Remaking America by Over the past three decades, the contours of American social, economic, and political life have changed dramatically. The post-war patterns of broadly distributed economic growth have given way to stark inequalities of income and wealth, the GOP and its allies have gained power and shifted U.S. politics rightward, and the role of government in the lives of Americans has changed fundamentally. Remaking America explores how these trends are related, investigating the complex interactions of economics, politics, and public policy. Remaking America explains how the broad restructuring of government policy has both reflected and propelled major shifts in the character of inequality and democracy in the United States. The contributors explore how recent political and policy changes affect not just the social standing of Americans but also the character of democratic citizenship in the United States today. Lawrence Jacobs shows how partisan politics, public opinion, and interest groups have shaped the evolution of Medicare, but also how Medicare itself restructured health politics in America. Kimberly Morgan explains how highly visible tax policies created an opportunity for conservatives to lead a grassroots tax revolt that ultimately eroded of the revenues needed for social-welfare programs. Deborah Stone explores how new policies have redefined participation in the labor force--as opposed to fulfilling family or civic obligations--as the central criterion of citizenship. Frances Fox Piven explains how low-income women remain creative and vital political actors in an era in which welfare programs increasingly subject them to stringent behavioral requirements and monitoring. Joshua Guetzkow and Bruce Western document the rise of mass incarceration in America and illuminate its unhealthy effects on state social-policy efforts and the civic status of African-American men. For many disadvantaged Americans who used to look to government as a source of opportunity and security, the state has become increasingly paternalistic and punitive. Far from standing alone, their experience reflects a broader set of political victories and policy revolutions that have fundamentally altered American democracy and society. Empirically grounded and theoretically informed, Remaking America connects the dots to provide insight into the remarkable social and political changes of the last three decades.
Dialogues on Migration Policy by Dialogues on Migration Policy brings together leading American and European scholars of immigration politics to address migration policy. Editors Marco Giugni and Florence Passy's aim to present a number of informed 'dialogues' addressing three main theoretical concerns in this field: the role of the national state in a globalizing world, the determinants of policy change, and the role of collective interests in migration policy. Adopting an unconventional format, the novelty of Dialogues on Migration Policy lies in the fact that it is structured around a series of debates among authors. In each debate, expert contributors working in different theoretical traditions and with divergent views on the subject matter confront each other followed by a commentary from a leading scholar based on her/his reading of these authors' views. These lively debates are certain to engage scholars of migration, political science, and sociology.
Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects by Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects, the third in a series, sets out to inform policymakers, practitioners, and scholars about the effectiveness of select policy approaches, reforms, and experiments in addressing key social and economic problems facing cities, suburbs, and metropolitan areas. The chapters analyze responses to five key policy challenges that most metropolitan areas and local communities face: * Creating quality neighborhoods for families * Governing effectively * Building human capital * Growing the middle class * Enlarging a competitive economy through industry-based strategies * Managing the spatial pattern of metropolitan growth and development Each chapter discusses a specific topic under one of these challenges. The authors present the essence of what is known, as well as its likely applications, and identify the knowledge gaps that need to be filled for the successful formulation and implementation of urban and regional policy.
Cultural competence in America's schools : leadership, engagement and understanding by Focuses on explicating the impact of culture and issues of race and ethnicity on student learning, teacher and leadership efficacy, and educational policy making in our nation's public school system.
A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis by With his original eightfold approach, Eugene Bardach encapsulates more than 35 years of teaching students effective, accurate and persuasive policy analysis. This bestselling handbook presents dozens of concrete tips, interesting case studies and step-by-step strategies for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional. In this new edition, Bardach clarifies some of the book′s exposition, paying particular attention to "design problems" and the choice of a "base case". Up-to-date examples, including a new set of environmental problems, make the book even more engaging. Readers will also appreciate a sample document of real world policy analysis, a primer in how to "talk the talk" of policy analysis, and a cheat sheet of strategies for solving a host of policy problems.
Oxford Handbook of U. S. Social Policy by The American welfare state has long been a source of political contention and academic debate. This Oxford Handbook pulls together much of our current knowledge about the origins, development, functions, and challenges of American social policy. After the Introduction, the first substantivepart of the handbook offers an historical overview of U.S. social policy from the colonial era to the present. This is followed by a set of chapters on different theoretical perspectives available for understanding and explaining the development of U.S. social policy. The three following parts ofthe volume focus on concrete social programs for the elderly, the poor and near-poor, the disabled, and workers and families. Policy areas covered include health care, pensions, food assistance, housing, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, workers' compensation, family support, and programsfor soldiers and veterans. The final part of the book focuses on some of the consequences of the U.S. welfare state for poverty, inequality, and citizenship. Many of the chapters comprising this handbook emphasize the disjointed patterns of policy making inherent to U.S. policymaking and thepublic-private mix of social provision in which the government helps certain groups of citizens directly (e.g., social insurance) or indirectly (e.g., tax expenditures, regulations). The contributing authors are experts from political science, sociology, history, economics, and other socialsciences.
American History, Race and the Struggle for Equality : An Unfinished Journey by This book addresses the issue of inequality across American politics and society, using race as a lens for the exploration of major themes in American history and emphasizes what is distinctive about the United States and our racial past.
When Race and Policy Collide by Examining actual policy to identify the facts, this book exposes how racially charged political and legal debates over immigration reform in the United States continue to inform our immigration policy. * Covers policies pertaining to immigrants and immigration reform and relates these policies to associated topics such as language, bilingual education, housing, borders, and voting rights * Provides immigration policy analyses that are engaging and accessible to a wide range of readers * Examines past policy actions as well as findings from recent case studies, allowing readers to grasp the specific racial dimensions intertwined in these controversial policies and debates
The American Way of Poverty by Selected as A Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. The American Way of Poverty shines a light on the effects of economic inequality and suggests ways for moving toward a fairer and more equitable social contract. Exploring everything from housing policy to wage protections and affordable higher education, Abramsky lays out a panoramic blueprint for a reinvigorated political process that, in turn, will pave the way for a renewed War on Poverty.
Improbable Scholars : the rebirth of a great American school system and a strategy for America's schools by This book challenges the conventional wisdom about public schools and education reform in America through an in-depth look at Union City, New Jersey's high-performing urban school district. In this compelling study, Kirp reveals Union's city's revolutionary secret: running an exemplary school system doesn't demand heroics, just hard and steady work
Nonbeliever Nation : the rise of secular Americans by This book looks at how growing numbers of nonbelievers are emerging to fight for equality and rational public policy. It explores issues that divide the country - from gay marriage to education policy to contentious church-state battles and how these issues are gaining movement.
Urban America by Urban reform refers to a loosely knit set of municipal government and citizen group initiatives aimed at improving city life. The viewpoints presented are selected from a wide range of highly respected and often hard-to-find sources and publications.
Another Day in the Death of America : : a chronicle of ten short lives by On an average day in America, seven young people aged nineteen or under will be shot dead. Younge chose November 23, 2013, with ten such deaths, and over a period of twenty-four hours reveals the powerful human stories behind the statistics. The result is a gripping chronicle of an ordinary but deadly day in American life, and a series of character portraits of young people taken from us far too soon and those they left behind.
The Japanese American Cases by This book focuses on four Supreme Court cases involving Japanese Americans who were forcibly detained and relocated to internment camps in the early months of World War II, despite the absence of any charges or trials to address the validity of their implied guilt.
Decarcerating America : from mass punishment to public health by There is an emerging consensus that we've been locking up too many people for too long, but with more than 2.2 million Americans behind bars, how do we bring people home? This book collects the thoughts of some of the leading thinkers in the criminal justice reform movement to strategize about how to cure America of its epidemic of mass punishment.
Is America in Retreat? American Foreign Policy Leaders Dealing with Modern Challenges A documentary that looks at the hard questions American foreign policy leaders face in dealing with today's rapidly changing world order. Just how deeply entangled should America be in the world's affairs? What alternatives are there to being the world's policemen? Is there really a downside to retreat? And in the absence of the U.S., how might global order be maintained -- or destroyed?
Admissions Student Stories from Undocumented America This film delves into the contradictions and psychological implications of undocumented students trapped at the intersection of education policy and a broken immigration system. The stories of four students demonstrate both the dehumanizing effects of marginalization and their determination to receive a higher education
Code of the West : Marijuana and the Political Process At a time when the world is rethinking its drug policies large and small, one state rises to the forefront. Once a pioneer in legalizing medical marijuana, the state of Montana may now become the first to repeal its medical marijuana law. Set against the sweeping vistas of the Rockies, the steamy lamplight of marijuana grow houses, and the bustling halls of the State Capitol, this documentary follows the political process of marijuana policy reform.
America Betrayed One of America's proudest achievements, our national infrastructure, is now its most dangerous embarrassment. Our bridges, dams, levees and highways are crumbling, toppling, being washed away, and putting American citizens and cities at risk. Narrated by Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss and featuring interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, noted scientists, whistleblowers who risked their lives and careers to speak out, and politicians from both sides of the aisle (including Barack Obama and John McCain), this documentary exposes the collusion and corruption within the government agencies whose very purpose is to protect us.
Show Me Democracy : Student Activism Admist the Uprising in Ferguson Amidst the uprising in Ferguson, MO, seven St. Louis college students evolve into activists as they demand change through policy and protest. This film examines their personal lives and backgrounds as each of them copes with the fallout of Ferguson.
No Control : The Debate Over Gun Control in America With over 300 million firearms, the U.S. holds the highest rate of gun ownership per capita in the world. Meanwhile, with each gun-related tragedy, the question remains whether to regulate or to arm. Increasing demand, illegal distribution and emerging 3D technologies threaten to upend the traditional debate of gun control.
America's Diplomats Behind the Scenes of America's Foreign Policy Narrated by Kathleen Turner, AMERICA'S DIPLOMATS goes inside the Foreign Service and behind the scenes of American foreign policy, uncovering the origins of the Foreign Service and the dangers diplomats face far from home, featuring some of the world's most renowned diplomats.