Levels of Government Books - Page 5

Becoming an Effective Policy Advocate: From Policy Practice to Social Justice

Bruce S. Jansson

Amazon Price: $99.85 List Price: $128.95 Usually ships in 7 to 11 days By: Brooks Cole Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $99.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Current Events -> Poverty -> Social Services & Welfare
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Social Policy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The BEST policy text. 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I have adopted this text for my social policy course since the first edition.

The hallmark to Jansson text is that he offers the best framework for generalist practice. Other policy textbooks perceive policy-making as an enterprise dominated by great persons who direct great ideas on a macro level. Policy, in this sense, is the development and maintenance of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Jansson makes it clear that policy encompasses all aspects of social work intervention. For example, Jansson offers students a framework to comprehend the lack of adequate parking spaces on campus and -- what to do about it. Thus, Jansson enables the student to understand that policies operate on the micro, mezzo and macro levels.

Jansson spends most of his energy on the application of micro policy issues. This is most appropriate for two reasons. First, I estimate that 90% of social work graduates who are required to read this text will face micro policy issues on a daily basis. Unless they reflect back on what they learn from Jansson, they won't realize it. Second, for those who actually obtain policy positions, it is unlikely that they will be involved in making grand decisions in the arena of what is thought to be classic policies (e.g. Social Security). They are most likely to be making policy decisions regarding the use of the copy machine, discharging staff, hiring (including issues like affirmation action for the agency staff) etc. No other text will assist the student in these areas as much as Jansson.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jansson offers the BEST text for a social policy course. However, he has one serious limitation. His writing is terrible. He can't seem to write in an economical manner. In a discussion in an open forum, I made this observation. Other professors thanked me. Everyone in the room knew it was true, but no one wanted to say it aloud - except perhaps me.

The bottom line is, Jansson offers the best text for a social policy course. However, his writing is overly sophisticated, students must be spoon-fed this framework. Once students comprehend his essential points, they have a clear understanding of policy development and maintenance. Some of them, because of Jansson, decide to pursue a career in policy rather than clinical social work.

Editorial Review:

Go beyond the ordinary, with Bruce Jansson's groundbreaking look at the ins-and-outs of conducting policy-practice. BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE POLICY ADVOCATE gives you hands-on experience building the skills that will empower you to implement policy reform as an effective social work practitioner Jansson includes case studies and examples that illustrate how and why policy is important as well as a toolbox of strategies to help you implement policy reform over the course of your own career. And to enhance your course experience, this text features access to CengageNOW, an integrated online suite of services and resources that will help you save time, focus your study, and get the grade you want!

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture)

Marion Nestle

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University of California Press Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $7.12

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Agricultural
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Industries & Professions -> Hospitality, Travel & Tourism
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good information in a dull format 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Marion Nestle has a lot of useful and important information in this book; however, her style is very clinical and mundane. I found myself working to stay awake whenever I read the book. I did finish it, because I think it's good knowledge to have, but a better writer could have made the material pop.

The same people pushing to "empower individuals" do all they can to disempower you 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

There's much to say about Nestle's "Food Politics" and "What To Eat," but the overarching message is that the food industries lie compulsively in order to maximize profits. There's no reason to assume that food-company profit maximization would lead to any desirable outcome: they will produce more food every year in the quest for profit growth, and that food will be as artificial and toxic as the laws will allow them. They will resist any food labeling that might harm their sales. This includes:

* "organic" (which implies that some foods are better than others)
* warnings about toxicity (e.g., methylmercury in tuna)
* the USDA food pyramid, which explicitly places junk food at the top and low-profit vegetables near the bottom

They offload the regulatory burden onto consumers: if you're getting fat, it's your own fault. Of course, they say this while they fight tooth and nail against any labeling requirement that might help you choose. And they fight against any regulation that might make you safer at their expense.

And of course there's the advertising. The same companies that tearfully demand your 'freedom to choose' with hand over heart are the same ones that target your children: everything from Saturday-morning cartoon ads to McDonald's sponsorship of Teletubbies to Coca-Cola branded baby bottles. In-depth psychological research understands exactly what will make your child tug at your sleeve in the grocery store and beg for the most profitable sugary cereal. So you have the 'freedom to choose', defended by companies that do all they can to deny it.

Marion Nestle's magisterial books prove these points in extraordinary detail, yet they pull off the trick with an eloquence that makes them read like novels. The basic premise, though, is beyond dispute: food companies exist to maximize shareholder return. Their investors demand growth every year. There's no reason to expect that this demand will work in your favor.

Editorial Review:

An accessible and balanced account, Food Politics laid the groundwork for today's food revolution and changed the way we respond to food industry marketing practices. Now, a new introduction and concluding chapter bring us up to date on the key events in that movement. This pathbreaking, prize-winning book helps us understand more clearly than ever before what we eat and why.

Government by the People: Texas Version

List Price: $67.83 By: Prentice Hall College Div Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Democracy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Federal Government
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> State & Local Government

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

B> This highly-acclaimed, brief survey of the workings and issues of the American political system--and the constitutional and political values that shape American politics and policies--focuses on the people that have made this country what it is today, and covers up-to-the-minute developments on the national, international, and local scenes. Features a dramatic 4-color design--with many state-of-the-art graphics, exciting photos, and witty cartoons, and intriguing and thought-provoking boxed material: People Debates boxes with challenging arguments on significant political topics; A Closer Look with background information on timely key issues; You Decide question-and-answer boxes with a problem in context; and We the People boxes that reflect the concerns and experiences of minorities in relation to the American government. Constitutional Democracy The Constitution of the United States. American Federalism. First Amendment Rights. Equal Justice Under the Law. Political Culture and Ideology. The American Political Landscape. Political Parties and Interest Groups. Public Opinion and Elections. The Media and American Politics. Congress: The People's Branch. The Presidency: The Leadership Branch? The Judiciary: The Balancing Branch. The Bureaucracy: The Real Power? Domestic Policy. Foreign and Defense Policy. For anyone who wants a solid, but brief introduction to the workings and issues of American government.

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia

Peter Hopkirk

List Price: $30.00 By: Kodansha International (JPN) Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $15.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 88 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Definitely history come alive... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I won't repeat too much of the praise already heaped upon this book, other than to say it is well deserved. Hopkirk has a very engaging writing style that makes it very difficult to put the book down.

Just a few notes:

- Hopkirk does a good job of staying on topic in a book that encompasses many regions and personalities. Often this means he has choosen to not take certain stories to their conclusion or lay all the groundwork for certain narratives. It can leave you wanting more in some cases, but the alternative would be a two thousand page book.

- A reviewer complained about the maps, but I must say I was most impressed with them. Almost every place he mentions is marked on the maps. Obviously if you want a larger context to the area you may need to visit an atlas or google maps, but after that the maps in the book follow the text quite closely.

- The book is certainly from the British perspective because at the time of writing that was where most of the source material came from and the author is British as well. That said, I don't think this was one sided as the author is clearly critical of the British motives in many circumstances and has outlined the conflicting Russian motives reasonably well.

In any case, a top notch book you won't regret reading.

Editorial Review:

This "immensely readable and magisterially detached work" (Financial Times) is the story of the great imperial struggle for strategic and economic supremacy fought across a cruel and desolate terrain stretching from the Caucasus to China--espionage and treachery on a grand scale and in exotic settings. 39 photographs. 5 maps.

The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

Cliff Stoll

Amazon Price: $10.46 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pocket Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $3.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Biographies
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Culture
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Government

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 155 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U.S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a highly personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatened national security. But would the authorities back him up? Cliff Stoll's dramatic firsthand account is "a computer-age detective story, instantly fascinating [and] astonishingly gripping" (Smithsonian).

Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB.

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late

Thom Hartmann

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Three Rivers Press Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $8.69

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Current Events -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Current Events -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 47 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent intro to the writings and thoughts of Thom Hartmann 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I've been a fan of Thom Hartmann, mostly listening to his daily radio talk show on air America. I liked this book because it covered so many topics about which he often speaks. Mostly, though, it is a great book on the topic of what we must do to understand and act to save our dwindling environmental resources.

Editorial Review:

While everything appears to be collapsing around us -- ecodamage, genetic engineering, virulent diseases, the end of cheap oil, water shortages, global famine, wars -- we can still do something about it and create a world that will work for us and for our children’s children. The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio’s web movie Global Warning, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture’s blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem. Thom Hartmann’s comprehensive book, originally published in 1998, has become one of the fundamental handbooks of the environmental activist movement. Now, with fresh, updated material and a focus on political activism and its effect on corporate behavior, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight helps us understand--and heal--our relationship to the world, to each other, and to our natural resources.

Policy Studies for Educational Leaders: An Introduction

Frances C. Fowler

List Price: $81.00 By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $8.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Reference -> Education
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Administration
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Leadership

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Educational Leaders 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This book was very easy to read and understand. Coming from a teaching background, and not knowing anything about policy making, this book was a true education. I used it in my grad class, and every student commented on the ease of understanding and the interest in the text. This is a must buy if you want to learn anything about education, teaching or being an administrator!

Fowler surfs the waves of educational public policy! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

An excellent source of information for the layperson or serious student of American education systems. Dr. Fowler explains in great detail a variety of such substantive areas as the meaning of policy; power and education; a discussion of the policy environment; some types of political systems and culture; ideological and value systems; who sets the stage in the making of education policy; the various stages of the policy process and so forth. Enjoyable! Thorough! Substantive!

Editorial Review:

This is the one and only general book on American educational policy. Unlike most trade books on this subject, it combines a strong theoretical and research base withpractical advice on what can be done. It promotes both intelligent reflection and intelligent action. Emphasizes state level policy-making. Provides a powerful combination—a solid theoretical base with practical recommendations. Contains a discussion of each stage of the policy process. For Educators and School Administrators.

Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives

Michael E. Kraft, Scott Furlong

List Price: $59.95 By: CQ Press Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $6.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Public Policy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

This work describes government institutions, identifies the primary policy actors, and reviews major theoretical models as well as the instruments of public policy. It also covers he nature of policy analysis and its practice, and gives students practical ways to think about public problems.

American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach

Howard Jacob Karger, David Stoesz

List Price: $52.67 By: Longman Pub Group Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Current Events -> Poverty -> Social Services & Welfare
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Political Science -> Levels of Government -> Federal Government
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Now featuring a color design, this best-selling text for policy analysis provides students with a comprehensive overview of social welfare policy in the United States while examining cutting-edge issues. Thoroughly updated and revised to reflect the impact of dramatic changes in social welfare policy, the fifth edition continues to focus on the examination of how the major sectors of social welfare policy - the voluntary, governmental, corporate, and corporate sectors - operate and co-exist (the "pluralist approach"), while also offering a clear, user-friendly framework for policy analysis. Among the cutting edge issues covered in this edition are: technology and social welfare policy, the fringe economy, religion and social policy, the transformation of public assistance policy into labor policy, and the relationship between tax policy and social welfare policy. In the fifth edition, you will find a new chapter on Religion and Social Policy that examines the past and present relationship between religion and the creation and the implementation of social policy. The discrimination chapter now includes coverage of the minority middle class and a comprehensive examination of gay and lesbian marriage policies. This chapter also has an updated section on immigration policies since 9/11. Chapter 5, Poverty in America, now includes a section on the fringe economy and its impact on poverty, as well as a new section on Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and the digital divide. Chapter 8, Making of Governmental Policy, provides up-dates on special interests, lobbyists, and their influence on the 2004 election. Chapter 9, Tax Policy and Income Distribution, examines the impact of theBush tax cuts on social welfare policy. Chapter 11, Public Assistance Programs, includes updated information on public assistance programs, including an evaluation of the effects of welfare reform legislation and new changes to TANF. Chapter 16, Housing Policies, includes new material on obstacles to homeownership, such as predatory home mortgages, increases in housing prices, and racial and class discrimination.

Politics in States and Communities

Thomas R. Dye

List Price: $49.88 By: Prentice Hall College Div Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $0.65

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> State & Local Government
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> U.S.
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Editorial Review:

A lively written, thought-provoking book which uses a clear, accessible approach to political conflict in American states and communities. It explores the what and the why behind current issues including illegal immigration, term limits, the fight against tobacco, campaign finance, sexual harassment, welfare reform, crime in the states, police and law enforcement, state correctional policies, the death penalty, abortion, affirmative action and more. This book compares the public policy and government management strategies of state and local governments, while focusing on the sources and nature of conflict. Coverage demonstrates how communities and states in America play an important role in the political life of the nation. For anyone wanting to learn more about State, Local, State and Local Government and Urban Politics.