Reviews (6)

Very Helpful
The world is full of experts at what is wrong with the things that we do. Dr. Carver has a rock-solid, well thought out suggestion concerning how to do it right. One reviewer complained that Dr. Carver's suggestions are not realistic. Right isnot often realistic, but right is always right. It's far better to start with an ideal and compromise from that point than to capitulate from the outset. Boards that Make a Difference is well worth reading.

Idealistic
The carver style of governance is a tad idealistic and perhaps overly optimistic.I have read everything Dr Carver has written concerning this field and enjoy this material at an academic level.But when it comes tooperationalizing this model in boardrooms I've seen it fail time and timeagain.Not to say that the model is flawed because in fact the model isnormative and conceptually complete.However it doesn't capture thatelement of reality from which, in my experience, the model requires -practicality and real-world application.Dr Carver's notion that Boardscan do without Finance and Audit Committees is very naive.Mostconsultants from the chartered accountant genre are saying the completeopposite.In fact most government policy initiatives are moving towardmore control of financial affairs of organizations for boards from chartsof accounts to fiscal policy.So I don't think the elimination of Financeand Audit Committees is realistic nor is it a terribly bright suggestion. I guess my only crticism is that the carver model is far to idealistic andphilosophical for a practical application in the form Dr Carver suggests. Sorry but a hybrid model of traditional Board governance and the carvermodel may work given the commitment required from directors tofollow-though on everything suggested in that system of governance,

A must-have for not-for-profits!
This book was the core piece of a radical change in our board room. It led us down the path we knew we wanted to go but didn't know how to get there. His model for board room organization could revolutionize boards ofcompanies in transition, like those of the rural electric program inAmerica. It's a road map for where you already know in your heart that youwant to go. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Associations, institutions, et    2. Associations, institutions, etc.    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Corporate & Business History - General    7. Directors of corporations    8. Leadership    9. Management    10. Non-Profit Organizations Management    11. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    12. Nonprofit organizations    13. Public Administration    14. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    15. Civil service & public sector    16. Management decision making   

Reviews (1)

Disappointing and shallow
This book attempts to present public policy theories (incrementalism, group theory, elitism and so on) together with a number of concrete applications, in order to demonstrate how different theories highlightsdifferent aspects of policy making. It is not so much a matter of whichtheory is correct, but which theory is useful to analyze a certain issue.All this is of course very fine.Read more

Subjects:  1. Policy sciences    2. Political Science    3. Political planning    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics and government    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy    8. Public Policy - General    9. United States    10. Central government policies    11. Political Science / General   

Editorial Review

Even at his most irate, Jimmy Carter projects cool, communicating with a poise that commands attention while gently signaling to opponents that they better do their homework before mounting any sort of debate. Perhaps that's why the former president, Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and bestselling author ranks as one of the planet's most respected voices in the areas of human rights, diplomacy, and good government. And when a clearly agitated Carter suggests America is on a slippery slope, globally speaking, as he does throughout Read more

Reviews (246)

A bit disappointing
Even though I am biased towards Jimmy, I was a little disappointed by this book.While some sections are very succinct and Jimmy is clearly writing from the heart, for $15 one would expect a little more analysis and explanation of the major issues of the day.

An important book for our times
I bought this book from the UK amazon under the title Faith & Freedom. It is an eye-opening account of how religious fundamentalists have managed to leave the impact of their worst attitudes of intolerance, self-righteousness, and belligerence on American domestic and foreign politics, something that concerns me as a UK citizen, because that which significantly affects the most powerful country on the planet is liable to have repercussions elsewhere. But after its eye-opening, soberingcontent, the book ends with a more gracious tone, encouraging Americans to return to a renewed commitment towards their own best ideals in a way that is reflected in the country's dealings with the rest of the world. May this happen, else America's reputation could undergo irreversible damage. Hopefully this excellent book will exert a wide and good influence. Highly recommended.

An accurate, honest and true account of the state of our country.
Absolutely the best non-fiction book-on-dvd I've ever listened to. President Carter gives an accurate and honest account of the political, social and physical changes currently dividing the American society under this current administration. I remember as a young girl hearing a White House biographer say that it would be years after President Carter's administration that we would appreciate his intelligence and the contributions he made to peace and the strength of the nation. I think this book brings that prediction to fruition. What a shame that we don't have a leader who cares about the future of the country and the people's well being.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Christianity and politics    3. Church And Social Problems    4. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. Philosophy    7. Political    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Presidents & Heads of State    10. Public Policy - General    11. Religion And Politics    12. Religion, Politics & State    13. Religious    14. Religious fundamentalism    15. Social values    16. Sociology    17. United States    18. 21st century    19. Christian social thought & activity    20. Political Science / General    21. Social issues    22. Social theory    23. USA   

Subjects:  1. Aging    2. Baby boom generation    3. Middle-aged persons    4. Political Advocacy    5. Political Science    6. Political activity    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy - General    10. Retirees    11. United States    12. Political Science / Public Policy   

Reviews (2)

Negotiation versus Regime Change
Scott Ritter provides chapter and verse on how conflict with the Axis of Evil nations could have been avoided with direct negotiation.The mullahs of Iran sought to negotiate with everything on the table, including nuclear weapons and a treaty with Israel. North Korea still wants direct negotiations.So did Saddam. We don't negotiate with regimes we want to remove.Bush prefers to "take them out" no matter how many americans die.

Could have, would have, shoud have...
This could have been one of the most important books of the year. Scott Ritter provides important, but tangential, information related to Israel's influence over U.S. foreign policy, the history of the IAEA in Iran, and the theory of regime change as the real reason for U.S. "concern" over Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. History    3. History: American    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Public Policy - General    7. United States - 21st Century    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    9. History / United States / 21st Century    10. International relations    11. Iran    12. USA   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Leadership    6. Political Process - General    7. Political leadership    8. Political planning    9. Public Administration    10. Public Policy    11. United States    12. Business & Economics / Leadership    13. Business & Economics-Entrepreneurship    14. Civil service & public sector    15. Management & management techniques    16. Political Science-Political Process - General    17. Political structure & processes   

Reviews (4)

great foundation
this book provides a great foundation for those interested in the networking of private, public, and non-profit sectors. great examples are included in the book, and it is relatively easy to use. Great book!

The Public Private Business Connection
The average citizen may not notice it, but government is rapidly changing. Nongovernment workers are now delivering services that the government used to deliver as recently as a decade ago. As public policy specialists, authors Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers know this area well. Their book is full of dense organizational descriptions, which come to life only when they use real-world examples. Fortunately, they do so often, presenting interesting facts and case studies. Still, this book is intended for serious students of public policy and government. Numerous checklists bog it down and may not be practical to use. We recommend it to public officials, policy-makers and citizens who want to understand trends in government and the ways that governing by network is changing the political scene.

Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector
Very fast delivery. Wonderful seller. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Contracting out    2. Government - National    3. History & Theory - General    4. Political Science    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. Public administration    9. Public-private sector cooperat    10. Public-private sector cooperation    11. United States    12. Central government    13. Civil service & public sector    14. USA   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (66)

Readable, comprehensive and urgent
Let me be as concise as Roberts is comprehensive: this is best book on the looming energy crisis that I have read, and I have read half a dozen.
The U.S. just expanded reserves 50%
The book deserves 2 stars because there are worse books on oil out there. But the author fails to grasp many critical issues in both oil economics and developing technology that the book ultimately serves as a another in a long string of "we are probably doomed books" to come out now faster than ever. Roberts is a good writer who is just too far out of his depth to write on this topic.
Poisonous Misinformation
The most depressing thing about a book like this is not the outrageously inaccurate content, but, based on the high ratings and adulatory comments by other reviewers, that most people actually believe this drivel. How can we possibly form an effective energy policy when the citizenry are not only uninformed but ill-informed? The answer is that we cannot. I will not bother to go through a detailed criticism, not only because it would take an almost book length document to do it, but because, in the highly politicized atmosphere we live in, no one would believe it. Today, the "truth" depends much more on one's political views than on an objective evaluation of the evidence. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Energy Policy (Economic Aspects)    5. Energy policy    6. Government policy    7. Industries - Energy Industries    8. International - General    9. International Relations - Trade & Tariffs    10. Petroleum Industries (Economic Aspects)    11. Petroleum industry and trade    12. Public Policy - Economic Policy    13. Public Policy - General    14. United States    15. Business & Economics / International   

Subjects:  1. Democratic Party (U.S.)    2. Election    3. General    4. National Security Issues    5. National security    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Political Process - Political Parties    9. Political Science    10. Political Terrorism    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Presidents    14. Public Policy - General    15. United States    16. Political science & theory   

Reviews (12)

Socialism
This book would be better titled as "Moving Towards Socialism: America's turn to try the worst social/economic system ever devised."
War on Terror Chapter is Buried in Back of Book
Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Reed do not even deal with terrorism, the greatest threat to the citizens of the United States, until page 148!This would be hysterically funny if the stakes were not so high. Neither the Daily Kos nor George Soros are ever mentioned in the entire book. The authors are very well aware that disingenuous pacifism pervades the Democratic Party.Sadly, they are doing their best to hide the truth from the American people. Did they actually think they could get away with it?
"Communist Youth League" and Shadow FBI ??
I am glad that "progressives" (liberals) have begun to propose policy, in stead of just bashing Bush on Iraq and Katrina. Read more

Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Democratic Party (U.S.)    3. General    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    6. Political Parties    7. Political Process - Political Parties    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Public Policy    13. Public Policy - General    14. Reference    15. Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )    16. United States    17. Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Policy sciences    3. Political Science    4. Political planning    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy - General    8. United States    9. Central government policies   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Education And The State    3. Education and state    4. Health/Fitness    5. Labor    6. Labor Market    7. Manpower policy    8. Medical policy    9. Public Policy - General    10. United States    11. Central government    12. Educational systems    13. Health systems & services    14. Labour economics    15. Political Science / Public Policy    16. USA    17. Work & labour   

Reviews (4)

Completely Worthless
Caldicott has not changed.Her approach to nuclear energy is list some emitted radioactive isotopes of a process or perhaps some barely probable radioactive emissions.She neglects to mentions the doses are almost invariably minute, do not harm human health, and are way below radiation doses provided by mother nature.
Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer -- The Title Says it All !
Dr. Helen Caldicott, has written another incredible book!In her magnificent book, Helen shows us:
The Case Against
In this book Helen Caldicott covers a wide range of issues involved in the nuclear debate, the many core people involved, both pro and against, and the scientific studies available. She explains the history of and the technology involved in nuclear power in detail and discusses 'green' technology alternatives.
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Subjects:  1. Global warming    2. Industries - Energy Industries    3. Nuclear Energy    4. Nuclear industry    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Prevention    9. Public Policy - Environmental Policy    10. Public Policy - General    11. United States    12. Nuclear issues    13. Nuclear power & engineering    14. Political Science / Public Policy   

Reviews (4)

Creative and refreshing approach
This book is a very solid, creative and refreshing proposal for new ways to look at Global problems. He modestly proposes real solutions and processes. These ideas seem equally applicable at the regional and local level where institutional change can be slow but problems need a response without years of debates and institutional resistance.

What has our world come to?
This book shows, proves and explains 20 of the major problems our world is faced with, which will become fatal/too serious after twenty years. Rischard has divided the book into three sections: the reasons, the problems, and the solutions. He gives examples of what we could do or what needs to be done, and why this is importants/what would come from it if we do not act. It is not a book for people who dont care at all, but is a good read for those who have enough motivation to help. Worth the money, although its not about the money, but the meaning is important: it's not just 'a good read'.

Straight-Forward, Understandable, URGENT, "Strong Buy"
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Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. Environmental Studies    3. Future Studies    4. Public Policy - General    5. 21st century    6. Interdisciplinary Studies    7. International relations    8. Current Affairs   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Development - Sustainable Development    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Environmental Protection    5. Great Lakes    6. Lakes & Ponds    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Water Resources Conservation    10. Water Supply    11. Water resources development    12. Water-supply    13. Conservation of the environment    14. Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection    15. Political Science / Public Policy   

Reviews (2)

A great analysis guide
This is a great book for anyone going into the field of policy analysis.Very intuitive, without jargon.

A treatise on analyzing policies for any business
Eugene Bardach's A Practical Guide For Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path To More Effective Problem Solving is a treatise on analyzing policies for any business. Bardach offers a very carefully written and informative text, enhanced with extensive suggestions, examples, explanations, footnotes, and in-depth problem-solving plans. Intended to help the reader learn the management skills of an executive, A Practical Guide For Policy Analysis concentrates an amazing amount of versatile wisdom into a mere 102 pages. A recommended guide for anyone who must learn to deal with high-stakes or high-stress daily crossroads. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decision making    2. Policy sciences    3. Political Science    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Problem solving    6. Public Policy - General    7. Central government policies    8. USA   

Editorial Review

According to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, America currently faces five threats that could undermine, if not eliminate, the United States if immediate steps are not taken to correct them. The threats as he sees them are Islamic terrorists and rogue dictatorships armed with nuclear or biological weapons; the removal of God from American public life; a loss of patriotism and sense of America's history; a decline in economic supremacy because of poor science and math education; and the increasing budgetary burden of Social Security and Medicare. To tackle these problems, Gingrich offers his "21st Century Contract with America," which he outlines in great detail in this bold and thought-provoking book. His updated contract, which comes a decade after the original Republican Contract with America that marked the high point of Gingrich's national power, calls for a dramatically simplified tax code that favors savings and investment; government investment in science and technology, particularly regarding space, energy, and the environment; transforming Social Security into personal savings accounts; overhauling the civil justice system to reduce the burden of lawsuits; and updating the federal government, including the privatization of some functions, so that it moves at the speed and effectiveness of the information age. And that's just the beginning. He also calls for tripling the size of America's intelligence community, reforming its election system, developing a more intelligent health care system that creates jobs and increases quality of life, and balancing the federal budget. Read more

Reviews (72)

Common Sense
Newt Gingrich presents common sense solutions to the pressing issues of our day in a clear concise and easily understood manner.This book should be required reading for all civics and history classes in high school and college.If the policies Dr. Gingrich proposes could be implemented, the US would not only become the shining city on a hill, it would also become, far and away, the world's most powerful economy throughout the next fifty years with prosperity for all Americans who chose to join the ownership society he envisions.

NEWT '08
I long ago gave up on both mainstream American political parties, and do NOT cast my vote for candidates on whether they have a "D" or an "R" behind their name (and it's usually a vote for the lesser of two evils), but I have long been fascinated by the voracious intellect and diversity of issues that the former US Representative from Georgia has addressed throughout his public career; and this book is no different. From taxes, healthcare and defense to God in the marketplace of ideas, former Speaker Gingrich not only points out a plethora of challenges facing America (both today, and in the future), but, unlike most politicians, he offers bold and thoughtful ideas for addressing these problems before its to late.
This man is a visionary and a genius
If only Washington could embrace the ideas laid out in this book.
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Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Conservatism    3. Economic Policy    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Public Policy - Economic Policy    11. Public Policy - General    12. Public Policy - Social Policy    13. Social Policy    14. United States    15. Political Science / Political Parties   

Reviews (1)

The first sensible book on the subject
With the "war" generating more harsh rhetoric and more flying spittle by the day, here's the first book that dares to tell the truth: the metaphor doesn't fit.The prosecution of the war on terror makes about as much sense as trying to fight the war on poverty by sending tanks into West Virginia.
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Subjects:  1. History - U.S.    2. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    3. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Prevention    7. Public Policy - General    8. Terrorism    9. United States    10. United States - 21st Century    11. War on Terrorism, 2001-    12. International relations    13. Political Science / International Security    14. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Measurement    5. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    6. Nonprofit organizations    7. Organizational effectiveness    8. Performance    9. Public Affairs & Administration    10. Public administration    11. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    12. Civil service & public sector    13. Non-profitmaking organizations    14. Personnel & human resources management    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Arts    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Cultural policy    6. Economic aspects    7. Economics - Microeconomics    8. Economics - Theory    9. Public Policy - General    10. United States    11. Art funding, patronage & sponsorship    12. Arts--Economic aspects--United States    13. Business & Economics / Microeconomics    14. Business & Management    15. Cultural studies    16. Media, information & communication industries    17. Sport & leisure industries