This book focuses on the question of whether and how civil society may contribute to policy innovation. As the focus of civil society research is often more on the constraints on civil society by the state and less on the agency and effects of civil society organisations the authors provide a fresh and fruitful perspective.

State and local governments emerged as important interest groups in the 1960s, as that decade witnessed a rapid expansion of federal social programs administered at the state and local levels. The 1970s and 1980s were distinguished by attempts to give states and localities more responsibility over such programs. The present day is marked by an even more purposeful return of responsibility and policymaking to state and local governments, both because of severe deficits at the federal level and an ideological shift toward federalism. This work examines the impact state and local governments have had and can have on the federal government, asserting that they can be important factors in the creation of policy. The author looks at the intergovernmental lobbying tactics--successful and unsuccessful--of five states and local lobbying groups: the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Governor's Association. Her study will be of interest to scholars and policy-makers at the local, state, and federal government levels.

This book explores the dimensions and characteristics of social vulnerability in Western Europe. It provides a broad empirical foundation for recent theories on the emergence of new social risks in post-industrial societies, revealing to what extent social risks are compromising the 'normal' functioning of the European population.

In the US and UK there has been a transformation in child care, family leave, social assistance and tax credits over the last twenty years. This book explores the factors behind these changes. With detailed case studies, it shows that ideas and the power to wield them are crucial factors in the transformation of family policy.

Spanish-Italian Relations and the Influence of the Major Powers examines complex relations between Spain and Italy, beginning in 1943 and continuing until 1957, contending that the relationship cannot be examined in isolation and must be understood in its broader context.

Globalization has pushed China and India to the centre of the stage but what has been the impact on workers in these countries? This book demonstrates the complexity of the processes and responses at play. There are signs that both states are shifting their role in a 'counter movement from above'. But will this be enough to quell the social unrest?

In 2002 Finnish Parliament decided to permit further construction of nuclear power after decades of long societal struggle. This book analyzes the major phases of the decision-making process. It is an excellent guide to understanding energy and climate policy in Finland and thus the main ideas behind the renewal of nuclear power in Europe.

This book provides a timely analysis of the use of cultural narratives and narratives of credibility in rape trials in England and Wales, drawing on court observation methods. It draws on data from rape and sexual assault trials in 2019 which is used to examine the current status of newly emerging issues such as the use of digital evidence and the impacts of increasing policy attention on rape trials. Drawing on the concept of master narratives, the book provides an examination of rape myths and broader cultural narratives focussing on the intersections of gender and class and it also touches on the intersections of age, (dis)ability and mental health. It emphasizes the importance of situating rape myth debates and sexual violence research within a broader cultural context and thus argues for widening the lens with which rape myths in the courtroom, as well as in the wider criminal justice system, are viewed in research and contemporary debates. The findings presented in this book will help further discussion at a critical time by enabling scholars, as well as practitioners and policymakers, to better understand the current mechanisms that serve to undermine and retraumatise victim-survivors in the courtroom. It seeks to inform further research as well as positive changes to policy and practice.

In the wake of the Indian Mutiny, the 1860s and 1870s marked an important period of change and imperial consolidation for the British. Here the author examines the imperial policies of Robert Cecil, the third marquis of Salisbury, who served as secretary of state for India for two administrations during this key era, which marked a significant turning point for relations with the local princes. Clearly defining the office of secretary of state, Salisbury was responsible for policies designed to ensure the smooth running of an empire whose administration was made more difficult by the British Parliament, which possessed the right to oversee Indian affairs. Hoping to prevent a frontier war, Salisbury stressed the importance of promoting progressive change in such a way as to avoid arousing Indian opposition. This conservative approach to Indian government was able to countenance radical ideas, but it did give rise to the hostility of Western-educated Indians who sought more say in the governing of India. At this time, their opposition lacked weight, but Salisbury warned of future dangers should the British fail to promote the welfare of the Indian peasant and to solve India's financial difficulties. Salisbury would carry with him ideas developed at this time to his future posts as foreign secretary and prime minister. Brumpton's study complements existing research into imperial ideology and the official mind of India under the British.

China's Rise to Power: Conceptions of State Governance examines how a twenty-first century contradiction-the country's combination of authoritarian rule and a market-oriented economy in state-led capitalism-has proven simultaneously appealing and a source of domestic dissatisfaction. Balancing policy analysis with detailed investigation of escalating popular unrest, this essay collection explores the discontent that stems from the Communist leadership's obsession with growth and control, and anticipates new space for alternative governance. As the sixth-generation leaders come of age at this critical juncture, the way out of internal crises will not necessarily be the way of the Chinese Communist Party..

Challenging pluralist theory and the incremental model of policy making, Paul Schulman argues that many public policy undertakings may fail because of critical mismatches between the scale requirements of an objective and the political and organizational resources actually applied to its pursuit. At the same time, the book explores some of the special risks and hazards associated with large-scale policy frameworks.

Whether you are a seasonal volunteer, group leader or full-time professional, you need practical advice on how to provide young people with the tools they need to succeed.

Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals-E-QYP for short-provides best practices to help young people ages six to eighteen reach their potential. It also offers age-appropriate ideas that you can translate to your specific child and youth program.

E-QYP is a handy reference for individuals, as well as a powerful volunteer and staff development tool when adopted by organizations. It also serves as a great supplement to college textbooks on child and youth development. With easy-to-read information and sample activities that really work, this guide can help you help the young people in your life.

"Youth agencies serve huge numbers of kids in the United States, but few youth workers have specific knowledge about youth development, and agency budgets tend to have few dollars for staff training. Although the training and credentialing of all youth workers remains an aspiration, workers with and without training need ready access to research-based knowledge and practices. Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals provides both. Whether read as a whole or accessed for just-in-time information, Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals is a timely, valuable, and much-needed resource."

-Irv Katz, president and CEO, National Human Services Assembly and National Collaboration for Youth

Approaching the problem of homelessness from a broad public policy perspective, Lang focuses on the American political economy and how it permits community development patterns based on racism and self-interest. This interdisciplinary study challenges the belief that homelessness is entirely due to the Reagan administration's cutbacks. Instead, it suggests the need for reform in our housing and employment policies. The book reviews competing socioeconomic paradigms that can explain why meaningful and effective programs are difficult to enact. "Homelessness Amid Affluence" discusses housing, community development patterns, economic segregation, and problems of the urban underclass, as well as proposed solutions. The interdisciplinary nature and historical perspective of this volume make it informative reading for sociologists, social workers, policymakers, and researchers.

This volume is divided into five sections. The first section provides a conceptual overview. Section Two deals with the urban policy context from which a solution to homelessness must emerge. Section Three covers low-cost housing while Section Four deals with specific policies and programs developed in response to the needs of the homeless. A case study based on the author's experience with the efforts of Camden County, New Jersey is included. The last section analyzes some new policy approaches and ends with an assessment of the likely policy outcomes to emerge from this continuing debate.

This volume discusses teacher training, pay and incentives, equity and diversity among the student population, and the use of indicators to assess educational progress and to inform decision making. Chapters in each section emphasize policies that schools should adopt to address the respective issues.

Togman provides a comparative analysis of French and U.S. immigration policies from 1945 to 2000. He explores why nations implement the immigration policies they do, why some governments allow or even encourage large-scale immigration while others restrict it, why some states shift from liberal to restrictive entry policies and vice versa.

Focusing on critical historical junctures, Togman illustrates how different institutional structures in France and the United States led these countries to implement divergent entry policies. Political institutions are shown to act as an intervening variable, helping determine what, if any, influence other factors such as economic conditions and cultural traditions have over a nation's immigration laws. Scholars and students of French politics, U.S. politics, comparative politics, and immigration policies will find this work helpful.

After one of the most controversial and divisive periods in the history of American foreign policy under President George W. Bush, the Obama administration was expected to make changes for the better in US relations with the wider world. Now, international problems confronting Obama appear more intractable, and there seems to be a marked continuity in policies between Obama and his predecessor.
Robert Singh argues that Obama's approach of 'strategic engagement' was appropriate for a new era of constrained internationalism, but it has yielded modest results. Obama's search for the pragmatic middle has cost him political support at home and abroad, whilst failing to make decisive gains. Singh suggests by calibrating his foreign policies to the emergence of a 'post-American'world, the president has yet to preside over a renaissance of US global leadership. Ironically, Obama's policies have instead hastened the arrival of a post-American world.

Seen from the outside, the world of politics and policy-making seems to be in constant flux. Leading institutionalist and sociological theories of the state, on the other hand, predict equilibrium and stability. This book addresses this contradiction by posing the question: "Why do some (but not all) individuals possessing the power and influence necessary to make a difference in contemporary democratic societies - actors whose very position suggests that they have done well under existing conditions - actively seek to change policies or institutions?" Ongoing competition for legitimate authority, the book's authors conclude, provides the often-neglected dynamic element that explains this behavior.

This book is an empirical study on the relationship between private enterprises, entrepreneurs and the government in P. R. China. The two authors conducted a detailed survey of enterprises and entrepreneurs in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Although it was only conducted in a medium sized city, the survey provides a rare source of information on matched entrepreneur-enterprise pairs. It provides detailed information on management, performance, enterprise-government relationship, as well as entrepreneurs' personal information and measurements of various psychological parameters. With this first-hand information, the authors analyzed several interesting issues concerning enterprise-entrepreneur-government relationships. Readers will gain an understanding of the following topics: Why and how does China have such special enterprise-entrepreneur-government relationships? Do enterprises' political connections in the form of entrepreneurs' political status help improve the performances of these enterprises? Which of the surveyed entrepreneurs could become members of the People's Congress and the People's Political Consulting Conference? How do entrepreneurs feel when they are faced with greater government intervention? How will China move ahead in the ongoing reform and development in the light of the enterprise-entrepreneur-government relationship? This book examines the way in which China's enterprise-entrepreneur-government relationship helps enterprises develop in a transitional market. In the appendix to this book, one of the authors, Ming Lu, provides evidence, based on data from listed companies, that having political connections can help enterprises enter the markets of provinces other than their place of registration. However, this political connection also distorts the market by giving the entrepreneurs more opportunities to develop their business. At the same time, those entrepren eurs who face interventions from the government also shoulder greater costs in the form of loss of psychological happiness. The inference of this book is that at some point in the foreseeable future, China will gradually build its market system and integrate its domestic markets, so that private enterprises will no longer rely so heavily on their political connections.

Since the end of the Cold War, there has been a great deal of debate about what U.S. foreign policy should be and how priorities should be reordered. This comprehensive, well-written, provocative assessment has set out to provide answers to key questions. Written by leading experts on their respective regions, who also are professors of national security policy at the National War College in Washington, D.C., this book charts a path for post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy. Each chapter follows a common framework and research design and is informed by a team teaching method, as well as by long experience in policymaking and in academic institutions. The survey consists of chapters dealing with each of the major geopolitical regions of the world and asks a set of common questions: What are the dynamic changes that have occurred in the region? How have security and foreign policy issues changed since the Cold War? What is the history of U.S. policy in the region? How must U.S. policy change to adjust to new realities? An introduction and conclusion point to issues of comparison and sum up conclusions reached by the different contributors. This short overview is intended for courses in U.S. foreign policy and world affairs and for the use of upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, policymakers, and general readers in political science, world history, and military studies.

Margaret Hewitt discusses the growth of the factory system in England as it affected the home and family life of married women employed in mills and factories.

The supply and management of fresh water for the world's billions of inhabitants is likely to be one of the most daunting challenges of the coming century. For countries that share river basins with others, questions of how best to use and protect precious water resources always become entangled in complex political, legal, environmental, and economic considerations. This book focuses on the issues that face all international river basins by examining in detail the Nile Basin and the ten countries that lay claim to its waters.

John Waterbury applies collective action theory and international relations theory to the challenges of the ten Nile nations. Confronting issues ranging from food security and famine prevention to political stability, these countries have yet to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of how to manage the Nile's resources. Waterbury proposes a series of steps leading to the formulation of environmentally sound policies and regulations by individual states, the establishment of accords among groups of states, and the critical participation of third-party sources of funding like the World Bank. He concludes that if there is to be a solution to the dilemmas of the Nile Basin countries, it must be based upon contractual understandings, brokered by third-party funders, and based on the national interests of each basin state.

In this book, highly respected scholars have gathered to discuss the history of investigations of women, children, and the family in order to determine if humane policies have been developed in the past, how to conduct unbiased research today, and how to get the most out of the policy-research alliance in the future.

In Ethics for Policymaking Eugene Meehan presents a sustained argument in favor of a particular perspective on the relationship between normative judgments or arguments and policymaking, based upon a radically different approach to providing a justification for actions, whether individual or collective. Meehan's overall objective is to establish the knowledge requirements, empirical and normative, for defensible/corrigible policymaking and thereby to produce an analytic apparatus that can be used to improve intellectual performance in the conduct of real world affairs. By grounding the meanings of fundamental concepts such as "knowledge" and "policy" within a suitable analytic framework, a major source of disagreement and misunderstanding among those concerned to further the quest for useful knowledge is eliminated, and the possibilities of productive knowledge transfers among specialized disciplines are much enhanced. Following a detailed introductory essay, Meehan approaches his complex subject by developing the intellectual requirements for directing actions, focusing on criteria of adequacy applicable to inductive cognitive systems and on the theoretical assumptions underlying them. After a brief summary of empirical requirements the normative apparatus required for defensible policymaking is examined at length in three stages: first an analysis is made of the kind of conceptual apparatus that the enterprise requires; second, a way of justifying preferences that avoids the major pitfalls inherent in limited human capacity is produced; third, other constraints and possibilities that flow from the need to make policy within a social context are explored. The discussion concludes witha brief examination of the major intellectual, social, and political implications of the analysis. Those involved in activities in which major policy decisions will profoundly affect the well-being of client populations and students and scholars of applied political theory will also find this text invaluable.

Drawing upon a series of elite interviews, focus groups and representative surveys, "Identity and Foreign Policy Perceptions in the Other Europe" maps changing definitions of statehood in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova as a result of their exclusion from an expanding Europe. The authors examine the perceptions of the place of each state in the international political system and its foreign policy choices. They conclude by drawing comparisons across the region and considering what the implications are both for the rest of Europe and for the Atlantic community.