The Formation of American Local Governments: Private Values in Public Institutions

Politics & Social Sciences

Burns, Nancy

Politics & Government

Oxford University Press

Why have Americans created thousands of new local governments in recent years, a rate much higher than population increases demand? Conflicts over local power--the power to tax, to issue bonds, and to provide services--have produced solutions that are often as ruthless as they are resourceful. The first text to illustrate the impact of creating new local governments, this compelling study provides an illuminating examination of the nature of local politics today. Skillfully combining case studies, institutional history, and quantitative analyses, Nancy Burns argues that economic interests, states, the federal government, and inventive individuals have changed the parameters of local institutions, thereby changing local politics. Rather than working for change within the existing system, countless groups have created new municipalities and "special districts," local governments that serve private interests more than the public good. Businesses and developers, who tend to initiate and dominate the process, often serve as organizational bases to help allied groups--such as wealthy homeowners--achieve their goals. Because of the autonomy that local governments enjoy in the U.S., the formation of these new governments has had an impact on the quality of life for many Americans. New boundaries, created mostly along race and class lines, determine access to education, housing, and basic services, allowing the privilege of exclusion to accompany the privilege of municipal management. Revealing the place of local institutions in the larger political spectrum, this landmark work offers students of urban politics and political science a unique look at the structural features of American local politics.

History

Americas

Why, after several generations of suffrage and a revival of the women's movement in the late 1960s, do women continue to be less politically active than men? Why are they less likely to seek public office or join political organizations? The Private Roots of Public Action is the most comprehensive study of this puzzle of unequal participation. 
The authors develop new methods to trace gender differences in political activity to the nonpolitical institutions of everyday life--the family, school, workplace, nonpolitical voluntary association, and church. Different experiences with these institutions produce differences in the resources, skills, and political orientations that facilitate participation--with a cumulative advantage for men. In addition, part of the solution to the puzzle of unequal participation lies in politics itself: where women hold visible public office, women citizens are more politically interested and active. The model that explains gender differences in participation is sufficiently general to apply to participatory disparities among other groups--among the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly or among Latinos, African-Americans and Anglo-Whites.

The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation

Social Sciences

Harvard University Press

Using clear and concise language, this third edition includes extensively revised content to reflect the most current literature and clinical studies. Practical and comprehensive, it explains each step in the nursing research process and helps students read, summarize, critique, and use findings in clinical practice. An introduction to interventions research has been added, information and examples on qualitative research have been expanded, and an introduction to the concept of evidence-based practice, a hot topic in the field of nursing, has been added.
<ul>
<li>The clear, consistent, and direct writing style facilitates student learning.</li>
<li>An outline, objectives, and relevant terms presented at the beginning of each chapter help readers focus on important concepts and definitions.</li>
<li>Quoted material from the latest research journals is set in a shaded colored box, providing readers with numerous examples of actual research articles.</li>
<li>Helpful points and questions on conducting a critique of a research report or study are featured in color to prepare students to think critically.</li>
<li>Chapter summaries present a concise overview at the end of each chapter.</li>
<li>An extensive glossary defines relevant terms used in the text.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>An expanded discussion of qualitative research provides more current and relevant detail with updated examples to support the information.</li>
<li>The Review of Literature chapter has been thoroughly revised to present research articles and discussions to introduce students to the use of current technology for information retrieval.</li>
<li>An expanded discussion of outcomes research throughout the book introduces students to this cutting-edge methodology.</li>
<li>A basic introduction to intervention research presents this difficult topic in easy-to-understand language and prepares students for graduate studies.</li>
<li>An introduction to the use of research in developing best practices and clinical guidelines directs the student to the importance of these concepts in the nursing profession and the potential impact on patient and family outcomes.</li>
<li>A discussion of evidence-based practice provides a strong knowledge of this hot topic in the field of nursing.</li>
</ul>

Understanding Nursing Research

Medical Books

Grove, Susan K.

Nursing

Saunders

Practical and student-friendly, this helpful study guide reinforces comprehension of information covered in the third edition of the parent text.
<ul>
<li>Content has been thoroughly updated to reflect changes in the parent text.</li>
<li>New online resources have been added.</li>
</ul>

Study Guide for Understanding Nursing Research

Grove PhD RN ANP-BC GNP-BC, Susan K.

Burns PhD RN FCN FAAN, Nancy

Book by Burns, Nancy, Grove, Susan K.

The practice of nursing research: Conduct, critique, and utilization

The book provides comprehensive coverage of research methods for nursing and introduces the reader to quantitative research, qualitative research, and triangulation. It develops a solid foundation for critiquing quantitative and qualitative studies, and summarizes empirical knowledge for use in practice. Material necessary for the development of research proposals and the conduction of research is presented to assist the reader in executing research projects. It provides examples of numerous research designs, includes expanded coverage of ethics and research, including current federal guidelines for approving studies, use of children as research subjects, and discussion of misconduct in conducting and publishing research. The book contains up-to-date coverage of instrument reliability and validity and teaches the reader how to evaluate the research instruments used in published studies and select more reliable instruments when conducting research.

The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique & Utilization

Health, Fitness & Dieting

W.B.Saunders Co.

An invaluable record of African American lives in the aftermath of Emancipation and Reconstruction
This book presents a photographic narrative of African American and Native American migration and resettlement in the aftermath of Emancipation and Reconstruction. Taken between 1897 and 1917 by itinerant photographer William Bullard of Worcester, Massachusetts, these photographs address larger themes involving race in American history, many of which remain relevant today: the story of people of color claiming their rightful place in society and creating a community in new surroundings.
William Bullard’s heretofore unpublished collection of more than 230 glass negatives presenting the African American and Nipmuc communities of Worcester, Massachusetts, at the turn of the century provides an exceptional opportunity to significantly deepen our understanding of the use of photography at a political and personal level. Unlike most extant photographic collections of black Americans taken in this period, the subjects in Bullard’s photographs are identified in his logbook, allowing this book to tell specific stories about individuals and re-create a more accurate historical context.
In addition, though most publications engaging with African American history focus on the Gilded Age or the Civil Rights eras, this collection of Bullard’s photographs exposes a critical gap in many visual histories. Predating the Great Migration, these photographs portray a moment seldom stressed in the historical narrative, replacing stereotypical notions of poverty and dysfunction with accomplishment and respectability.

Rediscovering an American Community of Color: The Photographs of William Bullard, 1897–1917

Arts & Photography

Morrill, Frank

Greenwood, Janette

Photography & Video

Worcester Art Museum

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