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Broad Scale Coastal Simulation: New Techniques to Understand and Manage Shorelines in the Third Millennium (Advances in Global Change Research #49)
by Robert J. Nicholls Richard J. Dawson Sophie A. DayCoastal zones exemplify the environmental pressures we face: their beauty attracts settlement, they offer potential for diverse economic activities, and they are sensitive natural habitats for important species, as well as providing a range of ecosystem services. They are also extremely vulnerable to the vicissitudes of climate change, which include rising sea levels and changes in extreme events such as storms. With large populations living in coastal and estuarine cities facing the ongoing threat of inundation, coordinated management is essential, especially as coastal zones form a linked system in which piecemeal, uncoordinated management could be counterproductive.
A Broad View of Regional Science: Essays in Honor of Peter Nijkamp (New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives #47)
by Soushi Suzuki Roberto PatuelliThis book celebrates the life and work of Peter Nijkamp, whose research provides a strong focus on regional science. His work follows a rigorous, comprehensive approach, centred around analytical modelling and methodological innovation. This edited volume, like Prof Nijkamp’s research, covers a wide range of topics in regional science, analysed through multi-criteria evaluation, evaluation modelling, econometrics, and simulations, among other methods. These tools are applied to the analysis of society and culture, tourism and information, cities, environment and sustainability. Professor Nijkamp is one of the founders and the past president of the Regional Science Association International. His work forms a valuable reference for researchers, scholars, policymakers, and students in the field of regional science and other disciplines. This volume, timed to coincide with his 75th birthday, celebrates Prof Nijkamp’s great contributions to regional science. He also promoted and participated in the education and development of young researchers not only in regional science but also in other fields, supervising many Ph.D. students and hosting even more as guests in Amsterdam. Contributors to this volume include Prof Nijkamp’s former doctoral students and guest researchers, as well as associates and colleagues.
Broadband in Europe: How Brussels Can Wire the Information Society
by Dan Maldoom Richard Marsden American Enterprise Institute Hal J. SingerBroadband is a key enabler of the information society, increasing productivity and competitiveness across all sectors of the economy. Unlike traditional n- rowband connections, broadband provides high speed, always-on connections to the Internet and supports innovative content and services. Direct consumer welfare gains from mass-market adoption of broadband across the EU could easily reach 50 billion euros or more per annum. This is quite apart from the more profound societal shifts that ubiquitous broadband could bring. It may allow the individual to distribute content and ideas independent of traditional media and bring together communities of interest without regard to borders. Public policy for broadband will have a big impact on whether and how quickly these bene?ts are realised. Getting policy right could bring large bene?ts for consumers, ?rms and the economy at large; getting policy wrong risks s- ?ing both the rollout of broadband and new innovative services, and thus the realisation of the EU’s e-Europe vision. In this book, we focus on the residential market for broadband access in EU countries, analysing the current and prospective level of competition and dr- ing implications for public policy. A key aim is to understand better the relative importance of facilities-based and access-based provision in fostering com- tition and promoting take-up of broadband services.
Broadcasting and Politics in Western Europe
by Raymond KuhnFirst Published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Broadcasting and Politics in Western Europe
by Raymond KuhnFirst Published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Broadcasting and the NHS in the Thatcherite 1980s: The Challenge to Public Service
by Patricia HollandPatricia Holland offers a fascinating study of the ways in which changes to public services, and shifts in the concept of 'the public' under Margaret Thatcher's three Conservative governments, were mediated by radio and television in the 1980s.
Broadcasting in Japan: Challenges and Opportunities (Advances in Information and Communication Research #5)
by Hitoshi Mitomo Mikio KimuraThis book provides an analysis of the various challenges and opportunities facing the Japanese broadcasting industry. It is the first book in English that explores how Japanese broadcasting, especially commercial broadcasting, fulfills its social mission under the threat of the increased popularity of Internet-based media services as it reexamines the role and nature of broadcasting. During a series of disasters and the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan, while varied media connected people and supported socio-economic activities, broadcasting continued to be the most trusted. However, as Internet media attract increasing attention, the trend in broadcast viewership is downward. Commercial broadcasting, in particular, will be strongly affected by that trend and the impact of the shrinking population. Recognizing that such dramatic technological and environmental changes are under way, in addition to the eleven researchers participating in the visiting researcher committee at the Research Institute of the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA), four research collaborators and the secretariat (director of the JBA) have contributed to this book. They have taken up issues related to challenges and opportunities for the broadcasting industry based on their respective areas of awareness of the problems, including policies for broadcasting, fake news, disaster responses, viewer trust in television programs, competition with Internet-based services, and the business model for broadcasting.
Broadening Horizons: International Exchanges in Social Work (Contemporary Social Work Studies)
by Wanda Thomas BernardWhile the remit of social work professionals is, in general, locality-based, social work has a long tradition of concern about international issues. Broadening Horizons provides an engaging and original contribution to the debate on how to tackle social work problems on a global scale. Filling both a theoretical and a practice gap in the literature, the book discusses the experiences of academics, practitioners and students involved in international exchanges in social work. It draws on a major EU-Canadian exchange project as well as separate projects in countries including South Africa, the USA, China and Australia. The contributors highlight the opportunities and barriers that shaped their experience and give guidance on how to deal with both the practicalities and aspirations of living and working across borders. This book will thus be invaluable both to readers interested in the meaning and realities of international social work and to those hoping to embark on an exchange programme themselves.
Broadening Horizons: International Exchanges in Social Work (Contemporary Social Work Studies)
by Wanda Thomas BernardWhile the remit of social work professionals is, in general, locality-based, social work has a long tradition of concern about international issues. Broadening Horizons provides an engaging and original contribution to the debate on how to tackle social work problems on a global scale. Filling both a theoretical and a practice gap in the literature, the book discusses the experiences of academics, practitioners and students involved in international exchanges in social work. It draws on a major EU-Canadian exchange project as well as separate projects in countries including South Africa, the USA, China and Australia. The contributors highlight the opportunities and barriers that shaped their experience and give guidance on how to deal with both the practicalities and aspirations of living and working across borders. This book will thus be invaluable both to readers interested in the meaning and realities of international social work and to those hoping to embark on an exchange programme themselves.
Broadening Participation in STEM: Effective Methods, Practices, and Programs (Diversity in Higher Education #22)
by Zayika Wilson-Kennedy Goldie S. Byrd Eugene Kennedy Henry T. FriersonU.S. students exit undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs at alarming rates. Less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students who enter STEM degree programs as aspiring freshmen complete degrees in these areas. This is especially true for minorities, whose departure from STEM degree programs is often twice the rate of others.Broadening Participation in STEM features chapters from developers of high impact educational practices and programs that have been effective at broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines. It explores strategies used with special populations of STEM aspirants including minority groups such as African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans; persons from economically disadvantaged background; and persons with disabilities. This volume contributes to national knowledge of best practices in educating underrepresented students aspiring to STEM careers. This book provides campus-based faculty, administrators, and diversity professionals with a guide that can be used to develop programs designed to address specific student success and inclusion goals in STEM programs.
Broadening Participation in STEM: Effective Methods, Practices, and Programs (Diversity in Higher Education #22)
by Zayika Wilson-Kennedy Goldie S. Byrd Eugene Kennedy Henry T. FriersonU.S. students exit undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs at alarming rates. Less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students who enter STEM degree programs as aspiring freshmen complete degrees in these areas. This is especially true for minorities, whose departure from STEM degree programs is often twice the rate of others.Broadening Participation in STEM features chapters from developers of high impact educational practices and programs that have been effective at broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines. It explores strategies used with special populations of STEM aspirants including minority groups such as African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans; persons from economically disadvantaged background; and persons with disabilities. This volume contributes to national knowledge of best practices in educating underrepresented students aspiring to STEM careers. This book provides campus-based faculty, administrators, and diversity professionals with a guide that can be used to develop programs designed to address specific student success and inclusion goals in STEM programs.
Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics: Citizenship and Popular Culture (National Political Science Review Ser.)
by Michael MitchellBroadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics, volume 17 of the National Political Science Review (NPSR), is divided thematically into two books, available separately or as a set. The first concentrates on the institutional aspects of Black politics. The second book addresses various dimensions of social capital that constitute the fundamental building blocks of Black politics. Each contains peer-reviewed articles, a symposium section, and book reviews, as well as other featured sections.Together, these books build on the previous NPSR volume, Black Women in Politics. The symposium in Volume 17:1 examines the struggle of Black women, both in the political science discipline and in getting their work published. In the symposium section of Volume 17:2, members of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists carry on a revealing conversation about the dilemmas of professional life for Black women in political science.The set also contains a section called "Trends," which offers data to use as starting points for discussions in teaching, on professional panels, or in the mass media, regarding the new versions of the Voting Rights Act after the Shelby County v. Holder decision of 2013. Both volumes 17:1 and 17:2 contain rigorously vetted articles on significant themes in the study of Black politics. This set represents the most recent offering in the distinguished National Political Science Review series.
Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics: Citizenship and Popular Culture
by Michael MitchellBroadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics, volume 17 of the National Political Science Review (NPSR), is divided thematically into two books, available separately or as a set. The first concentrates on the institutional aspects of Black politics. The second book addresses various dimensions of social capital that constitute the fundamental building blocks of Black politics. Each contains peer-reviewed articles, a symposium section, and book reviews, as well as other featured sections.Together, these books build on the previous NPSR volume, Black Women in Politics. The symposium in Volume 17:1 examines the struggle of Black women, both in the political science discipline and in getting their work published. In the symposium section of Volume 17:2, members of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists carry on a revealing conversation about the dilemmas of professional life for Black women in political science.The set also contains a section called "Trends," which offers data to use as starting points for discussions in teaching, on professional panels, or in the mass media, regarding the new versions of the Voting Rights Act after the Shelby County v. Holder decision of 2013. Both volumes 17:1 and 17:2 contain rigorously vetted articles on significant themes in the study of Black politics. This set represents the most recent offering in the distinguished National Political Science Review series.
Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics: Political Development and Black Women (National Political Science Review Ser.)
by Aaron WildavskyBroadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics, volume 17 of the National Political Science Review (NPSR), is divided thematically into two books, available separately or as a set. The first concentrates on the institutional aspects of Black politics. The second book addresses various dimensions of social capital that constitute the fundamental building blocks of Black politics. Each contains peer-reviewed articles, a symposium section, and book reviews, as well as other featured sections.Together, these books build on the previous NPSR volume, Black Women in Politics. The symposium in Volume 17:1 examines the struggle of Black women, both in the political science discipline and in getting their work published. In the symposium section of Volume 17:2, members of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists carry on a revealing conversation about the dilemmas of professional life for Black women in political science.The set also contains a section called "Trends," which offers data to use as starting points for discussions in teaching, on professional panels, or in the mass media, regarding the new versions of the Voting Rights Act after the Shelby County v. Holder decision of 2013. Both volumes 17:1 and 17:2 contain rigorously vetted articles on significant themes in the study of Black politics. This set represents the most recent offering in the distinguished National Political Science Review series.
Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics: Political Development and Black Women
by Aaron WildavskyBroadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics, volume 17 of the National Political Science Review (NPSR), is divided thematically into two books, available separately or as a set. The first concentrates on the institutional aspects of Black politics. The second book addresses various dimensions of social capital that constitute the fundamental building blocks of Black politics. Each contains peer-reviewed articles, a symposium section, and book reviews, as well as other featured sections.Together, these books build on the previous NPSR volume, Black Women in Politics. The symposium in Volume 17:1 examines the struggle of Black women, both in the political science discipline and in getting their work published. In the symposium section of Volume 17:2, members of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists carry on a revealing conversation about the dilemmas of professional life for Black women in political science.The set also contains a section called "Trends," which offers data to use as starting points for discussions in teaching, on professional panels, or in the mass media, regarding the new versions of the Voting Rights Act after the Shelby County v. Holder decision of 2013. Both volumes 17:1 and 17:2 contain rigorously vetted articles on significant themes in the study of Black politics. This set represents the most recent offering in the distinguished National Political Science Review series.
Broadening the Scope of Wellbeing Science: Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Flourishing and Wellbeing
by Andrew H. Kemp Darren J. EdwardsThis book brings together leading researchers on wellbeing science to provide a multidisciplinary approach to psychological wellbeing with implications for the interconnected societal challenges we face today, including loneliness, neoliberalism, inequality and anthropogenic climate change. Its authors present new and innovative models for understanding, building and improving our understanding of the complex construct of wellbeing. The capacity for individual positive change is explored, as well as the scope for such change to impact on the communities and environments within which we live. Further, the book places individual wellbeing within a broader context that also addresses societal needs and challenges. In doing so, it provides a novel synthesis of individual, societal and environmental perspectives on wellbeing and human flourishing.In the face of an urgent need to build stronger, sustainable and more resilient communities, this book demonstrates how wellbeing science can link the individual with the community through appropriate health and wellbeing policies and offers a guide to a new way for individuals to connect with the world. It will appeal to researchers and professionals working across the fields of psychology, environmental science, public health and public policy.
Broadly Engaged Team Science in Clinical and Translational Research
by Thomas W. Concannon Debra Lerner Marisha E. PalmDespite the large U.S. investment in health science, and the vast and growing body of peer-reviewed research findings it has produced, a compelling body of evidence suggests that research too often has been slow, inefficient, and fallen short of desired impacts on health. A key question is how research might be changed to be more innovative, less wasteful, and more responsive to unmet health needs. One emerging response within clinical and translational science is to advance an approach that attempts to close the gap between research scientists and key stakeholders; the individuals and groups responsible for or affected by health-related decisions. Broadly engaged team science promises to support this aim by transforming the gold standard, multi-disciplinary team science, to include key stakeholders in activities across the research spectrum. These new roles and responsibilities range from generating research questions to implementing research projects, to aiding in the translation of discoveries from the laboratory to the community. A transition to broadly engaged team science reflects the idea that inclusivity and a diversity of perspectives are necessary to achieving progress in addressing complex health issues while representing a new benchmark for ethical research practice. This is one of the first collections of papers describing how clinical and translational science researchers are defining and implementing new research practices, and the successes and challenges involved. This book represents a first and critical step towards organizing knowledge of broadly engaged team science and advancing the development of evidence-based practices. Written in an accessible style, this book is intended to highlight the breadth of broadly engaged team science within one community, motivate researchers and stakeholders to build inclusive teams, bring rigor to often informal stakeholder engagement research practices and encourage people to think more broadly about the development of scientific knowledge. It includes examples of multi-disciplinary, broadly engaged team science projects, the perspectives of academic leaders about the changes needed to encourage scientists to conduct broadly engaged team science, and a resource directory.
Broke: Fixing Britain’s poverty crisis
by Tom Clark“Drawing on the testimony of those trapped in the quicksand of poverty, Broke is a wake-up call for anyone who still thinks Britain is a fair or ‘civilised’ country.” – Darren McGarvey, BBC Reith lecturer, Orwell Prize winner and author of Poverty Safari “A devastating portrait of modern poverty, Broke is urgently reported and beautifully written, with humane and empathetic accounts of what it feels like to be caught in a 21st-century poverty trap. This collection of essays sets out in disturbing detail the true impact of a decade of austerity policies and should be required reading for politicians and policymakers.” – Amelia Gentleman, award-winning journalist and author of The Windrush Betrayal “I grew up at a time when poverty was rife but governments of right and left were committed to its eradication. Tom Clark conducts an orchestra of experts to demonstrate that poverty is rife once again and the only thing that’s been eradicated is government’s determination to deal with it.” – Alan Johnson, former Cabinet minister and author of the Orwell Prize-winning This Boy “We often find it uncomfortable to listen to the voices of those who struggle without enough. Broke refuses us the consolation of false innocence and shows us what sort of society we have become. We should be ashamed but also take heart from the steadfastness, solidarity and resistance revealed.” – Giles Fraser, Anglican priest and panellist of BBC’s Moral Maze *** A dozen years into austerity, statistical warning lights are flashing to suggest a return to types of deprivation we once imagined we had consigned to history. In the decade up to the pandemic, the official count of rough sleepers and recorded malnutrition in hospital patients both doubled, while recourse to food banks rocketed by an order of magnitude. And yet it has never been statistics but rather individual human stories – from the fictionalised accounts of Dickens to the faithful reporting of Orwell and Priestley – that have seared the reality of hard times into the public imagination. In Broke, Tom Clark assembles today’s masters of social reportage to go deep into the communities so often ignored by politicians, introducing us to those at the hardest end of the poverty crisis. Contributions from Jem Bartholomew, Cal Flyn, Dani Garavelli, Frances Ryan, Samira Shackle, Daniel Trilling and Jennifer Williams, and a foreword by Kerry Hudson, unflinchingly reveal the contemporary experience of cold, hunger, homelessness, disease, debt, disability, punishing work and an immigration system that makes people destitute by design. With Joel Goodman’s photography bringing the characters to life, and some of the writers having had first-hand experience of the issues raised, Broke blends powerful human stories with analysis of the policies that have led us to this point – and the reforms we urgently need. All royalties will be donated to Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network
Broken Archangel: The Tempestuous Lives of Roger Casement
by Roland PhilippsPioneering human rights campaigner, patriot, romantic, traitor, LGBTQ+ martyr: this is the story of Roger Casement, one of the 20th century’s most complex and compelling figures.'A book of meticulous sensitivity and research' TELEGRAPH'Superbly written, genuinely exciting' ANDREW ROBERTS'Outstanding' JOHN PRESTONIn 1904, Casement became internationally celebrated for unearthing the grotesque violence of the Belgian Congo. Soon after he won even greater renown and a knighthood for his humanitarian work deep in the Amazon jungle.But his internal fault lines ran deep: neither fully Irish nor English, baptised both Protestant and Catholic, desperate for love but forbidden intimacy, betrayed in his only significant relationship, he was of the English diplomatic establishment yet an outsider who fought for Irish nationhood. His final act in wartime Berlin – a doomed scheme to promote an invasion of Ireland – overwhelmed him. And while his subsequent trial for treason brought him some resolution, it also took him to an unmarked prison grave.Casement was a contradictory figure made fallible by contemporary mores and his own unexamined emotions. Only decades later did an Irish state funeral finally assert his nobility above his notoriety – and only now can we fully understand his surprisingly modern and deeply relevant life and legacy.'In Roland Philipps [Casement] has found the biographer he deserves' MICHELA WRONG, author of Do Not Disturb'Vivid, poignant and hugely moving' HENRY HEMMING, author of Our Man in New York
Broken Bargain: Bankers, Bailouts, and the Struggle to Tame Wall Street
by Kathleen DayA history of major financial crises—and how taxpayers have been left with the bill In the 1930s, battered and humbled by the Great Depression, the U.S. financial sector struck a grand bargain with the federal government. Bankers gained a safety net in exchange for certain curbs on their freedom: transparency rules, record-keeping and antifraud measures, and fiduciary responsibilities. Despite subsequent periodic changes in these regulations, the underlying bargain played a major role in preserving the stability of the financial markets as well as the larger economy. By the free-market era of the 1980s and 90s, however, Wall Street argued that rules embodied in New Deal–era regulations to protect consumers and ultimately taxpayers were no longer needed—and government agreed. This engaging history documents the country’s financial crises, focusing on those of the 1920s, the 1980s, and the 2000s, and reveals how the two more recent crises arose from the neglect of this fundamental bargain, and how taxpayers have been left with the bill.
Broken benefits: What's gone wrong with welfare reform
by Sam RoystonBritain is going through the most radical upheaval of the benefits system since its foundations were laid at the end of the 1940s. In Broken Benefits, Sam Royston argues that social security isn’t working, and without a change in direction, it will be even less fair in the future. Drawing on original research and high-profile debates, this much-needed book provides an introductory guide to social security, correcting misunderstandings and exposing poorly understood problems. It reveals how some workers pay to take on additional hours; that those who pay national insurance contributions may get nothing in return; that some families can be paid to split apart; and that many people on the lowest incomes are seeing their retirement age rise the fastest. Broken Benefits includes real-life stories, models of household budgets, projections of benefit spending, and a free online calculator showing the impact of welfare changes on personal finances. The book presents practical ideas of how benefits should be reformed, to create a fairer, simpler and more coherent system for the future.
Broken benefits: What's gone wrong with welfare reform
by Sam RoystonBritain is going through the most radical upheaval of the benefits system since its foundations were laid at the end of the 1940s. In Broken Benefits, Sam Royston argues that social security isn’t working, and without a change in direction, it will be even less fair in the future. Drawing on original research and high-profile debates, this much-needed book provides an introductory guide to social security, correcting misunderstandings and exposing poorly understood problems. It reveals how some workers pay to take on additional hours; that those who pay national insurance contributions may get nothing in return; that some families can be paid to split apart; and that many people on the lowest incomes are seeing their retirement age rise the fastest. Broken Benefits includes real-life stories, models of household budgets, projections of benefit spending, and a free online calculator showing the impact of welfare changes on personal finances. The book presents practical ideas of how benefits should be reformed, to create a fairer, simpler and more coherent system for the future.
Broken Bonds: Yugoslavia's Disintegration And Balkan Politics In Transition, Second Edition
by Lenard J CohenStruggling against high odds, Yugoslavia managed to survive from its inception in 1918 until the early 1990s. But now, tragic ethnic and regional conflicts have irrevocably fragmented the country. In his timely book, Lenard Cohen explores the original conception and motives underlying the ?Yugoslav idea,? looking at the state's major problems, achievements, and failures during its short and troubled history.Cohen answers a broad range of questions concerning contemporary Yugoslavia: How did the state plunge from its position as a positive model to an essentially negative case of socialist reform? What measures for recovery were proposed by the country's ethnically and regionally segmented one-party elite? What were the reasons for the eventual abandonment of reform socialism, the elimination of the single party's monopoly, and the rapid delegitimation of the country's federal political institutions? What programs have been offered by the noncommunist and ?born again? communist leaders elected to power during the revival of multiparty pluralism in 1990? How did their efforts to achieve regional and ethnic sovereignty place the country in such a precarious and ultimately fatal position?The concluding chapters of the book offer an analysis of the causes and horrifying consequences of the military conflict and civil war from 1991 to 1994, including a discussion of the impotent efforts at peacekeeping, the dynamics of the complex and savage struggle in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and an examination of the problems faced by Yugoslavia's successor states.
Broken Bonds: Yugoslavia's Disintegration And Balkan Politics In Transition, Second Edition
by Lenard J CohenStruggling against high odds, Yugoslavia managed to survive from its inception in 1918 until the early 1990s. But now, tragic ethnic and regional conflicts have irrevocably fragmented the country. In his timely book, Lenard Cohen explores the original conception and motives underlying the ?Yugoslav idea,? looking at the state's major problems, achievements, and failures during its short and troubled history.Cohen answers a broad range of questions concerning contemporary Yugoslavia: How did the state plunge from its position as a positive model to an essentially negative case of socialist reform? What measures for recovery were proposed by the country's ethnically and regionally segmented one-party elite? What were the reasons for the eventual abandonment of reform socialism, the elimination of the single party's monopoly, and the rapid delegitimation of the country's federal political institutions? What programs have been offered by the noncommunist and ?born again? communist leaders elected to power during the revival of multiparty pluralism in 1990? How did their efforts to achieve regional and ethnic sovereignty place the country in such a precarious and ultimately fatal position?The concluding chapters of the book offer an analysis of the causes and horrifying consequences of the military conflict and civil war from 1991 to 1994, including a discussion of the impotent efforts at peacekeeping, the dynamics of the complex and savage struggle in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and an examination of the problems faced by Yugoslavia's successor states.
The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy Series)
by Thomas E. Mann Norman J. OrnsteinCongress is the first branch of government in the American system, write Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, but now it is a broken branch, damaged by partisan bickering and internal rancor. The Broken Branch offers both a brilliant diagnosis of the cause of Congressional decline and a much-needed blueprint for change, from two experts who understand politics and revere our institutions, but believe that Congress has become deeply dysfunctional. Mann and Ornstein, two of the nations most renowned and judicious scholars of government and politics, bring to light the historical roots of Congress's current maladies, examining 40 years of uninterrupted Democratic control of the House and the stunning midterm election victory of 1994 that propelled Republicans into the majority in both House and Senate. The byproduct of that long and grueling but ultimately successful Republican campaign, the authors reveal, was a weakened institution bitterly divided between the parties. They highlight the dramatic shift in Congress from a highly decentralized, committee-based institution into a much more regimented one in which party increasingly trumps committee. The resultant changes in the policy process--the demise of regular order, the decline of deliberation, and the weakening of our system of checks and balances--have all compromised the role of Congress in the American Constitutional system. Indeed, Speaker Dennis Hastert has unabashedly stated that his primary responsibility is to pass the president's legislative program--identifying himself more as a lieutenant of the president than a steward of the house. From tax cuts to the war against Saddam Hussein to a Medicare prescription drug benefit, the legislative process has been bent to serve immediate presidential interests and have often resulted in poorly crafted and stealthily passed laws. Strong majority leadership in Congress, the authors conclude, led not to a vigorous exertion of congressional authority but to a general passivity in the face of executive power. A vivid portrait of an institution that has fallen far from the aspirations of our Founding Fathers, The Broken Branch highlights the costs of a malfunctioning Congress to national policymaking, and outlines what must be done to repair the damage.