Böcker i The Institution for Social and Policy Studies-serien

The study of electoral realignments is one of the most influential and intellectually stimulating enterprises undertaken by American political scientists. Realignment theory has been seen as a science able to predict changes, and generations of students, journalists, pundits, and political scientists have been trained to be on the lookout for “signs” of new electoral realignments. Now a major political scientist argues that the essential claims of realignment theory are wrong—that American elections, parties, and policymaking are not (and never were) reconfigured according to the realignment calendar.David Mayhew examines fifteen key empirical claims of realignment theory in detail and shows us why each in turn does not hold up under scrutiny. It is time, he insists, to open the field to new ideas. We might, for example, adopt a more nominalistic, skeptical way of thinking about American elections that highlights contingency, short-term election strategies, and valence issues. Or we might examine such broad topics as bellicosity in early American history, or racial questions in much of our electoral history. But we must move on from an old orthodoxy and failed model of illumination.

In the wake of the collapse of communism, we hear much about the victory of the market system. Just what is the market system? This clear and accessible book begins by answering this question, then goes on to explain how the market system works and what it can and cannot do. Charles E. Lindblom, writing in nontechnical language for a wide general audience, offers an evenhanded view of the market system. His analysis of the great questions that surround the market system is sometimes unexpected, always illuminating: Is the market system efficient? Is it democratic? Does it despoil the environment? Does it perpetuate inequalities? Does it debase personality and culture?Big choices are yet to be made about the future of the market system, observes Lindblom. He outlines what these choices are and how they will affect not only our economic well-being but also our social and political lives. For market systems organize or coordinate more than just the flow of commodities, he shows. They influence human behavior in all its dimensions.

When do governments merit our allegiance, and when should they be denied it? Ian Shapiro investigates this most enduring of political dilemmas in this innovative and engaging book.Shapiro discusses the different answers that have been proposed by the major political theorists in the utilitarian, Marxist, and social contract traditions over the past four centuries. Showing how these political philosophies have all been decisively shaped by the core values of the Enlightenment, he demonstrates that each one contains useful insights that survive their failures as comprehensive doctrines and that should inform our thinking about political legitimacy. Shapiro then turns to the democratic tradition. Exploring the main arguments for and against democracy from Plato’s time until our own, he argues that democracy offers the best resources for realizing the Enlightenment’s promise and managing its internal tensions. As such, democracy supplies the most attractive available basis for political legitimacy.

Physicians are increasingly wrestling with new moral choices. This work by theologian Paul Ramsey, first published 30 years ago, anticipated and addressed these moral and ethical issues. This second edition includes a new foreword and essays that should help to locate and interpret Ramsey.

A guide for anyone pondering a career in medicine or a related health profession. It contains the advice of more than 70 medical and health professionals, from nurses to biomedical researchers, who describe how and why they made their career choices and what the journey has been like.

Social security in the USA may be the greatest triumph of American domestic policy. But true security has not been achieved. This work shows that the nation's system of social insurance is riddled with gaps, inefficiencies and inequities.

Democracy and justice are often mutually antagonistic ideas, but this work demonstrates how and why they should be pursued together. Justice must be sought democratically if it is to garner legitimacy, and democracy must be justice-promoting if it is to sustain allegiance over time.

This text addresses the quantitative evaluation of HIV prevention programmes, assessing several different quantitative methods of evaluation. It includes an overview of HIV prevention programmes in developing countries, economic analyses, case studies, and new methodologies.

In recent years, social scientists have engaged in a deep debate over the methods appropriate to their research. This title offers a collection of essays by the influential figures on every side of this debate reveals its most important stakes and can provide useful guidance to students and scholars in many disciplines.

This work traces political struggles over U.S. citizenship laws from the colonial period through to the Progressive era. It shows how and why throughout this time most adults were denied access to full citizenship, including political rights, solely because of their race, ethnicity or gender.

Why in prosperous market democracies do so many people find themselves unhappy? Robert Lane shows that the main sources of well-being in advanced economies are friendship and a good family life; income has little to do with happiness once a person rises above the poverty level.