The central objective of this edited volume is to help unlock a set of intriguing puzzles relating to changing power dynamics in Eurasia, a region that is critically important in the changing international security landscape.

Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation provides a comprehensive and clear review of the theories and practices of structuring and managing complex local government services. Intended for both students and practitioners, this volume in the Public Solutions Handbook Series addresses concepts and processes of shaping collaborative arrangements in public service with goals of effectiveness and efficiency in mind. The Handbook begins with a review of theories of shared services and consolidation, highlighting conceptual foundations, practical barriers, and cultural considerations related to these efforts. Specific, practical advice follows, highlighting the processes of creating, implementing, and managing shared services and consolidation agreements. Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation is exceptionally well written and is amplified by examples, cases, illustrations, and a comprehensive bibliography.

The empirical research that has shaped this book was drawn from a combined literature stream comprising political psychology, applied economics, and public management issues such as decentralization, local government finance, local governance, and organization and budget theories. The principal premise of this monograph is that a greater autonomy of the local state helps improve the effectiveness of decentralization and good local governance. Bearing in mind the broader challenge of problems with decentralization in Bangladesh, the main research concern here is the exploration of nature, cause, and consequences of a specific deep-rooted problem - the dimensions of influence and magnitude of autonomy in budgeting decisions of local government Union Councils in Bangladesh. The study explores the de facto and de jure issues that affect the autonomy of local government Union Councils of Bangladesh in their budgeting decision-making process, leading to poor or good local governance. The study looks at how and to what extent the budgetary autonomy of local government Union Councils is affected. It also explores the impact of this autonomy on local governance.

Democratization from Above seeks to explain why some national and state governments in the developing world introduce reforms to make local governance more democratic while others neglect or actively undermine democracy at local levels of government. The study challenges conventional wisdom that local democratization is implemented as a means of granting more autonomy to local actors. Instead, Anjali Thomas Bohlken argues that local democratization offers higher level government elites who lack control over party organizational networks an alternative means of increasing the effectiveness of local intermediaries on whom these elites rely to mobilize political support. The book starts with a focus on India and uses original data, and a combination of qualitative and quantitative evidence, to show support for the argument. The study then relies on an original cross-national dataset to show how the argument helps explain the variation in the implementation of local democratization reforms across the developing world.

The Government of World Cities assesses the future of metropolitan administrations in the light of some spectacular challenges to their operation, notably the collapse of the "metro model" in cities as diverse as London, Barcelona and Copenhagen. This key collection of essays from recognised authorities, including the final publication by the late Jean Gottmann, the doyen of urban studies, provides a balanced and provocative view of the strengths and weaknesses of metropolitan government at possibly the most crucial point in its history. The purpose of this book is to take stock of the concept of the metropolitan government idea as it currently seems to be faring in a variety of contexts and examples throughout the world. Specific cities that exemplify the three categories (outright abolition, under fire, and successfully thriving) are examined to determine why the experience of each has differed so markedly. Each essay offers an up-to-date account of the relative success of each metro government and its prospects for the future. This book also evaluates whether it is possible to make some judgement as to how far the existence of a metropolitan government has improved the governance of the big city. This is an invaluable book for students of geography, urban studies, urban politics and planning, as well as professionals in local government.

This volume describes and analyzes alternative and emerging models of non-territorial autonomy (NTA), particularly in relation to decentralization. The authors push the NTA debate in new directions by offering a re-conceptualization based on ethno-cultural bottom-up decentralized action that redefines autonomy into its true sense of autonomous action. Through description, critical analysis, and evaluation of several case studies, this book assesses the potential for new paradigms within decentralized systems. The authors explore two approaches to political decentralization which add to the theoretical debate on NTA - network governance, which focuses on new dynamics in policy processes, and normative pluralism, which focuses on accommodating the distinctness of the groups through the subsidiarity principle with regard to their own affairs. The book explores the potential ramifications of ethno-cultural NTA institutions acting within the wider framework of state institutions and assesses the functions of these institutions as another dimension of decentralization and thus another 'layer' of democracy. With contemporary examples from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South Africa, as well as theoretical aspects of the conceptualization of autonomy, this book offers a truly global perspective. It will be of great interest to policy-makers in countries experiencing adverse developments due to the pressure on public management, as well as advanced students and scholars questioning the ability of the Westphalian system to address cultural diversity.

The 1970s era of rapid change, economic and social, made constant demands on the adaptability of a constitutional system. The work of the State expanded, and the expansion was at several levels, delimited by the requirements of geography. Britain's constitutional system has two aspects: one essentially theoretical, concerning such questions as the nature of sovereignty, prerogative powers, and the rights and duties of citizens; the other concerning the way in which the business of government is carried on: how people who make political decisions are chosen, how their activities are subject to checks and influence by the representatives of public interests, formal and informal. Originally published in 1974, this book deals with the second of these aspects. It identifies the changes in constitutional practice which had taken place in the previous two decades, and the trends which could be discerned at the time. It has four main sections. The first deals with the changing structure of government itself: with the recruitment of ministers, the nature of political responsibility and the changes in government departments. The second section deals with both Houses of Parliament, and particularly with the new forms of parliamentary discussion and criticism. The third deals with the process of election, including the regulation of propaganda and the use of the mass media. The final section deals with the different levels of government, including the local, the regional and the supra-national. All through the main concern is with the dynamic aspects of the political constitution. This was a really up-to-date and realistic book on British government at the time and now can be read in its historical context.

This book provides a guide to becoming an empowered citizen, capable of achieving success when advocating with local government. Based on interviews with mayors, together with documentary evidence, analyses of public meetings, and the author's own experience of advocacy, volunteering on city committees, and work on political campaigns, it describes how to advocate with local government officials, whom to contact, what to say when and where, and how to locate the facts, figures, and stories that can lend credence to an advocacy campaign. Guided by the ideas that persuasion efforts can succeed, are not difficult to undertake, and are in fact appreciated by public officials; that the system is open and that citizens have a fair chance of advancing their point of view; and that democracy depends upon citizen engagement, it presents concrete case studies in order to illustrate the guidance provided. With advice on how to organize and implement a successful advocacy campaign at a local level-and what to avoid-Persuading Local Government provides an antidote to the alienation of national politics, showing that local efforts at persuasion are meaningful and effect change on matters that affect people's everyday lives.

This book provides a guide to becoming an empowered citizen, capable of achieving success when advocating with local government. Based on interviews with mayors, together with documentary evidence, analyses of public meetings, and the author's own experience of advocacy, volunteering on city committees, and work on political campaigns, it describes how to advocate with local government officials, whom to contact, what to say when and where, and how to locate the facts, figures, and stories that can lend credence to an advocacy campaign. Guided by the ideas that persuasion efforts can succeed, are not difficult to undertake, and are in fact appreciated by public officials; that the system is open and that citizens have a fair chance of advancing their point of view; and that democracy depends upon citizen engagement, it presents concrete case studies in order to illustrate the guidance provided. With advice on how to organize and implement a successful advocacy campaign at a local level-and what to avoid-Persuading Local Government provides an antidote to the alienation of national politics, showing that local efforts at persuasion are meaningful and effect change on matters that affect people's everyday lives.

First published in 1966, Local Government in Crisis presents a comprehensive overview of the challenges and limitations of the local government in Britain. William A. Robson discusses major themes like loss of municipal functions and public utilities; transfer of powers from county districts to county councils; increased central control and dependence on central finance; attitude of local authorities to municipal reforms; the Local Government Act, 1958; and work of the Local Government Commission, to showcase the demand for far reaching substantial changes in a) the structure and finance of local government, b) the relations of local authorities with central departments and c) the power entrusted to local councils. This book is an essential read for scholars and researchers of public administration, political science, and public policy.

This book considers the key critical interventions on short story writing in South Africa written in English since the year 2000.

The short story genre, whilst often marginalised in national literary canons, has been central to the trajectory of literary history in South Africa. In recent years, the short story has undergone a significant renaissance, with new collections and young writers making a significant impact on the contemporary literary scene, and subgenres such as speculative fiction, erotic fiction, flash fiction and queer fiction expanding rapidly in popularity. This book examines the role of the short story genre in reflecting or championing new developments in South African writing and the ways in which traditional boundaries and definitions of the short story in South Africa have been reimagined in the present. Drawing together a range of critical interventions, including scholarly articles, interviews and personal reflective pieces, the volume traces some of the aesthetic and thematic continuities and discontinuities in the genre and sheds new light on questions of literary form. Finally, the book considers the place of the short story in twenty-first century writing and interrogates the ways in which the short story form may contribute to, or recast ideas of, the post-apartheid or post-transitional.

The perfect guide to contemporary short story writing in South Africa, this book will be essential reading for researchers of African literature.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The short story in South Africa – new trends and perspectives

Corinne Sandwith, Rebecca Fasselt and Khulukazi Soldati-Kahimbaara

2. “Translated from the dead”: The legibility of violence in Ivan Vladislavić’s 101 Detectives

Kirby Manià

3. Coloured by history, shaped otherwise: A "decolonial" reading of Zoë Wicomb　

Aretha Phiri

4. Hyper-compression and the rise of the deep surface: Flash fiction in "post-transitional" South Africa

Peter Blair

5. Queer temporalities in two short stories by Makhosazana Xaba: The afterlife of Can Themba’s "The Suit"　

Cheryl Stobie

6. Queerying examples of contemporary South African short fiction

Sally Ann Murray

7. Therianthropic power in Mohale Mashigo’s speculative short fiction

Christiaan Naudé

8. Navigating the spectacular in queer African erotic short fiction

Jenny Boźena du Preez

9. Imagining Africa’s futures in two Caine Prize-winning stories: Henrietta Rose-Innes’s "Poison" and NoViolet Bulawayo’s "Hitting Budapest"

Aghogho Akpome

10. On reading, writing and being read: Journeying with the short story

Makhosazana Xaba

11. Short stories born from the womb of the past

Siphiwo Mahala

12. "Concrete fragments": An interview with Henrietta Rose-Innes

Graham K. Riach

13. LongStorySHORT: Decolonising the reading landscape – A conversation with Kgauhelo Dube

Corinne Sandwith, Khulukazi Soldati-Kahimbaara and Rebecca Fasselt

14. "My stories will remain written the way I talk": A conversation with Niq Mhlongo

Rebecca Fasselt and Corinne Sandwith

Comprehensive study of comparative federalism and the Covid-19 pandemic by some of the world's leading federal scholars and national experts. Compares how various federal systems responded to the pandemic. Provides useful lessons for how to combat such pandemics in federal countries in the future.

Comprehensive study of comparative federalism and the Covid-19 pandemic by some of the world's leading federal scholars and national experts. Compares how various federal systems responded to the pandemic. Provides useful lessons for how to combat such pandemics in federal countries in the future.

The Routledge Handbook of Local Elections and Voting in Europe represents the standard reference text and practical resource for everybody who analyzes issues such as local electoral systems, voting behavior, or political representation in Europe. It provides comprehensive and expert coverage of 40 European countries - organized along the respective local state traditions - and in addressing a wide range of important questions related to local elections and voting, it broadens the scope of existing analyses quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Finally, it affords a more theoretically grounded typology of local elections and voting. Each country chapter is written by a leading expert and follows a rigorous conceptual framework for cross-national comparisons, providing an overview of the local government system, details on the place of local elections within the multilevel political system, specific features of the electoral system, analysis of the main electoral outcomes in recent decades, and, finally, reflective discussion. Representative democracy is as widespread at the local as at the national level, and as the significance of local authorities in Europe has increased in recent decades, local elections represent a crucial area of study. The Routledge Handbook of Local Elections and Voting in Europe is an authoritative and essential reference text for scholars and students interested in local electoral politics and, more broadly, European studies, public administration, and political science.

The importance of subnational regions to politics, governance, and economic development in Western Europe has long been recognized. However, far less is known about recent steps to introduce a regional level of politics in East Central Europe. Reforms there are part of the larger process of crafting democracy; that is, regional reforms are linked to the economic and political transition away from communism and toward "Europe," specifically the European Union. Crafting Democracy offers an important comparative analysis of the process and outcomes of region-building in the four Visegrad countries. Jennifer A. Yoder investigates why some but not other post-communist countries chose to introduce a regional level of elected government. In the 1990s, for example, Poland boldly took the lead in regionalization, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia lagged behind. Hungary, meanwhile, declined to create regions. The author argues that these regional reform processes have potentially far-reaching implications for state-society relations, political participation, and policymaking at the domestic level. The emergence of new actors at the subnational level, moreover, creates opportunities for cross-border and European Union-level initiatives.

Using the way of storytelling, this book examines the petitions of the migrants of a dam in China. With the intensive and thorough analysis of the unique logic behind the petitions, it explores the complex relationship between Chinese peasants and governments, where people may find the key to the mysteries of Chinese society. As the first academic monograph which systematically studies petition, the peculiar Chinese social phenomenon, this book describes the collective action of the rural migrants who had fallen into poverty due to the construction of a dam in China's Three Gorges area. By investigating the ups and downs of the petitions, it reveals the operating mechanism of Chinese counties, the conflicts between the officials and the masses, as well as Chinese political culture, especially the subtle process of the contest of powers. It observes that the peasants' pursuit of justice not only temporarily maintains the balance of interests, but also makes the legitimacy of the party-state been reproduced. With substantial first-hand materials and empirical analyses, this book will be a valuable reference for scholars and students to study Chinese politics and society.

Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy and freest democracy yet vested interests and local politics serve as formidable obstacles to infrastructure reform. In this critical analysis of the politics inhibiting infrastructure investment, Jamie S. Davidson utilizes evidence from his research, press reports and rarely used consultancy studies to challenge mainstream explanations for low investment rates and the sluggish adoption of liberalizing reforms. He argues that obstacles have less to do with weak formal institutions and low fiscal capacities of the state than with entrenched, rent-seeking interests, misaligned central-local government relations, and state-society struggles over land. Using a political-sociological approach, Davidson demonstrates that 'getting the politics right' matters as much as getting the prices right or putting the proper institutional safeguards in place for infrastructure development. This innovative account and its conclusions will be of interest to students and scholars of Southeast Asia and policymakers of infrastructure investment and economic growth.

This handbook provides an authoritative and comprehensive overview of African population dynamics, variations, causes and consequences, demonstrating the real-world applications of research in policies and programmes.

African demography has come of age. Over 50 years, the discipline has grown exponentially in the number of training and research institutions, specialist experts and academic output, all with an aim of addressing the enormous demographic challenges faced by the continent. The book draws on old and emerging analytical tools to explore the relationships between population dynamics and social, economic, cultural and political environments from African perspectives. Key topics include fertility, sexual behaviours, healthcare, ageing, mortality, migration, displacement, the causes and consequences of demographic changes and teaching and research developments in African demography.

The Routledge Handbook of African Demography will be an essential resource for students and researchers of African demography, sociology, development and cultural studies.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Introductory Chapters 1. Introduction, Clifford O. Odimegwu and Yemi Adewoyin 2. Population Structure of Africa - Spatiotemporal Patterns and Development Linkages, Yemi Adewoyin and Clifford Odimegwu Part 2: Demographic Training and Research 3. Demographic Training in African Institutions: Past, Present and Future, Alfred Agwanda Otieno and Lawrence Ikamari 4. African Demographic Research: Progress and Challenges, Michel Garenne 5. Indirect Estimation Techniques and Statistical Modeling in African Demographic Research, Joshua O. Akinyemi and Sunday A. Adedini 6. The Demographic Research in Lusophone Africa: What is Known and What Needs to Be Done?, Carlos Arnaldo, Rogers Hansine and Nelson C. Zavale 7. Old, Contemporary and Emerging Sources of Demographic Data in Africa, Babatunde M. Gbadebo 8. Demographic Operations in distress? The Case of French-Speaking African Countries South of the Sahara, Françoise Gubry and Francis Gendreau Part 3: Marriage, Fertility, and SRH 9. Marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa, Michel Garenne 10. The Construction of Teen Pregnancy and Child Marriage in Africa, Timalizge Zgambo 11. Trends and Patterns in Fertility and its Proximate Determinants in sub-Saharan Africa, David I. Ojakaa 12. Fertility Transition in Africa: What do We Know and What have We Learned about Fertility Stalls?, David A. Sánchez-Páez and Bruno Schoumaker 13. Contraception, Boladé Hamed Banougnin and Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa 14. Before Pills and Injectables: Systematic review of drivers of traditional contraceptive practice in sub-Saharan-Africa, Justin Dansou, Fidelia A. A. Dake and Robert Y. Djogbenou 15. From Post-Colonialism to Cairo to Now: The [un]changing ideas of reproductive health and family planning in Africa, Sasha Frade 16. Demography of Sexuality Studies in Africa, Joshua O. Akinyemi, Nicole De Wet and Clifford O. Odimegwu Part 4: Gender in African Demography 17. Gender in African Demographic Research: A Scoping Review, Lorretta Favour Chizomam Ntoimo and Clifford O. Odimegwu 18. Gender Norms and Sexual Behavior among very Young Adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review 19.Beatrice W. Maina, Chimaraoke Izugbara, Yandisa Sikweyiya, Ivy Nandongwa and Caroline W. Kabiru 20. Gender-Based Violence in Africa, Marifa Muchemwa Part 5: Environment, Health, and Demography 21. The Disaster–Fertility Nexus in Sub-Saharan African Countries, Khandaker Jafor Ahmed and Yan Tan 22. Urban Health Dimensions of Demographic Research in Africa – A Systematic Review, Yemi Adewoyin 23. Demography of Inequality in Healthcare Access in Africa, Samuel Mwangi Wanjiku, Giuseppe T. Cirella, Alex Njeru and Jacob Kazungu 24. HIV/AIDS in the population: its levels, correlates, impact, policies and programs, Pamela Chirwa-Banda 25. The Double Burden of Malnutrition among Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review of the Literature, Mpho Keetile, Kannan Navaneetham and Gobopamang Letamo 26. Child Disability and Deprivation: A Conceptual, Theoretical and Empirical Review of the Sub-Saharan African Literature, Arlette Simo Fotso and Larissa Nawo 27. Effect of economic growth on maternal and child health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of the empirical evidence, Helena Yeboah and Sanni Yaya 28. Human Health Effects of Desertification in Sub Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review, Manikandan A.D and Vinod Joseph Kannankeril Joseph 29. Climate Change and Population Displacement in Africa, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Gabriela Narcizo de Lima and Daniel Esteban Quiroga Part 6: Migration 29.. Internal migration in sub-Saharan Africa: Dynamics, destinations, and Implications, Vollan Ochieng, Razak M Gyasi and Blessing Mberu 30. Changing Perspectives of Internal Migration in East Africa Revisited, Alfred Agwanda, Mary Muyonga, Milton Adieri and George Odipo 31. International Migration and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, Aderanti Adepoju Part 7: Demographic Dividend 32.The Demography of Human Capital Formation in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1950-2100, Claudia Reiter, Anne Goujon and Samir K.C 33. Demographic Transition and Development in Africa, Patricia Agupusi 34.The Economic Lifecycle and Africa’s Demographic Dividend: Evidence from National Transfer Accounts, Morné Oosthuizen 35. Demographic Dividend Monitoring Index Conceptual Framework and Case Studies in Africa, Latif Dramani, Edem Akpo, Jean Baptiste Oga, Camille Détondji Guidimé, Silvere Konan, Sam Agbahoungba, Dalomi Bahan, Cheikh Tidiane Ndiaye and Crispin Mabika Part 8: Ageing 36.Ageing in sub-Saharan Africa: Demographic and Historical Perspectives, Ayo S. Adebowale, Obiageli Onwusaka, Mobolaji M. Salawu, Segun Bello and David A. Adewole 37. Intergenerational Family Support and the Health and Well-Being of Older Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Systematic Review, Mark A. Aviisah, Hinke H. Haisma and Tobias C. Vogt Part 9: Mortality 38. Causes of Death and the Double Burden of Disease in Africa: Evidence from the sub-Saharan Africa, N.N. Wekwete and K. Mangombe 39. Dynamics of Adult Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: are there Prospects for Decline?, Ayo S. Adebowale, Adeniyi F. Fagbamigbe, Tubosun Olowolafe and Rotimi F. Afolabi 40. Maternal Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review of Measurement, Levels and Determinants, Dorothy N. Ononokpono, Bernard Baffour, Nsidibe Usoro and Olukemi Adebola 41. Estimating Maternal Mortality: Surveillance Methods and Agenda for Improvement, Oluwatosin Ariyo and Henry Victor Doctor 42. Infant and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: an overview of levels, determinants, interventions and updates on estimation techniques, Sunday A. Adedini and Joshua O. Akinyemi Part 10: Concluding matters 43.Anthropological Demography in Africa, Daniel Jordan Smith 44. The Role of Quality Data in Changing HIV/AIDS Trajectory and Narratives in Sub-Saharan Africa, Jacob A. Adetunji 45. The State of the African Demographic Transition, 1990-2016, Lungile F. Motsa and Clifford O. Odimegwu

A detailed historiographical examination of the role the Ovimbundu people have played in Angolan politics from Portuguese colonization to the present. Contested Power in Angola, 1840s to the Present argues that the Ovimbundu of central Angola have been key players in the history of modern Angola. The work focuses on the tensions between the centralising forces of the state and the pull of local, regional and ethnic tendencies which have characterised the modern history of Angola. The study begins with a chapter which highlights the relationship between relatively weak pre-colonial Ovimbundu statesystems and the autonomous local economic, political and social institutions that functioned in the villages. The chapter also looks at how both state and local systems adapted to the commercial, political and cultural imperativesof industrializing Europe and America. The subsequent chapters explore the emergence and transformation of the Portuguese colonial state in central Angola, including issues of pacification and colonialization, the Estado Novo andthe politics of subjugation. They illustrate the contradictions between the rhetoric of racial democracy of the apologists of the colonial state and the reality of rising ethnic and regional tension. The study concludes withthe evolution of Ovimbundu nationalism during the colonial and post-colonial periods. It argues that the divisions of the Cold War and continuing ethnic and regional divisions frustrated the Ovimbundu leadership in its efforts tomake the state more inclusive. This quest to reshape the state remains a salient feature in the relationship between the Ovimbundu and the state. Linda Heywood is Associate Professor of History, Howard University.

Political developments in Georgia have always been baffling to those who did not live there. This work picks up the story of the evolution of Georgia political parties where the author left it in his first book, Politics on the Periphery: Factions and Parties in Georgia, 1783-1806 (1986), carrying the story through 1845, by which date parties in Georgia actually mirrored those at the national level. It is a complicated story, involving, among other things, the legacy of the Yazoo Land Fraud; the development of political parties on the national level; and, especially, the presence of the Creek and Cherokee tribes in Georgia during a period when white Georgians were bent on expanding the culture of cotton. It is an unlovely story, but, by the mid-1840s, parties in Georgia finally resembled those in other parts of the nation, though, if one looked closely at their principles, questions remained.

Comparative analysis of eight countries, and their financial vulnerability during/following the pandemic. Highly relevant for practitioners in local government, as well as students and academics.

The book discusses the issue of the correlation between social capital and political participation. The reader is given an extensive overview of the social capital term as well as the conventional and unconventional political participation terms including the historical conceptualization of the paradigm as well as its modern interpretations. Furthermore, the author explores the issue through empirical studies - conducted in 2017 and 2018 as a part of research grant titled 'Political Participation of Poles - New Challenges and Forms of Activity'. Through the study, the Author establishes the indicators of independent variables shaping political participation among Poles. Lastly, the author provides theoretical syntheses in the form of typology of political participation models.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of territorial change on the municipal level across all European countries. Taking a thematic and comparative perspective, the book builds on extensive quantitative data and a large survey of academic experts in 33 European countries. Territorial organisation of the municipal level in Europe is strongly diversified and yet far from stable. Politically speaking, territorial reforms tend to be risky and difficult, as such changes affect vital interests and identities. Despite such difficulties, the last two decades have witnessed considerable changes in territorial divisions at the municipal level across a range of European countries. In this book, the authors describe and analyse these changes comprehensively, making a vital contribution to understanding the reasons and dynamics of territorial reform processes. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners in local or sub-national government, institutional design and more broadly to political science, public administration/policy, human geography, sociology and economics.

Whether you are a student preparing for a career in public administration, a mid-career professional manager or a seasoned veteran, A Guidebook for City and County Managers provides policy guidance and advice to local governmental challenges and issues. Assuming a knowledge of the basics of public management, James M. Bourey provides real-world recommendations for issues managers are facing this decade and beyond. Relying on experience from his long career in local government in chief executive positions in city, county and regional council management in locations throughout the United States, Bourey outlines the best approaches to the most critical issues for local governments. The book is comprehensive in its breadth of subject matter yet targeted in the recommendations that focus on the most critical issues. Social equity, environmental protection and global warming, good fiscal management, adequate public infrastructure and active citizen engagement are important themes throughout. Merely being an administrative caretaker is not sufficient; managers must have the knowledge of ways to improve their communities and take the initiative to enhance the quality of life of its residents. Making a difference is both the reason for the job and its reward. This book helps provide a roadmap for the journey.

In 1990, the New York Times wrote, ""Government corruption was not invented in West Virginia. But there are people who contend that West Virginia officials have done more than their share over the years to develop state-of-the-art techniques in vote theft, contract kickbacks, influence peddling and good old-fashioned bribery, extortion, fraud, tax evasion and outright stealing."" While investigating such events as the Invest Right scandal, Thomas Stafford, a former journalist for the Charleston Gazette, would find himself in a very precarious position. As a reporter he felt obligated to tell the whole truth, and he believed in the need to serve the public and those West Virginians who were being abused by a political machine. In Afflicting the Comfortable, Stafford relates such tales of the responsibility of journalism and politics in coordination with scandals that have unsettled the Mountain State over the past few decades. His probing would take him from the halls of Charleston to the center of our nation's ruling elite. Guided by his senses of duty, right, and fairness, he plunged head first into the misdeeds of West Virginia's politicians. His investigations would be the preface to the downfall of a governor and an adminstration that had robbed the state and the citizens of West Virginia for years.