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"How private groups increasingly set public policy and regulate
lives-with little public knowledge or attention. From accrediting
doctors and lawyers to setting industry and professional standards,
private groups establish many of the public policies in today's
advanced societies. Yet this important role of nongovernmental
groups is largely ignored by those who study, teach, or report on
public policy issues. Public Policymaking by Private Organizations
sheds light on policymaking by private groups, which are not
accountable to the general public or, often, even to governments.
This book brings to life the hidden world of policymaking by
providing an overview of this phenomenon and in-depth case studies
in the areas of finance, food safety, and certain professions. Far
from being merely self regulation or self-governance, policymaking
by private groups, for good or ill, can have a substantial impact
on the broader public-from ensuring the safety of our home
electrical appliances to vetting the credit-worthiness of complex
financial instruments in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
From nonprofit associations to multinational corporations, private
policymaking groups are everywhere. They certify professionals as
competent, establish industry regulations, and set technical and
professional standards. But because their operations lack the
transparency and accountability required of governmental bodies,
these organizations comprise a policymaking territory that is
largely unseen, unreported, uncharted, and not easily reconciled
with democratic principles. Anyone concerned about how policies are
made-and who makes them-should read this book."
Contrary to popular belief, the problem with U.S. higher education
is not too much politics but too little. Far from being bastions of
liberal bias, American universities have largely withdrawn from the
world of politics. So conclude Bruce L. R. Smith, Jeremy Mayer, and
Lee Fritschler in this illuminating book. Closed Minds?draws on
data from interviews, focus groups, and a new national survey by
the authors, as well as their decades of experience in higher
education to paint the most comprehensive picture to date of campus
political attitudes. It finds that while liberals outnumber
conservatives within faculty ranks, even most conservatives believe
that ideology has little impact on hiring and promotion. Today's
students are somewhat more conservative than their professors, but
few complain of political bias in the classroom. Similarly, a
Pennsylvania legislative inquiry, which the authors explore as a
case study of conservative activism in higher education, found that
political bias was ""rare"" in the state's public colleges and
universities. Yet this ideological peace on campus has been
purchased at a high price. American universities are rarely
hospitable to lively discussions of issues of public importance.
They largely shun serious political debate, all but ignore what
used to be called civics, and take little interest in educating
students to be effective citizens. Smith, Mayer, and Fritschler
contrast the current climate of disengagement with the original
civic mission of American colleges and universities. In concluding,
they suggest how universities can reclaim and strengthen their
place in the nation's political and civic life.
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