Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 82 - June 2020): Public Policy

The theme of this book is the political practices by Zhejiang Government under the guidance of "China Dream" policy. It reviews the political facets of governance, The People's Congress System, the consultative system, grassroots democracy, rule of law, government function, restriction and supervision of power and the united front. These areas are the foundations of Chinese government, and are currently discussed in detail from the point of view of the Zhejiang local administration.  As China has its unique political system, this book could help scholars and policy makers around the global better understand the operation of Chinese government and political goals for the future under the guidance of the statecraft.

There has been increased attention to the topics of disaster recovery and disaster resilience over the past several years, particularly as catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy have brought to light the increasing vulnerability of so many communities. This manuscript brings together existing research, along with policy analysis, in order to look at disaster recovery through the lens of justice. This includes understanding the mechanisms through which vulnerability is exacerbated, and the extent to which the regulations and agency cultures drive this outcome. While existing analyses have sought to understand the particular characteristics of both resilient and vulnerable communities, there have been few attempts to understand the systemic inequities and injustice that is built into United States disaster policies, programs, and legislation. This manuscript thus begins from the understanding that social and economic structures, including land use policies and historic practices such as redlining, have concentrated hazard risk into vulnerable zones whose inhabitants do not benefit from the very policies that create and increase their risk.  

This edited volume provides a critical account of the theories and policies that have informed work in the field of early childhood and explores how they have operated in practice. Underpinning the theoretical debates are the familiar tensions between global norms and local contexts; increasing inequality alongside economic progress, and the increasing prominence of business and the private sector in delivering aid programs. The authors offer a profound critique on an increasingly important topic and discuss alternative models of policy and practice.

"This publication could not be more timely. Little more than a decade after the global financial crisis of 2008, governments are once again loosening the reins over financial markets. The authors of this volume explain why that is a mistake and could invite yet another major crisis." --Benjamin Cohen, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA "Leading political scientists from several generations here offer historical depth, as well as sensible suggestions about what reforms are needed now." --John Kirton, University of Toronto, Canada, and Co-founder of the G7 Research Group "A valuable antidote to complacency for policy-makers, scholars and students." --Timothy J. Sinclair, University of Warwick, UK This book examines the long-term, previously underappreciated breakdowns in financial regulation that fed into the 2008 global financial crash. While most related literature focuses on short-term factors such as the housing bubble, low interest rates, the breakdown of credit rating services and the emergence of new financial instruments, the authors of this volume contend that the larger trends in finance which continue today are most relevant to understanding the crash. Their analysis focuses on regulatory capture, moral hazard and the reflexive challenges of regulatory intervention in order to demonstrate that financial regulation suffers from long-standing, unaddressed and fundamental weaknesses.

In this book, leading gender scholars survey the contribution of feminist scholarship to new norms and knowledge in diverse areas of political science and related political practice. They provide new evidence of the breadth of this contribution and its policy impact. Rather than offering another account of the problem of gender inequality in the discipline, the book focuses on the positive contribution of gender innovation. It highlights in a systematic and in-depth way how gender innovation has contributed to sharpening the conceptual tools available in different subfields, including international relations and public policy. At the same time, the authors show the limits of impact in core areas of an increasingly pluralised discipline. This volume will appeal to scholars and students of political science and international relations.

This book is a reference work with an encyclopedic range, offering contemporary and systematic comparisons between the United States and 17 other economically advanced, stable liberal democracies, as well as some more global comparisons. It offers international data on as many aspects of social life as possible, from taxation to traffic accidents, homicide rates to health expenditure, and interest rates to internet usage. Wherever possible, it offers not only the most recent available data but also trends over decades.   The discussion focuses on changes over time and comparisons between countries. Sometimes the contrasts are striking; sometimes the commonalities are more instructive. Often national political debates are conducted in a vacuum, and examining  comparative data  on policies, performance, and prospects can give a better perspective. 

The book focuses on the psychosocial effects that organized crime related violence has produced in Mexico. It connects one of the major worries of our times - terrorism - with the conditions of peacelessness that prevail in Mexico. Specifically, the project explores the role played by fear as a peace disruptor, as well as one of the most important obstacles to social and democratic development, and inclusiveness. The volume contributes to the debate on whether the escalation of violence in Mexico since 2006 has produced circumstances similar to those countries that suffer terrorism, and to what degree that discussion can help in the construction of a more democratic and inclusive society.

This book examines the problem of accountability in two African political systems, South Africa and Nigeria. Despite the principle of separation of powers and the doctrine of checks and balances among the institutions of governance, a burgeoning governance crisis stifles the potential of accountability and good governance. Legislative oversight in the two countries remains largely ineffective while citizens are left to face the consequences of the mismanagement of public resources by political elites. This book critically assesses how the legislative institutions in South Africa and Nigeria have been unable to harness the requisite constitutional powers to ensure accountability in government and explores the feasibility of their effectiveness. The book begins with a comparative analysis of the principles, tradition, and powers associated with legislative capability in South Africa and Nigeria. The chapters explore constitutional provisions and analyze the capacity of each legislature to function within its respective political environment. The book also examines the process and challenges associated with the various measures and mechanisms available for legislatures to ensure accountability in the two countries. Researchers, scholars and students of African politics will find this book useful in their understanding of the problems associated with the simmering governance crisis in South Africa and Nigeria.

This book applies an interdisciplinary governance assessment framework to assess China's water quality governance from a holistic point of view. The project explores China's water quality status, water policy discourses, water regulations, public participation in water governance, the path towards green water law, eco-compensation approach in water quality management and the implementation mechanism for achieving water goals. It will appeal to academics in water law, researchers and practitioners dealing with water management, as well as a general audience interested in water issues.

 This book seeks to contribute to prior research facing the discussion about public value creation in Smart Cities and the role of governments.  In the early 21st century, the rapid transition to a highly urbanized population has made societies and their governments around the world to be meeting unprecedented challenges regarding key themes such as sustainability, new governance models and the creation of networks. Also, cities today face increasing challenges when it comes to providing advanced (digital) services to their constituency. The use of information and communication technologies (usually ICTs) and data is thought to rationalize and improve government and have the potential to transform governance and organizational issues. These questions link up to the ever-evolving concept of Smart Cities. In fact, the rise of the Smart City and Smart City thinking is a direct response to such challenges, as well as providing a means of integrating fast evolving technology into our living environment.    This focus on the public value creation in Smart Cities could be of interest for academics, researchers, policy-makers, public managers, international organizations and technical experts involved in and responsible for the governance, development and design of Smart Cities   

This open access book provides an exhaustive picture of the role that annulment conflicts play in the EU multilevel system. Based on a rich dataset of annulment actions since the 1960s and a number of in-depth case studies, it explores the political dimension of annulment litigation, which has become an increasingly relevant judicial tool in the struggle over policy content and decision-making competences. The book covers the motivations of actors to turn policy conflicts into annulment actions, the emergence of multilevel actors' litigant configurations, the impact of actors' constellations on success in court, as well as the impact of annulment actions on the multilevel policy conflicts they originate from.