Hurricane Katrina of August-September 2005, one of the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history, dramatically illustrated the continuing racial and class inequalities of America. In this powerful reader, "Seeking Higher Ground," prominent scholars and writers examine the racial impact of the disaster and the failure of governmental, corporate and private agencies to respond to the plight of the New Orleans black community. Contributing authors include Julianne Malveaux, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Ronald Walters, Chester Hartman, Gregory D. Squires, Mindy Thompson Fullilove, Alan Stein, and Gene Preuss. This reader is the second volume of the "Souls" Critical Black Studies Series, edited by Manning Marable, and produced by the institute for Research in African-American Studies of Columbia University.

Economic growth continues to transform the economic and political landscape of Asia. Equally the policies now being adopted to promote private sector participation, re-structure state entities, and reduce the presence of the state in the provision of public goods and services, are tied to fundamental transformations in Asia's state-society relations. The global cast of contributors present a timely analysis of the impact of neo-liberalism on Asia's developmental policies and the organisation of Asian states and markets. Ironically, the "developmental state" that has historically driven Asia's rapid economic transformation is now threatened by an increasingly dominant neoliberal agenda that aims to roll back the state in the name of market fundamentalism.

This timely collection explores trust research from many angles while ably demonstrating the potential of cross-discipline collaboration to deepen our understanding of institutional trust. Citing, among other things, current breakdowns of trust in prominent institutions, the book presents a multilevel model identifying universal aspects of trust as well as domain- and context-specific variations deserving further study. Contributors analyze similarities and differences in trust across public domains from politics and policing to medicine and science, and across languages and nations. Innovative strategies for measuring and assessing trust also shed new light on this essentially human behavior. Highlights of the coverage: Consensus on conceptualizations and definitions of trust: are we there yet? Differentiating between trust and legitimacy in public attitudes towards legal authority. Examining the relationship between interpersonal and institutional trust in political and health care contexts. Trust as a multilevel phenomenon across contexts. Institutional trust across cultures. The "dark side" of institutional trust. With its stimulating array of concepts and applications, Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Trust will attract a varied audience, among them experts in political science, criminal justice, psychology, law, economics, healthcare, sociology, public administration, cross-cultural studies, and business administration.

The term 'Eurocracy' is a word that exists in all European languages. Yet beyond fantasized representations of the 'Brussels bubble', we know little about members of the European Parliament, Commissioners, European civil servants, lobbyists, members of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, European trade unionists, diplomats and journalists who work in or around the EU institutions? What are their social and professional trajectories, the type of authority they possess, and how does it matter? Based on extensive fieldwork, this volume aims at answering these questions by building upon Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the field of bureaucracy. 45 years after Altiero Spinelli's 'The Eurocrats', this book sheds new light on the relational structures that underpin the functioning of the EU polity. Specialists of European affairs, scholars and students in politics, administration and sociology as well as citizens will find original insights to understanding EU institutions and why the European project appears to be in crisis.

This innovative new book examines government approaches to Public-private partnership (PPP) formation. It explores the management experience and challenges that key stakeholders involved in PPP governance face in Russia and Kazakhstan. An increasingly common method of delivering public services, PPP deployment in these two countries is still in its infancy, beginning only in 2005. Public-Private Partnerships highlights how the governments of Russia and Kazakhstan understand the nature of partnerships, which contextual features drive PPP formation and why these two nations have selected concession as the principal PPP form. The contributors provide comprehensive coverage of the management issues that present challenges in PPP delivery, including partner interaction concerns, opportunistic behaviour and approaches to risk management. The authors also discuss the legal and regulatory impediments to PPP development and the PPP critical success factors.

'Development' is what most people see as progress in the places where they live and in the ways they live. It has to do with public services, the ways to complain when these are not delivered properly, and the spaces to change power structures. It is related to the economy, the opportunities to access a secure job, a sustainable livelihood and increased welfare while caring for the planet and others. It is also linked to the institutions that allow people to live life well, using resources ethically and doing business responsibly in relation to other communities and future generations. This edited collection examines the interconnections between local governance, economic development and institutions, by focusing on what initiatives work and under what conditions they do so. Based on a variety of theories and empirical data, it presents evidence from current experiences around the world, revealed by researchers across different continents and several generations.

The Handbook of West European Pension Politics provides scholars, policy-makers and students with a complete overview of the political and policy issues involved in pension policy, and well as case studies of contemporary pension politics (1980 to present) in 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. The book is suitable as a text for courses in comparative politics, European Studies, social policy, comparative public policy and public administration. Each chapter is written by an expert on pension politics and is presented in a standardized format with standardized tables and figures that describe: political institutions; government coalitions, parliamentary and electoral majorities; the party system; the pension system; proposed and enacted pension reforms.

The pursuit for better governance has assumed center stage in developmental discourse as well as reform initiatives of all organizations working for the public welfare, and includes such issues as service delivery and responding to citizens' needs and demands. In the era of globalization, multilevel and new modes of governance are changing the traditional governance models of nation states, accelerated by technological innovation, rising citizen expectation, policy intervention from international and multilateral donor communities, and the hegemony of western ideology imposed on many developing nations. However, a universally accepted and agreed upon definition of 'governance' still remains elusive. There is no consensus or agreement as to what would be the nature and form of governance and public administration. The question that is raised: Is there a universal governance mechanism that fits in all contexts or governance mechanisms should be based on home grown ideas?One can see various programs and policies of reforms and reorganizations in public administration in the developing countries, but these efforts have not been effective to address the challenging issues of economic development, employment generation, poverty reduction, ensuring equality of access to public services, maintaining fairness and equity, security and safety of citizens, social cohesion, democratic institution building, ensuring broader participation in the decision making process, and improving the quality of life. Therefore, there is a widespread concern for better governance or sound governance to bridge the gap between theory and practice, making this book of interest to academics as well as policy-makers in global public administration.

Successful delivery of public policy is increasingly dependent upon the effectiveness of information technology and systems. However, reformers must navigate the complex interactions between IT limitations, policy minefields, and complicated organizational networks which make change difficult. Public Sector Reform Using Information Technologies: Transforming Policy into Practice offers an analytical, interdisciplinary examination of electronic governance implementation from theoretical and practical perspectives. Researchers in fields like computer science, information systems, and sociology, and practitioners in policy formulation, implementation, and IT and systems deployment will find useful insights for improving the effectiveness of government services. Successfully transforming public policy using IT will help minimize the political and financial repercussions of failed implementations, meet the increasing expectations of citizens in modern democracies, and shape the public sector of the future.

As countries around the world make continuous strides in developing their economies, it has become increasingly important to evaluate the different ways culture impacts the growth of a region. Global Perspectives on Development Administration and Cultural Change investigates the impact of economic growth on different demographics throughout the world. Identifying theoretical concepts and notable topics in the areas of economic development, organizational culture, and cultural shifts, this book is an essential reference source for policymakers, development planners, international institutions, public policy analysts, administrators, researchers, and NGOs.

This book analyses two international incidents in the 1920s shocked Japan and changed the way in which the country looked at the West. In the Paris Peace Conference, Japanese proposed Racial Equality Bill was defeated. In 1924, the US passed the immigration law that singularly excluded Japanese from immigration. Little known today, the two incidents made significant impact on Japanese mind-set. Detailed study of the two incidents reveals how they contributed towards the drastic transformation of Japan, from the liberal thinking Taisho Democracy in the 1920s to the violent rise of ultra- nationalism in the 1930s. Departing from a purely academic style writing, the story develops around the life of Hanihara Masanao, Japanese diplomat, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and ultimately the Ambassador to Washington during the fateful years of 1923-24. A unique pair of a Japanese Studies scholar in Australia and a leading investigative journalist in Japan undertook the work. Rigorous archival search extended over Japan, the United States, Australia and Europe resulted in a significant amount of new materials never published in English before.

At a time when issues of international engagement are again at the fore of foreign policy, this book tells the story of how America's apparatus for public diplomacy came to be in disarray. Using newly declassified archives and interviews with practitioners, Nicholas J. Cull has pieced together the story of the final decade in the life of the United States Information Agency. It is both a sorry tale of political neglect and missed opportunities and an account of what America's public diplomats were nevertheless able to accomplish. Key methods examined include Voice of America radio, exchanges, and cultural diplomacy. Major episodes include the transition of Eastern Europe to democracy, the role of public diplomacy in the First Gulf War and Kosovo Wars, the US interventions in Somalia and Haiti, and the build-up to the attacks of 9/11.

This book contains the collection of papers presented at the conference of the International Federation for Information Processing Working Group 8.2 "Information and Organizations." The conference took place during June 21-24, 2009 at the Universidade do Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal. The conference entitled "CreativeSME - The Role of IS in Leveraging the Intelligence and Creativity of SME's" attracted high-quality submissions from across the world. Each paper was reviewed by at least two reviewers in a double-blind review process. In addition to the 19 papers presented at the conference, there were five panels and four workshops, which covered a range of issues relevant to SMEs, creativity and information systems. We would like to show our appreciation of the efforts of our two invited keynote speakers, Michael Dowling of the University of Regensburg, Germany and Carlos Zorrinho, Portuguese coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan. The following organizations supported the conference through financial or other contributions and we would like to thank them for their engagement: "

This book offers a critical account of studies of local immigration policy and a relational approach to explain its emergence, variation, and effects in a context of interdependence and globalization. The author emphasizes the horizontal interactions between local governments, and vertical interactions between local and national levels of government, as well as international interactions. Everywhere in the world, a growing number of cities are faced with challenges and opportunities brought by immigration. While some local governments have welcomed immigrants and promoted their social inclusion, others have actively prevented their arrival and settlement. Most studies emphasize the role of local conditions in the making and implementation of local immigration policy, but this book argues that broader processes- such as inter-governmental relations, economic globalization, and international institutions- are crucial.

This is the first book in English on the French agency DATAR-DIACT that has been the envy of regional planners worldwide. It sheds new light on political leadership in a bureaucracy and demonstrates convincingly the impact of political leaders on institutions. It is a study of France with lessons for other political and administrative systems.

This study investigates regulatory reforms in the telecommunications sector of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. It explores telecommunications innovations in three developing economies (Morocco, Jordan and Egypt), with a focus on regional and European trends in telecommunications policies. Common knowledge suggests that the European Union and its member states are the main influential regulatory power in the MENA region. However, the empirical analysis of selected telecommunications regulations: universal service obligation (USO) and spectrum management, reveals that reforms are not always determined by European countries but may also originate from other developing countries, such as Peru and Chile. This finding attests to the rise of regulatory influence from the Global South, which challenges traditional transfers of regulations originating from more industrially advanced countries.

This book interrogates Africa's pursuit of the Democratic Developmental State model by drawing on the experiences of Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. It comprises of five parts: Part I, consisting of two chapters, outlines the key conceptual and theoretical approaches used throughout the book's discussions. The proceeding parts II, III and IV critically analyses the three case studies under review. Each part is subdivided into two chapters wherein a historical state-societal approach is employed in interrogating the extent to which Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Rwanda have been able to successfully achieve democratic development, on the one hand, and, conversely, inclusive economic growth and development, on the other. Part V, and Chapter 10 debuts the concept and model of the Developmental Civil Society.

This book introduces the concept of policy decision emergence and its dynamics at the sub systemic level of the decision process. This level constitutes the breeding ground of the emergence of policy decisions but remains unexplored due to the absence of adequate tools. It is a nonlinear complex system made of several entities that interact dynamically. The behavior of such a system cannot be understood with linear and deterministic methods. The book presents an innovative multidisciplinary approach that results in the development of a Policy Decision Emergence Simulation Model (PODESIM). This computational model is a multi-level fuzzy inference system that allows the identification of the decision emergence levers. This development represents a major advancement in the field of public policy decision studies. It paves the way for decision emergence modeling and simulation by bridging complex systems theory, multiple streams theory, and fuzzy logic theory.

Regulation has become a central aspect of contemporary governance as a result of public management reforms over recent decades. Yet, for all its ubiquity, the ideas of regulation have become increasingly contested. Key failures in the regulation of areas such as financial markets, nuclear power and food safety have revealed limitations in strategies which were once praised as offering superior problem-solving solutions. This major new text introduces the issues which affect the design and operation of regulatory regimes, and assesses the different regulatory strategies which can be used to deal with real-world challenges. In doing so, it examines the most important areas in regulatory policy and reform, including rule-making and enforcement, better regulation, infrastructure regulation, international regulation and risk regulation. Throughout the book, Martin Lodge and Kai Wegrich discuss a range of hypothetical and real-world examples to illustrate key issues, options and trade-offs, and to encourage readers to think critically and creatively about the regulatory options which are available. Drawing on the most up-to-date research, this text provides a clear and useful toolkit for thinking analytically about regulation.

Due to the increased global political importance of the nonprofit sector, its technological support and organizational characteristics have become important fields of research. In order to conduct effective work, nonprofits need to communicate and coordinate effectively. However, such settings are generally characterized by a lack of resources, an absence of formal hierarchical structures and differences in languages and culture among the activists. Modern technologies could help nonprofit networks in improving their working. In order to design appropriate technological support for such settings, it is important to understand their work practices, which widely differ from traditional business organizations. This book aims to strengthen the body of knowledge by providing user studies and concepts related to user centered technology design process for nonprofit settings. The examination of ethnographic studies and user centered evaluation of IT artifacts in practice will further the understanding of design requirements of these systems. This book includes chapters from leading scholars and practitioners on the technology design process examining human centered factors. The chapters will focus on developed and developing countries as they both have unique issues in technology design. The book will be useful or of interest to academics from a range of fields including information systems, human computer interaction, computer supported cooperative work and organizational science as well as for government officials and governmental organizations.

This book discusses contemporary China's land use policy - the Link Policy - which calls for land consolidation and rural resettlement to achieve the goal of preserving farmland while also providing more space for urban development. Given the limited analyses and commentaries on the Link Policy in the literature, particularly in English-language articles, the book systematically presents and analyzes China's land use policy by assessing the impacts of the Link Policy on rural life and how effective the Link Policy is in achieving its objectives. It also examines how satisfied farmers are with the policy and what the contributing factors are. Drawing on a critical review of the literature, field observations and interviews with resettled farmers, the book offers insights into China's land use policy, and compares it with similar policy instruments in other countries. Presenting research findings that help readers gain a holistic understanding of the Link Policy in China and its implications, the book is a valuable resource for professionals in other developing countries that are facing similar challenges in terms of balancing urban development and farmland conservation.

The book examines the status of public service in developing countries, in the sectors of health, infrastructure, labour and marginalized populations, rural economy and public administration. The last decade has witnessed significant government focus on service delivery in developing nations like South Africa, Philippines, India and Malaysia. At the forefront of this movement has been the public sector reforms significantly driven by two broad factors: public sector inefficiencies and liberal economic ideology. This move towards efficient public service delivery in developing nations (versus developed nations) has required a significant shift in institutional thinking and institutional capacity for the governments. It is therefore no surprise that while economic liberalization has been relatively easy to implement, governance reforms towards public service delivery has been significantly more challenging. In this background, the chapters of the book, with sector themes, examine the three basic foundations of public policy-courses of action, regulatory measures and issues, and funding structures and priorities-in public service delivery. The book is a multi country, multi sector, perspective since it includes studies from Russian Federation, India, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Fiji, South Africa, Columbia, Philippines, Macedonia and India. This perspective lends itself to the investigation for a comprehensive overall development model.

Analysis of why politicians are driven to create an independent judicial institution with the authority to overrule their decisions. It focuses on a country with no tradition of independent judicial review - Russia. History does not support an independent judiciary here; yet a potentially powerful constitutional court has existed for 20 years.