in Washington aren't a new phenomenon. Since the early days of the republic, citizens and groups alike have hired professionals to press their interests with lawmakers. However, recent examples of misconduct-like that seen in the Abramoff scandal-highlight the unique ethical challenges this industry faces in the twenty-first century. Though major scandals happen less frequently than popularly believed, the more pervasive ethics problem is that members of the profession often cut deals that go against their clients' interests. They sacrifice the interests of those they represent in order to curry favor with lawmakers. In The Ethical Lobbyist, Thomas T. Holyoke exposes how current industry regulations fall short of ensuring principled behaviors and may actually incentivize unethical behavior. Holyoke presents the provocative argument that, in addition to welcoming stronger regulations, lobbyists need to borrow a page from the legal profession and adopt ironclad guarantees of principled representation. The Ethical Lobbyist puts forth a set of principles and a workable program for implementing reform. The result is a road map to reform that will transform "ethical lobbyist" from an oxymoron to an expectation-and change the industry and our government for the better. Georgetown Digital Shorts-longer than an article, shorter than a book-deliver timely works of peer-reviewed scholarship for a fast-paced world. They present new ideas and original content that are easily digestable for students, scholars, and general readers.

This book is an introductory study of the complex security relationship that exists between the United States and Taiwan. It explains how U.S. security policy toward Taiwan has been steered primarily by Cold War calculations and how the U.S. has sought to respond creatively to the constraints on military support for Taiwan imposed by the normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China. Hickey suggests that, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the time has arrived for adjustments in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. These modifications should not, however, include a change in American security policy, which should continue to serve U.S. interests in the post-Cold War environment.

This book is an exploration of the various types of transnational politics that the Chin and Acehnese people are engaged in, particularly in the Malaysian state. As with so many migrants elsewhere in the world who try to organize themselves transnationally, the Chin and Acehnese have needed to negotiate a challenging socio-political landscape that is the Malaysian state. Here, the author illustrates that migrants don't just travel with their hopes for the future, but with grievances and identities which are rooted in their homelands. This is a book for those interested in reading an account that reflects the complexities of migrant life in the 21st century - an era replete with fluid labour markets, deregulated air travel, porous borders and political leaders who move transnationally, acting as binding agents for the far-flung communities they seek to represent.

In this concise interpretation of Wilson's Russian policy, Schild challenges the belief that Wilson's response to the 1917 October Revolution was exclusively ideological. Contrary to the belief that when Wilson sent American troops to intervene in 1918, his goal was to establish a democratic order in Russia, this book shows that his actions were more pragmatic. Wilson's belief in the superiority of liberalism over totalitarianism was so strong that he expected democratic forces in Russia to take power without outside aid. At the Paris Peace Conference, he rejected suggestions for an anti-Soviet crusade. His July 1918 decision to intervene was not a part of Wilson's ideology. It was based on an effort to maintain unity with Britain and France during the final phase of World War I. Wilson did, indeed, have a liberal anti-Bolshevik agenda. However, his belief in the superiority of liberalism over totalitarianism was so strong that he expected democratic forces in Russia to take power without any outside aid. At the Paris Peace Conference, he rejected all suggestions for a Western anti-Soviet crusade or for a division of Russia. His 1918 decision to intervene was not part of Wilson's ideological confrontation with the Bolsheviks. It was based on an effort to maintain unity with the British and French governments during the final phase of World War I. Wilson's Russian policy, the author concludes, was determined both by his ideological anti-Bolshevism and pragmatic demands for alliance cohesion.

As the state of America's children and families continues to degenerate, the human services system struggles to render the support it was designed to provide. Despite such efforts, American families have difficulty accessing services; they are forced to navigate an incomprehensible system where quantity is often deemed insufficient and quality is compromised. Simultaneously, expenditures on human services have soared to record levels, further spurring both concerns and efforts to reform and better integrate a sadly dysfunctional system. In the first comprehensive synthesis of the history, theory, and practice of service integration, Sharon Lynn Kagan, with Peter R. Neville, explores why past efforts to reform the human service system have had only isolated triumphs and marginal impact in improving the quality of life for children and families. Tracing the history of human services in America from the colonial period to the present, the author analyzes the underlying assumptions, barriers, and strategies that have characterized the service integration movement. Drawing on history, empirical research, and intellectual theory, as well as on the personal experiences of practitioners and leaders, the author extracts principles and insights that offer new directions for future social service reform. Published in cooperation with the National Center for Service Integration

This book offers a systematic review of major issues and trends in health care policy, including those related to physical health and disease trends, mental and behavioral health concerns, reorganizing the U.S. health system, and managed care and health care personnel. Kronenfeld addresses the problems, challenges, issues and trends in the policies that determine the role and future of health care in the United States. Also covered are special populations, such as the elderly and children, reproductive health, and issues cost, quality, and access to care. Health care policies affect all Americans. Managed care has been a major trend in the past decade's reorganization of the U.S. health care system, yet its future is uncertain. Despite unparalleled spending and the world's most technologically sophisticated health care, measure such as life expectancy and infant mortality rates indicate that the country's health outcomes may not be the best. Mental health and behavioral health problems are major impediments to quality of life for some Americans, and roughly 17% of the population under 65 does not have insurance coverage for necessary health care services. Despite calls for a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system, incremental reform is more likely than major, comprehensive reform.