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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Local government > Local government policies
Public broadcasting has changed dramatically since its founding in 1967. The growing equation of marketplace efficiency with the public interest has, in Tom McCourt's analysis, undermined the value of public goods and services. In addition, political and cultural discourse is increasingly beset by fragmentation. Public radio provides an exemplary site to examine the prospects and problems of contemporary public life. Beginning with a description of the events that led to the creation of National Public Radio, McCourt discusses the relationship between NPR and its affiliate stations and the ways in which struggles over funding and programming have affected public radio's agenda. He also examines how public radio incorporates the roles of public representatives into its operations and how its methods to determine the needs and interests of the public have changed across the systeM's history. The social, political, and economic pressures that have impacted the mission and practices of National Public Radio, McCourt asserts, are manifest in all areas of American life. Through extensive historical research, he examines whether American public broadcasters, as represented by NPR, have succeeded or failed to engender an enlightened, participatory democracy.
"Barbara M. Hobson . . . makes a compelling case for the reform of prostitution policy in . . . "Uneasy Virtue." [This volume] demonstrates an effective analytical approach to understanding public policy and its impact on prostitution policy. . . ."Uneasy Virtue" proves particularly relevant today as right wing groups begin to guide discourse and influence policy around reproductive rights, sexuality and the future of gender equality. As Hobson proposes, the reform of prostitution polciy must be viewed in the broader context of the political and economic struggles to emancipate women and thereby create a more rational society."--Samuel Suchowlecky, "Commentaries"
Celebrated as a beacon of democracy and reconciliation, many people in South Africa continue to live in severe poverty, particularly in the Eastern Cape Province. Backed by the United Nations Development Programme, the Eastern Cape's provincial government consequently launched an historically ambitious programme - the Provincial Growth and Development Plan - aimed at tackling the province's poverty, unemployment and inequality over a ten-year period in a radical policy overhaul. Drawing on the author's first-hand engagement with the planning process, Development Planning in South Africa is an empirically rich study that utilises a strategic-relational approach to explore the ways in which this unprecedented challenge was negotiated and eventually undermined by the South African state. The first work of its kind, the book provides an indispensable micro-level study with profound implications for how state power is understood to be organised and expressed in state policy. Relevant beyond South Africa to policy implementation in both developing and developed states globally, the book is essential reading for students and scholars of government studies, political economy, development, policy studies and social movements.
This Policy Note assembles analysis on different angles of the COVID-19 crisis and the challenges and opportunities it presents for development policy and multilateralism. It addresses, among other issues: new ways of designing the relationship between governments and private actors that puts public interest at the centre; principles and concrete ideas for a multilateral response to COVID-19 as well as for a new multilateralism going forward; and how to respond to COVID-19 in a context of severe inequalities, including gender-based inequalities.
Celebrated as a beacon of democracy and reconciliation, many people in South Africa continue to live in severe poverty, particularly in the Eastern Cape Province. Backed by the United Nations Development Programme, the Eastern Cape's provincial government consequently launched an historically ambitious programme - the Provincial Growth and Development Plan - aimed at tackling the province's poverty, unemployment and inequality over a ten-year period in a radical policy overhaul. Drawing on the author's first-hand engagement with the planning process, Development Planning in South Africa is an empirically rich study that utilises a strategic-relational approach to explore the ways in which this unprecedented challenge was negotiated and eventually undermined by the South African state. The first work of its kind, the book provides an indispensable micro-level study with profound implications for how state power is understood to be organised and expressed in state policy. Relevant beyond South Africa to policy implementation in both developing and developed states globally, the book is essential reading for students and scholars of government studies, political economy, development, policy studies and social movements.
Connecticut in Crisis: Policy Challenges and the 2018 Contest for Governor is Gary L. Rose's most recent book on the New England political scene, a vital arena of American politics today. In this timely and penetrating volume, Rose explores five policy dilemmas currently facing Connecticut law makers. These dilemmas include the state's inhospitable business climate, the heavy rates of taxation imposed on state residents and private companies, the racial isolation, poverty, and turmoil that grip the state's cities, its crumbling infrastructure, and the deleterious effect of entitlements on policy experimentation and the state budget. Taken together, the severe policy dilemmas document a state that has descended into crisis. Following Rose's detailed examination of vexing policy dilemmas, Connecticut in Crisis examines the highly competitive gubernatorial contest that unfolded in 2018. Every phase of this electoral contest is carefully tracked. The unprecedented number of candidates who sought the governorship, the state party conventions, the summer primaries, the debates, and the fierce "too close to call" general election campaign are systematically examined in an objective and straight-forward fashion. The outcome of the 2018 contest, which resulted in the election of Ned Lamont, a multi-millionaire progressive Democrat, is explained as well. Rose's hard hitting and eye-opening volume demands a place in all serious discussion and debate regarding the complex policy problems currently confronting Connecticut's newly elected governor, and American political life generally.
The book critically examines the high growth trajectory in India, particularly since the late 1980s, a period which is characterized by increasing inequality. Through various studies from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh -- a state more populous than Brazil and with a GDP comparable to Bangladesh -- it sheds light on the link between growth and inequality in emerging economies. The slow pace of any upward movement in terms of various development indicators in low-income Indian states is due to a number of factors, including their historical disadvantages. Over a period of time, this has resulted in widening disparities, both between different regions of these states, and between these states and other more prosperous Indian states. The book provides a holistic, yet critical, region-wise analysis of the achievements of Uttar Pradesh compared to other states and to India as a whole, in the context of indicators of inclusive development, namely, growth, employment, poverty, infrastructure, agriculture, industry, education and health. Based on the latest data and sophisticated analysis methods, it assesses inequality and development disparities, clearly identifying three major challenges that poorer states face in redressing poverty and expanding inclusive growth - increasing economic opportunities, empowering poor and marginalised groups to avail new opportunities in a rapidly changing world, and ensuring an effective safety net to reduce vulnerability. The book suggests strategies for promoting high and sustained economic growth, and highlights the significance of broadening social inclusiveness through greater and more rapid access to economic and social opportunities, and building strong social safety nets to protect the chronically poor and mitigate their risks and vulnerabilities with the help of good governance and institutions. With contributions from leading scholars from the region, it is a valuable resource for researchers working in the area of growth and inequality, as well as for policy makers from developing economies around the globe.
India's unique advantage of a large young population is widely recognised. The potential advantage of its demographic dividend for the country and the youth can be reaped provided it looks into its policies and programmes on education, health, livelihood and citizenship, with a view to empower its young population. Some of the leading educators, civil society leaders and policy advisors look into these aspects and provide insightful suggestions. The book is enriched by four case studies from Punjab, Rajsthan, Kerala and Odisha, focussing on the specific problems of the youth in these states and the approaches to resolve them. Universities and institutions teaching development economics, social relationship and political empowerment of youth will find the book very useful.
This comparative case study addresses central determinants of inequalities that persist in India and South Africa. The particular focus of the study is on programs aiming at the redistribution of land to the landless poor and these programs' consequences. The central question is why extreme inequalities persist despite land redistribution programs that have been in place for decades and what role different actors and dominant ideas play in this. Beyond this empirical focus, the study transcends theoretical cleavages in the social sciences by following the basic ideas of Giddens' Structurational Theory. An actor-centred approach is chosen as the primary tool for analysis. It is complemented with a structurational approach to discourse analysis for a detailed analysis of actors' preferences.
Based on extensive empirical work by a cross-European group of researchers, this book assesses the impact of the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the national foreign policy-making processes and institutions of the EU member states. As such, the contributions cover both the involvement of the national diplomatic and foreign policy actors in shaping the outlook of the EEAS and its mission, as well as the changes (or not) it has produced for those actors of the member states. The analysis draws in theoretical frameworks from Europeanization and socialization, but also from intergovernmental frameworks of policy-making within the European Union. An introduction by the editors outlines the issues and trends examined in the book and establishes the theoretical and methodological framework. Split into 2 sections, Part I: EEAS and national diplomacies as part of global and European structures has contributions by Richard Whitman, Rosa Balfour, Christian Lequesne, Caterina Carta and Simon Duke. Part II: National diplomacies shaping and being shaped by the EEAS is covered by Daniel Fiott, Fabien Terpan, Cornelius Adebahr, Andrea Frontini, Ignacio Molina and Alicia Sorroza, Laura C. Ferreira-Pereira, Alena Vysotskaya G. Vieira and Louise van Schaik, Grzegorz Gromadzki, Mark Rhinard, Jakob Lewander and Sara Norrevik, Sabina Kajnc Lange, Ruby Gropas and George Tzogopoulos, Vit Benes and Kristi Raik. This book is much needed, especially in an era when the EU is trying to pull its weight in the international sphere (e.g. Syria, Iran, the Arab Spring, Chinese relations and emerging powers) but also at a time when the EU is trying to recalibrate its institutional structure in light of the current financial predicaments and questions on the democratic legitimacy of the European project.
While the gambling industry is indisputably large and powerful, it has received little attention from political scientists. Utilizing a variety of perspectives and techniques, von Herrmann analyzes gambling's recent expansion, finding public attitudes have been shaped both by government policies and the industry's attempts to create a family-friendly image. Von Herrmann examines the politics of state and federal gambling policy, particularly policies relating to casinos and state lotteries. She considers gambling policy from a variety of perspectives, including the politics of adoption, the state and federal governments' role in policy formation and implementation, and the broad economic and social impact questions related to gambling. The inclusion of several state case studies provides insight into the largely successful reshaping of Americans' image of gambling--from seedy, sinful, and corrupt behavior to a benign, pleasurable entertainment experience--which ultimately has led to widespread availability. While many have asserted that gambling policy fits well within the political models of morality politics, von Herrmann challenges this notion. Noting that true consensus has not been achieved in the area of gambling policy, she shows how supporters' economic arguments and opponents' moral concerns have effectively bifurcated the current debates on gambling policy; gambling is now viewed by many in two distinct and separate bodies of thought. As she observes, the challenge for the future of gambling policy is to find ways to bridge the gap. Of particular interest to scholars, students, and other researchers involved with public policy, particularly that relating to gambling.
Restorative Justice has become an important new way of thinking about crime, responsive regulation an influential way of thinking about business regulation. In this volume, John Braithwaite brings together his important work on restorative justive with his work on business regulation to form a sweepingly novel picture of the way society regulates itself.
Cities play a growing role in governing. This new role fits within a context that nation-states, global market forces and cities themselves continue to define. The analysis of this book focuses on how local efforts in the distinct European systems of France and Germany as well as American counterparts have provided for environmental quality and social inclusion alongside local economic development. Only in certain European settings has policy making at multiple levels accomplished all three objectives at once. In those settings, effective governance from below has relied on adequate support from higher levels of governments and a favorable position in the global economy.
This timely book is the first to take a close historical look at Ken Livingstone's London. It examines the development of London governance from the demise of the Greater London Council to the establishment of the Greater London Authority. The authors investigate the working of Mayor and Assembly, unravel the underlying politics of London and explore policy debates about transport, crime, and economic development. Finally they pose a question of key importance, not just to Londoners, but also to those interested in urban governance throughout the world: to what extent can the creation of new institutions and instruments of government give a major city the sense of being a political community?
In this thoughtful collection of essays edited by Debra J. Salazar andDonald K. Alper, forest policy in the U.S. Pacific Northwest andBritish Columbia is examined in a binational context. While US andCanadian forest policy and forest management approaches differ, the twocountries face similar challenges and conflicts. Contributors discussthe evolution of forest exploitation, the response of timber companiesto U.S. federal environmental regulations, sovereignty for FirstNations communities, and the reshaping of the political economy offorests by global forces on both sides of the border. Groups usuallyignored in the forest policy debate -- such as First Nations peoples,workers in the emerging non-forest economy, and citizen activists --are also given voice in this fascinating compilation.
This volume focuses on the relationship of public policy to global and transnational political economic processes. The theme is discussed in a variety of ways. Analyses on the macro level explore globalization impacts on the state. Resistance to globalization is also considered as local communities strive to gain a modicum of control over their lives. All of the articles and the local case studies chosen point out the need to devise public policies that can serve the interests of the majority of the population in the Islands.
Despite a positive policy climate, much current practice in neighbourhood regeneration lacks meaningful, sustainable community involvement. Too much power and control rests in the hands of local authorities, statutory agencies and professionals. This report suggests that to balance this unequal partnership, neighbourhood regeneration strategies need to focus much more directly on the less tangible outcomes of regeneration, particularly the empowerment of local communities through genuine capacity building. Without it, real and lasting benefits are unlikely to be achieved. Neighbourhood regeneration looks at how community capacity building is currently delivered within neighbourhood regeneration programmes, focusing on the key issue of resourcing. The authors frame this review within the context of the government's emerging national strategy for neighbourhood renewal, Bringing Britain together, and the Local Government Association's New Commitment to Regeneration initiative. The report aims to establish: what works and what does not; how existing funding might be improved; what additional resources may be needed to fill in the gaps in current provision; who should provide these additional resources; how resources might best be targeted; how resourcing community involvement can be linked to emerging proposals for neighbourhood management and joined-up action by regeneration agencies. It also suggests the formation of a Neighbourhood Empowerment Fund to help fill the strategic and financial gaps that exist in current regeneration initiatives. Based on structured interviews with a wide range of national organisations and a questionnaire survey of local agencies involved in area regeneration programmes, Neighbourhood regeneration provides a useful picture of current practice, highlighting a broad cross-section of views and opinions from those with extensive experience in the field. The report is essential reading for policy makers in community- and agency-led regeneration partnerships, local authorities and communities themselves, as well as anyone with an interest in neighbourhood regeneration strategies.
By examining the great economic and political transformations of our time, Juan Luis Manfredi-Sanchez reveals how cities and their hinterlands have become part of globalisation. The global city has joined the group of actors who develop diplomatic, political and communicative action in a manner that is de facto and lawful. Thus, the city is involved in the formulation of foreign policy at the same time that it proposes its own political agenda, which may or may not be aligned with its own country. The city thereby becomes a source of innovation in the field of diplomacy. The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating the political and diplomatic role of cities, which have become epicentres of prevention and response in the face of this public health crisis.
Although historians have devoted a great deal of attention to the development of federal government policy regarding civil rights in the quarter century following World War II, little attention has been paid to the equally important developments at the state level. Few states underwent a more dramatic transformation with regard to civil rights than Michigan did. In 1948, the Michigan Committee on Civil Rights characterized the state of civil rights in Michigan as presenting "an ugly picture". Twenty years later. Michigan was a leader among the states in civil rights legislation. Expanding the Frontiers of Civil Rights documents this important shift in state level policy and makes clear that civil rights in Michigan embraced not only blacks but women, the elderly, native Americans, migrant workers, and the physically handicapped. Sidney Fine's treatment of civil rights in Michigan is based on an exhaustive examination of unpublished, published, and interview sources. Fine relates civil rights developments in Michigan to civil rights actions by the federal government and other states. He focuses on the administrations of the three governors -- Democrats G. Mennen Williams (1949-1960), and John B. Swainson (1961-1962), and Republican George Romney (1963-1969) -- and the roles they played in furthering civil rights in Michigan, as well as other politicians and policymakers. Students of state history, civil rights history, and those interested in post-World War II history will find few accounts as broad ranging as this study of state civil rights legislation during the years the book covers.
This book explores how policy ideas are spread -- or diffused -- in an age in which policymaking has become increasingly complex and specialized. Using the concept of enterprise zones as a case study in policy diffusion, Karen Mossberger compares the process of their adoption in Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts over a twelve-year period. Enterprise zones were first proposed by the Reagan administration as a supply-side effort to reenergize inner cities, and they were eventually embraced by liberals and conservatives alike. They are a compelling example of a policy idea that spread and evolved rapidly. Mossberger describes the information networks and decisionmaking processes in the five states, assessing whether enterprise zones spread opportunistically, as a mere fad, or whether well-informed deliberation preceded their adoption.
Comprising case studies of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this edited volume explores the key characteristics of democratic governance in Northeast Asia. Each democracy is assessed on the extent to which it enables the flourishing of social capital; prioritizes the interests of all as characterized by freedom from fear and want; and empowers all to participate in the democratic process and governance. With particular focus on the experience of minorities, this volume contends that the acid test of democratic governance is not how well the government represents the interests of the elites, or even the majority, but rather how it cares for the needs of vulnerable groups in society.
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