"This book is the best I've ever read detailing a practical theory of evaluation. It is comprehensive, beautifully written, and makes sense of the evaluation enterprise. It does so by emphasizing the major function of evaluation as sense-making about policies and programs."
--Thomas D. Cook, professor, sociology, psychology, education, and public policy, Northwestern University
Programs that serve the needs of the public continually face changes brought by social, political, and economic forces. To survive these changes, organizations must evaluate their programs wisely and realistically. This book offers a new approach to evaluation, one that will encourage all kinds of organizations and agencies to improve their contributions to social betterment. The authors draw from three decades of evaluation practice and theory to present their own framework for conceptualizing evaluation and for pragmatically assessing social policies and programs.
To build knowledge and expertise for future programs
For the practitioner, these purposes help define the approach and methods for an evaluation. The authors also enrich their discussion with four possible modes of inquiry: description, classification, causal analysis, and values inquiry. Filled with tables, charts, and figures, this resource invites organizations to make the most appropriate programming decisions based on thoughtful and systematic methods. Evaluation: An Integrated Framework for Understanding, Guiding, and Improving Policies and Programs is a tool that scholars can use to rejuvenate their view of evaluation and that practitioners can use to integrate the best techniques with a contemporary understanding of social policy and change.
Customer Reviews:
A Primer for sorting out conceptual muddles in the field.......2004-01-22
Amidst a burgeoning growth industry in policy evaluation, characterized by a plethora of approaches and non-standard language usage, editors of two prominent evaluation journals join forces with a third colleague to provide an overview and an inclusive framework that differentiates in simple language, major approaches taken to policy and program evaluation to date.
Beginning with a core definition of evaluation as assisted sense-making whose ultimate objective is social betterment, the authors distinguish four purposes of evaluation: (1) assessment of merit and worth (2) program and organizational improvement, (3) oversight and compliance, and (4) knowledge development. Conceptual clarity over purpose(s) helps avoid muddles encountered in everyday arenas of evaluation and is directly pertinent to modes of inquiry appropriate to those purposes. In the second section of the book the authors distinguish four types of evaluative inquiry and discuss how to plan corresponding evaluative methods appropriate to the purpose(s) at hand. With a view toward conceptual coherence, they spend a chapter grounding their conception of evaluation as assisted sense-making in a philosophy of common sense realism. The third and final section of the book then considers closely, uses and challenges for each of these four modes of evaluative inquiry and devotes one chapter to each: (1) "Description," (2) "Classification," (3) "Causal Analysis," and (4) "Values Inquiry." In so doing, the authors contribute toward enhanced clarity in the "evaluation jungle" at significant levels of analysis and deliver what they promise in simple common sense language: an integrated framework for understanding, guiding, and improving public and nonprofit policies and programs.
My only reservation is related to what in content is also a strength. Rich in academic references, with an adaptation in format, these references could have better been placed in endnotes rather than parentheses. This would have facilitated reading flow. The decision to keep a format that is probably more useful in journals than books accounts for a one star deduction and four star rating.
A solid well-grounded theoretical analysis that will help those engaged in policy/program evaluation sort out a lot of muddles ahead of time rather than unnecessarily being caught in the mire. Another indication that, while good theory will never get as far as accounting for all the exigencies in a complex world, good theory is helpful in avoiding unnecessary confusions and many commonplace and wholly predictable errors in advance. Highly recommended.
Aimed at both practitioners and academics.......2003-08-23
This book serves two purposes. It is a comprehensive text on evaluation aimed at both practitioners and academics, but most importantly, it is a treatise aimed at introducing a new evaluation framework. It is a textbook with a point of view. The authors begin with the premise that the fundamental purpose of evaluation is social betterment, which is "...the reduction or prevention of social problems, the improvement of social conditions, and the alleviation of human suffering." From these roots, they build a new `realistic' evaluation framework. Although aimed primarily at public and non-profit organizations, many of the lessons can be applied in the private sector as well.
Part one examines why one would want to do an evaluation in the first place. The authors purport that evaluation is a fundamental part of the democratic process because it is crucial in informing policy and decision makers about the effectiveness of public policy and programs. The book reviews the four purposes of evaluation (assessment of merit and worth, program and organizational improvement, oversight and compliance, and knowledge development) and introduces the four inquiry modes (description, classification, causal analysis and values inquiry). The authors provide extensive coverage and a critique of the academic debates concerning purposes, modes and methodology. This leads to the proposal of a realistic philosophy, which aims to move beyond traditional paradigm silos. The authors argue that by focusing on the ultimate goal of social betterment and by seeking to surface underlying values, it is possible to follow a path that tailors methodology to intended purpose.
Part two covers evaluation planning and begins the practical application part of the book. Different evaluation purposes become paramount and are more aptly suited, depending on the environment (stable, competitive, shifts in funding or new policy/program). Choosing appropriate methodology and evaluation extensiveness (i.e. quality) is aided by an understanding of primary and secondary evaluation purposes; the book provides decision-making matrices as well as many examples and references. The authors expand on their notion of a `common-sense realistic' philosophy and provide an extensive overview of the supporting principles. It is a philosophy underlined by the notion of evaluation as `assisted sensemaking' that aims to build upon and extend natural human perceptual processes. In practice, it is flexible, antiformalist and rejects the fact-value and qualitative-quantitative dichotomies. In short, it aims to do what works in a given situation and contributes the most to social betterment.
Part three provides extensive detail on the four inquiry modes (description, classification, causal analysis and values inquiry). Each chapter provides a complete overview: detailed arguments about how the selected mode can be used to support the four evaluation purposes, examples of specific evaluation methodology, interactions, notable caveats and pitfalls and an overview of critical opinion. The sections on classification and causal analysis are especially extensive, full of detailed methodology and references to external sources. The authors expand on the notion of how values inquiry can be critical in a complementary role with other modes.
The authors conclude with a statement that the field of evaluation is "...moving towards yet another rite of passage." They argue that evaluators need "...to take their proper place in the policy community" and they must become "...shameless in broadly spreading their findings...." They make a final argument in support of their realistic philosophy.
The book is often dense with citations, making for difficult reading at times. In places, especially in part one, the level of detail is far beyond that needed by the average practitioner. However, this would seem to suit the academic audience, who would find the sections devoted to methodology (aimed at practitioners) unnecessary. It seems a happy compromise. Name and subject indexes facilitate use of the book as a reference text. A thorough bibliography points the reader to external sources. It is a text thoroughly worth the attention of anyone interested in the field of evaluation.
Aimed at both practitioners and academics.......2003-08-23
This book serves two purposes. It is a comprehensive text on evaluation aimed at both practitioners and academics, but most importantly, it is a treatise aimed at introducing a new evaluation framework. It is a textbook with a point of view. The authors begin with the premise that the fundamental purpose of evaluation is social betterment, which is "...the reduction or prevention of social problems, the improvement of social conditions, and the alleviation of human suffering." From these roots, they build a new `realistic' evaluation framework. Although aimed primarily at public and non-profit organizations, many of the lessons can be applied in the private sector as well.
Part one examines why one would want to do an evaluation in the first place. The authors purport that evaluation is a fundamental part of the democratic process because it is crucial in informing policy and decision makers about the effectiveness of public policy and programs. The book reviews the four purposes of evaluation (assessment of merit and worth, program and organizational improvement, oversight and compliance, and knowledge development) and introduces the four inquiry modes (description, classification, causal analysis and values inquiry). The authors provide extensive coverage and a critique of the academic debates concerning purposes, modes and methodology. This leads to the proposal of a realistic philosophy, which aims to move beyond traditional paradigm silos. The authors argue that by focusing on the ultimate goal of social betterment and by seeking to surface underlying values, it is possible to follow a path that tailors methodology to intended purpose.
Part two covers evaluation planning and begins the practical application part of the book. Different evaluation purposes become paramount and are more aptly suited, depending on the environment (stable, competitive, shifts in funding or new policy/program). Choosing appropriate methodology and evaluation extensiveness (i.e. quality) is aided by an understanding of primary and secondary evaluation purposes; the book provides decision-making matrices as well as many examples and references. The authors expand on their notion of a `common-sense realistic' philosophy and provide an extensive overview of the supporting principles. It is a philosophy underlined by the notion of evaluation as `assisted sensemaking' that aims to build upon and extend natural human perceptual processes. In practice, it is flexible, antiformalist and rejects the fact-value and qualitative-quantitative dichotomies. In short, it aims to do what works in a given situation and contributes the most to social betterment.
Part three provides extensive detail on the four inquiry modes (description, classification, causal analysis and values inquiry). Each chapter provides a complete overview: detailed arguments about how the selected mode can be used to support the four evaluation purposes, examples of specific evaluation methodology, interactions, notable caveats and pitfalls and an overview of critical opinion. The sections on classification and causal analysis are especially extensive, full of detailed methodology and references to external sources. The authors expand on the notion of how values inquiry can be critical in a complementary role with other modes.
The authors conclude with a statement that the field of evaluation is "...moving towards yet another rite of passage." They argue that evaluators need "...to take their proper place in the policy community" and they must become "...shameless in broadly spreading their findings...." They make a final argument in support of their realistic philosophy.
The book is often dense with citations, making for difficult reading at times. In places, especially in part one, the level of detail is far beyond that needed by the average practitioner. However, this would seem to suit the academic audience, who would find the sections devoted to methodology (aimed at practitioners) unnecessary. It seems a happy compromise. Name and subject indexes facilitate use of the book as a reference text. A thorough bibliography points the reader to external sources. It is a text thoroughly worth the attention of anyone interested in the field of evaluation.
Book Description
"This is a very hands-on book, rich with both information and examples . . . what makes the volume especially readable is the insertion of brief case studies into most chapters . . . a productive read for both students of community development and the general public."
--Deborah Puntenney, AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION JOURNAL
Can residents work together to improve the quality of life in their communities? There is continued skepticism about community-based efforts to overcome the problems of concentrated poverty and racial segregation in the inner city, underdevelopment in rural areas, and social isolation. Yet, there are numerous examples of residents helping their local communities provide affordable housing, job training, and financing for businesses.
In
Asset Building and Community Development Gary Paul Green and Anna Haines provide an engaging, thought-provoking, interdisciplinary overview of the community development field. They explore the history of the community development movement in the United States and in international settings. Using an asset-based approach that considers human, physical, social, financial, and environmental capital, the authors skillfully demonstrate how local organizations are better able to meet community needs than governmental programs or market strategies.
Lively and informative, this well-crafted introduction to community development will appeal to students and to practitioners who want an understanding of the basic concepts and theories behind their activities.
Book Description
For the first time in over twenty-five years. the issue of poverty -- and our failure to deal with it -- is back at the top of the policy agenda and on the front page of the news. In this magisterial overview social historian Michael B. Katz, examines the ideas and assumptions that have shaped public policy from the sixties War on Poverty to the current war on welfare. Closely argued and lucidly written. The Undeserving Poor transcends the barriers that have channeled the American discussion of poverty and wealth into a narrow, self-defeating course, and points the way to a new, constructive approach to our major social problem.
Customer Reviews:
Sort of.......2001-03-08
In the United States in 1960 there was significant poverty. Twenty percent of the population had not seen a doctor and there were some areas in which people did not have enough to eat.
Kennedy and Johnson after him instituted programs aimed at combating these problems. The involved the development of a medical system for the poor and other programs aimed at increasing the disposable income of some of the poor. These programs were reasonably successful and dropped the infant mortality rate by 35% and pretty much ended hunger. The Democratic Party had never been a Labor or Socialist Party and the author suggests that these programs were in part a attempt to gain the black vote.
During the Nixon years it was briefly proposed to end administered welfare programs and to replace them by case payments for people whose income fell below a defined amount. The policy was a suggestion of Milton Friedman. The advantage of such a policy is that it is cheap to administer and gives the recipients more freedom. In the end this change was not enacted.
From that time on there has been tremendous pressure on welfare that over time has seen a reduction in the scope of programs. The American system is different to a large number of wealthy industrial countries. America has a social security system that provides assistance to the aged and some relief to the unemployed. For those who have not contributed to this scheme there exists "welfare" which provides targeted aid involving some income supplements in the form of food stamps and medical assistance. Welfare is limited to a narrow range of people generally single mothers. The payments are low and require the recipient to be in some paid employment.
This climaxed in the 1980's with the election of Reagan. America had been going through difficult economic times with foreign competition decimating the manufacturing sector. Surveys show that most workers who were displaced from manufacturing jobs never retained the wage levels they experienced before being made redundant. Most welfare dependants were black single mothers. It was easy to attack them as a group suggesting that their dependant position was based on their morals rather than anything else. The Democratic Party conceded the contest and made no attempt to argue for a just and fair society. At that time a number of nutty right wingers published a number of books suggesting that welfare was bad for the poor and should be abolished as a favor to them. These gave some semi intellectual justifications for what went on.
The book is very much a literature survey of the various periods. It has some figures and describes the mechanics of programs but basically describes texts that deal in general theories rather than facts. In reality it is a rather poor polemic rather than anything else. It is not the sort of thing which would challenge the belief of the right and it provides not the avalanche of statistical material which might get the uncommitted thinking. It is a book for the already converted. A far better book is "It takes a Nation" by Rebecca Blank.
Book Description
The Divided Welfare State is the first comprehensive political analysis of America's distinctive system of public and private social benefits. Everyone knows that the American welfare state is unusual--less expensive and extensive, later to develop and slower to grow, than comparable programs abroad. Yet, U.S. social policy does not stand out solely for its limits. American social spending is actually as high as spending is in many European nations. What is truly distinctive is that so many social welfare duties are handled not by the state, but by the private sector with government support. With sweeping historical reach and a wealth of statistical and cross-national evidence, The Divided Welfare State demonstrates that private social benefits have not merely been shaped by public policy, but have deeply influenced the politics of public social programs--to produce a social policy framework whose political and social effects are strikingly different than often assumed. At a time of fierce new debates about social policy, this book is essential to understanding the roots of America's distinctive model and its future possibilities. Jacob S. Hacker is the Peter Strauss Family Assistant Profesor of Political Science at Yale University. Previously, he was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows and Fellow at the New America Foundation as well as a Guest Scholar and Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of The Road to Nowhere: The Genesis of President Clinton's Plan for Health Security (Princeton, 1997), which was co-winner of the 1997 Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration. His articles and opinion pieces have appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post. A regular media commentator, he has discussed his work widely on C-Span, national public radio and in papers nationwide.
Download Description
The Divided Welfare State is the first comprehensive political analysis of America's distinctive system of public and private social benefits. Everyone knows that the American welfare state is unusual--less expensive and extensive, later to develop and slower to grow, than comparable programs abroad. Yet, U.S. social policy does not stand out solely for its limits. American social spending is actually as high as spending is in many European nations. What is truly distinctive is that so many social welfare duties are handled not by the state, but by the private sector with government support. With sweeping historical reach and a wealth of statistical and cross-national evidence, The Divided Welfare State demonstrates that private social benefits have not merely been shaped by public policy, but have deeply influenced the politics of public social programs--to produce a social policy framework whose political and social effects are strikingly different than often assumed. At a time of fierce new debates about social policy, this book is essential to understanding the roots of America's distinctive model and its future possibilities. Jacob S. Hacker is the Peter Strauss Family Assistant Profesor of Political Science at Yale University. Previously, he was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows and Fellow at the New America Foundation as well as a Guest Scholar and Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of The Road to Nowhere: The Genesis of President Clinton's Plan for Health Security (Princeton, 1997), which was co-winner of the 1997 Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration. His articles and opinion pieces have appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post. A regular media commentator, he has discussed his work widely on C-Span, national public radio and in papers nationwide.
Customer Reviews:
Some new insights, book too long and ponderous.......2007-07-23
Jacob Hacker's book is on the development of the American welfare state in the 20th century, specifically pensions and health care. He has three major arguments.
First, unlike Western Europe, America provides social welfare by a mix of direct state spending and private spending, which is regulated by the state and encouraged by tax policy. Social Security is the pre-eminent example of the former; tax-advantaged 401(k) plans are a good example of the latter.
Second, there is a great difference between pension policy and health care policy. Pensions are provided primarily by the state, through Social Security, with private pensions being on top of and in addition to Social Security. Health care, on the other hand, is provided primarily by private employer-based insurance programs, which are encouraged by being given favorable tax treatment, with the state providing additional care for those not covered by the private system, primarily the old and the poor.
Third, there is a continual interplay between the public and the private spheres, in which what is politically possible today is shaped by the vested interests brought into being by the laws of yesterday. Social Security, for example, was politically possible in the 1930s, because -- among other things -- there was no large private pension system with which Social Security competed. Universal heatlh care is very difficult to get through Congress, today, because we have a huge system of private health care, whose stakeholders tend to resist change.
Much of the book is genuinely new; Hacker's ideas are well worth reading. Unfortunately, the book is not well written. First, it is about 100 pages longer than it needs to be; Hackerr badly needs an editor to chop down some of his redundancies and windy prose. Second, Hacker lays great stress on poli sci theory and jargon. He has a long and tedious explanation of the theory of "path dependency." The idea involved -- that past decisions limit future options -- is a good one, but the pomposity of the jargon is hard to tolerate.
As a social scientist, Hacker professes to be writing ideologically neutral, pure analysis. That is nonsense. Hacker is a liberal. The big question, which guides his entire inquiry, is, why is American social policy inferior to the moral norm provided to us by Europe? All enlightened people know that Europe sets the standard for the world, by providing direct state support for health care and pensions. Why does America fall short of this univerally accepted moral standard? That is the question underneath everything which Hacker writes.
Europe has an unemployment rate several times higher than America. The growth rate of the European economy has lagged behind that of America for so long now that our standard of living is now about 30% higher than most European nations. Europe is producing so few children that, as its population ages, and there are fewer and fewer working age people to support more and more retired people, the entire social welfare system there is on the brink of demographically driven economic collapse. Even in France, long the bastion of opposition to the evil Anglo-Saxon system, there is a new President, who wants to make France more like America. Considered objectively, the European model of social welfare has failed; its time is over, and no sane person looks to it as a model for the future.
But, none of this matters to Hacker. America is morally inferior. That is just a given. After all, this is science.
Informative, Engaging, and Timely!.......2003-07-14
At a time of renewed debate over Medicare and Social Security, this is an important and insightful look at the origins and effects of America¡¯s distinctive public-private system of social welfare. Hacker¡¯s main point is that the American ¡°welfare regime¡± (he prefers this formulation to the common term, ¡°welfare state¡±) is a lot larger than most people think because, unlike most European nations, the United States relies heavily on private social benefits provided by employers, for example, private health insurance. The book carefully explains why private benefits play such a large role in the United States, why the role of private benefits differs between the two biggest areas of U.S. social policy -- health insurance and retirement pensions -- and what difference all this makes for the politics of U.S. social policy and the nature of present political debates. The book is original and well-researched. And even if you delve into the more theoretical parts of the book, it's a joy to read -- a rare combination of academic rigor, lucid prose, and clear thinking about current affairs.
Average customer rating:
- Words Can't Describe
- All I can say is WOW. I had no idea fresh meat was so filthy.
- Great info in meat (if you eat it), disease, and the pain of the process.
- Unbelievable
- A must read for vegans/vegetarians
|
Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry
Gail A. Eisnitz
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
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ASIN: 1573921661 |
Book Description
With a New Afterword by the Author
Slaughterhouse is the first book of its kind to explore the impact that unprecedented changes in the meatpacking industry over the last twenty-five years—particularly industry consolidation, increased line speeds, and deregulation—have had on workers, animals, and consumers. It is also the first time ever that workers have spoken publicly about what's really taking place behind the closed doors of America's slaughterhouses.
In this new paperback edition, author Gail A. Eisnitz brings the story up to date since the book's original publication. She describes the ongoing efforts by the Humane Farming Association to improve conditions in the meatpacking industry, media exposés that have prompted reforms resulting in multimillion dollar appropriations by Congress to try to enforce federal inspection laws, and a favorable decision by the Supreme Court to block construction of what was slated to be one of the largest hog factory farms in the country. Nonetheless, Eisnitz makes it clear that abuses continue and much work still needs to be done.
Customer Reviews:
Words Can't Describe.......2007-10-19
I am a Federal Inspector and was saddened and angered after reading Ms. Eisnitz's Book. I was touched after reading the material and felt compelled to order multiple copies to give to my co-workers and others for enlightenment. Words can't really describe the emotions felt while reading this. For the sake of the children, its time for a change! This Material is more than Highly Recommended, it is a must!
All I can say is WOW. I had no idea fresh meat was so filthy........2007-09-29
As others have already stated....I stopped eating meat completely after reading this book. The inhumane treatment of the animals was bad enough. To discover that rotten meat was ground up with fresh meat for baby food was just too much. The unsanitary conditions in these factories is shocking. It makes me wonder when the last time any of the equipment was even hosed off...much less throughly cleaned. Probably never since that would cause the line to stop and they might lose a buck in profit. I first read a book called "Skinny Bitch" and the writer's of that book recommended "Slaughterhouse". I had already toyed with the idea of cutting meat out of my diet. The information in this Slaughterhouse book just confirmed that it was a sound decision. This book shows that the USDA stamp means nothing. I now don't trust anything stamped USDA inspected. It seems that every slaughterhouse has had their own stamp made and has the capacity to stamp thier own meat and the USDA looks the other way. That is truely disturbing. Yep...I'm a non meat eater now. Organic foods are my friends.
Great info in meat (if you eat it), disease, and the pain of the process........2007-06-13
This book is pretty informative. The writer risked her life by exposing daily occurences in slaughterhouses across the country. If you're unaware of how huge the meat and dairy industry is, you will surely become informed after reading this book. It's a very important book to read if you still eat meat and feed it to your children, as e. coli and it's affects on people are described also. Very informative. Some of the book is repetitive, but so are the painful processes in a slaughterhouse as TIME really IS money and "humanity" is a word you check at the door if your working there.
Unbelievable.......2007-05-25
A truely great book everyone must read. Whether your a vegetarian, vegan, or meat eater. This book is very well written. It changed my life, thank you Gail for letting us the public know about what is really going on in our slaughterhouses.
A must read for vegans/vegetarians.......2007-04-28
In my mind, much better (and much more shocking) than Fast Food Nation. This book is a must read, and belongs in every animal lover's library.
Book Description
Everyone wants to get the most out of their retirement benefits -- not to mention the best medical coverage.
Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions clearly explains what the different benefits are, and shows you how to claim what you've earned, including:
* Social Security retirement and disability benefits
* Supplemental Security Income
* government penisons & 401(k)s
* Medicare and Medicaid
* new medical insurance options
* dependents and survivor benefits
* veterans benefits
* and more
Completely updated to provide the latest information and changes in benefits, this plain-English book is a must-have for anyone who is retired or about to be.
Customer Reviews:
Adequate & Annoying.......2004-03-03
The authors' explanation of the workings of the Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc systems is adequate but is not particularly well written and often lacks clarity. This is certainly not one of NOLO's best offerings.
Especially annoying was the authors' frequent and tedious editorializing. I suspect most readers of this book want the facts, not the authors' socialistic, simplistic opinions.
Significant error in VA section.......2002-08-17
page 10/7: "E. Medical Treatment....And dependents and survisors of a veteran who has a service connected disabilities, or who receives a veterans pension, are entitled to care in VA facilities if they are unable to afford private care."
I have been a VA employee for 16 years. The above is WRONG. There IS a pilot program in a handful of VA hospitals allowing dependents to use the VA hospital. Otherwise, this is NOT the case.
..."The VA can also pay for long-term care of an elderly or disabled veteran in a private nursing facility if there is no space in a VA facility."
This is also not entirely correct. The operative would is CAN. However, the VA is only obligated to pay for the care of veterans who have a certain percentage of Service-Connected Disability. If they pay at all for any others, most VA's only pay for care for a VERY limited period of time.
Could reading about federal regulations be entertaining?.......2001-05-04
The authors of this comprehensive guidebook come close to achieving this feat. As they point out, many Americans are not receiving all the benefits they deserve under our current system. By explaining the various benefit programs and laws in conversational English, they hope to help readers ensure they are getting everything to which they are entitled. It's also helpful that the text is presented in a visually interesting two-column format with plenty of headings, boxes, and even the occasional illustration.
Each chapter explains a different benefit program or set of laws designed to protect the rights of older Americans. Security and Medicare take up more than half the book. The discussions of Medicare claims and appeal procedures are particularly thorough, complete with samples of Medicare summary notices explaining what the sometimes confusing columns of numbers mean. There also are chapters on Medigap policies, Veterans benefits, private pensions and 401(k) plans, and federal civil service retirement benefits. However, if you're looking for in-depth information on Medicaid coverage of nursing home costs, this is not your best resource. While Medicaid's basic eligibility rules are briefly discussed, the complexities of transferring assets to qualify for Medicaid benefits are not.
The authors mainly stick to the facts, but every once in a while they reveal their view of our society's tattered safety net. For example, they call our failure to enact a comprehensive, universal health care plan a "national disgrace."
Great summary of the Social Security system!.......1999-08-04
This happens to be the best all-around book concerning the difficult subject of Social Security that I have read. Understandable and very well written. The sections regarding disability are filled with just the info I needed to know.
Book Description
This book represents a considerable revision and expansion of Public Choice II (1989). As in the previous editions, all of the major topics of public choice are covered. These include: why the state exists, voting rules, federalism, the theory of clubs, two-party and multiparty electoral systems, rent seeking, bureaucracy, interest groups, dictatorship, the size of government, voter participation, and political business cycles. Normative issues in public choice are also examined. The book is suitable for upper level courses in economics dealing with politics, and political science courses emphasizing rational actor models.
Download Description
This book represents a considerable revision and expansion of Public Choice II (1989). As in the previous editions, all of the major topics of public choice are covered. These include: why the state exists, voting rules, federalism, the theory of clubs, two-party and multiparty electoral systems, rent seeking, bureaucracy, interest groups, dictatorship, the size of government, voter participation, and political business cycles. Normative issues in public choice are also examined. The book is suitable for upper level courses in economics dealing with politics, and political science courses emphasizing rational actor models.
Customer Reviews:
Good Review Text on Rat-Choice Politics and Public Choice.......2003-05-22
This is a great book! As a political-science graduate student I've been exposed to a great deal of game-theory and rat-choice in my seminar classes, but, unfortunately, it has come in the form of numerous papers, piles of books, and several classes that did not build off of one another. I was left with the feeling that it was a very, very important subject, but it was presented in a manner that left me, as a student, with an incomplete picture of the topic and the breadth of work that has gone on in this field.
Mueller's achievements in this volume have been three:
1. Coherent presentation of the theory of public choice / rational politics.
2. Discussion of the most important empirical work that has gone on in this field in a unified fashion that leads one naturally into further inquiry in this area.
3. Logically organizes and presents the material in a way that reinforces concepts, logic, and thinking in the book.
These three things make this book a great review or introductory text to the field of public choice / rational politics that should be on the "must have" list of every serious student of politics and economics. Moreover, not being terribly skilled at mathematics myself, the material is presented both through intuitive written discussions, fairly simplistic "example" equations that are pretty easy to follow if you've had a "principles" microecon course with calculus, and, which I greatly appreciate, a fair amount of graphs. Moreover, the bibliography that the book draws on is very, very extensive...meaning that it has the additional utility of being a handy jumping off point if you're doing research in this area.
My only complaint, and this is a minor one, is that I would like a bit more math in the book either at the end of each chapter or in an appendix that works out, step-by-step, some of the additional concepts he runs over that aren't dealt with mathematically in the main text of the chapters themselves.
This, at least in my opinion, is an excellent book for the graduate student interested in learning about public choice / rational politics.
Book Description
Just and Lasting Change presents how to transform communities rapidly and inlocally appropriate ways. Daniel Taylor-Ide and Carl Taylor have been present at key events and worked with key thinkers in dealing with the large forces of inequity, environmental change, and globalization. The approach they have synthesized builds on what has worked over the last century--and can now be implemented rapidly and cost-effectively in many parts of the world. It relies on a three-way partnership of "bottom-up" initiatives from the community level, "top-down" support from government agencies, and "outside-in" ingenuity and objectivity from experts. Based on both a diverse range of case studies--from the earliest attempts to promote social development in India a century ago to current efforts in Tibet, the Peruvian Andes, China, and the American Southwest--and engaging personal experiences, this book describes, step-by-step, how SEED-SCALE can be effectively implemented.
With contributions from leading international experts in community-based development and public health, Just and Lasting Change offers a hopeful description of how people have made a difference in diverse communities around the world and a practical, accessible handbook for those trying to improve the quality of life in underdeveloped communities everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
new Reformation.......2004-06-25
As we watch news reports of the world in chaos and trouble this Book offers not just salve to ease the pain of some of these small communties but also real solution as they being to restore their dignity with justice for all involved.
The Model SEED/Scale is one that I believe should be studied and applied in some of the rural areas, small towns in this part of Southwest Oklahoma. This method is about a reformation of attitude, self-awareness , and possibilites for growth and change bringing the best healthiest new life possible.
I think that Churches could apply the model as well as a way to restoring justice and change withn themselves and within the communities they serve. Revitalization is something that churches in rural arears everywhere talk about I believe this model could be applied with success.
This book should have a broad readership. It could help change the world.
Rev. Bobbie G. McGarey, Southwest Oklahoma Presbyerian Parish Pastor, Frederick, Temple, Walters, Chattanooga, and Grandfield. Oklahoma.
A methodology for durable social change in poor communities.......2003-10-01
The poor communities of the world are, unfortunately, a laboratory for many thousands of mostly failed experiments in how to improve their situation. This important and valuable book builds on decades of practical experience by the authors in the successful, durable transformation of poor communities. The authors' key insights are (1) the necessity for change to be driven by the collaboration of the community, outside experts, and local government; (this may seem obvious, but many projects fail because they treat one of these three groups as an enemy or obstacle rather than a vital element), (2) to have measurable results, (3) to use the power of the community to modify behavior that is an obstacle to success. This book should be read by donors as well as those directly involved in development activities such as community leaders, government officials, and NGO workers.
Average customer rating:
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Social Welfare Development in East Asia
Kwong-leung Tang
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 0312234864 |
Book Description
Comparative social policy has long neglected welfare development in Asia. Not much is known about social welfare in the economically successful East Asian tigers (Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan). They are late starters in social welfare but each has its own trajectory of welfare development. Despite the presence of extensive social welfare, they have shied away from Western-style welfare states. The presence of strong developmental states and their development ethos explain in large part the underdevelopment of state welfare.
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enough is enough.......2005-03-22
