SUP Politics

SUP Politics http://www.sup.org/rss/politics.xml The latest titles from Stanford University Press en-us Copyright 2008 Stanford University Press webmaster@www.sup.org (Webmaster) Social Forces and States: Poverty and Distributional Outcomes in South Korea, Chile, and Mexico Social Forces and States: Poverty and Distributional Outcomes in South Korea, Chile, and Mexico Judith A. Teichman "Teichman treats the known economic and political trajectories of Chile, Mexico, and South Korea in a truly original way and provides a compelling explanation of their paths to widely different levels of poverty and inequality. This is a must read for scholars interested in the political economy of development."—Evelyne Huber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "South Korea, Chile, and Mexico form an instructive triangle around which the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality are investigated. In emphasizing the role of key social actors in various historical struggles, Teichman employs a novel analytical lens to understand important human development outcomes."—Wendy Hunter, The University of Texas at Austin <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21479">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> With the failure of market reform to generate sustained growth in many countries of the Global South, poverty reduction has become an urgent moral and political issue in the last several decades. In practice, considerable research shows that high levels of inequality are likely to produce high levels of criminal and political violence. On the road to development, states cannot but grapple with the challenges posed by poverty and wealth distribution. Social Forces and States explains the reasons behind distinct distributional and poverty outcomes in three countries: South Korea, Chile, and Mexico. South Korea has successfully reduced poverty and has kept inequality low. Chile has reduced poverty but inequality remains high. Mexico has confronted higher levels of poverty and high inequality than either of the other countries. Judith Teichman takes a comparative historical approach, focusing upon the impact of the interaction between social forces and states. Distinct from approaches that explain social well-being through a comparative examination of social welfare regimes, this book probes more deeply, incorporating a careful consideration of how historical contexts and political struggles shaped very different development trajectories, welfare arrangements, and social possibilities. Judith A. Teichman is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Most recently, she is co-author of Social Democracy in the Global Periphery: Origins, Challenges, Prospects (2007). http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21479 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21479 In the Wake of War: Democratization and Internal Armed Conflict in Latin America In the Wake of War: Democratization and Internal Armed Conflict in Latin America Edited by Cynthia J. Arnson "This book is invaluable and there is a need for it. It is important to try to assess the longer-term legacy of civil war in Latin America."—Cynthia McClintock, George Washington University "The authors pull together rich and detailed insights from the most remote corners of Latin America, which are complemented by comparative analyses and regional perspectives."—David Shirk, University of San Diego <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21413">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> In the Wake of War assesses the consequences of civil war for democratization in Latin America, focusing on questions of state capacity. Contributors focus on seven countries—Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru—where state weakness fostered conflict and the task of state reconstruction presents multiple challenges. In addition to case studies, the book explores cross-cutting themes including the role of the international community in supporting peace, the explosion of post-war criminal and social violence, and the value of truth and historical clarification. This book completes a fifteen-year project, "Program on Comparative Peace Processes in Latin America," which also led to the 1999 publication of the book Comparative Peace Processes in Latin America. Cynthia J. Arnson is director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21413 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21413 Violence, Coercion, and State-Making in Twentieth-Century Mexico: The Other Half of the Centaur Violence, Coercion, and State-Making in Twentieth-Century Mexico: The Other Half of the Centaur Edited by Wil G. Pansters "Through nuanced, cross-disciplinary perspectives on violence, this volume considerably advances our understanding of Mexico's contemporary crises. In particular, it shows that chronic violence is not the result of state failure in Mexico, but rather is deeply embedded in historical processes of post-revolutionary state formation."—Ben Fallaw, Colby College "This book's greatest contribution is to show how violence in modern-day Mexico has undergone a fundamental change. No longer a state against rebels, instead we have the mayhem and coercion of a huge collection of private actors—narcos, gangs, and police, to name only the most obvious—that have filled the void left by a downsized state."—Terry Rugeley, University of Oklahoma <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=16863">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Mexico is currently undergoing a crisis of violence and insecurity that poses serious threats to democratic transition and rule of law. This is the first book to put these developments in the context of post-revolutionary state-making in Mexico and to show that violence in Mexico is not the result of state failure, but of state-making. While most accounts of politics and the state in recent decades have emphasized processes of transition, institutional conflict resolution, and neo-liberal reform, this volume lays out the increasingly important role of violence and coercion by a range of state and non-state armed actors. Moreover, by going beyond the immediate concerns of contemporary Mexico, this volume pushes us to rethink longterm processes of state-making and recast influential interpretations of the so-called golden years of PRI rule. Violence, Coercion, and State-Making in Twentieth-Century Mexico demonstrates that received wisdom has long prevented the concerted and systematic study of violence and coercion in state-making, not only during the last decades, but throughout the post-revolutionary period. The Mexican state was built much more on violence and coercion than has been acknowledged—until now. Wil G. Pansters is Professor of Latin American Studies and Director of the Mexican Studies Centre at the University of Groningen. He is also Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=16863 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=16863 The Lebanese Connection: Corruption, Civil War, and the International Drug Traffic The Lebanese Connection: Corruption, Civil War, and the International Drug Traffic Jonathan V. Marshall "Jonathan Marshall's The Lebanese Connection is an enthralling chronicle of Lebanon's rise to prominence as a narco-trafficking state. While serving as a drug enforcement agent in Lebanon from 1972-1974, I experienced firsthand many of the issues he documents. I highly recommend this detailed and informative book."—Jeffrey R. Kildow, Special Agent (Retired), Drug Enforcement Administration 1968-2001 "This is an original book of great importance for understanding not just the Middle East, but today's world of terrorism, covert warfare, and failing states. Few people have the knowledge necessary to decipher the central relevance of Lebanese drug trafficking to Middle Eastern politics, the games of intelligence agencies, and the history of international organized crime. Jonathan Marshall has produced an indispensable guide through this jungle."—Peter Dale Scott, author of American War Machine: Deep Politics, the CIA Global Drug Connection, and the Road to Afghanistan "Challenging common misconceptions about sectarian civil war, narco-politics, and state failure in Lebanon, Jonathan Marshall sheds new light on how the shadowy realms of drug cultivation, the international arms trade, institutionalized corruption, and organized crime tragically overlapped in the twentieth century Middle East. Hard-hitting and hard-boiled investigative journalism that is cinematic in scope, The Lebanese Connection has troubling implications that should stimulate lively debate and future research."—Max Weiss, Princeton University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21641">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Long before Mexico, Colombia, and Afghanistan became notorious for their contributions to the global drug traffic, Lebanon was a special target of U.S. drug agents for harboring the world's greatest single transit port in the international traffic in narcotics. In the words of one American official, "certain of the largest traffickers are so influential politically, and certain highly placed officials so deeply involved in the narcotic traffic, that one might well state that the Lebanese Government is in the narcotics business." Using previously secret government records, The Lebanese Connection uncovers for the first time the story of how Lebanon's economy and political system were corrupted by drug profits—and how, by financing its many ruthless militia, Lebanon's drug trade contributed to the country's greatest catastrophe, its fifteen-year civil war from 1975 to 1990. In so doing, this book sheds new light on the dangerous role of vast criminal enterprises in the collapse of states and the creation of war economies that thrive in the midst of civil conflicts. Taking a regional approach to the drug issue, Jonathan Marshall assesses the culpability of Syria, Israel, and of Palestinian factions and other groups that used Lebanon as their battleground. On the international level, he documents Lebanon's contribution to the hard drug problem of major consuming countries, from the days of the "French Connection" through the "Pizza Connection," as well as Lebanon's unrivaled place in the global hashish market. Jonathan V. Marshall is an independent scholar living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has published four books, including Cocaine Politics (1991), with Peter Dale Scott, and Drug Wars (1991). A former journalist, he has also published hundreds of articles in magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21641 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21641 The New Gilded Age: The Critical Inequality Debates of Our Time The New Gilded Age: The Critical Inequality Debates of Our Time Edited by David B. Grusky and Tamar Kricheli-Katz "Americans are no longer so tolerant of the widening gap between the CEO and the average worker, between the very top and the very bottom of the income distribution. The mobility dreams of generations are coming unglued as long term unemployment deepens, threatening to scar young workers in ways that may follow them the rest of their days. The New Gilded Age assembles the very best scholars in economics, sociology, and political science to assess what these conditions mean for ordinary people and how the 'great awakening' to the threat that inequality poses could reshape the landscape of public opinion and, perhaps ultimately, public policy. It is an essential volume for scholars and citizens worried about the direction we are headed and the cost we will pay for inaction on the inequality front."—Katherine Newman, Johns Hopkins University, coauthor of Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged "Americans have finally awakened to the realities of The New Gilded Age. Those looking for answers to questions about the new inequality will find them in this trenchant book edited by David Grusky and Tamar Kricheli-Katz, who have brought together eminent thinkers to address the moral, political, and social problems stemming from today's hyper-inequality. The result is an engaging and highly readable survey of critical issues that should be read by anyone who cares about the future of the American experiment in egalitarian democracy."—Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University "The New Gilded Age features incredibly insightful and timely debates between leading philosophers, economists, political scientists, and sociologists on the sources and future of inequality in the United States. This well written and accessible volume is a must-read not only for scholars, but for educated laymen and policymakers as well."—William Julius Wilson, Harvard University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=6393">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Income inequality is an increasingly pressing issue in the United States and around the world. This book explores five critical issues to introduce some of the key moral and empirical questions about income, gender, and racial inequality: • Do we have a moral obligation to eliminate poverty? • Is inequality a necessary evil that's the best way available to motivate economic action and increase total output? • Can we retain a meaningful democracy even when extreme inequality allows the rich to purchase political privilege? • Is the recent stalling out of long-term declines in gender inequality a historic reversal that presages a new gender order? • How are racial and ethnic inequalities likely to evolve as minority populations grow ever larger, as intermarriage increases, and as new forms of immigration unfold? Leading public intellectuals debate these questions in a no-holds-barred exploration of our New Gilded Age. David B. Grusky is Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality. He is coauthor of The Inequality Puzzle (2010) and coeditor of The Great Recession (2011) and The Inequality Reader (2011). Tamar Kricheli-Katz is Assistant Professor in the Buchman Faculty of Law and in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=6393 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=6393 Police Reform in Mexico: Informal Politics and the Challenge of Institutional Change Police Reform in Mexico: Informal Politics and the Challenge of Institutional Change Daniel M. Sabet "A thoughtful, careful, and analytically rigorous account of the vexing problem of police reform in Mexico. The book's wider discussion of the ways that Mexican political institutions both enable and limit successful police reform makes it a timely and provocative must-read for all who care about Mexico and its future."—Diane E. Davis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "This is one of the best books on Mexico written in English in recent years. It provides substantial new research and analysis on one of the most important and least examined challenges in Mexico today: police reform and public security. It is meticulously researched, theoretically nuanced, and well written."—Andrew Selee, Director, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21512">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> The urgent need to professionalize Mexican police has been recognized since the early 1990s, but despite even the most well-intentioned promises from elected officials and police chiefs, few gains have been made in improving police integrity. Why have reform efforts in Mexico been largely unsuccessful? This book seeks to answer the question by focusing on Mexico's municipal police, which make up the largest percentage of the country's police forces. Indeed, organized crime presents a major obstacle to institutional change, with criminal groups killing hundreds of local police in recent years. Nonetheless, Daniel Sabet argues that the problems of Mexican policing are really problems of governance. He finds that reform has suffered from a number of policy design and implementation challenges. More importantly, the informal rules of Mexican politics have prevented the continuity of reform efforts across administrations, allowed patronage appointments to persist, and undermined anti-corruption efforts. Although many advances have been made in Mexican policing, weak horizontal and vertical accountability mechanisms have failed to create sufficient incentives for institutional change. Citizens may represent the best hope for counterbalancing the toxic effects of organized crime and poor governance, but the ambivalent relationship between citizens and their police must be overcome to break the vicious cycle of corruption and ineffectiveness. Daniel Sabet is a visiting researcher at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Previously, he coordinated rule of law educational programs for police throughout Latin America as part of the Culture of Lawfulness Project. He is the author of Nonprofits and their Networks: Cleaning the Waters along Mexico's Northern Border. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21512 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21512 Breakdown in Pakistan: How Aid Is Eroding Institutions for Collective Action Breakdown in Pakistan: How Aid Is Eroding Institutions for Collective Action Masooda Bano "Bano successfully brings the voices of those most affected by aid to the fore. By specifying the mechanisms both by which aid is failing and succeeding, she convincingly makes her case."—Jean E. Ensminger, Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of Social Science at California Institute of Technology "This book is of high relevance to current policymaking, given the amount of aid now being directed at Pakistan with the stated purpose of improving Pakistan's civil society and governance institutions. Based on strong empirical evidence, this book provides valuable documentation that aid can negatively impact indigenous service institutions in developing countries."—Sujai J. Shivakumar, The National Academies and The Samaritan's Dilemma <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21824">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Thirty percent of foreign development aid is channeled through NGOs or community-based organizations to improve service delivery to the poor, build social capital, and establish democracy in developing nations. However, growing evidence suggests that aid often erodes, rather than promotes, cooperation within developing nations. This book presents a rare, micro level account of the complex decision-making processes that bring individuals together to form collective-action platforms. It then examines why aid often breaks down the very institutions for collective action that it aims to promote. Breakdown in Pakistan identifies concrete measures to check the erosion of cooperation in foreign aid scenarios. Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of international development aid, and therefore the empirical details presented are particularly relevant for policy. The book's argument is equally applicable to a number of other developing countries, and has important implications for recent discussions within the field of economics. Masooda Bano holds a research fellowship in the Department of International Development and Wolfson College at the University of Oxford. Her research has won awards from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She has collaborated with development agencies, such as the United Kingdom's Department of International Development and the United Nations. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21824 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21824 Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria Joshua Stacher "This is one of the best, most concrete explorations of developments in Egyptian and Syrian politics over the last decade. Stacher provides an original look at the inner workings and dynamics of two vitally important regimes in the Arab world and lays out the implications for the future of the significant differences between these two political systems."—Samer Shehata, Georgetown University "Stacher delivers key insights into the paradox of the rapid fall of the strong executive in Egypt's highly centralized state in 2011, while Syria's much more decentralized state hangs on to power. This timely work provides a rare window on elites and their alliances and struggles. It is a must read for those who wish to better understand whether the 'Arab Spring' will lead to the redistribution of political and economic power by limiting executive authority, or merely replace one elite group with another."—Diane Singerman, American University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21653">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> The decades-long resilience of Middle Eastern regimes meant that few anticipated the 2011 Arab Spring. But from the seemingly rapid leadership turnovers in Tunisia and Egypt to the protracted stalemates in Yemen and Syria, there remains a common outcome: ongoing control of the ruling regimes. While some analysts and media outlets rush to look for democratic breakthroughs, autocratic continuity—not wide-ranging political change—remains the hallmark of the region's upheaval. Contrasting Egypt and Syria, Joshua Stacher examines how executive power is structured in each country to show how these preexisting power configurations shaped the uprisings and, in turn, the outcomes. Presidential power in Egypt was centralized. Even as Mubarak was forced to relinquish the presidency, military generals from the regime were charged with leading the transition. The course of the Syrian uprising reveals a key difference: the decentralized character of Syrian politics. Only time will tell if Asad will survive in office, but for now, the regime continues to unify around him. While debates about election timetables, new laws, and the constitution have come about in Egypt, bloody street confrontations continue to define Syrian politics—the differences in authoritarian rule could not be more stark. Political structures, elite alliances, state institutions, and governing practices are seldom swept away entirely—even following successful revolutions—so it is vital to examine the various contexts for regime survival. Elections, protests, and political struggles will continue to define the region in the upcoming years. Examining the lead-up to the Egyptian and Syrian uprisings helps us unlock the complexity behind the protests and transitions. Without this understanding, we lack a roadmap to make sense of the Middle East's most important political moment in decades. Joshua Stacher is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kent State University. He is a regular contributor to and on the editorial board of MERIP's Middle East Report. He has made media appearances and written commentary for NPR, CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Foreign Affairs, Jadaliyya, and The Boston Globe, among others. He is also a founding member of the Northeast Ohio Consortium on Middle East Studies. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21653 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21653 Over the Horizon Proliferation Threats Over the Horizon Proliferation Threats Edited by James J. Wirtz and Peter R. Lavoy "Anyone seriously interested in the problem of proliferation—practitioners in the world's defense and arms control establishments, participants in the NGO world, senior scholars, and newcomers to these questions—will want and need to keep a copy of Over the Horizon Proliferation Threats at hand."—Edward Rhodes, Dean, School of Public Policy, George Mason University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=20372">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> In every decade of the nuclear era, one or two states have developed nuclear weapons despite the international community's opposition to proliferation. In the coming years, the breakdown of security arrangements, especially in the Middle East and Northeast Asia, could drive additional countries to seek their own nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) weapons and missiles. This likely would produce greater instability, more insecure states, and further proliferation. Are there steps concerned countries can take to anticipate, prevent, or dissuade the next generation of proliferators? Are there countries that might reassess their decision to forgo a nuclear arsenal? This volume brings together top international security experts to examine the issues affecting a dozen or so countries' nuclear weapons policies over the next decade. In Part I, National Decisions in Perspective, the work describes the domestic political consideration and international pressures that shape national nuclear policies of several key states. In Part II, Fostering Nonproliferation, the contributors discuss the factors that shape the future motivations and capabilities of various states to acquire nuclear weapons, and assess what the world community can do to counter this process. The future utility of bilateral and multilateral security assurances, treaty-based nonproliferation regimes, and other policy instruments are covered thoroughly. James J. Wirtz is Professor of National Security Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey. Peter Lavoy is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=20372 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=20372 The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups, Public Representation, and American Governance The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups, Public Representation, and American Governance Matt Grossmann "In The Not-So-Special Interests, Matthew Grossmann sheds new light on one of the central questions in democratic theory and politics—who is represented? Skillfully combining information about the political attitudes and behavior of a wide range of social groups with original data about the organizations that claim to speak for them in Washington, he explains why some advocacy organizations succeed while others fail. His analyses offer new and often surprising insights about the sources and consequences of cumulative inequalities produced by interest group mobilization, power, and access."—Dara Z. Strolovitch, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota and author of Affirmative Advocacy: Race, Class, and Gender in Interest Group Politics "With new ideas, new perspectives, and new data, Matt Grossmann revisits an old idea. He offers a fresh view of how major societal interests promote their ideas, seek policy advantage, and fit within the overall mosaic of American political life. Drawing upon an impressive new dataset of 1,600 advocacy organizations, Grossmann lays out how pluralism can and does become institutionalized across many venues. The Not-So-Special Interests presents an important addition to how we understand the politics of faction in the United States."—Burdett Loomis, Professor, University of Kansas "Grossmann's work is a major contribution—breathtaking in its scope and innovative in its theories of American pluralism at the dawn of the twenty first century. The book should be read by everyone concerned about whose voices really count in Washington."—Kristin A. Goss, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University "Offering an insightful explanation of why some interests are better represented than others, Matt Grossmann's The Not-So-Special Interests is destined to become one of the most important books on interest groups in this decade. His impressive collection and analysis of original data supports a conceptual framework rooted in the tradition of Truman but thoroughly modernized to engage contemporary questions. Not only does the book make a powerful argument, it's a pleasure to read as well."—McGee Young, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Marquette University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21766">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> "Lobbyist" tends to be used as a dirty word in politics. Indeed, during the 2008 presidential primary campaign, Hillary Clinton was derided for even suggesting that some lobbyists represent "real Americans." But although many popular commentators position interest groups as representatives of special—not "public"—interests, much organized advocacy is designed to advance public interests and ideas. Advocacy organizations—more than 1,600 of them—are now an important component of national political institutions. This book uses original data to explain why certain public groups, such as Jews, lawyers, and gun-owners, develop substantially more representation than others, and why certain organizations become the presumed spokespersons for these groups in government and media. In contrast to established theory and conventional wisdom, this book demonstrates that groups of all sizes and types generate advocates to speak on their behalf, though with varying levels of success. Matt Grossmann finds that the advantages of organized representation accrue to those public groups that are the most politically motivated and involved in their communities. Organizations that mobilize members and create a long-lasting presence in Washington become, in the minds of policymakers and reporters, the taken-for-granted surrogates for these public groups. In the face of perennial debates about the relative power of the people and the special interests, Grossmann offers an informed and nuanced view of the role of organizations in public representation and American governance. Matt Grossmann is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. He directs the Michigan Policy Network and is a coauthor of Campaigns & Elections: Rules, Reality, Strategy, Choice. More information on The Not-So-Special Interests and his other work can be found online at http://www.mattg.org. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21766 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21766 Roots of the State: Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei Roots of the State: Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei Benjamin L. Read "This impressive new study sheds light on an overlooked trend: the emergence of local neighborhood associations as political actors. Not fully extensions of the state, not fully creations of society, these associations highlight the complexity of local politics, as well as their promise."—Bruce Dickson, George Washington University "Roots of the State offers an intimate glimpse into the life and work of the neighborhood organizations that are the state's first thread of connection to its citizens. The themes and arguments raised here broaden our understanding of authoritarian regimes and reveal how alternative models of governance operate."—Mary Gallagher, University of Michigan <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=18646">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on "civil society" associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as "mass organizations" or manifestations of state corporatism. Roots of the State examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts. Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of "administrative grassroots engagement." States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents. Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes. Benjamin L. Read is Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. With Robert Pekkanen, he is co-editor of Local Organizations and Urban Governance in East and Southeast Asia: Straddling State and Society (2009). http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=18646 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=18646 Beyond Great Powers and Hegemons: Why Secondary States Support, Follow, or Challenge Beyond Great Powers and Hegemons: Why Secondary States Support, Follow, or Challenge Edited by Kristen P. Williams, Steven E. Lobell, and Neal G. Jesse "Beyond Great Powers and Hegemons examines how secondary and tertiary states respond to the policies of primary states, a still understudied topic of immense contemporary importance. Drawing on diverse historical and regional cases, the authors provide compelling insights for the management of America's international power."—David A. Lake, University of California, San Diego <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=18673">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> This book adds a new dimension to the discussion of the relationship between the great powers and the weaker states that align with them—or not. Previous studies have focused on the role of the larger (or super) power and how it manages its relationships with other states, or on how great or major powers challenge or balance the hegemonic state. Beyond Great Powers and Hegemonsseeks to explain why weaker states follow more powerful global or regional states or tacitly or openly resist their goals, and how they navigate their relationships with the hegemon. The authors explore the interests, motivations, objectives, and strategies of these 'followers'—including whether they can and do challenge the policies and strategies or the core position of the hegemon. Through the analysis of both historical and contemporary cases that feature global and regional hegemons in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South Asia, and that address a range of interest areas—from political, to economic and military—the book reveals the domestic and international factors that account for the motivations and actions of weaker states. Kristen P. Williams is Professor of Political Science at Clark University. Steven E. Lobell is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah. Neal G. Jesse is Associate Professor of Political Science at Bowling Green State University. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=18673 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=18673 Varieties of Feminism: German Gender Politics in Global Perspective Varieties of Feminism: German Gender Politics in Global Perspective Myra Marx Ferree "Breaking new ground in the study of comparative feminisms, this beautifully written and engaging book situates feminist activism in relation to changing gender regimes and gender orders within Germany, the US, the EU, and the UN system itself. Ferree's astute analyses of grassroots mobilizations, cultural production, NGOization, state feminism, gender mainstreaming, and supranational negotiation guarantee that this book will become a feminist classic."—Mary Hawkesworth, Rutgers University "Too often, American feminism is assumed to be a global norm, but in this excellent comparative work, Ferree reveals that this is not the case. The book explores a variety of women's movements across national settings and provides true insights into the promotion of women's rights in other countries. A tour de force!"—Amy G. Mazur, Washington State University "In light of her unmatched body of work on the comparative development of feminism in Germany and the U.S., I assumed that Ferree had exhausted her insights on the topic. I was wrong. In this extraordinary book, she pulls together, integrates, and provides historical context for her prior work. The result is not only the definitive book on the topic, but one of the very best books ever written on the comparative development of a movement."—Doug McAdam, Stanford University "Varieties of Feminism is both a magisterial history of the German women's movement and a provocative rethinking of feminism in its different national and global incarnations. Challenging the theoretical dominance of the U.S. model of feminism, Ferree brilliantly argues that developments in Germany provide a better guide to the future trajectory of women's struggles around the world."—Leila J. Rupp, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women's Movement "In telling the story of the institutionalization of gender politics in Germany over the past half century, Ferree provides rich theoretical insights for understanding the specific ways in which gender intersects with other inequalities in the United States and in numerous other countries as well."—William Gamson, Boston College "The history of the German women's movement is compelling in itself, but it is also an important demonstration of the errors of imagining feminism everywhere on the model of a dominant U.S. liberalism. National trajectories are varied, and gender issues woven in different ways into political, cultural, and personal histories. Ferree's story is one in which power relations slow progress, but also one in which incremental changes produce large results. And though focused on the past, it helps us see the openness of the future."—Craig Calhoun, New York University "Varieties of Feminism is a breathtakingly accomplished amalgam of feminist history, theory, and politics. With astute comparisons of German feminisms past and present and feminism in the United States and other European countries, Ferree interweaves theoretical and political analysis of liberal and socialist politics of gender to illuminate how feminist theory turns into practical action. This book is a major contribution to feminist scholarship."—Judith Lorber, author of Paradoxes of Gender and Breaking the Bowls: Degendering and Feminist Change "Ferree's work is a brilliant comparative and historical analysis of modern German feminisms. Her empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated account illuminates the diverse dilemmas and opportunities facing proponents of different varieties of feminism, in Germany and across the West, and in productive contrast to the US. The book offers an innovative approach to gender and politics that other scholars are sure to find compelling."—Ann Shola Orloff, Northwestern University "Myra Ferree's important study of German feminism emphasizes complexity, intersectionality, inconsistencies, and strategic concerns. One overarching message for readers is that feminism is various, set in institutional, transnational, discursive, and local specificities where the state is one of many actors. Because of the many vantage points from which she views the German feminist project, Ferree serves the study of feminism across the globe by offering a model for understanding its differences."—Bonnie Smith, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey "Varieties of Feminism is a tour-de-force of social science and feminist theory. It is a masterful synthesis of Feree's long-standing engagement with German feminist politics. The book does a brilliant job drawing out the larger lessons of the German case-tracing the evolution of German feminist concerns and the ways they combined commitments to collective representation, self-determination, and personal autonomy. In the process, Feree provides the theoretical tools for analyzing the 'relational realism' of systems of gender as well as a vision of what feminist political struggle might look like in the future."—Lynne Haney, New York University "Varieties of Feminism is a brilliant analysis of feminist politics, with a special focus on Germany and powerful implications for the United States and other advanced industrial democracies. Myra Marx Ferree is at the forefront of the new political turn in gender scholarship."—Julia Adams, Yale University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=12121">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> Varieties of Feminism investigates the development of German feminism by contrasting it with women's movements that arise in countries, like the United States, committed to liberalism. With both conservative Christian and social democratic principles framing the feminist discourses and movement goals, which in turn shape public policy gains, Germany provides a tantalizing case study of gender politics done differently. The German feminist trajectory reflects new political opportunities created first by national reunification and later, by European Union integration, as well as by historically established assumptions about social justice, family values, and state responsibility for the common good. Tracing the opportunities, constraints, and conflicts generated by using class struggle as the framework for gender mobilization—juxtaposing this with the liberal tradition where gender and race are more typically framed as similar—Ferree reveals how German feminists developed strategies and movement priorities quite different from those in the United States. Myra Marx Ferree is the Alice H. Cook Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her most recent books include Global Feminism: Transnational Women's Activism, Organizing, and Human Rights (2006) and Shaping Abortion Discourse: Democracy and the Public Sphere in Germany and the United States (2003). http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=12121 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=12121 Totalitarianism and Political Religion: An Intellectual History Totalitarianism and Political Religion: An Intellectual History A. James Gregor "A. James Gregor is indisputably the foremost authority on totalitarian philosophy and practice in the English-speaking world (at least). This magisterial book will add to that reputation: there are few scholars, if any, who could produce a work of such panoramic sweep. Further, Gregor makes the most imaginative linkages between ideas and phenomena that previously might have seemed unrelated. His provocative insights will attract much attention."—Anthony James Joes, Saint Joseph's University "In this impressive work of scholarship A. James Gregor shows that the totalitarian twins, communism and fascism, are not at all what they claim to be—secular and atheistic ideologies—but thinly disguised 'political religions' arising from their common source in the militant intellectual milieu that Marxism engendered."—Carl Linden, Emeritus, The George Washington University <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=21872">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> The totalitarian systems that arose in the twentieth century presented themselves as secular. Yet, as A. James Gregor argues in this book, they themselves functioned as religions. He presents an intellectual history of the rise of these political religions, tracing a set of ideas that include belief that a certain text contains impeccable truths; notions of infallible, charismatic leadership; and the promise of human redemption through strict obedience, selfless sacrifice, total dedication, and unremitting labor. Gregor provides unique insight into the variants of Marxism, Fascism, and National Socialism that dominated our immediate past. He explores the seeds of totalitarianism as secular faith in the nineteenth-century ideologies of Ludwig Feuerbach, Moses Hess, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Giuseppe Mazzini, and Richard Wagner. He follows the growth of those seeds as the twentieth century became host to Leninism and Stalinism, Italian Fascism, and German National Socialism—each a totalitarian institution and a political religion. A. James Gregor is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and Adjunct Professor at the Marine Corps University at Quantico, Virginia. He is author of thirty books, most recently Marxism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism: Chapters in the Intellectual History of Radicalism (Stanford 2008). http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21872 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=21872 East Asian National Identities: Common Roots and Chinese Exceptionalism East Asian National Identities: Common Roots and Chinese Exceptionalism Gilbert Rozman "The book is a very good overview of issues related to national identity in Japan, South Korea, and China. The six-dimensional analysis offers a novel approach to the study of national identity, and the comparative study should be commended."—Gi-Wook Shin, Director, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center <center><a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=22029">To buy this book or view bibliographic details, click here.</a></center> This rigorous comparative study of national identity in Japan, South Korea, and China examines countries with long histories influenced by Confucian thought, surging nationalism, and far-reaching ambitions for regional importance. East Asian National Identities compares national identities in terms of six dimensions encompassing ideology; history; the salience of cultural, political, and economic factors; superiority as a model national community; displacement of the U.S. in Asia; and depth of national identity. Through this analysis, Gilbert Rozman draws the three countries together in an East Asian National Identity Syndrome. Other contributors review historical sources and critical themes of identity in all three countries. Contributors include professors of sociology, international relations, and political science in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and China. Gilbert Rozman is the Musgrave Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. He was a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2010-11. http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=22029 http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=22029