Political Science : Federal Government

A visionary analysis of how the politics of fear, secrecy, cronyism, and blind faith has combined with the degration of the public sphere to create an environment dangerously hostile to reason At the time George W. Bush ordered American forces to invade Iraq, 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11. Voters in Ohio, when asked by pollsters to list what stuck in their minds about the campaign, most frequently named two Bush television ads that played to fears of terrorism. We live in an age when the thirty-second television spot is the most powerful force shaping the electorate's thinking, and America is in the hands of an administration less interested than any previous administration in sharing the truth with the citizenry. Related to this and of even greater concern is this administration's disinterest in the process by which the truth is ascertained, the tenets of fact-based reasoning-first among them an embrace of open inquiry in which unexpected and even inconvenient facts can lead to unexpected conclusions. How did we get here? How much damage has been done to the functioning of our democracy and its role as steward of our security? Never has there been a worse time for us to lose the capacity to face the reality of our long-term challenges, from national security to the economy, from issues of health and social welfare to the environment. As The Assault on Reason shows us, we have precious little time to waste. Gore's larger goal in this book is to explain how the public sphere itself has evolved into a place hospitable to reason's enemies, to make us more aware of the forces at work on our own minds, and to lead us to an understanding of what we can do, individually and collectively, to restore the rule of reason and safeguard our future. Drawing on a life's work in politics as well as on the work of experts across a broad range of disciplines, Al Gore has written a farsighted and powerful manifesto for clear thinking. more...

Price: $16.00

The Research Assessment Exercise is used to assess the quality of, and determine core government funding for, research carried out in UK universities. This report provided evidence for a review of the process. The overwhelming majority of participants thought research should be assessed using a system based on peer review; that there was a strong desire for a system with clear rules and transparent procedures; and that there was a need for improved systems to assess inter- and multi-disciplinary research work. more...

Price: $20.00

"Balancing in the Balkans treats this region as a laboratory for exploring ideas about globalism, the creation of transnational economic communities from capital flows across political boundaries, tribalism, and the disintegration of nations into ethnic factions based upon ancient hatreds. more...

Price: $39.95

Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of different voting systems used in the USA and many other Western democracies, this text provides information and analytical tools needed to examine voting systems and their far-reaching political implications. more...

Price: $115.50

Tony Blair's second term promised great things at home and abroad. So what was achieved between 2001 and 2005? How far was Blair responsible, and what was Gordon Brown's influence? What was the impact of Iraq? Leading academics and journalists provide an authoritative review of New Labour in government. more...

Price: $23.00