The Politics of Failed Policies (Oxford Scholarship Online)

Business & Money

James, Sarah

Economics

Oxford University Press

The Politics of Failed Policies examines the darker side of state autonomy and policy experimentation in our federal system: policy failure. While advances in statistics and computing promised the ability to evaluate the outcomes of state policies more precisely and accurately, the path from information to responsive policy remains far from guaranteed, especially given our highly polarized political climate. Most of the existing scholarship focuses on individual characteristics that affect public officials' likelihood of internalizing new information and refining their policy preferences. In stark contrast, author Sarah James takes a historical institutionalist approach and shows that the design, resources, and processes of state-level research institutions can systematically influence when evidence can overcome confirmation bias and partisan preferences among elected state officials evaluating a policy. This work contributes a more precise definition of a state's capacity for research that better explains political responses to policy failure. The detailed case studies support a theory of policy feedback in which policy and institutional landscape can empower diffusely organized and disadvantaged policy opponents to overcome the power of the traditional winners in the American political economy. The Politics of Failed Policies takes seriously that policy research and learning are not isolated from the caprices of party politics, and yet I show that state politics and policymaking are not irrevocably beholden to the whims of partisan bickering. While ideological battles, pressure from well-resourced interest groups, and, yes, even elections, remain formidable forces in American politics, strategically designed state policies and institutions can lay a foundation for building a coalition to respond to actual policy outcomes. Choices about policy and institutional design have long-term effects on when, how, and why public officials feel pressured to acknowledge and respond to policy failure.

Sustainability may seem like one more buzzword and cities and towns like the last places to change, but The Natural Step for Communities provides inspiring examples of communities that have made dramatic changes toward sustainability and explains how others can emulate their success.
Chronicled in the book are towns like Övertorneå, whose government operations recently became 100 percent fossil fuel-free, demonstrating that unsustainable municipal practices really can be overhauled. Arguing that the process of introducing change—whether converting to renewable energy or designing compact development—is critical to success, the authors outline why well-intentioned proposals often fail to win community approval and why an integrated approach—not "single-issue" initiatives—can surmount challenges of conflicting priorities, scarce resources and turf battles.
The book first clarifies the concept of sustainability, offering guiding principles—the Natural Step framework—that help identify sustainable action in any area. It then introduces the 60+ eco-municipalities of Sweden that have adopted changes to sustainable practices throughout municipal policies and operations. The third section explains how they did it and outlines how other communities in North America and elsewhere can do the same. Key to success is a democratic, "bottom-up" change process and clear guiding sustainability principles, such as the Natural Step framework.
The book will appeal to both general readers wishing to understand better what sustainability means and practitioners interested in introducing or expanding sustainable development in their communities.
Sarah James is the principal of a community planning consulting firm. She co-authored the American Planning Association’s Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide and has published articles throughout the U.S. on this subject.
Torbjörn Lahti was the planner for Sweden’s first eco-municipality and is directing a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was instrumental in forming the Swedish National Association of Eco-municipalities.

The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices

Lahti, Torbjörn

New Society Publishers

Plenty-Fish

Nine Arches Press

Murder, movie stars, and mystery await those who climb aboard this cross-country train, inspired by the real-life history of the Hollywood Victory Caravan Hollywood, 1942. Jacqueline Love's acting career is flailing. Suddenly on the wrong side of 40, parts are drying up, directors are calling her "difficult," and Humphrey Bogart has definitely stopped taking her calls. Desperate to cling to stardom, Jackie takes the only gig that will have her- the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of movie stars crossing the country to fundraise for the war effort. Jackie wouldn't call herself patriotic, but with her life's work on the line, she'll do anything. When a fellow star dies on board, everyone assumes the death was a tragic accident-but Jackie isn't so sure. Stuck in Chicago's Union Station, Jackie enlists the help of Grace, one of the few women in the police force, to investigate. But "difficult" outside of a movie set is dangerous, and when the pair fall into a homegrown Nazi scheme, Jackie must ask herself what's more important- her career, or her country?

Last Stop Union Station: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Sourcebooks Landmark

"A riveting tale about a town and its people that officially never existed and the secrecy behind one of the Manhattan Project's top-secret cities!" ―Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman's Daughter 
For fans of Atomic City Girls and Marie Benedict, a fascinating historical debut of one of the most closely held secrets of World War II and a woman caught up in it when she follows her missing sister to the mysterious city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 
Lillian Kaufman hasn't heard from her twin sister since Eleanor left for a mysterious job at an Army base somewhere in Tennessee. When she learns, on an unexpected phone call, that Eleanor is missing, Lillian takes a train from New York down to Oak Ridge to clear up the matter. 
It turns out that the only way into Oak Ridge is to assume Eleanor's identity, which Lillian plans to do swiftly and perfectly. But Eleanor has vanished without a trace―and she's not the only one. And how do you find someone in a town so dangerous it doesn't officially exist, when technically you don't exist either? 
Lillian is thrust into the epicenter of the gravest scientific undertaking of all time, with no idea who she can trust. And the more she pretends to be Eleanor, the more she loses her grip on herself.

The Woman with Two Shadows: A Novel of WWII

"Glamorous and suspenseful." --Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author Perhaps the best place in 1943 Hollywood to see the stars is the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed exclusively by those in show business. Murder mystery playwright Annie Laurence, new in town after a devastating breakup, definitely hopes to rub elbows with the right stars. Maybe then she can get her movie made. But Hollywood proves to be more than tinsel and glamour. When despised film critic Fiona Farris is found dead in the Canteen kitchen, Annie realizes any one of the Canteen's luminous volunteers could be guilty of the crime. To catch the killer, Annie falls in with Fiona's friends, a bitter and cynical group--each as uniquely unhappy in their life and career as Annie is in hers--that call themselves the Ambassador's Club. Solving a murder in real life, it turns out, is a lot harder than writing one for the stage. And by involving herself in the secrets and lies of the Ambassador's Club, Annie just might have put a target on her own back.&nbsp; "This vibrant, utterly delightful mystery expertly captures the drama, glamour and absurdity of wartime Hollywood. Sarah James's swift dialogue, dry wit and clever characters transport you into a 1940s movie, where the jokes are quick, the love affairs scandalous and the cast as charming as they are flawed." --Brianna Labuskes, author of The Librarian of Burned Books

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen: A Novel

Seeds of Sorrow: An Enemies-To-Lovers Dark Contemporary Romance (Modern Goddess Series)

LGBTQ+ Books

Colby Bettley

The sequel to the explosive, enemies-to-lovers dark romance novel Seeds of Sorrow. Loosely inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth. *** Peyton Dimitra is no longer a good girl. She was ruined the second she met Hadina Adis. After her life imploded and a lifetime of secrets were uncovered, Peyton found herself running from her problems. But the dark is a scary place to be alone and Peyton is kidnapped by her birth mother, the woman determined to kill her and hit Hadina where it hurts. While Peyton is held in captivity, Hadina must battle her own demons as she searches for her love. Joining forces with her family, Hadina vows to find Peyton and kill anyone who harms her. Both women are determined to find their way back to each other, but danger and death plagues their paths. The only way out is to embrace their darkness and hope that the light will find them when they are reunited. *** Branches of Betrayal is the second book in a dark contemporary romance series, loosely inspired by Greek mythology. This book contains mature themes, explicit content, triggers, violence and strong language. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Branches of Betrayal: The sequel to the explosive, enemies-to-lovers dark romance novel Seeds of Sorrow (Modern Goddess Series)

Romance

Contemporary

Broken Desires Publishing

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