This provocative new study explores the reasons for the dramatic decline in confidence which the political institutions of the U.S. have suffered since the 1960s. The author demonstrates the limitations of existing attempts to account for this heightened political alienation, particularly spirit of the times explanations which claim that events like the Vietnam War and Watergate affected the entire U.S. population in a similar fashion and political socialization and culture theories which, Herring argues, do not accurately gauge the amount of change that has occurred in the past 25 years. Instead, Herring proposes and tests a welfare split model which posits that conflicts over spending priorities of the state have led to spiraling alienation among different class fractions. Ideal as supplemental reading for advanced courses in political sociology, political economy, and political science, Splitting the Middle offers important new insights into the nature and causes of political alienation among America's middle layers.

After pointing out the polarizing effects of the movements and events since the 1960s, Herring shows that the increasing lack of confidence in political institutions has a class basis. The War on Poverty and the progressive movements of the 1960s and 1970s, he demonstrates, forced irreconcilable demands on government and produced dual tendencies among different classes. On the one hand, levels of political alienation swelled among members of the capitalist, professional-managerial, and traditional working classes as a reaction to protest movement activities, growing deficits and the increasing burdens of the welfare state. At the same time, Herring asserts, political distrust among the new layer of public sector professionals and the poor grew because of cutbacks in government programs and worsening economic conditions. Using data from the "National Elections StudieS" and other sources, Herring shows how the government's oscillation between mutually contradictory sets of demands led to higher levels of political distrust. Finally, Herring analyzes what consequences these higher levels of alienation have had on political behaviors and the society.

Reinventing Race, Reinventing Racism not only provides fresh theoretical insights into the new forms of race and racism, it also provides evidence of and policy solutions to address these seemingly intractable forms of discrimination and racial disparities. These issues are tackled in accessible, yet insightful fashion by some of the nation's most prominent race and public policy scholars.

Diversity in Organizations argues that ensuring a diverse workforce composition has tangible benefits for business organizations. Rather than relying on touchy-feely arguments, Herring and Henderson present compelling evidence that directly links diversity to the bottom line. However, the book goes beyond merely arguing that we should embrace diversity because it is profitable; it shows that the true power of diversity lies in its potential as a catalyst and incubator for innovation.

Critical diversity is a forceful theory that argues for the relationship between workforce composition and the business case for diversity. Contrasting critical diversity with other notions of diversity (such as colorblind, segregated and snowflake diversity), the book offers real life solutions to the political problems that arise from implementing diversity initiatives, and examines why some of these initiatives remain unpopular. Readers will learn:

• How and why diversity is related to business performance
• What the impact of diversity training programs is on productivity, business performance and promotions
• What the biggest mistakes in diversity management are, and how to avoid them
• What can be done to make diversity initiatives more effective and politically palatable
• How to measure levels of success in diversity initiatives in rigorous but non-technical ways so that managers and teams accountable for diversity practices can achieve their desired results

The theory is presented in an accessible manner without shying away from the contentious aspects of diversity that confront our society. The book also provides concrete advice and guidance to those who seek to implement diversity programs and initiatives in their organizations, and to make their companies more competitive. Not only is it a compelling read, but students taking classes in diversity, human resource management, sociology of work, and organizational psychology will find this a comprehensive, helpful resource.

Diversity in Organizations argues that ensuring a diverse workforce composition has tangible benefits for business organizations. Rather than relying on touchy-feely arguments, Herring and Henderson present compelling evidence that directly links diversity to the bottom line. However, the book goes beyond merely arguing that we should embrace diversity because it is profitable; it shows that the true power of diversity lies in its potential as a catalyst and incubator for innovation.

Critical diversity is a forceful theory that argues for the relationship between workforce composition and the business case for diversity. Contrasting critical diversity with other notions of diversity (such as colorblind, segregated and snowflake diversity), the book offers real life solutions to the political problems that arise from implementing diversity initiatives, and examines why some of these initiatives remain unpopular. Readers will learn:

• How and why diversity is related to business performance
• What the impact of diversity training programs is on productivity, business performance and promotions
• What the biggest mistakes in diversity management are, and how to avoid them
• What can be done to make diversity initiatives more effective and politically palatable
• How to measure levels of success in diversity initiatives in rigorous but non-technical ways so that managers and teams accountable for diversity practices can achieve their desired results

The theory is presented in an accessible manner without shying away from the contentious aspects of diversity that confront our society. The book also provides concrete advice and guidance to those who seek to implement diversity programs and initiatives in their organizations, and to make their companies more competitive. Not only is it a compelling read, but students taking classes in diversity, human resource management, sociology of work, and organizational psychology will find this a comprehensive, helpful resource.

Who truly represents African Americans in the American political process? If white racism seems to be declining, why does there seem to be increased white resistance to programs that seek to redress equality? And, why do so many programs that were intended to amend inequality seem to exacerbate it? In African Americans and the Public Agenda, editor Cedric Herring and a distinguished group of scholars shed light on these apparent paradoxes. This presidential collection of invited and refereed chapters have been selected primarily from the 1995 Annual Conference of the Association of Black Sociologists. The book presents competing perspectives in a rigorous yet accessible way and will help bridge the gap between scholars and policymakers. Both perceptive and timely, African Americans and the Public Agenda examines a wide variety of issues surrounding race and public policy, thus making it an essential resource for students and professionals in race and ethnic studies, sociology, American studies, political science, and anthropology.