Governments

This is a good book. It doesn't get bogged down in economic language or take too long to read. It provides a historical context to the last few decades of Australian politics and the way things have been done. It takes note of the relationship between the Tax Office and it's bureaucrats and those on the edge, the back bench Members of Parliment, and outer government agencies.

It goes into detail of the nature of Economic Rationalism. Although we may feel we understand it, this book gives examples and help us understand that which is around us but not necessarily understood. It talks about people, and how people see the world. It doesn't humiliate those of either side of politics and doesn't dismiss the beliefs we, or they have.

It is however, focussed wholly on the Australian experience of politics and the economy. This may put some international readers off, but on the other hand we already have enough books about how the American Market works. This book provides a good balance for those of us not under the American sphere of influence.

I've always thought economics was a dry, theoretical subject area. HOW WRONG I WAS! Ms Edwards makes the topic crunchingly relevant and digestable. The key concepts are clearly explained and related to recent events. I never knew how economics contirbutes to shaping our community.
This book has left me with a sense of urgency regarding economics. Government policies matter, not just for short-term budget balancing, but for long term impacts on how we think and act.
The autor's experience at the upper levels of the public service gives startling insight into why our politicians only seem able to create mind-numbingly similar 'solutions' to still unresolved problems.
A first-rate read. (Especially if you know an economist and you need some educated ammunition to argue your point!)

Professor Lee Annis really knows his stuff. His accounts in this book come from a close relationship with the Tennessee Senators. His first hand accounts make this book a must read for anyone who wants to know anymore regarding the American democratic process as well as the people who help make the USA what it is today. I am very proud to have participated in the authors lectures, truly an inspiration. Dr. Lee Annis really knows his stuff.

The state of Tennessee has had a proud political heritage from the days of the Declaration of Independence to the election of 2000. One of Tennessee's most recent shining lights was Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. Baker's story is one of true grin-and-bear-it grit. A political fighter, Baker learned the art of compromise in dealing with the heavily Democratic senates of the 1960s and early 1970s. He was a powerful senator during the Nixon years, vice chairing Senator Ervin's Select Senate Committee on Watergate, earning him the respect and admiration of a grateful nation. Baker's candor and likeability allowed him to become the Minority Leader for the Republicans and sent him stumping all over the nation in the eventual hopes of having a Republican Senate. Baker fought his aspirations of the presidency through Watergate, the Energy Crisis, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the START II negotiations because he believed that a strong nation stemmed from a working relationship between parties rather than gridlock. He fought hard for partnership rather than partisanship, but his good deeds and responsibility to his leadership duties cost him in his 1980 campaign to be his party's presidential nominee. The book is a great read for all those interested in political history or for those just itching to hear the tale of a politician who actually helped build America up rather than tear her down. Very similar to Lee Annis' co-authored book Tennessee Senators 1911-2000 (authored by Sen. Bill Frist).

What with China and all the concern worldwide for human rights and dignity, this book should have a resurgence. Montgomery is adept at pointing out the foibles on both sides, liberalism and conservative Christianity.

He seeks in his exploration of the topic to answer the question: What rights does one have just because he's human?"

Suprising what this respected Christian thinker and author comes up with for his answer, especially since he proclaims: "Theological reflection will in fact turn out to be the only route by which the dilemmas of human rights can be resolved."

Montgomery is a lawyer, theologian and human rights specialist. He has recently retired as Professor of Law & Humanities at the University of Luton (England). He previously taught in theology and jurisprudence in North America, and for three years served as Director of Studies at the International Institute of Human Rights. In this text Montgomery surveys the field of human rights. He examines existing protections, covenants, conventions, and non-government organizations upholding human rights. He then shifts over to an intriguing discussion about the definition of human rights and assesses a number of competing positions. After weighing the existing definitions as inadequate, Montgomery defines 'rights' as 'entitlements' which implies interpersonal relationships. He then examines several major philosophical schools of thought such as legal realism, utilitarianism, Ronald Dworkin, John Finnis, Roscoe Pound, Julius Stone, John Rawls and Alan Gewirth. He assesses Marxist theories of human rights and policy-oriented theories. In this handsome survey Montgomery not only explains the various positions but offers some trenchant criticisms. Montgomery argues that the philosophical apporaches have failed to uphold human dignity and argues for a transcendent perspective. He explores the positions of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish views and highlights inadequacies in their respective approaches. Montgomery then sets forth a case to show that the Christian faith can offer the necessary "grounding" for ultimate standards concerning human rights and human dignity. In a gem of a chapter Montgomery applies the canons of jurisprudential evidence to the New Testament documents and argues persuasively that the portrait of Jesus being God in human flesh is vindicated. The evidence for his bodily resurrection passes the necessary tests for admissability as reliable data in court. From here Jesus' deity is established and the credentials of Biblical revelation are grounded. Montgomery then explores the Christian dimension to human rights. Montgomery underscores weaknesses in Liberal protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox circles in their theories of rights. He also underscores the weaknesses of Christian fundamentalists who identify their faith with right wing politics. Montgomery maintains freedom of religion, whilst commending the Christian answer to the reader. This book serves as an excellent survey of the subject and engages the reader to consider the case for Christianity. Irrespective of whether one agrees with Montgomery or not, the book stands as a solid contribution to the subject and is a good primer for the novice. The book includes as appendices various legal covenants on huma rights. This is a book I highly commend for serious reading and reflection.

The book doesn't go into too much detail regarding the "nature" of hurricanes, but it does cover the impacts on society in great detail. There is no better book for studying how hurricanes of the past have affected the east and Gulf coasts of the US. It also spends a lot of time on social preparedness and response to a landfall.

hello, my name is mark and i live in n.j. just 6 miles west of atlantic city and the threat of hurricanes is very real here and anyone that lives near the coast should read this informative book about hurricanes and there nature and impacts on society.mr. roger a. pielke does a fantastic job on covering all the ground work about hurricane life cycles and their affects on land and at sea and does so without being to techno. on people so they could understand what hurricanes and their effects can do to everyday people and commutities all along our coastlines.and if you were affected by hurricane andrew you must read the chapters on the storm itself and to see why these storms are so dangerous to life and property.a must own book, hands down, one of the best to come out in years!.

Koigi's book is a good narrative of his life and philosophy as it relates to Kenya. A large part of the book is dedicated to describing his early life experiences and how they shaped his outlook on life and his dedication to the liberation of Kenya.

The fact that he was detained by both the Kenyatta and Moi regimes shows his resolve to fighting injustice no matter the leadership at hand. The contribution of Koigi to the "second" liberation of Kenya cannot be overlooked.

This book is an autobiographical exposition of a living freedom fighter that has experienced the oppressive conditions of colonial Africa as well as the terror of African dictatorship that people in Kenya and other countries find themselves in today.

Koigi's personal story is simply incredible. The son of impoverished forest workers, he was a first hand witness to the brutality of British colonialism against Mau Mau freedom fighters. He witnessed the birth of an independent Kenya led by Jomo Kenyatta, as well as Kenyatta's eventual betrayal of the ideals that informed the Mau Mau struggle for independence. Miraculously, the emphasis that his parents placed upon education led him to an opportunity to study at Cornell University in New York in the 1970's, where he was exposed to democratic freedoms that were unheard of under Kenyatta's reign.

Koigi then returned to Kenya to fight for these democratic ideals within his homeland, and as a consequence, was imprisoned by Kenyatta for speaking for freedom and land reform. He successfully ran for and served in Parliament in 1979, and was then imprisoned once again by President Daniel Moi. What followed was a series of exiles and detentions, eventually resulting in his exile to Norway and now, to New York city.

Koigi is a true democrat, and has devoted his life to the struggle for democracy and human rights in Kenya. The book title, 'I Refuse to Die' is a clever interplay upon the distinction between physical death and spiritual collapse; to Koigi, death of the conscience and the will to speak truth to power is the ultimate end of one's being. Albert Camus' phrase, "I resist, therefore I am" applies aptly to Koigi's life story to date.

The product of Koigi's history of suffering and sacrifice is a wonderfully written autobiography. And this story is certainly not over, as there is little doubt that Koigi will continue to fight for these ideals in the years to come.

This book shows you how bad the government of El Salvador has been through the 80s and 90s. Also unmask the USA (Freedom figthers yeah right!) which supported this goverment even knowing the war crimes against inocent people.

If you like to read true stories that make you want cry, this book is for you. If you like to learn about history when the U.S. destroyed lives, this book is for you. If you like to read about good terrorists, this book is for you.

The Idea Brokers is an excellent chronological exploration of the evolution and impact of think tanks on U.S. public policy. The reader is presented with a comprehensive history of these obscure institutions that have spawned dramatically since the start of the 20th-century. The author adequately provides a thorough and detailed account of the personalities that were responsible for establishing these research institutions, their intended purpose, their area of expertise, their advising successes and their implementation failures. At the end, you will agree that these research insitutions will only play a much larger role in shaping government policy and public opinion in the coming years.

The Idea Brokers is a thorough and lucid chronological examination of the evolution and impact of the modern day research centers known as 'think tanks'. These obscure research centers have spawned dramatically over the past century and their significant contributions in shaping the policies of the United States are revealed.

Norberto BobbioÂ's views on its 20th century Italy, his maestri and compagni of the Partito d'Azioni and also Benedetto Croce, Luigi Einaudi, Carlo Rosselli, Piero Gobetti or Bettino Craxi, included in this book - best qualified as a memoir - allow us a very interesting and detailled reading of Italy most recent history. With a remarkable translation by Lydia Cochrane this English edition put us in contact with the impressive saga of Italian liberal and socialist intellectuals, first against Mussolini fascist regime and after 1945'liberation against the two larger mass-parties, the Christian Democrats and the Communist Party. Although a man of the political Left and a socialist, Bobbio reviews himself, along almost a century of life, in the the liberal European tradition that comes from people like Stuart Mill or Tocqueville. Tradition that enlarges with Karl Popper, Ralf Dahrendorf, Hans Kelsen or Maurice Duverger contribution to the study of democracy and constitutional systems. This book give us a clear discreption of some of the personalities Bobbio admired or lived within the intellectual circles of its Italy. A man of liberty, reason and tolerance, Bobbio's philosophical thought remains almost unknowned within Political science and ethic politics.Its correspondance with Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt, Perry Anderson, Karl Popper or Michael Waltzer remains mostly unrevealed. I would recomend also ''The Future of Democracy'', ''Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law Tradition'' and ''In Praise of Meekness''.

Norberto Bobbio's views of its 20th century Italy,of his maestri and compagni of the Partito d'Azioni but also Benedetto Croce, Luigi Einaudi, Carlo Rosselli, Piero Gobetti or Bettino Craxi, allow us a very interesting, fluent and detailled reading of Italy most recent decades. With a remarkable translation by Lydia Cochrane, this English edition put us in the presence of the impressive saga of Italian liberal and socialist intellectuals, first against Mussolini fascist regime and after 1945 facing the two larger mass-parties, the Christian Democrats and the Communist Party. This was a struggle for political survival but as Bobbio remarks a «third way» escape in the 40s was unfeasable and inadeqaute to the political momentum. Although a Left and socialist intellectual, Bobbio stands most surprising along the liberal European tradition of one Stuart Mill, an Alexis de Tocqueville or more modernly with Karl Popper, Ralf Dahrendorf, Hans Kelsen or Maurice Duverger individual paths for an enlarged and political liberties-based constitutional and market western democracy. This book enlightned us about some of the personalities that Bobbio admired or was related in the almost four decades but also with the political stuggles that took place in Italy till most recently. A man of liberty, reason and tolerance, Bobbio's philosophical thought remains almost unknowned within Political science community. What it is a pity. Its correspondance with Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt, Perry Anderson, Karl Popper or Michael Waltzer remains mostly unrevealed and it is a benchmark in present political thought. Anyone interested in comprehending Silvio Berlusconi rightwing present rulling of Italian politics should be aware of this book.
I would hearthly also recommend:''The Future of Democracy'', ''Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law Tradition''or ''In Praise of Meekness''for aditional reading of Bobbio's views and express wishes for new editions of Bobbio's recent books namely its collection of political essays, «Verso la seconda republica» or «L'Utopia capovolta» about the falling of the Cold War era.

This book, like all of Michael Youssef's books, is packed with spiritual dynamite that will set your heart afire for Christ. Youssef writes like he preaches, so if you enjoy listening to him preach, you will definitely enjoy this book. In it, Youssef uses his own amazing story and the fascinating story of Elijah to remind his readers that God is indeed in control, even when we are unable to see this truth. The book is insightful and very practical and is a must for those who struggle with depression and disappointment in their Christian walk.

Few preachers have the wisdom that the Holy Spirit has given Youssef, so I would enthusiastically recommend this book. I received the book yesterday and read almost the entire book in one sitting! I would highly recommend this book, along with Youssef's other books.

It's unbelievable to find so much wisdom presented so well in such a short book. Michael Youssef doesn't mince any words while sharing what he has learned from Elijah, Esther and from his own experience as well. If you sometimes feel like your life is a mess, and who doesn't, then you will find not just consoling words, but a real answer.

Dr. Snyder has accurately and concisely addressed the fundamental principles of government espoused by the founders of our nation. This easy to read text discusses how the Bible influenced the founding of America and its government and includes present day application of those governmental principles to current public policy issues! I recommend it to anyone who wants to know how beliefs influence government. This book will challenge and even change your perspective.

"If the Foundations are Destroyed" successfully encompasses the important religious apsects of the American Founding with the historical events of the time. So often, works analizing America's roots neglect to include the role of religion, specifically Christianity, and its interdependence on Biblical precepts. A simple trace of our historical documents serves as evidence that Snyder's preface, that Chirstianity served as one of the building blocks of our nation, is not only true, but paramount if one is to fully understand how and more importantly, why, America was born. This book effectively intertwines Biblical foundations with historical theories and facts in an intelligent and most compelling manner.