Kategoria BISAC: Political Science >> Public Policy - General

Government supported junk social science-or sanctified snake oil as Sarnoff terms it-exists in all policy arenas along the entire political spectrum, as policy advocates seek to justify the continuation of ineffective programs and to block alternative solutions. This form of junk science is particularly dangerous and wasteful in terms of tax dollars because professional confirmation, media investigation and government support lend it an unwarranted imprimatur of validity. Sarnoff argues that it confuses the public and convinces them to support programs as ends in themselves, rather than...

Morcol argues that the objectivist and deterministic assumptions of mainstream policy analysis, which are based on the Newtonian/positivist worldview or mind-set, should be transcended. After demonstrating that the favored methods of mainstream policy analysis are based on Newtonian ontological and positivist epistemological assumptions and that the connections between these two are intimately and historically related, he critically assesses and highlights the contributions of quantum mechanics, complexity theory, and cognitive science to a new mind-set in scientific knowledge, a...

This completely revised third edition of Smith's classic text on Arizona politics and public policy brings its examination up to date through the most recent election cycle. Intended for courses on state and local politics and policy, the text provides an introduction to and analysis of the political process in the State of Arizona and the policies that process has produced. The new edition includes contributions from experts on Arizona law, politics, criminal justice, and sociology, and retains the first edition's two-pronged analysis of Arizona's political institutions (the courts,...

This book is a frontal assault on the federal government's almost century-long campaign against marijuana in all its forms--cultivation, growing, selling, and recreational and medicinal use. Beginning with the anti-pot campaign of the first unofficial drug czar, Harry Anslinger, in the 1930s and continuing wiht only minor differences in emphasis through the recent Reagan, Clinton, and two Bush administrations, federal efforts to stamp out every form of marijuana use involve ignoring the independent reports of numerous federal commissions; supporting provably false claims about marijuana's...

Joint fact-finding is a cooperative venture and communication among the participants is critical to success. Analysts have begun to recognize this and have started to adjust their craft to reflect the communicative character of their work. Non-analysts usually judge experts' opinions by their value, effectiveness, and legitimacy rather than soundness of the conclusions. Accordingly, experts must recognize the importance of these non-scientific criteria, and learn to communicate better with their non-expert colleagues. Practically, this means explaining the rationale and implications behind...

While the gambling industry is indisputably large and powerful, it has received little attention from political scientists. Utilizing a variety of perspectives and techniques, von Herrmann analyzes gambling's recent expansion, finding public attitudes have been shaped both by government policies and the industry's attempts to create a family-friendly image.

Von Herrmann examines the politics of state and federal gambling policy, particularly policies relating to casinos and state lotteries. She considers gambling policy from a variety of perspectives, including the politics of...

With scientific progress occurring at a breathtaking pace, science and technology policy has never been more important than it is today. Yet there is a very real lack of public discourse about policy-making, and government involvement in science remains shrouded in both mystery and misunderstanding. Who is making choices about technology policy, and who stands to win or lose from these choices? What criteria are being used to make decisions and why? Does government involvement help or hinder scientific research?
"Shaping Science and Technology Policy" brings together an exciting and...

During the 1980's, many Americans participated directly and indirectly in the drama and tragedy of major catastrophes, from volcanic eruptions to air crashes, closing the decade with the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill, Hurricane Hugo, and the San Francisco earthquake. The objective of this volume is to examine how we have addressed some of the major hazards and, to the extent possible, assess the effectiveness of these efforts. This volume inventories and evaluates the major programs and policies designed to deal with the most common and destructive natural and man-made disasters,...

This volume identifies groups of all political colorations from the establishmentarian Council on Foreign Relations to antiestablishment Greenpeace. Even the group Librarians for Nuclear Arms Control is included. Information on group activities and publications is provided, and on their finances when such information is available. Addresses and telephone numbers are listed. The research is thorough and careful. . . . The book will be of value for students, for faculty in pursuit of grants, and as a resource on public policy-making in the U.S. "Choice"

This reference volume discusses the...

During the past two decades public policy analysis has focused on the role of implementation as a distinct phenomenon in the creation of policy output. More recently, implementation researchers have called for a major reevaluation of the process of policy formation itself. This book presents an overview of why implementation research has contributed to this major reconsideration and offers conceptual frameworks that employ implementation research to develop a fuller understanding of the entire policy process. It attempts to narrow the divide between the assumptions of the earlier and later...

Analyzes and surveys how 182 nongovernmental organizations affect the development of federal U.S. educational policy. The alphabetically arranged profiles describe the purposes, origins and development, structure and budget, policy concerns and tactics, political activities, and publications of key citizen interest groups in the field of education. Appendices give information about the survey questionnaire, important governmental bodies, and legislative hearings and list the organizations under study; a short bibliography points to important recent books and articles on educational groups...

"In Ethics for Policymaking," Eugene Meehan presents a sustained argument in favor of a particular perspective on the relationship between normative judgments or arguments and policymaking, based upon a radically different approach to providing a justification for actions, whether individual or collective. Meehan's overall objective is to establish the knowledge requirements, empirical and normative, for defensible/corrigible policymaking and thereby to produce an analytic apparatus that can be used to improve intellectual performance in the conduct of real world affairs. By grounding the...