Government Books - Page 8

State And Local Government

Ann O'M. Bowman, Richard C. Kearney

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Editorial Review:

The Sixth Edition of this best-selling text continues to provide the comprehensive and current coverage of institutions, political behavior, and policy-making at the state and local level. The strong policy orientation of the text, as well as its unifying theme of the increased capacity and responsibility of state and local governments have established this text as the standard for this course.

Web resources in every chapter foster student interest in state and local politics and policy. An enhanced text-specific web site provides additional resources for instructors and students.

• Chapter 18, Environmental Policy, covers a broad range of issues to address the tension between economic and environmental interests.
• Breaking New Ground and Debating Politics boxes facilitate critical thinking and class discussion by presenting policy innovations and controversial issues.
• Up-to-date coverage of e-government and the Internet explores the impact of technology on government and citizen participation.

Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power

Harwood, John, Seib, Gerald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Middle of the Road 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you want a wonky read but your diet doesn't allow for red meat, this is for you. These are profiles of people who make things happen from across the ideological spectrum and all judgements are reserved, which is pretty rare in today's hyper-partisan media environment. Given it's quick pace, this book might be best suited to young people interested in D.C.

Food for Thought 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I finished reading the book a while ago, and I find it gives me food for thought during this political season--particularly when I see one or another of the profiled people quoted or interviewed. Though I work in Washington, I have little interaction with the world depicted in Pennsylvania Avenue--but, having read it, I now know a lot more. We all think of ourselves as jaded, but I was really startled by the sheer volume of money that Harwood and Seib describe as flowing through the political world. They may not be partisan, but they do describe a system that desperately needs change.

Editorial Review:

Through stories about Washingtons key players and through inside analysis, Seib and Harwood take us behind the scenes to show what really happens on the first street in America and how that affects politics, players, and the country.

The Uses of Haiti

Paul Farmer

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Wake up America! 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

The content, in the beginning, was difficult for a non political/history reader....but before long I was locked in and was amazed...appalled...at the role of our government in keeping the Haitian people in 'slavery' while claiming to support democracy. Life is a political game to which I have closed my eyes for too long! I am ashamed of the underhanded political dealings my government has been part of in keeping the poor people of Haiti prisoners of the elite and military powers of their own country....Paul Farmer has no ax to grind....he should be applauded and held in high esteme for his courage and wisdom ....and for the first hand exteriences of Haiti that he shares with the little people of the world...us. We give too much trust and power to our gov/politicians who work the system to their own advantage. Learn something citizens of America.....we are being led like sheep....we are part of the problem of the economic abuses being leveled against a small, destitute , struggling country that is fighting for their right to govern themselves as they see fit, with no real support from the rest of the world...least of all the U.S.

Editorial Review:

"The Uses of Haiti tells the truth about uncomfortable matters -- uncomfortable, that is, for the structures of power and the doctrinal framework that protects them from critical scrutiny. It tells the truth about what has been happening in Haiti, and the U.S. role in its bitter fate." -- Noam Chomsky

"A classic" -- Jonathan Kozol, author, Death at an Early Age and Savage Inequalities

Understanding Contemporary Africa (Understanding: Introductions to the States & Regions of the Contemporary World)

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An Excellent Introduction to a Fascinating Continent 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book. It's extremely well-written, sensitive, and demonstrates a wealth of knowledge about African cultures, politics, religions, economies, gender relations, and, in one of the best chapters in the book, literature. You don't often see such a skillful sketch of the impressive African novels and poems that have been written in the past few generations.

This is the perfect book to assign to students who have no exposure to anything African (which, unfortunately, is most undergraduates). Although it's an introduction to the topic, those who know a great deal about it will find that almost all of it resonates with the other literature they have read, whether historical, political, or otherwise. It's a very compassionate and progressive look at Africa. All modern challenges to the continent are presented so that students get a multi-dimensional look at Africa's struggles. Environmental and agricultural problems are presented in tandem with economic and political ones, so that students will have a real context in which to put all future readings about Africa. But unlike so many African books, the text provides sections such as the one on literature, to show that Africa has many achievements, instead of focusing only on negativity, as unfortunately many books on the topic do. At the same time, it does not gloss over the tragedies on the continent and their causes, and difficult topics such as the AIDS crisis are treated in a sensitive manner.

It is a great book and I can't imagine there's one better out there. However, were I to make suggestions to the editors they would be the following:

1. The historical section could be slightly larger. The historical context is dealt with in one chapter, and yet a more extensive discussion of certain historical events would help students better understand some of the continent's present difficulties.

2. The literature section could be extended to include popular culture, music, every day entertainments, festivals, etc. Students would enjoy some additional stories showing the richness of so many African cultures. Although the literature section does this, it could do so more thoroughly.

3. The economic section would benefit from more success stories. Although it has an excellent discussion of the crushing debt burden and the role of international financial institutions in African economies, which students must know about, it would help to see some dicussions not just of how local business and initiative is stifled, but descriptions of these businesses.

I've read some fascinating things about African entrepreneurship and ingenuity in industry against all kinds of odds. Although many of these efforts were stifled by the state, I think students would benefit from knowing about dynamic efforts such as these.



3

Editorial Review:

Thoroughly updated to reflect recent events and trends - including Africa and the war on terror, progress and problems in democratization, advances by women in politics, developments in the fight against AIDS, the growing influence of China, the establishment of the African Union, and much more - this new edition of "Understanding Contemporary Africa" treats the range of issues facing the continent in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The authors provide current, thorough analyses not only of history, politics, and economics, but also geography, environmental concerns, population shifts, family and kinship, the role of women, religious beliefs, and literature. Each topic is covered in an accessible style, but with reference to the latest scholarship. Maps, photographs, and a table of basic political data enhance the text, which has made its place as the best available introduction to this diverse and complex continent.

Government by the People, Brief Version (7th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)

David B. Magleby, David M. O'Brien, Paul C. Light, J. W. Peltason, Thomas E. Cronin

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Government by the People 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book to learn the U.S. Constitution; however, the authors so called history portrayal, in my opinion, is tilted left when describing what should be historical events, not a political position. It gave a negative connotation of Republicans and a positive view for Democrats. The sad fact is that there were students in this class, that believe what they read and don't investigate the false or true statements. Textbooks should be 100% factual, and the student then should research to find the opposing views. This books does not provide knowledge as much as the authors political viewpoint. I was rather disappointed that the college used this text to teach aspects of political science. If you lean left, then you'll think this book is great, if you don't lean left, you will easily see the slant when you begin reading. Reader beware, and research the information, don't take the book as face value.

Editorial Review:

Grounded in the most authoritative scholarship available in the introductory course, Government by the People is a complete introduction to American Government and the discipline of Political Science. It is built around a simple goal–  to make students effective participants in our political culture by making them informed consumers of that culture. 

 

With a new, engaging design and three new, compelling features, the 22^nd edition of Government by the People continues in the long tradition of the book that has been the cornerstone of American Government classes for over 50 years. As we enter this very complex political era, there is no more reliable text to help you advance your students from being simple onlookers to knowledgeable participants in the American political experience.

Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War

Michael Isikoff, David Corn

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Total reviews: 71 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE INVASION OF IRAQ

Filled with news-making revelations that made it a New York Times bestseller, Hubris takes us behind the scenes at the White House, CIA, Pentagon, State Department, and Congress to show how George W. Bush came to invade Iraq - and how his administration struggled with the devastating fallout.

Hubris connects the dots between Bush's expletive-laden outbursts at Saddam Hussein, the bitter battles between the CIA and the White House, the fights within the intelligence community over Saddam's supposed weapons of mass destruction, the outing of an undercover CIA officer, and the Bush administration's misleading sales campaign for war. Written by veteran reporters Michael Isikoff and David Corn, this is an inside look at how a president took the nation to war using faulty and fraudulent intelligence. It's a dramatic page-turner and an intriguing account of conspiracy, backstabbing, bureaucratic ineptitude, journalistic malfeasance, and arrogance.

When Things Fell Apart: State Failure in Late-Century Africa (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)

Robert H. Bates

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

an interesting model with a hodgepodge of evidence 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

In this short book (174 pages of text; 139 if you skip the quantitative appendix), Bates argues that state failure stems from predation on the part of the central government. His model, to put it briefly (and inadequately), is that governments can either take revenues from the people (1) in the form of taxes while providing services (such as security) or (2) in the form of predation. As long as the benefits of the former outweigh the latter (for example, when a government is assured of staying in power for a long time), the government will maintain security. However, if the long run is less certain, the government may sacrifice steady long-term gains in favor of larger short-term gains from predation.

Bates starts with an extended, insightful exposition of this metaphor (Chapter Two). Then he characterizes the conditions that prevailed prior to collapse in many African countries in chapters three (political trends), four (bad economic policies), and five (tensions between groups in the countries). In Chapter Six he describes the state failures. The conclusion sums it up, and the appendix gives some statistical evidence (the rest of the evidence is anecdotal or - Bates's preferred term - narrative).

Overall I found the book slow reading (despite its brevity) and not as coherent as I'd have liked. The basic model is useful but I often found it unclear in the succeeding chapters how the many pieces of narrative evidence fit into the model. The clearest example of this was in Chapter Five, where three models of subnational tensions were presented followed by several examples that did not clearly fit the models.

Further, the form of narrative evidence (lots of different examples from various countries) felt less effective to me than either a detailed case study of one example or systematic statistical evidence. (If I had pre-existing intimate familiarity with the national histories, this would have been less of an issue) The statistical annex provides the latter but deserved more space: some integration of statistical findings with narrative evidence might have worked better. (As it was, the statistical annex left me with a number of clarifying questions.) Bates argues that he distinguishes himself from other work in the area by deriving his hypothesis from a theory rather than highlighting empirical "findings" (p8-9).* And yet Bates - in his empirical appendix - reports atheoretical findings such as the increasing likelihood of disorder over time (despite controlling for changes that should drive the changing likelihood) - p171-173. Finally, Bates doesn't devote any time to states that didn't experience state failure and why or how they differed, nor to rival theories and how they fare in light of the national narratives.

As a novice considering whether to read a book like this, the ideal would be to read at least two reviews: one from an expert (who can opine as to how this fits - or doesn't - with existing knowledge) and one from a novice (who can tell how this may read to another novice). I fall in the latter category. In the former, Chris Blattman (an economics professor in Yale's political science department) blogged, "It's short, it's readable, and it's intelligent. Normally if I get just two of the three, I'm thrilled" [1]. A political scientist I know called it an "excellent primer." And Nicholas Van De Walle (author of the highly esteemed African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1979-1999) wrote a brief review for Foreign Affairs, summarizing and concluding that "Bates paints in broad brushes and ignores the states in the region, such as Botswana, Cape Verde, and Mauritius, that have not followed this script but actually enjoyed stability, economic growth, and reasonably democratic politics" [2].

Perhaps this volume is most readable to the already initiated. But it is short and imparts a significant amount of valuable information; I recommend Chapters 2 and 6.

[1] Chris Blattman's blog [easily searchable on-line], "When things fell apart," 19 July 2008.

[2] Nicholas Van De Walle, "Africa," Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008.

* I assume by this he means an explicit, chapter-long theory. Other work I've read in this area, by Collier or by Miguel, clearly has a theoretical basis even if not as formally stated as Bates's.

Editorial Review:

In the later decades of the 20th century, Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed, governments became predators, and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates advances an explanation of state failure in Africa. In so doing, he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy, but also the logic of political order and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing on materials from Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Congo. Written to be accessible to the general reader, it is nonetheless a must-read for scholars and policy makers concerned with political conflict and state failure.

Politics of Latin America: The Power Game

Harry E. Vanden, Gary Prevost

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Editorial Review:

Now in its third edition, Politics of Latin America explores both the evolution and the current state of the political scene in Latin America. Distinguishing itself from more traditional works on Latin American politics, this text demonstrates a nuanced sensitivity to the use and abuse of power and the importance of social conditions, gender, race, globalization, and political economy throughout Latin America. This new edition includes a new chapter on Bolivia and a stronger focus on anti-neoliberal economics, U.S.-Latin American relations, women's issues, and social movements.
The first part of the book presents relevant information about the region's geographic setting, history, economics, society, people, and religion, setting the stage for a more detailed analysis of the politics, democratization, political culture, political movements, and revolution in Latin America. The second part of the book consists of carefully constructed case studies of ten representative Latin American nations. Each case study traces the historical development of key political actors and institutions, analyzing contemporary power configurations.
Case Studies:
Guatemala, Susanne Jonas
Mexico, Nora Hamilton
Cuba, Gary Prevost
Brazil, Wilber Albert Chaffee
Argentina, Aldo C. Vacs
Chile, Eduardo Silva
Venezuela, Daniel Hellinger
Colombia, John C. Dugas
Nicaragua, Gary Prevost and Harry E. Vanden
Bolivia, Waltraud Morales (new to this edition)
Incorporating maps, tables, chronologies, bibliographies, and clear indications of key players, Politics of Latin America, Third Edition, is indispensable for students and other readers wishing to gain a deeper understanding of this complex, dynamic, and rapidly changing region of the world.

Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism

Sheldon S. Wolin

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Democracy is struggling in America--by now this statement is almost cliché. But what if the country is no longer a democracy at all? In Democracy Incorporated, Sheldon Wolin considers the unthinkable: has America unwittingly morphed into a new and strange kind of political hybrid, one where economic and state powers are conjoined and virtually unbridled? Can the nation check its descent into what the author terms "inverted totalitarianism"?

Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive--and where elites are eager to keep them that way. At best the nation has become a "managed democracy" where the public is shepherded, not sovereign. At worst it is a place where corporate power no longer answers to state controls. Wolin makes clear that today's America is in no way morally or politically comparable to totalitarian states like Nazi Germany, yet he warns that unchecked economic power risks verging on total power and has its own unnerving pathologies. Wolin examines the myths and mythmaking that justify today's politics, the quest for an ever-expanding economy, and the perverse attractions of an endless war on terror. He argues passionately that democracy's best hope lies in citizens themselves learning anew to exercise power at the local level.

Democracy Incorporated is one of the most worrying diagnoses of America's political ills to emerge in decades. It is sure to be a lightning rod for political debate for years to come.

American Government (12th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)

Walter E. Volkomer

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Editorial Review:

This text presents a succinct and timely approach to the principles and practices of the American governmental system. Concentrating on the most significant issues necessary to understanding American government, this book is specifically structured to engage today's students through a concise, stimulating style that is free of ideological and political bias.

 

Walter E. Volkomer wrote this book with the intent of producing a relatively short American government textbook that would provide all of the necessary details to give students a full understanding of the governmental system.