This text investigates and evaluates the developing political processes in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan. Students will come to... understand the newly formed political institutions in this region through comparison with other established democracies in Europe and North America, historical overviews of the Tsarist and Soviet periods, as well as summaries of socialist and communist philosophies. Comparative case studies explain the divergent paths taken since the break up of the Soviet Union and cover topics such as constitutional structures and the main institutions of government; the nature of society and political culture; and political participation and political parties. This approach helps students understand how decisions are actually made and how the allocation of resources occurs--through the intersections of politics, culture, the economy, and international influences.

An earlier edition of this extraordinarily prescient, elegantly written book created a sensation among Washington media insiders when it was published... more than five years ago under the title Demosclerosis. In it, Jonathan Rauch, a former correspondent for The Economist and a columnist for National Journal, showed with startling clarity the reasons why America's political system (and, in fact, other political systems as well) was becoming increasingly ineffective. Today, as Rauch's predictions continue to manifest themselves in a national politics of "sound and fury" and little effective legislation, and in increasing voter cynicism, this book has achieved renown as the classic and essential work on why politics and government don't work.In Government's End, Rauch has completely rewritten and updated his earlier work to reassess his theory, analyze the political stalemate of the last few years, and explain why sweeping reform efforts of the kind led by Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Newt Gingrich aren't the answers. He also looks ahead at what is likely to happen—or not happen—next, and proposes ideas for what we must do to fix the system.For anyone who cares about the health of American democracy—and indeed of international security—Government's End is a fascinating, disturbing, and vitally important book.

The US Federal Government helped rebuild Europe after World War II, conquered polio, faced down communism, attacked racial discrimination, reduced... poverty among the elderly and put men on the moon. This volume explores the federal government's most successful accomplishments from 1944 to 1999, and anticipates the most significant challenges of the following half century. While some successes have come through major legislation or large-scale efforts, most have been achieved through collections of smaller, often unheralded statutes. Drawing on survey responses from 230 historians and 220 political scientists at colleges and universities across the US, this book ranks and summarizes the 50 greatest US government achievements from 1944 to 1999. The achievements have been ranked based on difficulty, importance and degree of success. It paints a picture of the most intense government efforts to improve the quality of life both at home and abroad. It also examines how Americans perceive government's greatest achievements, and reveals what they consider to be its most significant failures.

Professor von Mises addressed himself to a particular issue: what is the essential difference between bureaucratic management by government and market... management in a system based on private ownership of the means of production? Mises does not discuss bureaus or bureaucrats, but inexorable principles of human action. He does not condemn bureaucracy, which is the appropriate technique for the conduct of government agencies such as courts of law, police departments, and the Internal Revenue Service; however, in economic production and distribution, the bureaucratic method is shown to be an abomination that spells universal ruin and disaster.

Created through a "student-tested, faculty-approved" review process with input from more than 200 students and faculty, GOVT3 CALIFORNIA is an engaging... and accessible solution to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of today's learners. Focusing on the current and historical conflicts and controversies that define America as a nation, GOVT3 CALIFORNIA is a streamlined and extremely current text for the American and California Government course. Its motivating debate theme and appealing magazine-like format speak directly to today's student. "2010 Elections" boxes throughout analyze the results of the most recent elections. Ten additional chapters by Larry Gerston and Terry Christensen cover California politics, including updated content on the current economy.

Created through a "student-tested, faculty-approved" review process with input from more than 200 students and faculty, GOVT 3 is an engaging and... accessible solution to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of today's learners. Focusing on the current and historical conflicts and controversies that define America as a nation, GOVT 3 is a streamlined and extremely current text for the American Government course. Its motivating debate theme and appealing magazine-like format speak directly to today's student.