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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > Central government policies
Policy Experiments, Failures and Innovations takes a policy studies
perspective in considering post-communist EU member states?
experiences since accession. The book analyses policy transfer
processes and expands the new and growing sub-field of policy
failure by interrogating the binary ideas of ?failure? and
?success? in the context of the Central Eastern European (CEE)
transition, democratic consolidation and European Union membership.
Contributions consider the extent to which external models have had
real traction in the political economies and societies of the CEE
countries. The book also considers the ways external models were
adapted, transformed or sometimes abandoned in response to
unexpected difficulties in implementation. It provides critical
analysis of the setbacks, real or perceived policy failures, as
well as innovations and unexpected outcomes in a number of
important policy areas in the ?new? member states of the EU. This
book will be of interest to policy studies scholars and European
Union/European studies scholars. It is also relevant for students
of European politics as well as general public policy degree
courses at undergraduate and graduate level. Contributors include:
D. Adascalitei, A. Batory, A. Cartwright, D. Craciun, S. Domonkos,
H. Grabbe, A. Kemmerling, A. Krizsan, K. Makszin, L. Matei, G.
Medve-Balint, B.G. Peters, D. Stone, S. Svensson, A. Tetenyi, S.
Torotcoi, V. Zentai
After two decades of feminist challenges to mainstream theorising,
gender has become a central element of social policy and the
welfare state. A new literature has widened the focus of social
policy from state and economy to a three-sided discourse
encompassing the state, the market and the family. The Handbook on
Gender and Social Policy provides a comprehensive introduction to
this field with up-to-date accounts of debates and innovative
original research by leading international authors. The Handbook
covers the key areas of social policy that relate to the
inequalities between men and women in the developed and developing
world. It presents original research on contemporary issues at
national and transnational levels across the central policy terrain
of income, employment, care and family policy, including family
policy models, same-sex marriage and child protection. It features
chapters on key perspectives on gender and policy and six original
studies of the state of play in different regions of the world. The
Handbook on Gender and Social Policy is an excellent resource for
advanced students and postgraduate students of sociology, political
science, women?s studies, policy studies and related areas. It will
also be of interest for practitioners and scholars of social policy
seeking up-to-date coverage of how gender affects the contours of
social policy and politics. Contributors include: E. Adamson, C.
Arza, D. Balkmar, M. Bernstein, M. Blaxland, M. Brady, D. Brennan,
R. Daiger von Gleichen, M. Daly, A.L. Ellingsaeter, V. Esquivel, H.
Figueiredo, K.R. Fisher, L. Foster, J. Ginn, S. Harkness, B.
Harvey, J. Hearn, B. Hewitt, J. Jenson, T. Knijn, R. Mahon, L.
Marg, J. Martinez Franzoni, J. McCoy, S. Meyer, J. Outshoorn, K.
Pringle, S. Razavi, E. Reese, J.l. Rubery, M. Seeleib-Kaiser, X.
Shang, S. Shaver, S. Staab, C. Valiente, F. Williams, A. Yeatman
In recent years, intelligent cities, also known as smart cities or
cognitive cities, have become a perceived solution for improving
the quality of life of citizens while boosting the efficiency of
city services and processes. This new vision involves the
integration of various sectors of society through the use of the
internet of things. By continuing to enhance research for the
better development of the smart environments needed to sustain
intelligent cities, citizens will be empowered to provision the
e-services provided by the city, city officials will have the
ability to interact directly with the community as well as monitor
digital environments, and smart communities will be developed where
citizens can enjoy improved quality of life. Developing and
Monitoring Smart Environments for Intelligent Cities compiles the
latest research on the development, management, and monitoring of
digital cities and intelligent environments into one complete
reference source. The book contains chapters that examine current
technologies and the future use of internet of things frameworks as
well as device connectivity approaches, communication protocols,
security challenges, and their inherent issues and limitations.
Including unique coverage on topics such as connected vehicles for
smart transportation, security issues for smart homes, and building
smart cities for the blind, this reference is ideal for
practitioners, urban developers, urban planners, academicians,
researchers, and students.
Protecting the natural environment and promoting environmental
sustainability have become important objectives for U.S.
policymakers and public administrators at the dawn of the
twenty-first century. Institutions of American government,
especially at the federal level, and the public administrators who
work inside of those institutions, play a crucial role in
developing and implementing environmental sustainability policies.
This book explores these salient issues logically. First, it
explores fundamental concepts such as what it means to be
environmentally sustainable, how economic issues affect
environmental policy, and the philosophical schools of thought
about what policies ought to be considered sustainable. From there,
it focuses on processes and institutions affecting public
administration and its role in the policy process. Accordingly, it
summarizes the rise of the administrative state in the United
States and then reviews the development of federal environmental
laws and policies with an emphasis on late twentieth century
developments. This book also discusses the evolution of American
environmentalism by outlining the history of the environmental
movement and the growth of the environmental lobby. Finally, this
book synthesizes the information to discuss how public
administration can promote environmental sustainability.
The current context of social policy is one in which many of the
old certainties of the past have been eroded. The predominantly
inward-looking, domestic preoccupation of social policy has made
way for a more integrated, international and outward approach to
analysis which looks beyond the boundaries of the state. It is in
this context that this Handbook brings together the work of key
commentators in the field of comparative analysis in order to
provide comprehensive coverage of contemporary debates and issues
in cross-national social policy research. Organized around five
themes, this thoroughly revised and updated second edition explores
the contextual, conceptual, analytical and processual aspects of
undertaking comparative social research. The contributions
highlight specific areas of comparative social policy including
child poverty and well-being, patterns of housing provision and
housing inequalities, and social protection in East Asia as well as
crime and criminology in a global context. The authors of the
Handbook explore continuing and emerging themes as well as issues
which are of particular relevance to understanding the contemporary
social world. International in scope, this authoritative Handbook
presents original cutting-edge research from leading specialists
and will become an indispensable source of reference for anyone
interested in comparative and international social research. It
will also prove a valuable study aid for undergraduate and
postgraduate students from a range of disciplines including social
policy, sociology, politics, urban studies and public policy.
Contributors include: D. Bainton, J. Billiet, J. Bradshaw, J.
Clasen, G. Crow, R. Forrest, N. Ginsburg, I. Gough, L. Hantrais, B.
Jessop, P. Kennett, H.-j. Kwon, N. Lendvai, S. Mangen, J. Midgley,
R. Mishra, D. Nelken, J. O'Connor, A. Perez-Baltodano, A. Walker,
C.-k. Wong
'An instant classic. Sabir is an inspiration' Arun Kundnani, author
of The Muslims are Coming! What impact has two decades' worth of
policing and counterterrorism had on the state of mind of Muslims
in Britain? The Suspect draws on the author's experiences to take
the reader on a journey through British counterterrorism practices
and the policing of Muslims. Rizwaan Sabir describes what led to
his arrest for suspected terrorism, his time in detention, and the
surveillance he was subjected to on release from custody, including
stop and search at the roadside, detentions at the border,
monitoring by police and government departments, and an attempt by
the UK military to recruit him into their psychological warfare
unit. Writing publicly for the first time about the traumatising
mental health effects of these experiences, Sabir argues that these
harmful outcomes are not the result of errors in government
planning, but the consequences of using a counterinsurgency warfare
approach to fight terrorism and police Muslims. To resist the
injustice of these policies and practices, we need to centre our
lived experiences and build networks of solidarity and support.
Based on extensive research of Australian media coverage, public
opinion, interest groups as well as in-depth interviews with
current and former diplomats and politicians, this book provides a
unique insight into the policy making process in regards to one of
the world's most enduring and volatile dilemmas. Making Australian
Foreign Policy on Israel-Palestine is a must read for anyone
concerned about how social forces influence policy making and the
impact this has on Australia's response to world affairs.
Getting Zambia to Work examines some critical issues in Zambia's
recent history, including the country's unhealthy dependency on
'foreign largess' and their implications for national
self-assertion, social self-reliance and sustainable development.
The book suggests practical and simple ways in which Zambia could
lift itself out of its current underdevelopment trap. Though most
of the proposed solutions do not require huge investments in new
money, they do however require improved transparency and
accountability in the use of existing resources.
________________________________________ Chisanga Puta-Chekwe was
born at Nchanga in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. He studied
Law at Birmingham University, United Kingdom. A Rhodes Scholar, he
also holds a Master of Laws degree from King's College, London and
a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from
Oxford University. Chisanga Puta-Chekwe practised law in Zambia
between 1980 and 1986 (spending three of those years as a political
prisoner for his human rights work). He worked in international
banking in London before immigrating to Canada where he initially
ran his own consulting business. In addition to observing the
historic South African election of 1994 for the United Nations, Mr.
Puta-Chekwe also supervised the election in Bosnia Herzegovina in
1996, for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
He is currently the Deputy Minister for Citizenship and Immigration
as well as Women's Issues, in Ontario, Canada. Chisanga Puta-Chekwe
is also a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England
and Wales, as well as an advocate of the High Court for Zambia.
This book examines a familiar and contemporary social policy
issue-the crisis besetting social care-but differs from usual
accounts by including additional perspectives (philosophical,
ethical and political) not often raised but nonetheless crucial to
understanding the issue. Its central argument is that while a
health/care divide dates back to legislative separation at the
inception of the welfare state in the 1940s, the major cause of the
current crisis has been the slow but insidious ideological and
practical splitting off and fracturing of social care from other
state welfare institutions, notably the NHS, and its consequent
entrapment in the treacherous straits of 'profit and loss',
self-interest and individualism. These issues and others, the book
argues, contribute to the building of a strong case for bringing
social care into the public sector. Towards the end, the book goes
on to consider the impact, from 2020, of the Covid 19 pandemic on a
caring crisis that was already well-established. The consequences
of this global shock are still working through and are likely to be
profound. Solutions, as the book describes, which were already
being formulated prior to the arrival of the pandemic, are even
more salient now. The book will therefore be of interest to
students and researchers of social policy and public policy, health
and social care professionals and policymakers - and users of
social care themselves.
This book dispels common myths about electricity and electricity
policy and reveals how government policies manipulate energy
markets, create hidden costs, and may inflict a net harm on the
American people and the environment. Climate change, energy
generation and use, and environmental degradation are among the
most salient—and controversial—political issues today. Our
country's energy future will be determined by the policymakers who
enact laws that favor certain kinds of energy production while
discouraging others as much as by the energy-production companies
or the scientists working to reduce the environmental impact of all
energy production. The Reality of American Energy: The Hidden Costs
of Electricity provides rare insights into the politics and
economics surrounding electricity in the United States. It
identifies the economic, physical, and environmental implications
of distorting energy markets to limit the use of fossil fuels while
increasing renewable energy production and explains how these
unseen effects of favoring renewable energy may be
counterproductive to the economic interests of American citizens
and to the protection of the environment. The first two chapters of
the book introduce the subject of electricity policy in the United
States and to enable readers to understand why policymakers do what
they do. The remainder of the book examines the realities of the
major electricity sources in the United States: coal, natural gas,
nuclear, hydrodynamic, wind, biomass, solar, and geothermal. Each
of these types of energy sources is analyzed in a dedicated chapter
that explains how the electricity source works and identifies how
politics and public policy shape the economic and environmental
impacts associated with them.
Rejection of politics is deep and widespread. Even sincere and
responsible individuals who practice it hold their nose while doing
so. Yet politics must be practiced, and well, if the planet and the
people are to survive. A clue for our future success as a species
lies in the fact that ecology has never really been tried in
politics. Yet ecology holds the secret of success for planet and
people precisely in politics. Deep in ecology is the astounding
fact, scientifically examined and attested to, that we are already
related. Though taught by elite after elite that we are separate
from nature and thus from everyone and everything, this can now be
seen as the great mistake and a perpetuated lie from generation to
generation. A new ontology of being related is the gateway of
consciousness to a new and exciting politics for survival and
democracy. Waves of transformation lap at barriers in the political
sphere. But they are repulsed by an entrenched politics rooted not
only in the greed and power hunger of a dominant few, or in
outmoded structures of economic and political power, but in the old
millennial ontology of being separate. Our extraordinary times call
for a new political party animated by the ecology of being related.
It is a party of a different kind, one that frees itself from giant
worldwide corporations, is fully and overtly dedicated to
non-violence and rooted in the awareness that the people come
first. This party knows that elections must be fair and equal and
must enable undistorted dialogue, and that people in government
must not only proclaim but practice the principle of being of, for,
and by the people. This book challenges The Green Party, now on a
footing in over 100 countries, to be this party of a different
kind.
A common refrain when policy diverges from 'ideal' is 'if only we
could take the politics out of the policy process'. The authors of
this book argue that rationalist dreams of this nature fail to
recognize that policy making is inherently part of politics; policy
is the mechanism for giving citizens in a democracy the societal
outcomes they seek. In a new and innovative way of thinking about
public policy, the book places values at the centre of the
analysis. It argues that citizens have differing visions of the
good society and different values priorities. In making decisions
on behalf of the whole community, policy makers need to recognize
and manage these values differences. And in the same way, students
of the policy process need to connect what government does with the
wider political processes typical of a democratic society. The book
casts a critical eye over public policy theory, introduces the
reader to research on human values, explores the importance of
language, rhetoric and persuasion, and draws on the insights from
various strands of psychology in order to understand the realities
of policy making in liberal democracies. In so doing, Interrogating
Public Policy Theory offers a refreshing alternative to existing
analyses of the policy process. This book will be a vital tool for
public policy scholars, as well as those upper-level students
searching for a map of the policy studies field and a critical
examination of the dominant theoretical perspectives. It will also
be a unique, and innovative, reference for public policy
practitioners seeking more realistic accounts of the policy process
that help conceptualize the nature of policy conflict.
These are extraordinary times in U.S. national security policy.
America remains engaged in both Iraq and Afghanistan while facing a
global economic downturn. Homeland security concerns still abound
in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Even as the financial
crisis places considerable pressure on the U.S. budget, President
Obama will have to spend a great deal of time and money on national
security, hard power, and war. How should these competing demands
be prioritized? How much money will be needed? How much will be
available, and how should it be spent?
"Budgeting for Hard Power" continues the long and proud
tradition of Brookings analysis on defense spending. As with
previous volumes, this book examines the budgets of the Pentagon
and the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons programs. But
Michael O'Hanlon takes his analysis further, addressing the wide
range of activities crucial for American security as a result of
9/11 and the ongoing wars. He considers homeland security resources
and selected parts of the State Department and foreign operations
budgets --offering a more complete overall look at the elements
that make up America's "hard power" budget, a concept that he and
Kurt Campbell wrote about in "Hard Power: The New Politics of
National Security" (2006).
With future federal deficits projected to top $1 trillion,
O'Hanlon calls for Defense, State, and Homeland Security budgets to
be as frugal as possible. At the same time, he recognizes that
resources should be selectively increased in certain areas to
compensate for years of systematic underfunding, especially in
certain areas of homeland security, diplomacy, and foreign
assistance. In his typically clear and concise manner, O'Hanlon
shows policymakers how to wrestle with the resource allocation
decisions affecting the national security of the United States.
Several presidents have created bioethics councils to advise their
administrations on the importance, meaning and possible
implementation or regulation of rapidly developing biomedical
technologies. From 2001 to 2005, the President's Council on
Bioethics, created by President George W. Bush, was under the
leadership of Leon Kass. The Kass Council, as it was known,
undertook what Adam Briggle describes as a more rich understanding
of its task than that of previous councils. The council sought to
understand what it means to advance human flourishing at the
intersection of philosophy, politics, science, and technology
within a democratic society. Briggle's survey of the history of
U.S. public bioethics and advisory bioethics commissions, followed
by an analysis of what constitutes a "rich" bioethics, forms the
first part of the book. The second part treats the Kass Council as
a case study of a federal institution that offered public, ethical
advice within a highly polarized context, with the attendant
charges of inappropriate politicization and policy irrelevance. The
conclusion synthesizes the author's findings into a story about the
possible relationships between philosophy and policy making. A Rich
Bioethics: Public Policy, Biotechnology, and the Kass Council will
attract students and scholars in bioethics and the fields of
science, technology, and society, as well as those interested in
the ethical and political dilemmas raised by modern science.
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