Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
The Futurist is one of my favorite magazines and on-line resources. Here are the best
books about the future. Check them out.
What follows is a selection of new and forthcoming books that have been selected for
inclusion in the Global Foresight Books project (www.globalforesightbooks.org) by
Michael Marien. and includes titles on medicine, economics, the environment, education,
business, and technology. Marien has also included subcategories for later reference.
MEDICINE
Health and Well-Being in the Home: A Global Analysis of Needs, Expectations, and
Priorities for Home Health Care Technology. Soeren Mattke and five others. Santa
Monica CA: RAND Corporation Occasional Paper OP323, 2010, 57p (free PDC at
wwe.rand.org/pubs). Population aging and better survivability have led to a rapid increase
in chronic disease and disability, leading to growing concern about health care system
finances. Advanced home health care solutions promise to mitigate these pressures by
shifting care from costly institutional settings to patient homes and self-management. A
study of home health care in six countries (China, France, Germany, Singapore, UK, and
US) shows that, despite the potential, such technologies face many barriers to adoption,
such as restrictive coverage, existing incentives, and insufficient health literacy. Home
health care devices have theoretical appeal, but challenge and disrupt current paradigms
and structures. A new paradigm is needed that focuses on patient-centric care.
The Changing Face of Medicine: Women Doctors and the Evolution of Health Care
in America. Ann K. Boulis (Research Associate in Sociology, U of Pennsylvania) and
Jerry A. Jacobs (Prof of Sociology, U of Pennsylvania). Ithaca NY: ILR Press (Cornell U
Press), Aug 2010, 280p, $21. The number of women practicing medicine in the US has
grown constantly since the late 1960s, with women now at parity with men among
entering medical students. Looks at how physician women are faring and at how they are
transforming the practice of medicine by considering the twin contexts of a rapidly
evolving medical system and shifts in gender roles in the American society.
The Treatment Trap: How the Overuse of Medical Care Is Wrecking Your Health
and What You Can Do to Prevent It. Rosemary Gibson (senior program officer, Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation) and Janardan P. Singh (economist, World Bank). Lanham
MD: Ivan R. Dee (Rowman & Littlefield Group), March 2010, 240p, $24.95 (also as e-
book). “The most neglected issue in American medicine today is the overuse of medical
care, including needless surgery, out-of-control x-ray imaging, profligate testing, and
other wasteful practices that have become routine among too many American doctors.”
Money spent for questionable or even useless care is diverting major funds that could be
better used to treat patients who are genuinely sick and unable to pay the extravagant
changes of the American healthcare system. (HEALTH * MEDICAL CARE: U.S.
OVERUSE)
Energy and Life: The Promise of Evolutionary Medicine and the Vital Role of
Mitochondria. Douglas C. Wallace (director, Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial
Medicine/Genetics, U of California, Irvine) and Robert Cooke (Stow MA; former science
editor, Boston Globe). Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Jan 2011, 330p, $26.
Evolutionary medicine “could prove as revolutionary to human health as DNA research.”
It concentrates on tiny organelles in every cell called mitochondria, the biochemical
power packs that supply 90% of the energy we live on. Declining energy availability due
to breakdown of mitochondria underlies the very process of aging. It is largely
responsible for the age-related disorders that include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsonism,
diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Medical scientists are learning how to slow down and
even to reverse mitochondrial damage. New drugs, now being developed, will hopefully
lead to better treatments for diseases associated with aging and extend the average life
span.
(HEALTH * SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY * AGING AND MITOCHONDRIA *
MITOCHONDRIA AND AGING EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE * LIFESPAN
EXTENSION)
ECONOMICS
An Assessment of the Global Impact of the Financial Crisis. Edited by Philip Arestis
(U of Cambridge), Rogério Sobreira (Brazilian School of Public and Business
Administration), and José Luis Oreiro (Prof of Economics, U of Brasilia). NY & UK:
Palgrave Macmillan: Dec 2010, 256p, ₤65 ($103). Considers the origins and explanations
of the current crisis, examines the regulatory implications, and focuses on developing
countries, especially Latin America. (ECONOMIC CRISIS & LATIN AMERICA AND
THE ECONOMIC CRISIS)
The Innovation for Development Report 2010-2011: Innovation as a Driver of
Productivity and Economic Growth. Augusto López –Claros (World Economic Forum,
Switzerland). NY & UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Nov 2010, 304p, ₤50pb ($80). Looks at
the role of innovation in promoting economic and social development and the future role
of technological innovation in international efforts to mitigate the effects of climate
change. Chapters discuss the innovation capacity index, different dimensions of
innovation, and innovation profiles for 70 of the most important countries.
(ECONOMICS (DEVELOPMENT * DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION)
When the Luck of the Irish Ran Out: The World’s Most Resilient Country and Its
Struggle to Rise Again. David J. Lynch (global business writer, USA Today). NY &
UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Oct 2010, 256p, ₤17.99 ($29). Once an economically stagnant,
culturally repressed land shadowed by terrorism, Ireland emerged in the late 1990s as the
fastest-growing country in Europe, with a vibrant culture and a historic peace. Today,
Ireland is saddled with a shrinking economy, soaring unemployment, and ruined public
finances. Offers a narrative that explains Ireland’s downfall featuring both the people
responsible for the crisis and the ones enduring it. (IRELAND * ECONOMIC CRISIS:
IRELAND)
Brazil on the Rise. Larry Rohter (New York Times culture reporter; former NYT Bureau
Chief, Rio de Janeiro). NY & UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Oct 2010, 288p, ₤18.99 ($30).
Presents Brazil’s climb to superpower status over the last two decades and highlights its
current contradictions, e.g.: drug-controlled favelas vs. a high standard of living.
(BRAZIL)
Crisis and Recovery: Ethics, Economics and Justice. Rowan Williams (Archbishop of
Canterbury) and Larry Elliott (economics editor, The Guardian). NY & UK: Palgrave
Macmillan: Sept 2010, 256p, ₤ 20 ($31.75). The ongoing global financial crisis exposed a
lack of moral and ethical leadership in society. Discusses ethics and morality in business,
with contributions from the world’s leading commentators on this issue. Topics include
the nature of accountability, values in an ethical UK economy, investment and public
policy in a globalized economy, ethics in a service economy, marrying the market with
the environment, etc. (ECONOMIC CRISIS * ETHICS AND BUSINESS * BUSINESS
ETHICS)
The Squam Lake Report: Fixing the Financial System. Kenneth R. French (Prof of
Finance, Dartmouth College), Robert J. Shiller (Prof of Economics, Yale U) and 13
others. Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, July 2010, 168p, $19.95. In the fall of 2008,
fifteen of the world’s leading economists representing the broadest spectrum of economic
opinion, gathered at New Hampshire’s Squam Lake to map out a long-term plan for
financial regulatory reform. Their report provides a unified and coherent voice for fixing
the financial markets and addresses the divide between financial institutions and society
by “sound and transparent prescriptions.” Looks at the regulatory framework for handling
complex financial institutions, retirement savings, and credit default swaps; offers ideas
for new financial instruments designed to recapitalize banks without burdening taxpayers;
and calls for higher capital requirements as well as a systemic regulator who is part of the
central bank. (FINANCIAL SYSTEM REFORM * ECONOMIC CRISIS)
Zombie Economics: How Dead Ideas Still Walk among Us. John Quiggin (Prof of
Economics, U of Queensland, Australia). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Oct 2010,
216p, $24.95pb. The recent financial crisis laid bare many of the assumptions behind
market liberalism – the theory that market-based solutions are always best, regardless of
the problem. Despite the crisis, members of the public, commentators, politicians,
economists and even those in charge with cleaning up the mess still hold on to them.
Explains how dead ideas such as “trickle-down economics” still walk among us, and why
we must find a way to kill them once and for all. Looks ahead at what could replace
market capitalism, arguing that a simple return to traditional Keynesian economics and
the politics of the welfare state will not be enough to prevent future crisis. (ECONOMIC
CRISIS * ZOMBIE ECONOMICS)
The New Lombard Street: How the Fed Became the Dealer of Last Resort. Perry
Mehrling (Prof of Economics, Barnard College). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Jan
2011, 256p, $29.95. Walter Bagehot’s Lombard Street, published in 1873 in the wake of
a devastating London bank collapse, explained why central banks must serve as the
lender of last resort to ensure liquidity in a faltering credit system. Mehrling lays out the
innovative principles needed to address the instability of today’s markets and to rebuild
our financial system. Also explains how the Fed took central banking wisdom from
Britain and Europe and adapted it to America’s more volatile financial conditions;
consequently, the Fed found itself serving as the dealer of last resort to ensure the
liquidity of securities markets. In the aftermath of the recent financial crisis, the Fed
needs new guiding principles. (ECONOMIC CRISIS * FINANCIAL SYSTEM
REFORM)
Beyond the Invisible Hand: Groundwork for a New Economics. Kaushik Basu (Prof
of Economics and International Studies, Cornell U). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press,
Dec 2010, 312p, $29.95. Mainstream economics and its conservative popularizers have
misrepresented Adam Smith’s insight on the “invisible hand” and hampered our
understanding of how economies function, why some economies fail, and the role of state
intervention. Argues for collective action and the need to shift our focus from the
efficient society to one that is also fair. Traditional economics legitimates the current
system as the only viable one, thereby serving the interests of those who do well by this
system. (ECONOMICS (ECONOMICS * “INVISIBLE HAND” MISUNDERSTOOD)
How Big Banks Fail, and What To Do About It. Darrell Duffie (Distinguished Prof of
Finance, Stanford U). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Dec 2010, 160p, $29.95. Today’s
regulatory and institutional frameworks for mitigating large bank failures do not address
the special risks to our financial system posed by dealer banks (large banks that deal in
securities and derivatives, such as J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs). Such banks pose
significant risks to the financial system when they fail. Explains how to prevent the need
to bail them out and how to improve the current infrastructure. (ECONOMICS
(ECONOMIC CRISIS * BANK FAILURE: HOW TO PREVENT)
As China Goes, So Goes the World: How Chinese Consumers Are Transforming
Everything. Karl Gerth (fellow at Merton College and Prof of Modern Chinese History,
Oxford U). NY: Hill & Wang (Farrar Straus & Giroux), Nov 2010/258p/$26. China’s
leaders have shifted from the export-led growth model of the late 1980s to pushing their
population to consume more as key to long-term economic growth. China is learning how
to spend, with total consumer spending now close to that of the EU and a core consumer
middle class of some 430 million. Chapters discuss the growth of personal loans, soaring
demand for autos (China now has >35m cars and will have >150m in 10 years), extensive
road-building, the massive tourist industry, the new luxury market, fakery and
counterfeiting due to lack of regulation, extreme markets, and environmental
consequences. [For a longer review, see GFB Book of the Month for Dec 2010. Also see
Cover Feature on China’s transition to a consumer economy as a needed boon to the
world economy, The New York Times Magazine, 28 Nov 2010, 56-71.] (CHINA *
CONSUMERS IN CHINA)
Old Assumptions, New Realities: Ensuring Economic Security for Working Families
in the 21st Century. Edited by Robert D. Plotnick (Prof of Public Affairs, U of
Washington) and three others. NY: Russell Sage Foundation, Dec 2010, 240p, $39.95.
The way Americans live and work has changed significantly since the creation of the
Social Security Administration in 1935, but US social welfare policy has failed to keep
up with these changes. Looks at how workers’ safety net can work better and policy
solutions for today’s workers – particularly low-skilled workers and low-income families.
Advocates universal health insurance and universal 401 (k) retirement accounts, job
retraining and workforce development to mitigate the effects of declining wages, creating
wealth-building accounts for children, universal and progressive savings accounts for
workers, extensive work-family policies, and restructuring the existing safety net via
state-level reforms, but only with a host of coordinated efforts. (WORK * ECONOMIC
SECURITY)
The Great American Stick-Up: Greedy Bankers and the Politicians Who Loved
Them. Robert Scheer (editor-in-chief, Truthdig; senior lecturer, USC Annenberg School;
former foreign correspondent, Los Angeles Times). NY: Nation Books (dist by Basic
Books), Sept 2010, 224p, $14.95pb. The financial meltdown is at its heart an old-
fashioned swindle. Scheer reveals how Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers,
Robert Rubin, Phil Gramm, and others colluded in the fundamental corruption of the
financial system. The cause of the meltdown, however, was not an exceptional misuse of
power, but clandestine business as usual. (ECONOMIC CRISIS)
Power and the Governance of Global Trade: From the GATT to the WTO. Soo
Yeon Kim (Asst Prof of Government and Politics, U of Maryland). Ithaca NY: Cornell U
Press, Aug 2010, 192p, $39.95. Analyzes the design, evolution, and economic impact of
the global trade regime, focusing on the power that prevailed in the regime and shaped its
distributive impact on global trade. The rules of trade forged by the great powers resulted
in a developmental divide, in which industrialized countries benefitted from trade
expansion while developing countries reaped fewer gains. A successful conclusion of the
Doha Round of the WTO is urgently needed to mitigate the developmental divide.
(WORLD ECONOMY * GLOBAL TRADE: GOVERNANCE * WTO)
Globaloney 2.0: The Crash of 2008 and the Future of Globalization. Michael Veseth
(Prof of Intl Political Economy, U of Puget Sound). Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield,
2010, 256p, $24.95pb (also as e-book). Pre-crash visions of globalization were based on
three powerful myths: 1) that global finance was a stable foundation for a global
economy, 2) that global markets homogenized and Americanized the world, and 3) that
globalization itself was irreversible. The economic crisis revealed the fundamental
instability of global financial markets and the unsettled foundation of economic
globalization generally. Calls for rethinking the rest of globalization’s myths, to move
beyond boom and bust to a sustainable global future. (ECONOMIC CRISIS *
GLOBALIZATION MYTHS * GLOBAL FINANCE)
Unchecked and Unbalanced: How the Discrepancy between Knowledge and Power
Caused the Financial Crisis and Threatens Democracy. Arnold Kling (former senior
economist, Freddie Mac). Hoover Studies in Politics, Economics, and Society. Lanham
MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, 136p, $29.95 (also as e-book). As knowledge is
becoming more diffuse, political power is becoming more concentrated and the
knowledge/power discrepancy is at the heart of the financial crisis of 2008. Financial
industry executives and regulatory officials lacked the ability to fathom the complexity of
the system that had emerged. Purchasing $700 billion of ‘toxic assets’ from banks only
increased the concentration of power that is a problem for the modern world. Calls for
reforms to curb the growth of government and allow more citizen control over allocation
of public goods. (ECONOMIC CRISIS * GOVERNMENT)
Capitalism Unbound: The Incontestable Moral Case for Individual Rights. Andrew
Bernstein. Lanham MD: University Press of America (Rowman & Littlefield Group),
2010, 146p, $19.95pb (also as e-book). Concisely explains capitalism’s moral and
economic superiority to socialism, including America’s current mixed-economy welfare
state. Bernstein is author of the Cliff Notes for three Ayn Rand novels.
(ECONOMY * CAPITALISM DEFENDED * INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS)
What Caused the Financial Crisis. Edited by Jeffrey Friedman (visiting scholar, Dept
of Government, U of Texas; senior fellow, Institute for Advancement of Social Sciences,
Boston U). Afterword by Richard A. Posner. Philadelphia PA: U of Pennsylvania Press,
Dec 2010, 376p, $29.95pb. Leading economists consider the major causes of the worst
financial collapse since the Great Depression. Essays cover the role of government
regulation in expanding home ownership through mortgage subsidies for impoverished
borrowers (encouraging the subprime housing bubble), how banks were able to securitize
mortgages by manipulating criteria used for bond ratings (leading to inaccurate risk
assessments), monetary policy in the U.S. and Europe, corporate pay structures, credit
default swaps, banks’ leverage, and financial deregulation as possible causes.
Contributors include Richard A. Posner, Joseph E. Stiglitz, and 19 others. (ECONOMIC
CRISIS)
Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth (Second
Edition, Updated and Expanded). David C. Korten (president and founder, People-
Centered Development Forum; co-chair, New Economy Working Group). San Francisco
CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Aug 2011, 336p, $17.95pb (also as e-book). On how to
mount a grassroots campaign to bring about an economy based on shared prosperity,
ecological stewardship, and citizen democracy. After the economic meltdown in 2008,
Wall Street institutions continue creating “phantom wealth” – mere numbers on paper –
without producing anything of real value and without any thought of the social
consequences, which illustrates Korten’s point that “the predatory Wall Street leopard
cannot change its spots”. The alternative to the corporate Wall Street economy is a Main
Street economy based on locally-owned, community-oriented “living enterprises” whose
success is measured as much by their positive impact on people and the environment as
by their positive balance sheets. (ECONOMY * “MAIN STREET ECONOMY” IDEAL)
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting New Jersey’s Environment: From Cancer Alley to the New Garden State.
Thomas Belton (scientist, NJ Dept of Environmental Protection). Piscataway NJ: Rutgers
U Press, Dec 2010, 262p, $23.95pb. Discusses contaminants in fish, ocean dumping,
biological diversity/integrity, endangered species, pinelands and forest preservation, and
wetlands protection. After 25 years investigating the impact of toxic chemicals on
humans and wildlife, Belton considers key environmental issues in New Jersey and
champions the ways common citizens have sought justice when faced with unseen health
threats. Often, as people search for remedies, they face “bare knuckles” situations of
back-room political deals, infighting, criminals, and hapless victims. Shows how
scientists, regulators, lobbyists, and politicians interact, while offering the public “a go-to
guide on how to seek environmental protection in practical ways.” (ENVIRONMENT
PROTECTION IN NEW JERSEY * NEW JERSEY: ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION)
Water Wisdom: Preparing the Groundwork for Cooperative and Sustainable Water
Management in the Middle East. Edited by Alon Tal (Ben Gurion U of the Negev;
former director, Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and Alfred Abed Rabbo
(director, Water and Soil Environmental Research Unit, Bethlehem U). Piscataway NJ:
Rutgers U Press, Aug 2010, 336p, $29.95pb. Israel and Palestine are water scarce and
need a vision for the sustainable shared management of water resources. Essays authored
by leading Palestinian and Israeli activists, water scientists, and politicians discuss access
rights to the Mountain Aquifer, utilization of waters from the Jordan river, areas of
agreement and disagreement, and options for resolution. Seeks to be a model for those
who see water conflict as an opportunity for cooperation rather than violence. (WATER *
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE * MIDDLE EAST WATER)
Running Out of Water: The 21st Century Fight to Conserve Our Most Precious
Resource. Peter Rogers (Prof of Environmental Engineering, Harvard U; Senior Advisor,
Global Water Partnership) and Susan Leal (Fellow, Advanced Leadership Initiative,
Harvard U). NY & UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Aug 2010, 256p, ₤16.99 ($26.98). One
third of the world’s population currently lives in areas where water is physically or
economically scarce. Water availability is declining while population increases
worldwide. Explains the scientific, economic, and political aspects of the conservation
and protection of water, and the policy action and technology tools needed to sustain
supplies. (WATER)
The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of Our
Food Supply. Marie-Monique Robin (French journalist and filmmaker). Translated by
George Holoch. NY: The New Press, Fall 2009, 384p, $26.95. On the world’s leading
producer of GMOs (genetically produces organisms) and one of the major agribusiness
giants. Monsanto controls the majority of the yield of the world’s genetically modified
corn and soy and strives to maintain its monopoly. After having manufactured hazardous
chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto is marketing itself as a “life sciences”
company with a “green” face. Casts a new light on our food safety and corporate control
of food supply. (Also see the documentary film with the same title.)
(FOOD/AGRICULTURE * MONSANTO QUESTIONED)
Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Aid-Conditioned World (and
Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer). Stan Cox (senior scientist, Land
Institute, Salina KS). NY: The New Press, Spring 2010, 272p, $24.95. Indoor climate
control is colliding with an out-of-control outdoor climate. In America, energy consumed
by home air-conditioning and the resulting greenhouse emissions have doubled in just
over a decade; energy used to cool retail stores has risen by two-thirds. Air-conditioning
gives a boost to global warming, makes possible an impossible commuter economy,
alters migration patterns, alters our bodies’ sensitivity to heat, and increases infection,
allergy, asthma, and obesity. (CLIMATE CHANGE * AIR-CONDITIONING AND
CLIMATE CHANGE)
The Future of Power. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. (Univ Disting Prof; former Dean, JFK School
of Govt, Harvard U). NY: Public Affairs, Feb 2011, 272p, $25.95. In the cold war era,
power was expressed in terms of nuclear missiles, industrial capacity, numbers of men
under arms, and number of tanks in Europe. By 2010, industrial capacity has become an
almost Victorian virtue and cyber threats are wielded by non-state actors. Politics
changed and the nature of power —the ability to affect others to obtain desired outcomes
— had changed accordingly, in favor of more “soft power” and “smart power.” Aimed at
general readers as well as foreign policy specialists. (Brief version in Foreign Affairs
Special Issue on “The World Ahead,” Nov-Dec 2010.) (POWER * WORLD FUTURES)
Smart Solutions to Climate Change: Comparing Costs and Benefits. Edited by Bjørn
Lomborg (Director; Copenhagen Consensus Center; Adjunct Prof of Management,
Copenhagen Business School). NY: Cambridge U Press, Nov 2010, 450p , $34.99pb. The
failure of the December 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen revealed
major flaws in the way the world’s policy maker have attempted to prevent dangerous
levels of increases in global temperatures. The collection focuses on the likely costs and
benefits of a very wide range of policy options and technological ideas. A panel of
economists further evaluate and rank the attractiveness of proposed policies. [A
somewhat narrower focus on climate, in contrast to Lomborg’s Global Crises, Global
Solutions (Cambridge, 2nd ed, 2009), which also features cost-benefit analysis by
economists.] (CLIMATE CHANGE)
Climate Capitalism: Global Warming and the Transformation of the Global
Economy. Peter Newell (Prof of Intl Development, U of East Anglia) and Matthew
Paterson (Prof of Pol Sci, U of Ottawa). NY: Cambridge U Press, July 2010, 224p,
$29.99pb. Confronting climate change is now understood as a problem of
“decarbonizing” the global economy. Explores whether such a transformation is
underway, how it might be accelerated, and the complex politics of this process. Assesses
the huge political dilemmas this change poses, and the need to challenge the entrenched
power of many corporations, the culture of energy use, and global inequalities in energy
consumption. (CLIMATE CHANGE * CORPORATIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
*DECARBONIZATION * GLOBAL ECONOMY AND CLIMATE)
A Global Green New Deal: Rethinking the Economic Recovery. Edward B. Barbier
(Prof of Economics, U of Wyoming). NY: Cambridge U Press, July 2010, 336p,
$28.99pb. Addressing the challenges of reviving the worldwide economy doesn’t
necessarily point to sacrificing long run economic and environmental sustainability.
Presents an economic policy strategy for ensuring a more economically and
environmentally sustainable recovery through policy both at the national and
international levels. Creating jobs needs to be pursued while reducing carbon
dependency, protecting ecosystems and water resources, and alleviating poverty.
(SUSTAINABILITY * “GREEN” DEVELOPMENT * ECONOMIC CRISIS *
GLOBAL GREEN NEW DEAL)
The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth’s
Climate. David Archer (Prof of Geophysical Science, U of Chicago). Princeton NJ:
Princeton U Press, Sept 2010, 192p, $16.95pb (hc, 2008). A few centuries of fossil-fuel
use will drastically change the climate of Earth for hundreds of thousands of years. A
planet-wide thaw driven by humans has already begun, but it is not too late to avert
dangerous climate change. [Winner of the 2009 Walter P. Kistler Award, Foundation For
the Future] (CLIMATE CHANGE)
The Global Carbon Cycle. David Archer (Prof of Geophysical Sciences, U of Chicago).
Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Dec 2010, 136p, $24.95pb. Introduces the essential
geochemical driver responsible for the Earth’s climate system. Explains how on 100,000-
year glacial/interglacial time scales, the carbon cycle in the ocean amplifies climate
change, and how, on the human time scale of decades, the carbon cycle has been
dampening climate change by absorbing fossil fuel carbon dioxide into the oceans and
land biosphere. Explores whether the carbon cycles could once again act to amplify
climate change in the centuries to come, through melting permafrost peatlands and
methane hydrates.
(CLIMATE CHANGE * CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE)
Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth. Mark Hertsgaard (northern
California). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Dec 2010/328p/$24. Author of Earth
Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future (1998) and
environmental writer for The New Yorker and The Nation discusses rising sea levels (a
three-foot rise in the next 50 years is not impossible), the next 50 years (harsher heat
waves and more power blackouts, stronger storms, more disease and pestilence due to
hotter weather, less freshwater and food, more forest fires), the 200-year adaptation plan
of the Dutch, the need for ecological agriculture, the $50 billion wine industry as an early
warning for all food crops and businesses, the insurance industry, and the need for a
Green Apollo program to jump-start transition to a climate-resilient economy. (Also see
“Adapting to Climate Change: Facing the Consequences,” The Economist Cover Feature,
27 Nov 2010, 85-88.) (CLIMATE CHANGE * WINE INDUSTRY AND CLIMATE
CHANGE)
Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth about Cow’s Milk and Your Health. Dr. Joseph
Keon (nutrition and fitness expert). Gabriola Island BC (Canada): New Society
Publishers, Nov 2010, 336p, $19.95pb. Challenges the obsession that drinking milk daily
helps our bodies retain calcium. On the contrary, milk’s inclusion in the diet may increase
the risk of serious diseases such as cancer (prostate, breast, ovarian), osteoporosis,
diabetes, vascular disease, and Crohn’s disease. Moreover, the milk that regularly makes
to the market comes from sick and immunocompromised animals and contains traces of
pesticides, dioxins, PCBs, rocket fuel, and even radioactive isotopes.
(FOOD AND AGRICULTURE * HEALTH * COW’S MILK QUESTIONED * MILK
FROM COWS)
The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change. Albert Bates (Global
Village Institute for Appropriate Technology, Summertown TN). Gabriola Island BC:
New Society Publishers, Oct 2010, 208p, $17.95pb. A new agricultural revolution
promises to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to below zero while increasing world
food reserves and creating energy from biomass wastes. Since conventional agriculture
destroys our soils, pollutes our water and contributes to climate change, Bates looks at
biochar as a carbon-negative energy source and a potent soil-builder. Created by burning
biomass in the absence of oxygen, biochar can hold carbon back from the atmosphere
while simultaneously enhancing soil fertility. It can also bring new life to desert
landscapes and purify drinking water. [Also see Al Gore, Our Choice (GFB Book of the
Month, April 2010), Chap 10, for extensive comments on the potential of low-tech
biochar.] (CLIMATE CHANGE * AGRICULTURE * BIOCHAR * CARBON
FARMING)
The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference #3. Ellis Jones
(Dept of Sociology, Holy Cross College). Gabriola Island BC: New Society Publishers,
Oct 2010, 177p (4x6”), $9.95pb (www.betterworldshopper.org). A guide for socially and
environmentally responsible consumers that grades many products and services from A
to F (e.g., airlines, beer, cars, cereal, coffee, gasoline (Sunoco best, Exxon/Mobil worst),
hotels, juice, wine, etc. The updated third edition includes over 45 sources of data, 20
best and 20 worst companies, new product categories, a more accurate ranking system,
additional business profiles, and links to the latest online resources. Looks at companies’
commitment when it comes to environmental sustainability, human rights, community
involvement, animal protection, and social justice. (SUSTAINABILITY * BUSINESS *
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY * CONSUMER GREEN GUIDE)
Choosing a Sustainable Future: Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, NY. Liz Walker
(co-founder and executive director, EcoVillage at Ithaca). Gabriola Island BC: New
Society Publishers, Nov 2010, 288p, $19.95pb. Extols Ithaca’s vibrant farmers markets, a
community credit union that tripled the savings of low-income people, college
sustainability programs, alternative transportation programs (e.g. Ithaca Carshare), and
innovative efforts by coalitions of local business, university, government and activists to
transform buildings, city planning, health and wellness, etc. (CITIES *
SUSTAINABILITY * ITHACA, NY AND SUSTAINABILITY)
Climatopolis: The Future of Our Cities in a Hotter World. Matthew E. Kahn (Prof of
Economics and Environment, UCLA). NY: Basic Books, Sept 2010, 288p, $26.95.
Author of Green Cities states that ther is no stopping of climate change: the question is
not how we’re going to avoid a hotter future, but how to adapt. Cities and regions will
adapt to rising temperatures over time, slowly transforming our everyday lives as we
change our behaviors and our surroundings. (CITIES * CLIMATE CHANGE)
The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell You About Global
Warming. Roger Pielke, Jr. (Prof of Environmental Studies, U of Colorado). NY: Basic
Books, Oct 2010, 272p, $26 (see www.rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com). World inability to
address global warming is the fault of Kyoto protocol supporters, and the meaningless
targets and magical thinking of the agreement. A revolution in the way the world’s
economy is powered will repair climate policy, while defanging the venomous politics
surrounding the crisis. (CLIMATE CHANGE * KYOTO PROTOCOL)
From the People Who Brought You Cancer. Sheila Kaplan (investigative journalist;
Washington DC). NY: Nation Books (dist by Basic Books), Nov 2010, 288p, $26.95.
Congress has broken its promise to protect the public from neurotoxicants – chemicals
that interfere with our brain. Kaplan describes this unfolding public health disaster
informed by scientific research that links these chemicals to neurological illness such as
ADHD, depressed IQ in children, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s in adults. Also
investigates the political players and vested interests that have obstructed protection of
the public. (HEALTH * TOXINS * NEUROTOXICANTS * CHEMICAL THREATS)
Privatizing Water: Governance Failure and the World’s Urban Water Crisis. Karen
Bakker (Assoc Prof and Director, Program on Water Governance, U of British
Columbia). Ithaca NY: Cornell U Press, Oct 2010, 296p, $24.95pb. Proponents of water
supply privatization (emblematic in the neoliberal 1990s) argued it could provide better
services at lower costs, while opponents questioned risks involved in delegating control
over a life-sustaining resource to private companies. Private sector activity was most
concentrated – and contested – in large cities in developing countries. Considering the
apparent shortcomings of both privatization and conventional approaches to government
provision, Bakker explores the alternatives. Chapters discuss the role of the private sector
in development, the role of urban communities in providing public services, governance
failure of both private companies and government, the commons as a water-supply
management strategy, and environmental dimensions of water privatization.
(WATER * URBAN WATER CRISIS * PRIVATIZING WATER)
Coming Climate Crisis? Consider the Past, Beware the Big Fix. Claire L. Parkinson
(senior fellow, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center). Lanham MD: Rowman &
Littlefield, May 2010, 424p, $24.95 (also as e-book). Our current understandings and
models are inadequate for confident predictions of the intended and unintended
consequences of various projects now under consideration to modify climate change.
Highlights the 4.6-billion-year history of climate change on Earth—both before and after
humans became a significant factor--and explores current concerns regarding continued
global warming and its possible consequences. (CLIMATE CHANGE)
Heaven and Earth: Global Warming – The Missing Science. Ian Plimer (Prof of Earth
and Environmental Sciences, U of Adelaide). Taylor Trade Publishing (dist by Rowman
& Littlefield), 2009, 504p, $21.95pb (also as e-book). Climate changes are cyclical and
are driven by the Earth’s position in the galaxy, the sun, ocean currents, and plate
tectonics. In previous times, atmospheric carbon dioxide was far higher than at present,
but did not drive climate change. Synthesizes what we know about the Earth by
referencing peer-reviewed scientific literature and other authoritative sources to dispute
the evidence for man-made global warming. (CLIMATE CHANGE * GLOBAL
WARMING DISPUTED)
Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
(Policy Advisor on long –term planning and sustainability, New York City Mayor’s
office). San Francisco CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oct 2010, 192p, $16.95pb (also as
e-book). Muslims, like those of many faiths, are compelled by their religion to praise the
Creator, take care of each other, and take care of the planet. Abdul-Matin traces Islam’s
historical and contemporary preoccupation with humankind’s collective role as stewards
of the Earth and focuses on how Muslims and Muslim communities can follow or are
already following a green “deen” (“path” or ‘way” in Arabic) in four areas: waste, watts,
water, and food. (ISLAM AND GREEN VALUES * ENVIRONMENTALISM AND
ISLAM)
SOCIETY
Contesting Community: The Limits and Potential of Local Organizing. James
DeFilippis (Assoc Prof of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers U), Robert Fisher (Prof of
Social Work, U of Connecticut), and Eric Shragge (School of Community and Public
Affairs, Concordia U, Montreal). Piscataway NJ: Rutgers U Press, June 2010, 208p,
$25.95pb. For the past 30 years politicians, academics, advocates, and activists have
heralded community as a site and strategy for social change. In contrast, the authors find
that community has amounted to less than the sum of its parts, in both theory and
practice. Their comparative study of efforts in the US, UK, and Canada describes and
analyzes the limits and potential of community organizing work. Covers dozens of
groups, including ACORN, Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue Committee, and the Immigrant
Workers Centre in Montreal. (SOCIAL CHANGE * COMMUNITY ORGANIZING)
Will the Last Reporter Please Turn Out the Lights: The Collapse of Journalism and
What Can Be Done to Fix It. Edited by Robert W. McChesney (Prof of
Communications, U of Illinois, Urbana) and Victor Pickard (Asst Prof of Media, Culture,
and Communication, NYU). NY: The New Press, Fall 2010, 224p, $17.95pb. Assembles
12 revised and updated seminal pieces on the crisis of journalism. Provides a
comprehensive portrait of the newspaper industry’s predicament, analyzes financial and
structural causes of newspapers’ sudden collapse, and includes proposals to rescue
journalism from impending disaster. (NEWS MEDIA COLLAPSE * JOURNALISM IN
CRISIS)
The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future. Robert Darnton (University Prof and
Director, Harvard U Library). NY: Public Affairs, Aug 2010, 256p, 13.95pb (hc: Oct
2009/240p/$23.95). The era of the printed book is at a crossroad. E-readers are flooding
the market, books are available to read on cell phones, and companies such as Google,
Amazon, and Apple are competing to command near monopolistic positions as sellers
and dispensers of digital information. Questions whether the printed book is resilient
enough to survive the digital revolution, or it will become obsolete?
(COMMUNICATION * BOOKS: PAST AND FUTURE)
How Dictators Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Web. Evgeny Morozov
(contributing editor, Foreign Policy; former Open Society Institute fellow). NY: Public
Affairs, Jan 2011, $24.95. Greater access to information pacifies a population as much as
it incites it to revolution. Argues we must stop thinking of the internet and social media
as instant cures for repression because, in some cases, they can even threaten democracy.
Despite the reportedly liberalizing force of the Internet, regimes in Iran and China are as
stable and repressive as ever. Actually, authoritarian regimes are effectively using the
Internet to suppress free speech and democracy. (COMMUNICATION * INTERNET *
FREE SPEECH AND INTERNET)
Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our
Future. Ian Goldin (Director, James Martin 21st Century School, U of Oxford; former
VP, World Bank) and Geoffrey Cameron (Senior Policy Advisor, Foreign Affairs and
International Trade Canada). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Dec 2010, 352p, $35.
Charts the past and present of international migration, as having “fueled the engine of
human progress.” Migrants in today’s world connect markets, fill labor gaps, and enrich
social diversity, yet current migration policies are based on misconceptions and fears
about migration’s long-term contributions and social dynamics. Challenges the view that
dramatic growth in migration is undesirable, and propose new approaches for governance
that will embrace this international mobility and “allow everyone to benefit from its
unstoppable future growth.” (MIGRATION)
Noir Urbanisms: Dystopic Images of the Modern City. Edited by Gyan Prakash (Prof
of History, Princeton U). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Oct 2010, 288p, $29.95pb.
Contributors explore dystopic images in Germany, Mexico, Japan, India, South Africa,
China, and the US. Topics include representations of urban dystopia in Fritz Lang’s 1927
film Metropolis; 1960s modernist architecture in Mexico City; Hollywood film noir of
the 1940s and 1950s; the recurring fictional destruction of Tokyo in postwar Japan’s sci-
fi doom culture; Delhi’s out-of-control and media-saturated urbanism in the 1980s and
1990s, etc. (CITIES * DYSTOPIC IMAGES OF CITIES)
The Colors of Poverty: Why Racial and Ethnic Disparities Persist. Edited by Ann
Chih Lin (Assoc Prof of Public Policy, U of Michigan) and David R. Harris (Prof of
Sociology, Cornell U). NY: Russell Sage Foundation, Sept 2010, 344p, $24.95pb.
Reframes the debate over the causes of minority poverty by emphasizing the cumulative
effects of disadvantage in perpetuating poverty across generations. Contributors consider
a kaleidoscope of factors that contribute to widening racial gaps, including education,
racial discrimination, social capital, immigration, incarceration, and growing public
tolerance for disparity and inequality. (SOCIETY * POVERTY * INEQUALITY)
The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Inequality
around the Globe. Branko Milanovic (lead economist, World Bank Research Division).
NY: Basic Books, Dec 2010, 256p, $25.95. A collection of stories discusses inequality
throughout ages – modern Britain, Roman Empire, present times – comparing individuals
and price and consumption differences around the world. The author of Worlds Apart:
Measuring International and Global Inequality discusses how to think about inequality,
why it matters, and what we can do about it. (INEQUALITY: WORLD HISTORY)
Manning Up: How the Feminist Revolution Has Turned Men into Boys. Kay S.
Hymowitz (fellow, Manhattan Institute; NYC). NY: Basic Books, March 2011, 256p,
$25.95. The gains of the feminist revolution have had a dramatic, unanticipated effect on
the current generation of young men, who find themselves lost in a world where women
make more money, are more educated, and are less likely to settle down and build a
family. Describes the infantilization of young men and the “lad culture,” arguing that it is
time for these young men to “man up”. (SOCIETY * FEMINIST REVOLUTION AND
MEN * YOUTH)
Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (with a new
preface by the author). Chris Hedges (senior fellow, Nation Institute; distinguished
fellow, Princeton U). NY: Nation Books (dist by Basic Books), Nov 2010, 256p,
$14.95pb. Explores the American obsession with celebrity and the epidemic of illiteracy
that threatens our cultural integrity; also exposes the mechanisms used to divert us from
confronting the economic, political, and moral collapse around us. (SOCIETY *
ILLITERACY EPIDEMIC IN U.S.)
The Just City. Susan S. Fainstein (Prof of Urban Planning, Harvard U). Ithaca NY:
Cornell U Press, Aug 2010, 232p, $29.95. For the last three decades, neoliberalism has
caused the allocation of spatial, political, economic, and financial resources to favor
economic growth at the expense of wider social benefits. Fainstein’s concept of ‘the just
city’ advocates a different approach to urban development. It combines progressive city
planners’ earlier focus on equity and well-being with considerations of diversity and
participation so as to foster a better quality of urban life within the context of a global
capitalist political economy. Draws on the work of John Rawls and Martha Nussbaum to
develop an approach to justice relevant to 21st century cities that incorporates diversity,
democracy, and equity, with case studies of New York, London, and Amsterdam.
(CITIES * INEQUALITY * URBAN PLANNING * “JUST CITY” PLANNING)
A New Deal: How Regional Activism Will Shape the American Labor Movement.
Amy B. Dean (founder, Working Partnerships USA and Building Partnerships USA) and
David B. Reynolds (Coordinator, Labor Studies Center, Wayne State U). Foreword by
Harold Meyerson (editor at large, American Prospect). A Century Foundation Book.
Ithaca NY: ILR Press (Cornell U Press), Aug 2010, 304p, $19.95pb. Offers a bold plan to
revitalize American labor activism and build a sense of common purpose between labor
and community organizations. Regional power-building tactics of labor organizations
rely on coalition-building, leadership development, policy research, and aggressive
political action. (WORK * LABOR MOVEMENT: NEW VISION)
Creative State: Forty Years of Migration and Development Policy in Morocco and
Mexico. Natasha Iskander (Asst Prof of Public Policy, NYU). Ithaca NY: Cornell U
Press, Sept 2010, 392p, $29.95pb. Argues that state can be a site of creativity by
exploring Morocco and Mexico’s successful and creative policies over the last 40 years.
Both countries have capitalized emigration for economic growth by bringing migrants
into the banking system, capturing remittances for national development projects,
fostering partnerships with emigrants for infrastructure design and provision, etc. The
process of policy design was so iterative and improvisational that neither governments
nor their migrant constituencies predicted or intended that new initiatives would
fundamentally define nationhood, development, and citizenship.
(MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY * MOROCCO * MEXICO)
Rich, Free, and Miserable: The Failure of Success in America. John Brueggemann
(Prof of Sociology, Skidmore College). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, April 2010,
220p, $36.95 (also as e-book). The American Dream is in trouble. The country’s troubles
stem from something deeper than patterns of spending and saving. Rather, our troubles
come from a breakdown in morality, seen as responsibility to families, communities, and
country. Advocates new ways to help people connect to their families and communities.
(SOCIETY * RESPONSIBILITY BREAKDOWN * MORALITY CRISIS IN U.S.)
The Mouse That Roared: Disney and The End of Innocence (Updated and Expanded
Edition). Henry A. Giroux (Global TV Network Chair in English and Cultural Studies,
McMaster U) and Grace Pollock (U of Western Ontario). Lanham MD: Rowman &
Littlefield, March 2010, 192p, $17.95pb (also as e-book). While hiding behind a cloak of
innocence and entertainment, Disney strives to dominate global media and shape the
desires, needs, and futures of today’s children. Disney’s marketing targeted to tweens and
teens provides the tools through which young people construct and support their
identities, values, and knowledge of the world, idealizing the goal of building a global
culture.
(DISNEY AND YOUTH/CHILDREN * YOUTH AND DISNEY * CHILDREN AND
DISNEY)
Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century. Amy L. Wax (Prof
of Law, U of Pennsylvania). Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009, 200p, $29.95
(also as e-book). Effectively addressing today’s persistent racial disparities requires
dispelling the confusion surrounding the role of blacks in achieving equality. The
evidence overwhelmingly suggests that discrimination against blacks has dramatically
abated. The most important factors now impeding black progress are behavioral (low
educational attainment, poor socialization and work habits, drug use, criminality, paternal
abandonment, and non-marital child-bearing). These maladaptive patterns are largely the
outgrowth of past discrimination and oppression. The black community, however, must
solve these problems from within.
(SOCIETY * BLACK PROGRESS: BARRIERS * INEQUALITY)
From Immigrants to Americans: The Rise and Fall of Fitting In. Jacob L. Vigdor
(Prof of Public Policy, Duke U). Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, 240p,
$34.95 (also as e-book). In response to the widespread perception that immigrants are not
assimilating into society the way they should, or perhaps the way they once did, Vigdor
offers a direct comparison of the experiences of immigrants in the US from the mid-19th
century to the present day.
(IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. * MIGRATION)
Problem Solving Courts: New Approaches to Criminal Justice. JoAnn Miller (Prof of
Sociology, Purdue U) and Donald C. Johnson (former superior court judge, Indiana).
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009, 288p, $49.95 (also as e-book). Examines a
relatively new approach to criminal justice in which judges, advised by mental health
workers, meet with offenders on a weekly basis to talk about their issues in a socio-legal
setting where therapeutic intervention is combined with a measure of punishment for
program violations. The authors, who have created three successful problem-solving
courts, address the compelling need for alternatives to prisons and the impact that
problem solving courts can have on offenders and their communities. (CRIME/JUSTICE
* COURTS * PROBLEM SOLVING COURTS)
The Nightly News Nightmare: Media Coverage of U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-
2008 (Third Edition). Stephen J. Farnsworth (Asst Prof of Communication, George
Mason U) and S. Robert Lichter (Prof of Communication, George Mason U; director,
Center for Media and Public Affairs). Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield, Aug 2010,
246p, $24.95pb (also as e-book). Describes changes in the amount, tone, and focus of
news coverage in these different electoral contexts; finds that the news media, despite the
wide variety of outlets, have consistent problems in terms of fairness and focus on
substantive matters rather than the horse-race reporting of the latest polls. Also finds that
online news had many of the same problems found in mainstream news coverage, and
that the 2008 election cycle had the biggest problems with media bias in the six election
cycles examined here. (COMMUNICATION * MEDIA COVERAGE: PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS)
Miami: Mistress of the Americas. Jan Nijman (Director, Urban Studies Program, U of
Miami). Philadelphia PA: U of Pennsylvania Press, Dec 2010, 264p, $22.5pb. Miami’s
urban transformation coincides with the surging forces of globalization. Its status of
“mistress” is due to its cultural and economic dominance at the nexus of north and south.
As a social laboratory in urban change and human relationships in a high-speed, high-
mobility era, Miami (one of the most transient of all major metropolitan areas in
America) raises important questions about identity, citizenship, place-attachment,
transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism. (CITIES * MIAMI’S TRANSFORMATION)
The Unbelievers: The Evolution of Modern Atheism. S.T. Joshi (Seattle WA).
Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Feb 2011, 300p, $19pb. Atheism, once a minority
view, is now openly embraced by an increasing number of scientists, philosophers,
politicians, and celebrities. The intellectual history helps illuminate our understanding of
contemporary atheist, agnostic, and secularist thought. Several leading 19C thinkers -
Thomas Henry Huxley, Leslie Stephen, John Stewart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Mark
Twain - openly voiced skepticism about long-standing Christian beliefs. Prominent
atheist thought in the early 20C featured Clarence Darrow, H.L. Mencken, Bertrand
Russell, and H.P. Lovecraft. Turning to recent decades, Joshi evaluates the work of Gore
Vidal, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. (SOCIETY *
RELIGION * ATHIESM EVOLVING)
The Lost Art of Happiness. Arthur Dobrin (Prof, School for University Studies, Hofstra
U). Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Jan 2011, 240p, $17pb. The pursuit of happiness is
a tantalizing and frustrating endeavor in a culture that emphasizes individual needs and
wants as the primary focus of life. The pervasive and gnawing sense of dissatisfaction is
mainly self-inflicted. Dobrin contrasts our culture’s obsession with the individual with
the emphasis on community found in more traditional cultures, where levels of
satisfaction appear to be much greater. Good life results not from the private pursuit of
happiness but from relationships that foster mutual enhancement and are built on a
foundation of compassion for others and justice for all. (SOCIETY * HAPPINESS)
Meaning and Value in a Secular Age: Why Eupraxsophy Matters. The Writings of
Paul Kurtz. Edited by Nathan Bupp (vice president, Center for Inquiry; assoc editor,
Free Inquiry). Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Jan 2011, 265p, $19pb. The term
eupraxsophy was first coined and introduced by Paul Kurtz in 1988 to characterize a
secular orientation to life that stands in contrast to religion. Eupraxsophy offers a
thoroughly secular moral vision, which respects the place of human values in the context
of the natural world and presents an empirically responsible yet hopeful picture of the
human situation in the cosmos. Kurtz’ brand of humanism moves above and beyond the
current “new atheism”: it successfully bridges the cultural divide between science and
value, while providing a genuine and constructive ethical alternative to religion.
(SOCIETY * RELIGION * EUPRAXOLOGY * VALUES * SECULAR MORAL
VISION)
Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country. Thom Hartmann
(author of 20 books). San Francisco CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oct 2010, 216p,
$24.95 (also as e-book). A progressive talk radio host heard on >100 stations asserts that,
to restore an America beset by problems (joblessness, declining wages, huge disparities
in wealth, corruption, environmental degradation, and corporate domination), one needs
to go back to the system designed by the Founding Fathers. Recommended initiatives are
rooted in America’s past – ideas that worked well for decades, e.g.: tariff-based trade
policy (it serves America better than free trade, keeping industry healthy and wages
strong), a return to curbing the corporate power (by enforcing the Sherman Antitrust
Act), making Medicare available to everyone, and higher tax rates for the rich.
BUSINESS
The Future of Leadership Development: Corporate Needs and the Role of Business
Schools. Edited by Jordi Canals (Dean and Prof of Economics, IESE Business School,
Spain). NY & UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Aug 2010, Nov 2010, 304p, ₤25 ($40). The
current financial crisis highlights the need to rethink business leadership and the role of
business schools in developing the leaders of tomorrow. Brings together the perspectives
of deans of top international business schools, and the views of CEOs and senior business
leaders. (LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT * BUSINESS SCHOOLS)
Ethical Leadership: Global Challenges and Perspectives. Edited by Carla Millar (Prof of
Intl Marketing and Management, U of Twente, the Netherlands) and Eve Poole (Deputy
Director, Public Leadership Centre, Ashridge Business School, UK). NY & UK: Palgrave
Macmillan: Nov 2010, 208, ₤65 ($103). Presents the ethical leadership dilemmas of day-
to-day international business life in all their complexity and proves a range of angles,
options, and ideas to feed a questioning mind. Chapters discuss ethical leadership in a
global world, leadership in various countries, moral compass for global leadership,
spirituality-anchored leadership, global ethical leadership and the future. (LEADERSHIP
* ETHICAL LEADERSHIP * BUSINESS AND ETHICAL LEADERSHIP)
Customer Experience: Future Trends & Insights. Colin Shaw (Founding Partner,
Beyond Philosophy), Qaalfa Dibeehi (Beyond Philosophy), and Steven Walden (Head of
Research, Beyond Philosophy). NY & UK: Palgrave Macmillan: Sept 2010, 256p, ₤25
($40). The quality of customer experience has become more important in recent times as
businesses struggle to differentiate themselves. Explores the growing trends such as the
impact of neuroscience, experience psychology and social networking, that progressive
businesses need to understand to give themselves a competitive advantage. (BUSINESS *
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE)
Bad News: How America’s Business Press Missed the Story of the Century. Edited
by Anya Schiffrin (Director, Media and Communication Program, Columbia U School of
Intl and Public Affairs). NY: The New Press, Fall 2010, 240p, $24.95. During the
recession, the business of journalism was severely hurt while being blamed for uncritical
“cheerleading coverage that helped create the bubble”. Compares the role of the business
press in the current crisis against its mission to act as a guardian of the democratic
society. Includes contributions from leading journalists and academics. (ECONOMIC
CRISIS * BUSINESS PRESS AND ECONOMIC CRISIS)
Art of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market. Noah Horowitz
(art historian). Princeton NJ: Princeton U Press, Feb 2011, 304p, $39.5. Exposes the inner
workings of the contemporary art market, explaining how this unique economy came to
be, how it works, and where it’s headed. Looks at the globalization of the art world, the
changing face of the business, how investors speculate in the market, how emerging art
forms such as video and installation have been drawn into the commercial sphere, and
collapse of conventional boundaries in the art world. “Artists no longer simply make art,
but package, sell, and brand it.” BUSINESS (BUSINESS * ART MARKET
GLOBALIZED
Where Are All the Good Jobs Going? What National and Local Job Quality and
Dynamics Mean for U.S. Workers. Harry J. Holzer (Prof of Public Policy, Georgetown
U), Julia I. Lane (program director, National Science Foundation), David B. Rosenblum
(economist, U.S. Census Bureau), and Frederik Andersson (economist, US Dept of
Treasury). NY: Russell Sage Foundation, Jan 2011, 208p, $24.95pb. Examines whether
the US labor market can still produce jobs with good pay and benefits for the majority of
workers and whether these jobs can remain stable over time. Counter to conventional
wisdom, good jobs are not disappearing, but their character and location has changed:
there are fewer good jobs in manufacturing and more in services. The most educated
workers get the highest-paying jobs. The most vulnerable workers - older, low-income,
and low-skilled – work in the most insecure environments. Recommends a higher federal
minimum wage, increased unionization to help create well-paying jobs, and policies that
prepare workers for available positions. “Future policies will need to address not only
how to produce good jobs, but how to produce good workers.” [Also See “Where the
Jobs Are” (Time Cover Feature, 17 Jan 2011, 26-35).]
(WORK * JOB TRENDS IN U.S.)
Public Law and Private Power: Corporate Governance in the Age of Finance
Capitalism. John W. Cioffi (Asst Prof of Pol Sci, U of California, Riverside). Ithaca NY:
Cornell U Press, Nov 2010, 312p, $39.95. The highly politicized reform of corporate
governance law has reshaped power relations within the public corporation in favor of
financial interests, contributed to the profound crises of contemporary capitalism, and
eroded its political foundations. Center-left parties in the US and Germany embraced
reforms that strengthened shareholder rights; now they appeal to popular rage over
recurrent corporate financial scandals. Such reforms pose a threat to center-left parties
and the legitimacy of contemporary finance capitalism. (BUSINESS * CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE REFORM * FINANCE CAPITALISM)
Feeding Your Leadership Pipeline: How to Develop the Next Generation of Leaders
in Small to Mid-Sized Companies. Daniel R. Tobin (VP, American Management Assn).
San Francisco CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers and the American Society for Training &
Development, Sept 2010, 224p, $28.95 (also as e-book). With babyboomers hitting
retirement age, every company faces an urgent need to develop the next generation of
leaders. Tobin provides a blueprint for leadership development tailored to the needs and
challenges of companies with fewer than 5,000 employees. This program shows how to
identify high-potential talent, define key leadership competencies, establish the four basic
components of effective leadership development, harness the power of mentoring and
coaching, evaluate program effectiveness, and calculate its costs. (METHODS *
LEADERSHIP * BUSINESS)
Future Search: Getting the Whole System in the Room for Vision, Commitment,
and Action (Third Edition). Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff (co-directors, Future
Search Network). San Francisco CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oct 2010, 336p,
$29.95pb (also as e-book). Future Search is among the best-established, most widely
used, and most effective methods for enabling people to make and implement ambitious
plans. The 3rd edition, with nine new chapters, is written by the originators. It contains
new cases and examples, advice on combining Future Search with other methods, a
summary of formal research studies, and evidence of its efficacy over time and economic
benefits. Designed for strategic planning, product innovation, quality improvement,
organization restructuring, mergers, and any other major change requiring stakeholder
engagement with “the whole system in the room.”
(BUSINESS * METHODS * “FUTURE SEARCH” CHANGE PROCESS * CHANGE
MANAGEMENT)
EDUCATION
Waiting for “Superman”: How We Can Save America’s Failing Public Schools (A
Participant Media Guide). Edited by Karl Weber (NYC). NY: Public Affairs, Sept
2010, 288p, $15.95pb. Millions of US students attend “failure factories” that produce
more drop-outs than graduates; millions more attend “nice” schools that mask mediocre
achievement. Reading and math scores in the US stagnate and even fall behind, while
other countries continue to advance. Inspired by Davis Guggenheim’s Sundance award-
winning documentary film, leading educational reformers explore how to fix our broken
public school system. Shows how failing schools destroy neighborhoods – not the reverse
– and reveals that dedicated, attentive teachers are what help at-risk kids succeed.
(EDUCATION * SCHOOL REFORM)
Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids—
and What We Can Do About It. Andrew Hacker (Prof of Pol Sci, CUNY-Queens
College) and Claudia Dreifus (New York Times; adjunct, Columbia U). NY: Holt/Times
Books, Aug 2010/288p/$26. Higher education is a $420 billion industry immune from
scrutiny, taking on too many roles and doing none of them well. Colleges have lost sight
of their basic mission to challenge the minds of the young. Proposals: 1) demand good
teaching; colleges must become conscientious and caring; 2) decrease vocationalism
(64% of undergraduates are in vocational majors); rather, “supposedly impractical studies
are ultimately a better investment”; 3) replace faculty tenure with multiyear contracts; 4)
allow fewer sabbaticals; 5) end exploitation of adjuncts; 6) end quasicorporate salaries of
college presidents, who should be seen as public servants and paid at similar levels.
(HIGHER EDUCATION)
Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in
Higher Education. Jay P. Greene (Senior Fellow, Goldwater Institute; head, Dept of
Educ Reform, U of Arkansas) et al. Phoenix AZ: Goldwater Institute, Aug 2010/20p/free
pdf. Enrollment at America’s 198 leading universities rose nearly 15% between 1993 and
2007, while the number of employees engaged in teaching or research grew by 18%. But
full-time administrators per 100 students grew by 39%. Inflation-adjusted spending on
administration per student increased by 61% in the same period, while instructional
spending rose 39%. The large and increasing rate of government subsidy for higher
education facilitates administrative bloat by insulating students from the costs. (HIGHER
EDUCATION)
The Evolution of Revolutions: How We Create, Shape, and React to Change. Patrick
J. Howie (senior VP of product development, TargetRX; founder, ABetterGuess).
Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Feb 2011, 250p, $25. Change and revolution occur
constantly and affect the smallest things. Draws on two dozen revolutions in sports,
business, science, and politics, Howie shows how to identify and foster innovations that
will lead to revolutions. For an innovation to successfully create a revolution, it must pass
through three stages: resistance, clarification, and elaboration. Describes methods to
create innovations, and to recognize and capitalize on emerging revolutions. (BUSINESS
* METHODS * REVOLUTIONS: HOW TO CREATE)
Enhancing Evolution: The Ethical Case for Making Better People (with a new
preface by the author). John Harris (Prof of Bioethics, U of Manchester). Princeton NJ:
Princeton U Press, Nov 2010, 264p, $18.95pb (hc, 2007). Dismantles objections to
genetic engineering, stem-cell research, designer babies, and cloning, and makes an
ethical case for biotechnology. The new preface offers a glimpse at the new science and
technology to come, equipping readers with the knowledge to assess ethics and policy
dimensions of future forms of human enhancement. (ETHICS AND HUMAN
ENHANCEMENT * EVOLUTION: BIOTECH ENHANCEMENT)
The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets. Alan Boss (research scientist,
Carnegie Institution of Washington). NY: Basic Books, Jan 2011, 256p, $15.95. NASA
has launched the first space telescope specifically designed to find earth-like extrasolar
planets. Based on what we already know about planetary systems, we should find
abundant Earths: “life is not only possible elsewhere in the universe, but common.” Boss
maintains that America must lead the “new space race” to discover extraterrestrial life.
(SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY * OUTER SPACE * EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE)
The Crime of Reason and the Closing of the Scientific Mind. Robert B. Laughlin
(1998 Nobel Laureate; Prof of Physics, Stanford U). NY: Basic Books, Jan 2011, 224p,
$15.95pb. Contrary to the conventional belief that information is more available in the
Internet-enabled world, Laughlin claims that we are surrounded by mounting volumes of
advertising and spam, while valuable information is increasingly classified or designated
as private property. Free intellectual inquiry has become antisocial and often illegal, and
the act of reasoning for oneself is becoming a crime. (SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY *
SCIENTIFIC REASONING ENDANGERED?)
Acceleration: The Forces Driving Human Progress. Ronald G. Havelock (Shady Side
MD; director, Knowledge Transfer Institute). Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, Jan 2011,
350p, $28. The key to humanity’s past and future success is our ability to pass on what
has been learned from one generation to the next, resulting in an ever larger and more
widely shared knowledge platform. Today, the transfer of knowledge is increasingly not
just from generation to generation but within generations and across cultures. It extends
from the rich to the middle class and even to the poor. Despite periodic setbacks, progress
is actually accelerating on many dimensions of human existence; fears for the human
future overlook both the knowledge resources and the ingenuity in using them for
individual and collective well-being.
(PROGRESS AND HUMAN KNOWLEDGE * HUMAN PROGRESS * KNOWLEDGE
TRANSFER)