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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > General
This book explores the relationship between land use planning and ethno-religious segregation. It draws on a range of empirical research and case studies to explore the meaning attached to land in contested places, the challenges these present to planners and the possibilities for accommodating differences over the use and development of territory. The author argues that planners have a significant role in the management of these processes and sets out some ideas about how this might be addressed in local and global settings, including the Balkans and Palestine.
Can a political leader be effective without being tyrannical? Most biographies tend to treat the tyrannical aspect of a great leader's career as a contradiction to be minimized. This book examines both the creative and tyrannical aspects as the anticipated consequences of the exercise of power. Biographical profiles of 52 major world leaders throughout history feature pro/con essays reflecting contemporary views of the creative and tyrannical aspects of their record. Coverage is global, from Indira Gandhi to Fidel Castro, and spans history from the Egyptian king Akhenaton to Mikhail Gorbachev. Among the leaders profiled are Otto von Bismarck, Oliver Cromwell, Charles de Gaulle, Elizabeth I, Ho Chi Minh, Lenin, Louis XIV, Mao Zedong, Napoleon I, Kwame Nkrumah, Juan Peron, and Tito. All biographies are written by subject specialists. This work encourages critical thinking and debate about the exercise of power. Coverage is global, from Indira Gandhi to Fidel Castro, and spans history from the Egyptian king Akhenaton to Mikhail Gorbachev. Among the leaders profiled are Otto von Bismarck, Oliver Cromwell, Charles de Gaulle, Elizabeth I, Ho Chi Minh, Lenin, Louis XIV, Mao Zedong, Napoleon I, Kwame Nkrumah, Juan Peron, and Tito. Each biography begins with full name, dates of the leader's lifetime, offices held, and a general introduction placing the leader in historical context. A full biographical essay follows. The editor then presents two essays, in debate format, contrasting the creative and tyrannical roles of the subject from a contemporary viewpoint. Each biography concludes with suggestions for additional reading about the subject. An important resource tool, students will use Great Leaders, Great Tyrants? for debate and critical examination of periods of world history and the exercise of power.
Less fragmented than the author's earlier work, this book synthesizes Nagel's perspective on the field of policy analysis. As the field's principal organizer and leading promoter, one is indebted to Nagel for his energy, enthusiasm and resourcefulness. This volume is itself imbued with such qualities. It covers vast territory, insistently counters the skeptics, and develops original schema for evaluating the work of the field. Furthermore, as vintage Nagel, the book is highly structured, with many definitions, lists, and prenamed series of ideas. The author provides numerous hypothetical examples of his points, worked out in succinct formulas and terse explanations. Nagel is unswervingly convinced of the correctness of the rationalist perspective, and anchors himself firmly in behavioralist political science while accepting the contributions from other social sciences. Not one to qualify a statement or beat around the bush, the author enunciates many guiding principles and values, such as effectiveness, efficiency and equity. Nagel discusses software options for those interested in conducting analysis with microcomputers. He also gives advice on teaching with computers. Important for graduate students and university libraries. Choice The purpose of this work is twofold. First, it attempts to integrate the basic ideas that relate to policy studies. These include the definition of concepts, the establishment of criteria for judging policy studies research, and the clarification of policy goals. Second, the volume proposes to evaluate the methods of policy evaluation themselves, and to assess the field as a whole. Designed to serve as a definitive analysis of policy studies, this volume covers basic concepts, research criteria, societal goals, and policy alternatives. It also examines analytic methods, optimizing, statistics, quasi-experimentation, behavioralism, multicriteria decision making, evaluation, research, legal analysis, and conflicting critiques of the field. It was written for researchers and instructors of public policy studies, and will also assist public policy specialists and others interested in the application of social science and other fields of knowledge to important public policy issues.
Many of the best and brightest citizens of developing countries choose to emigrate to wealthier societies, taking their skills and educations with them. What do these people owe to their societies of origin? May developing societies legitimately demand that their citizens use their skills to improve life for their fellow citizens? Are these societies ever permitted to prevent their own citizens from emigrating? These questions are increasingly important, as the gap between rich and poor societies widens, and as the global migration of skilled professionals intensifies. This volume addresses the ethical rights and responsibilities of such professionals, and of the societies in which they live. Gillian Brock and Michael Blake agree that the phenomenon of the brain drain is troubling, but offer distinct arguments about what might be permissibly done in response to this phenomenon.
Government agencies have tended to attempt to project favorable public images of themselves as a method of building the public support they need to survive, all the more so in times of increasingly sophisticated communications and decreasingly available financial resources. This study analyzes NASA's efforts to build political support through its public image. Throughout its tumultuous history, the space agency has carefully tailored its use of basic images: nationalism (during the Mercury era), romanticism (during the Apollo era), and pragmatism (during the Shuttle era)--to fit its prevailing political circumstances. This in-depth study will be of keen interest to scholars in political science and political communication.
Alexander Hamilton called the judiciary the "least dangerous" branch of government. He was right then but wrong today. Since Hamilton's time the Supreme Court has become a cardinal example of Lord Acton's famous dictum: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." It is not a corruption of bribes, or even of bad intentions, but of taking upon itself the right to alter the Constitution whenever past principles offend present preferences of five or more Justices. "Corrupted by Power" shows how the Constitution is repeatedly changed to mean whatever the Supreme Court wants it to mean. Precedent is followed only when past decisions support current opinions. Otherwise precedents are overruled, misrepresented or ignored. A conspicuous example is the judicial manufacture of new First Amendment rights, including rights to advocate criminal behavior, publish degrading sex and extreme violence, and advertise vice. Can the Constitution be rescued? Discover what can be done.
Organizational development, as an alternative to Reagan administration methods of revamping federal agencies, has been successfully applied in many public sector organizations. "High Performance and Human CostS" focuses on the effective new management approach of one such organization, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), and provides perspective on how administrators can move away from outdated bureaucratic models. The work focuses on public agency dynamics using MARTA as an example. The authors begin by studying emerging practices for high performance and include a detailed look at staff experience and interaction. They evaluate an executive with a look at self-forcing and self-enforcing systems. Other chapters focus on the personal reactions of MARTA executives, provide guides for doing better the next-time-around, and give a small case study of another project. The authors conclude with a comparison of two approaches to high performance: Organizational Development, and the cultural approach popularized by the Peters and Waterman book In "Search of Excellence."
In times of dramatic social, economic and political change, governments around the world are questioning their roles and responsibilities in the public sector. The trend is away from a traditional public-sector market model, but there does not yet exist a universally accepted alternative. The essays offer a comparative analysis of public administration in several OECD countries, including the UK, US, Australia, and Scandinavia, and explores possible future directions.
Managing for Results is a model of organizational reform that utilizes performance indicators, strategic planning, and benchmarks. The model focuses on linking these systems to improve performance and public accountability. This book studies the implementation of Managing for Results on six states identified by the U.S. General Accounting Office as leaders of internal reinvention efforts. Government and business practitioners, as well as scholars and researchers of public administration and policy, will find this book useful in assessment, selection, and measurement of state-level reform efforts.
There is increasing concern over the possible use of biological weapons. If they are used, an attack will manifest as a disease outbreak among humans, animals or plants. It is thus important to be able to distinguish between natural disease outbreaks and the result of such an attack. The bok discusses the scientific and technical means available to investigate this question and then goes on to consider the agents of concern. The book concludes with a look forward to future developments.
By comparing the autonomy, control and internal management of public organizations, this book show how New Public Management doctrines work out in three small European states with different politico-administrative regimes. Using survey data on 226 state agencies, hypotheses drawing on organization theory and neo-institutional schools are tested.
This project pulls together classic and modern readings and essays that explore theories of federalism. Spanning the Seventeenth through Twenty-first-centuries of European, U.S. and Canadian thinkers, this attempts to be a comprehensive reader for students in political theory. The emphasis throughout is on the normative argument, the advantages or disadvantages of federal and confederal arrangements compared to unitary states, and on the relative merits of various proposals to improve particular federations or confederations. These also draw on the full range of political science subfields: from political sociology, political economy and constitutional studies to comparative politics and international relations. There are also readings, both contemporary and historical, that attempt to clarify conceptual issues.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British Labour Party was broadly supportive of Irish home rule. However, from the end of the First World War, Labour anticipated a place in government, and as a modern, maturing party in British politics, it developed a more calculated set of responses towards Ireland. With contributions from a range of distinguished Irish and British scholars, this collection of essays provides the first full treatment of the historical relationship between the Labour Party and Ireland in the last century, from Keir Hardie to Tony Blair. By widening the lens on Labour's responses to the 'Irish question' over an entire century, it offers an original perspective on longer-term dispositions in Labour mentalities towards Ireland and on the relationship between 'these islands'. It will prove essential reading for those with an interest in modern Irish and British history, Anglo-Irish relations, and the current Northern Ireland peace process. -- .
Glen O'Hara draws a compelling picture of Second World War Britain by investigating relations between people and government: the electorate's rising expectations and demands for universally-available social services, the increasing complexity of the new solutions to these needs, and mounting frustration with both among both governors and governed.
Learn the crucial ins and outs of the world's largest marketThe U.S government market represents the largest single market--anywhere. Government contract tracking firm Onvia estimates that government business--federal, state, local, and education--represents better than 40 percent of the nation's GDP. While anyone can play in this market, only those with the right preparation can win."Selling to the Government" offers real-world advice for successful entry into the biggest market anywhere. Get proven approaches, strategies, tactics, and tools to make your business stand out, build relationships, understand procedures, and win high-stakes contracts. - Every year thousands of companies enter the massive U.S. Government (BtoG) marketplace, and by the end of the first year, most are gone and less than 10 percent make it to year two - Author has advised hundreds of companies, including Apple, Dell, CDW, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, IT, GTSI, and many small firms, on all aspects of marketing and selling to the governmentFrom the go/no-go decision, through company infrastructure requirements, marketing, sales, business development, and more, this book offers the best advice from the most recognized authority in the market.
Benoit provides a comprehensive analysis of presidential television spots from every campaign that used this important message form, from the 1952 campaign through the last national campaign in 1996. More than 1,600 presidential spots are analyzed, from both primary and general campaigns. Republican, Democratic, and third party candidate advertisements are analyzed. He uses the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse, analyzing themes in spots as acclaims (self-praise), attacks (criticism), and defenses (responses to attacks). Themes are classified according to topic. Each of these topics is broken down further (policy: past deeds, future plans, general goals; character: personal qualities, leadership ability, ideals). Contrasts are made between spots from Republicans and Democrats as well as third parties, incumbents and challengers, and winners and losers. The spots from candidates who led, trailed, or were in close races also are contrasted. Spots are becoming more negative over time, Benoit concludes, in both primary and general campaigns. General campaigns are more negative than primary campaigns, Democrats are more negative than Republicans, and challengers are more negative than incumbents. There are no differences between winners and losers. However, candidates who trailed throughout the campaign were most negative, while candidates in close races were most positive. An important analysis for scholars and researchers in political communication and American presidential politics.
With the erosion of the economic boundaries that once defined the American middle class, the United States seems nearer to becoming an economically dichotomous society of rich and poor. While this alarming economic trend has spurred much discussion in the political and economic arenas, the working poor--individuals whose incomes are insufficient to support either themselves or their families--have been overlooked in the current debates about poverty in America. As their numbers continue to swell, however, America's working poor can no longer be ignored. In this wide-ranging volume five economists, three sociologists, an ethicist, and an urban ethnographer examine the changing size, composition, and location of the working poor in the United States. Kathleen Maas Weigert sets the stage by providing a definitional context and overview of the problem. Elijah Anderson then puts a human face on some hard statistics by analyzing the shifting role of the heroic grandmother in the African-American community. Employing a unique data source based on the 1980 and 1990 censuses, John D. Kasarda answers the questions of who and where the working poor are and how their numbers have changed since 1980. Rebecca M. Blank and Rebecca A. London take an in-depth look at the working poor population as it has evolved over the past 15 years and offer a comprehensive examination of the policy options designed to address its shifting needs. Sheldon Danziger and Peter Gottschalk effectively debunk the myth that "anyone who works hard can get ahead in America" by arguing that uneven tides in the economic mainstream leave an increasing number of willing workers behind. Sandra L. Hofferth raises the important issue of child care for the working poor. James P. Sterba argues that the working poor have a right to welfare assistance, and finally, Thomas R. Swartz brings the topic into the current political arena by speculating about the consequences of the various welfare reform proposals that are currently making their way through Congress.
This is the first description of the formation of America's nulcear surveillance system. Drawing on interviews with participants and the little documentation available under the Freedom of Information Act, Ziegler and Jacobson tell a story not told before. They shed new light on questions raised in earlier interpretations of the early Cold War years and reveal the origins of a surveillance activity that is implied, but not explained, in today's headlines. This book provides the first documented description of the genesis and institutionalization of America's nuclear surveillance system. It traces the development of covert technical methods for assessing the nuclear capability of foreign powers from the introduction of these techniques in World War II to 1949, when they were successfully employed to detect the test of Russia's first atomic bomb. Ziegler and Jacobson examine the planning for the system as well as the technical and organizational obstacles that had to be overcome before it could be implemented. They describe the government decision-making processes and the ways individuals and groups with different beliefs and interests were mobilized in support of the program. They also explore the relationships between the intelligence and scientific communities that were forged in this process.
This is the first comprehensive examination of the changing relations between ministers and civil servants in the UK since 1979. Drawing on evidence compiled from more than 150 interviews, this book provides unprecedented insight into the world of Conservative government. The authors also examine the external pressures exerted by factors such as the European Union, and they conclude by arguing that, despite recent claims about the end of the Whitehall model, many of the old features of the British system remain.
This ground-breaking, revisionist collection of essays, based on the most recent research, provides a long-needed reassessment of the legacy of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars upon the governments of Restoration Europe. Traditionally the Restoration has been regarded by historians as a period in which European governments returned to the reactionary policies which prevailed before the upheavals of 1789, and which involved an outright rejection of the reforms of the Napoleonic era. In this book, leading historians challenge this interpretation and emphasize the sometimes surprising loyalty shown to Napoleonic policies of modernization by Restoration governments.The problems of dealing with new ideologies, accommodating the interests of old elites, and keeping the benefits of recent reforms were broadly similar across Europe, and provide a connecting theme throughout the volume. However, the nature of governmental response was never uniform. The essays explore these varieties of response, both through detailed case studies and more general surveys, and address issues such as policing and censorship, revolutionary symbolism, elite formation and bureaucratic structures in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Poland, making a fascinating contribution to the study of the nature of political change in the modern period.'A dazzling collection of articles by the sharpest young historians in the field [that] overturns much of the received wisdom about Europe after Napoleon'Tim Blanning, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
This essay is based on Kenneth Arrow's celebrated impossibility theorem stating that under a few quite reasonable assumptions, collective choice cannot be simultaneously logical and fair. The purpose here is to argue that planning procedures can reduce the likelihood that decision cycles will arise when democracy is pursued. It is examined whether some of Arrow's assumptions can be relaxed under widespread and participatory planning, since planning and public debate may force a minimum of conformity on the stated individual preferences. However, collective choices have to be made in spite of the impossibility theorem. Well-known theories of planning, especially synoptic planning and disjointed incrementalism, are analyzed to assess if they are acceptable ways of organizing decision-making processes in the face of Arrow's impossibilities.
The Brazilian experience is a pace setter in the transition from an authoritarian regime to the establishment of stable and democratically responsible political institutions. This insightful analysis, based on decades of field work, is the very first of its kind on a legislature outside the United States. Moreover, it addresses important issues regarding the role of executive and congressional bureaucracies in the system of government. There is no other book like this. It is very useful for understanding the Brazilian military regime and how Brazil emerged from it. The author, because of long association through a research project of his university with the Brazilian Congress, is in a unique position to study it in depth. Robert Alexander Rutgers University This in-depth report opens with a brief history of the presidential system of government in Brazil, a description of political parties, and the bureaucracy. The first chapters show how the military regime tried to reformulate the political system and how these changes affected Congress and its ability to discharge constitutional mandates. The next chapters analyze the congressional bureaucracy, its modernization of informational capabilities, and the workings of Congress in detail. The final chapters examine changes in Congress when developing new policy and when drafting a new constitution. The study closes with a discussion of the main characteristics of the new constitution and an assessment of the overall performance of Congress and the presidential system in Brazil. This inside analysis is based on decades of field work and is intended for students of comparative government, public policymaking, and Latin American studies.
Explores how a famous trial court judge used rhetorical strategies to engage the public and the legal community in challenging the accepted views of the proper roles for the courts and the community in the pursuit of justice. Analyzes the role of Judge Lord in stimulating public debate about some well-known and controversial cases and in doing so helps enrich our understanding of how trial court judicial rhetoric and opinions can contribute to public understanding and a fruitful discussion of the law, the courts, and their relationship to the community. Judge Lord made his opinions accessible and potentially persuasive to a public auidence through his attention to judicial personal, argument structures that helped to maintain a sense of dramatic narrative, the use of plain language, and the use of substitution, metaphor, and comparison. In addition to offering practical insights into the operation of trial courts, judicial persuasion, and the settlement of some important cases, provides an overview of different judicial approaches to the use of rhetoric. This in-depth study of a noted judge and important trials can serve as a useful text for students in law, communications, public policy, and American studies and will be of interest to scholars and professionals alike. |
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