Battered by our economy and disappointed by our government's role in that battering, we might be tempted to point the finger of blame at whoever's currently on the hot seat in front of us. But, as Phillip Cooper shows, we must widen our vision to take in the long history behind this dismal state of affairs. By doing so, it becomes clear that our present circumstances are in many ways the predictable outcome of a several-decades-long war against government regulation and its potential to protect and improve our lives. Cooper explains how the war against regulation has been conducted both from within and outside the government over the past thirty years. Chronicling its major battles from the Jimmy Carter years through the presidency of George W. Bush, he shows that it is a war - waged by Democrats and Republicans alike - that has been fought in high places but whose casualties include children, senior citizens, the infirm, and millions of families who have lost their homes and retirement savings. Cooper tells how Carter, praised for environmental regulation, worked to deregulate airlines, trucking, and banks; how Reagan undertook administrative rather than legislative measures against regulation - most of which weren't understood or even known by the public; and how George H.W. Bush continued the fight with the Quayle Commission. He describes Bill Clinton's commitment to fighting regulation despite having campaigned against his Republican predecessors' policies, then describes the behind-the-scenes maneuverings of George W. Bush as he sought to gut regulatory agencies entirely. He also devotes an entire chapter to parallel developments in the Supreme Court that substantially advanced the deregulation agenda during this era. Cooper contends that regulation, as one of a number of policy tools available to our leaders, is neither good nor bad in and of itself. Excessive deregulation - as opposed to regulatory reform, can present considerable peril, as current events clearly show. By considering key issues important to a more effective understanding and use of regulation in the future, ""The War against Regulation"" makes a vital case for restoring debate about regulation's rightful role within the republic and offers hope that a better understanding of that role can help lift us out of our current crisis.

Promises of justice and equality made in the U.S. Constitution, numerous Amendments, and decisions of the Supreme Court are hallmarks of American civil rights. Yet the realities of inequality remain facts of modern life for too many Native Americans, African Americans, and Latino Americans, even though state-mandated racial segregation has been outlawed for years. Women still face a variety of forms of discrimination-some subtle and others more overt. There remain many laws that treat people differently because of sexual orientation. People with disabilities are supposed to be protected by a variety of statutes, but many of these policies remain unfulfilled promises. These are just some of the many challenges of civil rights that persist in a nation that proudly points to the words above the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court that read "Equal Justice Under Law." This text is for current and future public service professionals -whether they are in government agencies, in nonprofit organizations that provide social services for government, or contractors who operate as state actors-who increasingly serve diverse communities with a range of complex challenges, while working and managing within organizations that, fortunately, are themselves more diverse than ever before. For those who work and serve in such settings, civil rights is not an abstract academic study, but a critically important and very practical fact of daily life. This book may also be used on civil rights law, policy, and public administration courses, and each chapter ends with a section on 'Issues for Policy and Practice' to guide an examination of key public policy hurdles in the fight for civil rights as well as the implications for public service practice. Through an engaging exploration of edited court cases, legislation, and speeches, the reader is encouraged to think critically about civil rights law and policy pertaining to African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos/Latinas, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities, to learn what civil rights require, but also to come to a more empathetic understanding of how different groups of people experience civil rights and the unique challenges they face.

Promises of justice and equality made in the U.S. Constitution, numerous Amendments, and decisions of the Supreme Court are hallmarks of American civil rights. Yet the realities of inequality remain facts of modern life for too many Native Americans, African Americans, and Latino Americans, even though state-mandated racial segregation has been outlawed for years. Women still face a variety of forms of discrimination-some subtle and others more overt. There remain many laws that treat people differently because of sexual orientation. People with disabilities are supposed to be protected by a variety of statutes, but many of these policies remain unfulfilled promises. These are just some of the many challenges of civil rights that persist in a nation that proudly points to the words above the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court that read "Equal Justice Under Law." This text is for current and future public service professionals -whether they are in government agencies, in nonprofit organizations that provide social services for government, or contractors who operate as state actors-who increasingly serve diverse communities with a range of complex challenges, while working and managing within organizations that, fortunately, are themselves more diverse than ever before. For those who work and serve in such settings, civil rights is not an abstract academic study, but a critically important and very practical fact of daily life. This book may also be used on civil rights law, policy, and public administration courses, and each chapter ends with a section on 'Issues for Policy and Practice' to guide an examination of key public policy hurdles in the fight for civil rights as well as the implications for public service practice. Through an engaging exploration of edited court cases, legislation, and speeches, the reader is encouraged to think critically about civil rights law and policy pertaining to African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos/Latinas, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities, to learn what civil rights require, but also to come to a more empathetic understanding of how different groups of people experience civil rights and the unique challenges they face.

Implementing Sustainable Development focuses on the challenge of turning international commitments and policy promises into action. Using examples and cases from around the U.S. and around the world, it examines the successful and failed efforts designed to address the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Based on broad research that started before the Earth Summit, Implementing Sustainable Development offers a practical and useful approach to identifying and addressing policy implementation challenges.

Felix Frankfurter's blustery depiction of debate within the Supreme Court suggests that combat sometimes supersedes collegiality in those hallowed halls. In fact, as Phillip Cooper shows, conflict is an inescapable fact of life in the Marble Temple.

Cooper peels back the calm, quiet public image of our judicial royalty to reveal their "family" feuds and squabbles. He shows that, whether motivated by deeply felt principle or by petty and vindictive impulses, these disputes dramatically shape the court's decision-making process, the justices' relations with one another, and the public's perception of the court.

Filled with wonderful vignettes and telling anecdotes, Battles on the Bench illuminates the court's legendary and little-known clashes from John Marshall to Ruth Ginsberg and helps us understand why they fight, how they fight, and why their fights matter. In the process, it reveals a long tradition of strategic flattery, cajolery, name-calling, threats, subterfuge, and sermonizing-all in an effort to win over or run over fellow justices.

Conflict in such high-stakes circumstances is hardly unexpected. But some of the court behavior is: Fred Vinson going after Frankfurter with a clenched fist and shouting that "no son of a bitch can ever say that to me "; Frankfurter's dismissal of Justice Reed's intellect as "largely vegetable"; James McReynolds' undisguised anti-semitism toward Louis Brandeis; Antonin Scalia's harsh attacks on Sandra Day O'Connor; and William Rehnquist's sarcastic recital of a nursery rhyme and the "Star-Spangled Banner" before his startled brethren.

Cooper, however, makes clear that to a surprising degree these justices do find ways to work together. As Earl Warren noted, life on the Court is like a marriage-one can't tolerate it if it's one battle after another. Appointed for life and completely independent, these "nine scorpions in a bottle" are nevertheless compelled to furl their stingers from time to time-for no justice can prevail without the support of at least four others. Indeed, one of the toughest questions Cooper tries to answer is why they don't fight more often.

A rich treasure trove mined from the vast resources of judicial biography, Cooper's engaging study will be especially appealing to students and general readers with limited knowledge of the court's inner workings.

Is the public getting a good deal when the government contracts out the delivery of goods and services? Phillip Cooper attempts to get at the heart of this question by exploring what happens when public sector organizations-at the federal, state and local levels-form working relationships with other agencies, communities, non-profit organizations and private firms through contracts. Rather than focus on the ongoing debate over privatization, the book emphasizes the tools managers need to form, operate, terminate or transform these contracts amidst a complex web of intergovernmental relations. Cooper frames the issues of public contract management by showing how managers are caught in between governance by authority and government by contract. By looking at cases ranging from the management of Baltimore schools to the contracting of senior citizen programs in Kansas, he offers practical information to students and practitioners and a theoretical context for their work. At every turn, the author avoids bogging readers down in technical jargon. Instead the book sheds light on a crucial part of any public manager's job with lively case material and no-nonsense guidance for making the most of taxpayer dollars.

In the midst of great crisis, it is difficult to contemplate the future. In recent decades, determining what kind of future to imagine has been an ongoing challenge for millions of people around the world who have been subjected to war, terrorism, and civil disorder. While destruction of the environment has long been part of warfare, it has become increasingly important as environmental pressures have intensified in our time. Focusing on the challenges and issues that arise for those contemplating a way forward in the wake of catastrophic upheavals, Sustainable Development in Crisis Conditions takes a broad-based and integrative approach. What emerges is that the post-WWII reconstruction or nation-building perspectives are inadequate and inappropriate to most of the contemporary post-conflict challenges-a successful response requires a sustainable development approach, and Sustainable Development in Crisis Conditions is a preliminary exploration of this complex subject.