Book Description
"A wonderful read." -- USA Today
"Klein... has delved deep into archives that most previous writers on Gould have ignored, and is able to back up his revisionist assertions with a multitude of telling details." -- New York Times
He was, for Joseph Pulitzer, "one of the most sinister figures that have ever flitted bat-like across the vision of the American people." According to the New York Times, "the work of reform is but half done... when people claiming to be respectable are not ashamed of being associated with a man such as he." He was Jay Gould, the individual who for a century has been singled out as the most despicable and unscrupulous of the Robber Barons. In this splendid biography, Maury Klein paints the most complete portrait of the notorious Gould that we have ever had. His Gould is a brilliant but ruthless businessman who merged dying railroads into expansive and profit-making lines, including the giant Union Pacific.
"Clearly organized, meticulously researched, and skillfully written." -- Washington Post
"Lucid and engrossing." -- Businessweek
"Klein's biography is a balanced, objective, and fascinating account." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
Customer Reviews:
The Life and Legend of Jay Gould.......2007-03-26
This book was very long and had very little information about the life of Jay Gould. It is very well researched. If you want to know the details of every railroad Gould bought, it is a blockbuster. If you want to know about what his life was like and who he married and where he lived, this book will not please you. There is very little personal information.
Wonderful reading.......2003-09-19
This is book that one needs to purchase if you are interested in the guilded age and one of its smoothest operators. Rising from humble roots Gould camer to dominate the american railroad and finance businesses. Launching many famous raids on wall street, he teamed up with Fisk to try and corner the Gold market.
Jay Gould is a classic american. A trader who was born and worked in a tannery and as an surveyor as a young man he rose to fame and infame. An amazing story, worth the read!
A Valentine for Jay Gould.......2001-12-11
In the "Life and Legend of Jay Gould," historian Maury Klein seeks to resurrect the image of the archetypal -- but now largely forgotten -- early American industrialist.
The names Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan are familiar to nearly everyone, and in this 497-page biography Klein makes a convincing case that Jay Gould belongs in that pantheon of early American business giants. From his early maneuvers (which Klein claims permanently undermined his reputation) in fighting for control of the Erie Railroad and an attempt to corner the gold market, to his Herculean efforts to build and maintain a vast transportation and communications empire in the face of brutal competition and economic and political chaos, Gould emerges as a true pioneer in American corporate finance. Moreover, perhaps more than any of his contemporaries, Jay Gould was the personification of the so-called "robber baron"; the man and the myth were consummate.
Yet, for all of its promise, this book is a huge disappointment. Klein is a classically trained historian and accomplished professional academic, yet this book reads as if it were composed by a fawning amateur. A project that began as an effort to "set the record straight," ultimately degenerates into a frustratingly air-brushed portrait of a very complex and capable man. Rather than a balanced and objective review of Gould's character and business acumen, the book takes on the form of a giddy valentine. Seemingly every move Gould makes is judged by Klein as "brilliant, masterful and unexpected," while his long list of formidable rivals are portrayed as bumbling morons. For example, after Gould ascended to a leadership position in the Union Pacific railroad, he moved to thwart the ruinous rate wars in transcontinental shipping that had erupted with the Pacific Mail steamship company, the Union Pacific's sole competitor in that market at that time. Shortly thereafter the Panama Railroad, the critical nexus upon which all of Pacific Mail's business depended, was acquired by another speculator and the transit contract with Pacific Mail abrogated. Klein describes Gould's actions in acquiring Pacific Mail and in getting out of the Panama railroad jam in glowing terms, but not a word is said about how someone with his supposed perspicacity could leave such a obviously vulnerable flank exposed in the first place.
Also, the author almost totally neglects Gould's private life. Early in the book Klein confidently pronounces that "Two concerns dominated the rest of Gould's life, business and devotion to family." Yet, from that point forward, nary a word is spoken about Gould's relationship with his wife and family -- or specifically about his relationship with the son whose incapable hands the family fortune would be left to and squandered. In comparison to Ron Chernow's and Jean Strause's treatment of the private lives of John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, respectively, in recent biographies, Klein's performance in this regard is particularly disappointing.
In closing, two things are clear after reading "The Life and Legend of Jay Gould": 1) Jay Gould was a giant of American business, easily on par with Rockefeller and Carnegie; and 2) the definitive one-volume biography of his amazing life has yet to be written.
A WELL DOCUMENTED HISTORY ON THE AMERICAN RAILROAD.......2000-12-29
This book gives a complete description of what it took to develop the American railroads to what it has become. What the author also tries to do is to fight some of the negative comments made by other authors and the press which were not warranted. This book goes into the necessary research to prove them wrong! Each chapter starts with about three quotes from other books or the press and then they are dealt with accordingly. One can also learn a great deal about how the politics of the day operated with its friends, bribery etc. However, I find that the book could have been about half the size and that 300-400 pages would have done just a good job without too much of excess material. This book might be more suited for railroad buffs rather than investors and speculators.
a book which separates fiction from fact.......1999-10-27
Jay Gould is remembered as the worst of the 19th century "Robber Barons" - a destroyer of companies - yet as Maury Klein so ably details, this reputation was almost wholly fabricated by the media and bears little resemblance to a man obsessed with building a transportation and communications empire. Klein's book is more than about Jay Gould, it's about the vast gulf separating all-too-common media generated myths and the truth.
Book Description
Jay Yelas: A Champion's Journey of Faith, Family, and Fishing, is an autobiography of one of the greatest bass fishing champions of all time. The author, Jay Yelas, is the current titleholder of the 2002 CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic®-the "Super Bowl" and "Granddaddy" of bass fishing tournaments. Jay is also the champion of the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour®.
The book covers Jay Yelas' life from the time he caught his first bass at age six to the time he stepped onto the awards stage at the 2002 CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic®. With fishing tales, humor, and enthusiasm, Jay recounts the good and bad experiences that steered him toward success in fishing and in life. Jay includes a blow-by-blow description of tournament events leading to his incredible year in 2002, with the story culminating in an emotional win of both the Wal-Mart FLW Tour® Angler of the Year award, and the CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic®.
Struggling with the demands of a career and family, Jay was forced to evaluate a life that he describes as "not complete or fulfilling." Through prayer and a commitment to Jesus, Jay and his wife Jill created a "Life Mission" for Jay, giving him clarity and renewed focus that resulted in a magical 2002 season.
Customer Reviews:
Can't put it down !!!.......2003-10-30
Al fishermen should give it a chance. What a great story of life,love,and christianity. About a man who searched for and found his God,his Savior and how he related his life's committment to Jesus Christ to his success in his career.A book all aspiring fishermen should read. Great job Jay!...Look forward to seeing more like this...Good luck in your life-long career...
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Most Requested Superstar Hits
Manufacturer: Warner Bros Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0769210503 |
Book Description
The Solo and Earth-Solo Games are supplements to The Transformation Game. Now the game can be enjoyed in a solo setting or with the Earth as your partner. Package contains two game supplements. For use with Transformation Game only. For 1 player, ages 16 to adult.
Amazon.com
Some investment books claim only one true path to stock-market riches. Fund manager James O'Shaughnessy has five, and he has the data to back them up. He was the first independent researcher to be granted full access to a Standard & Poor's database containing computerized information on almost 10,000 stocks going back to 1951. From the data, O'Shaughnessy derived five portfolio-building strategies that, over the past 45 years, have consistently beaten the market average. How to Retire Rich also contains a wealth of useful information on mutual funds, online trading, and using the Internet to research stocks.
Book Description
Now in paperback--the groundbreaking investment guide by bestselling author James O'Shaughnessy that shows you the simple way to create the fully funded retirement you deserve.
Even if you think you're in great financial shape and can afford two cars and several vacations a year, the numbers in your savings and retirement plan don't always add up to a wealthy--or financially secure--future. In
How to Retire Rich, investment wizard James O'Shaughnessy uses his revolutionary analysis of the Standard & Poor's CompuStat Database and stock market history to identify exactly which strategies have consistently beaten almost all active stock pickers over the past four decades--and to show regular folks like you how to apply these proven formulas to your 401(k) and your savings plan, and, over time, grow as little as $2,000 into more than $4 million.
By adopting O'Shaughnessy's logical, proven approach and by avoiding hunches, hot tips, and trendy advice from high-profile gurus, you, too, can master the basics of investing, dramatically increase your net worth, and fund the retirement of your dreams.
Customer Reviews:
O'Shaughnessy's strategies work.......2007-05-18
I read the book in 2001 after listening to the audio book summary. I then modified his Leaders with Luster strategy and I am still using it today after further slight modifications. The results are outstanding! All his numbers on market capitalization, cashflow etc. are totally outdated by now, but the concept still works and he explains to get updated numbers build into your screening tool. The screen should return about 140 companies, sort them logically and hand pick from there. The same strategy got me into the top 2% of the CNBC portfolio challenge that closed on 5/11/07. Use your head when reading this book and modify the screens to your investment objective. Look at sectors when hand selecting your final stocks and question the number of stocks O'Shaughnessy suggests. This is a great book and his strategies (modified) are still working for me.
Great book-investment strategy really works........2006-06-17
This is my first Amazon book review, although I have been reading them for years. I read this book many years ago, and immediately started investing in what was then the O'Shaughnessy Cornerstone Growth Fund (now the Hennessy Cornerstone Growth Fund-HFCGX). This fund is based directly on the investment strategy outlined in this book, and the performance has been outstanding. Since I first started investing in this fund, my two daughers accounts have grown at just under 18% per annum, which I might state is the historical average for this investment strategy if it had been used from 1952 onward. If this per annum return continues, their $10,000 invested in 1999 will turn into over $1 million by the time they are in their mid-forties. I now have rolled over my 401K plan into this same fund based on the principals in this book, and my Roth IRA. I read tons of investment information prior to buying this book, and even invested in a few other funds, but nothing has touched the strategy of the investment information in this book. I highly recommend buying this book.
Read What Works on Wall Street instead.......2004-03-07
In this book Mr. O'Shaughnessy takes four different (fictional) characters and shows them how to use his investing methods to beat the market based on his exhaustive study on what really beats the market. Basically this book takes his knowledge from What Works on Wall Street and makes up stories for these couples.
Mr. O'Shaughnessy thinks we should buy 50 stocks and rebalance those 50 stocks at the beginning of each year. In fact I am surprised that I haven't seen FolioFN giving away his books to their members since his methodology seems to be meant for those of us who have folios.
One of the major things that I didn't like about this book was in his descriptions of how these couples could retire rich he basically cut and paste each one and changed the ending result, in my opinion he made this book very boring and is a waste of paper. The only part of this book I liked was pages 139 and 140 these pages have various "doom and gloom" headlines from 1951-1997 and show that the market always has recovered.
Since now the strategies in this book are out in the public they probably won't even work right, so I would advise the majority of investors to put their money in an S&P 500 index fund since you'd be beating 80% of fund manages without having to do any research.
Reed Floren
How to Retire Rich - Reasonable Runaways.......2003-12-26
A truly amazing strategy. I recently concluded tracking a 25-stock Reasonable Runaways strategy and the results are eye-popping. The portfolio turned in a 77.81% return dating from November 8th, 2002 thru November 7th, 2003. I will be putting real money to work now that I was able to see it with my own eyes...
A Nobel Prize for O'Shaughnessy!.......2003-08-05
The main message of _How to Retire Rich_ is that if you want to retire rich, or retire at all for that matter (ever!), you must invest in the stock market. You just don't have a choice in the matter. Sit down and let James O'Shaughnessy take you through the math---you'll quickly see that that is just the financial reality. The good news, however, is that investing in the stock market, when done properly, is not what you think it is. It's not about outsmarting all the other investors out there. It's not about trying to get a 'ten-bagger' so you can buy a cool car and brag at parties. It's not even about shrewd business savvy and scanning financial reports. It's about picking an effective strategy and sticking with it year in, year out until the day you retire, never pulling your money out of the market.
But if that sounds hard, don't worry. One of HTRR's strongest points is the wealth of wisdom it provides on the mental aspects of investing over the long term. What do you do if your portfolio tanks? What do you do if it soars? This is a problem? You'd be surprised! O'Shaughnessy is probably the only author with a completely rounded, mature outlook on the emotional aspects of investing. Reading HTRR will give you the confidence you need to invest and stay in the market through good times and bad.
So how do you invest? O'Shaughnessy breaks it all down for you, telling you exactly what to do. We're not talking the usual vague, feelgood accepted wisdom here such as 'buy market leaders' or 'buy on weakness, sell on strength'. Throw all those books in the trash! HTRR will tell you how to quickly find the precise stocks you should buy. You'll finish the book at 2 o'clock and have a list of the stocks to buy in your hand at 2:30. Yes, it's just that easy. You'll also know exactly when to buy them (now) and when to sell them (a year from now), and what do after that (repeat the process until you retire). What could be simpler?
O'Shaughnessy should be nominated for a Nobel Prize. He is a modern-day Charles Darwin with a theory that has all the hallmarks of a revolution in scientific thought. The theory is simple, but deceptively so. Many readers come away thinking they have understood it, only to later demonstrate that they clearly haven't. Even Motley Fool was apparently unable to grasp Reasonable Runaways (one of the strategies in HTRR). They tried to test it with a universe of stocks picked from Value Line (!). When it wasn't performing well after six months (!), they wondered how they could tweak it (!) to "make it dance" (their words). You'll understand just how ridiculous all of this is when you read HTRR.
Perhaps the reason for this widespread misunderstanding is that while the theory itself is simple, its ramifications are not---and without understanding its ramifications, it is impossible to truly understand the theory. Like Darwin, O'Shaughnessy has taken 'God'---the human element---completely out of the picture. That's what readers find so hard to grasp. O'Shaughnessy has shown that not only is human intervention in portfolio management not necessary, it's downright harmful. Given enough time, any human intervention will only lower a portfolio's returns from the optimum returns that could be obtained using a simple model.
I hesitate to include the returns I have earned over the past four years using the Reasonable Runaways strategy in this review, because I don't think they're typical. I have earned 93.15% (CARR of 17.88%) versus 1.17% (CARR of 0.29%) for the S&P during the same period (July 15, 2001 to July 15, 2005). And this is during a time period that includes 9/11. But as you'll discover from reading HTRR, four years is a meaninglessly short amount of time over which to gauge performance. Also, giving out exciting returns numbers shifts the discussion away from the real message of the book---get in the stock market and stay there (investing properly of course). It's the only way you'll ever be able to retire, rich or otherwise.
Book Description
The was the unofficial empress of Hollywood and she spent a lifetime as the mistress of one of America's richest men. Gathered from tapes recroded a decade before Marion Davie's death, read, in her own words, the story of a fantastic and glittering life, as never told before.
Customer Reviews:
I loved this book.......2006-08-08
Okay so Marion Davies couldn't act. She was a great humanitarian. Read this book and find out. This book is well written and covers everything you would ever want to know about Marion Davies life. Highly recommended.
Inside the glorious era .......2006-02-25
Not the most well written, but it follows through fairly well and y0u get a good dose of the glorious times of Hollywood
More On Marion.......2006-02-01
I liked the book quite a bit, I seem to have a slight fascination with Marion Davies and Wm. Randolph Hearst so this was a must when I read the other reviews. I am just surprised that Marion Davies just didn't seem to have any focus or passions in life. She just bounced around in life and let it happen, which maybe is the way it's supposed to be??? Lots of nice photos and it certainly seems to be a truthful book.
Time could have been better spent.......2005-11-18
A flimsy, repetitive and disjointed book that manages to mildly entertain at first, before the ennui sets in. It's a series of vignettes rather than a narrative, and whilst I don't think Marion herself would have made any grand claims for it, the editors (whose presence is constantly felt) seem to be trying to elevate Marion Davies to a level of literary and historical importance that just isn't justified.
Great summer reading for film fans. .......2005-06-27
Honestly, I bought this book for the photographs. Having suffered through any number of star autobiographies I was expecting the book itself to be nothing more than at best a guilty pleasure. It was a pleasant surprise to find The Times We Had refreshing, engaging and moving.
In the summer of 1951, Davies began recording her memories of life with Hearst on tape. The book was not published during her lifetime and is a fairly literal transcription of the tapes (with some-- occasionally very odd-- editorial comments). The diction of the book is particularly striking. I suppose this is because it is really captured Davies spoken words. So often in ghost-written celebrity autobiography you have a strange blandness that makes it sound like a poor magazine article. By contrast, even though the book is not written in the most professional way, it has a strong feeling of immediacy and authenticity.
Davies can be astonishingly blunt, and makes no attempt to make herself look better or to filter the events of her life. For example, there is one eyebrow-raising moment where she discusses how disappointed she had been that she did not get to meet Hitler. She had met Mussolini and clearly thought that it would be really cool to meet Hitler as well. This is not the book to read if you are looking for political reflection or self-examination in the context of world events.
That said, it is really hard not to like the Marion Davies of the book. There is a very nice practical energy to her voice that is both refreshing and interesting to read. Anne Lindbergh once said that of all the people surrounding Hearst, she found Davies the most stable. After reading this, I get a sense of what she meant.
As noted, the editorial presence is a little strange. Pfau and Marx are enthusiastic about Davies, but slightly random. The book is published with a foreword by Orson Welles in which he sets out to prove that Marion Davies is not Susan Alexander Kane.
The Times We Had would be great summer reading for a film fan, or for someone looking for something a cut above the typical airplane book. It should also be of interest to people with an interest in Hearst biographical detail.
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Congratulations (What a Time We Had)
Manufacturer: Abbeville Gifts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0789254441 |
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I Love You (What a Time We Had)
Manufacturer: Abbeville Gifts
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ASIN: 0789254425 |
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I'm Moving (What a Time We Had)
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ASIN: 0789254433 |
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Thank You (What a Time We Had)
Manufacturer: Abbeville Gifts
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ASIN: 0789254476 |
Book Description
Using private and archival sources spanning three continents the authors have written the definitive study on the history of collaboration and the anti-partisan war in White Russia during World War II. In addition, the history of the Shoah (holocaust) in White Russia is fully covered. The text is supported by close to 2,000 fully documented footnotes, as well as 125 rare photographs, many never before published, 97 battle maps (33 in full color), 12 color plates, 40 tables, 9 appendices, 9-page glossary of German political and military terms, and a 30-page index which facilitates research.
The authors used materials from the Minsk archives, Bundesarchiv, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, US National Archives, Museum of Modern History, Ljubljana and the Yad Vashem Archives in Israel in addition to employing items from private sources. This is truly a monumental study on a little known subject.
Customer Reviews:
The Name White Russia.......2006-05-31
This is an honest reply to the reviewer named ULADZIK and his critique of the author naming the book "White Russia" or Byelorussia (the old spelling of current Belorussia). IF Uladzik would have actually taken the time to READ this book, he would have seen that the author meticulously wrote up a complete section (in chapter four) and titled "The Name White Russia", to explain how over the hundreds of years, the title for this region changed as it was passed over to various neighboring countries and regimes. It is obvious that the "reviewer", ULADZIK has a grudge to grind regarding this book (most likely he is envious or did not like something in the book). But to slander this academic study is not fair or right. Shame on you, Uladzik!
Wrong title.......2006-01-07
The value of the book is immediately diminished by its title. This book is about Belarus. Yet the authors refer to it as "White Russia". This is a type of mistake that can be made by people who are not familiar neither with the history of the region nor with the enthography and geography of Eastern Europe. Belarus does not mean "White Russia". It means White Ruthenia. The words "White Russia" were used only by Russian empire historians in order to justify their occupation. How can I even consider buying a book which has a wrong name for its main subjects?
Fabulous.......2003-10-10
As an author, who has written five books on the German army and Waffen-SS, I applaud this latest effort by Antonio Munoz and Dr. Oleg Romanko on Hitler's White Russians. In all aspects, this work has set the standard for information on collaboration, extermination and anti-partisan warfare in Byelorussia during World War II. In short, the book is fabulous.
First, the book is extremely high-quality in it's production. The 500 pages, on glossy stock, make the photographs and maps jump out in superb detail. I've spent roughly twenty years researching World War II archives in four countries, and three-quarters of the photographs in the book are ones I had never seen before! From action photographs during combat operations, to close-ups of key leaders, the book could stand alone among related works for the photographs alone.
But there is much more. The maps, many of which are in color, are easy to follow, and include depictions of every major anti-partisan campaign in the area. Equally as informative are the dozens of order of battle charts and tables that go into superb detail of German army, police, SS and indigenous forces that participated in these operations.
The authors' writing styles are easy to read, and their use of footnotes, from hundreds of sources, show that they have left no stone unturned in their effort to get the complete story of what happened in this little-known theater of the war. Everything is here; you need nothing else to understand what happened. This is not some puff-piece that glosses over the facts. It is an extremely scholarly work, but one written in a style that is reader-friendly.
I salute the authors for their wonderful effort. They succeeded in producing a fabulous book. I suspect I will be consulting it for my own writing efforts for years to come.
Another great work on a little-known facet of WW2.......2003-10-08
Antonio Munoz, who made his debut into the publishing field with Forgotten Legions: Obscure Formations of the Waffen-SS, has, along with Dr. Romanko, obviously put another piece of his heart into this work, a huge, hardcover treatment of how the Byelorussians interacted with their German occupiers, during the German-Russian War of 1941 until late 1944, when virtually all of White Russia was "liberated" by Stalin's Hordes.
Do not be mistaken in thinking that anything Mr. Munoz writes is, in any manner, written in a favorable light towards the Nazis and their actions; rather, this is one of the most objective - as well as comprehensive - treatments of how life was lived and internal policies implemented behind the lines in an (erstwhile) ex-Soviet Republic.
Dr. Romanko, a native of the area studied, delves deeply into the myriad policing and para-military, anti-partisan units and other groups used by the Byelorussian regime to keep order during their time under the Nazi boot. It is a shame that the recent (1995) sweeping in of a near-totalitarian White Russian rulership has led to the suppression of all records which do not paint them in a favorable light; again, political correctness interferes with historical studies.
However, from what they have already uncovered and discussed in this book, we are a long way farther along the road to knowing just what it was like in the East when Hitler's armies marched against Stalin.
This is a must-read for any serious student of World War II, especially those who wish to understand just how convoluted politics in Eastern Europe were from 1941-44.
And check out his other works as well. [He has a] website...
Book Description
In this innovative account of the way policy issues rise and fall on the national agenda—the first detailed study of so many issues over an extended period—Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones show that rapid change not only can but does happen in the hidebound institutions of government.
Short-term, single-issue analyses of public policy, the authors contend, give a narrow and distorted view of public policy as the result of a cozy arrangement between politicians, interest groups, and the media. Baumgartner and Jones upset these notions by focusing on several issues—including civilian nuclear power, urban affairs, smoking, and auto safety—over a much longer period of time to reveal patterns of stability alternating with bursts of rapid, unpredictable change.
A welcome corrective to conventional political wisdom, Agendas and Instability revises our understanding of the dynamics of agenda-setting and clarifies a subject at the very center of the study of American politics.
Customer Reviews:
Nice analysis of policy change.......2007-06-06
Frank Baumgartner and Bryan Jones have written an imaginative and important work on the rhythm of the policy process. Their thesis is straightforward: policy often moves in cycles of stasis (relative stability in the policy arena) over a period of time, followed by a fairly rapid burst of change. Using the language of the evolutionary argument by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould, they refer to their model as "punctuated equilibrium." Eldredge and Gould posted that evolutionary change was often characterized by long periods of stasis (or stability) in a species, followed by a dramatic burst of rapid change (in evolutionary terms).
Baumgartner and Jones do not leave it at that. Merely describing a pattern that they see in different arenas over time is only a first step. How to explain such change? The authors provide a reasonably convincing argument: One, institutions produce a considerable degree of stability; two, particular policy "images" shape debate and constrain change over periods of time. However, institutions cannot forever prevent change. And policy images can change. As new views come into the policy debate, this can lead to a breakdown of the old "order" and punctuational (rapid) change.
The book provide some examples of this, such as budgetary change (and see Baumgartner and Jones' edited volume, "Policy Dynamics," for an even broader range of examples of the theory in operation).
If one is interested in the dynamics of policy change, then "Agendas and Instability in American Politics" is a good book to look at. It is not the only approach to explaining policy change (e.g., see Paul Sabatier's work for another effort to explain stasis and change), but it is a rich perspective and has seen a number of applications.
Studying Issue Change in the Long-Term.......2006-08-01
Baumgartner and Jones argue that in the agenda setting stage of public policymaking, issue changes may occur through two distinctly different, yet not mutually exclusive processes.
First, the authors argue that issue changes may occur incrementally in which changes to policy arise smoothly and appear at the margins of policymaking. Such a process is closely related to Lindblom's "muddling through." Second, the authors move away from the incremental approach and argue that a second process may describe agenda setting. Issue changes may, at times, occur quite dramatically. The second process espoused by Baumgartner and Jones is related, in part, to Kingdon's Multiple Streams approach.
Baumgartner and Jones attempt to explain both the incremental and dramatic issue changes which occur in the policymaking process through a single paradigm, the Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory (PT). The Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory seeks to explain both the general stability and the occasional upheaval of the agenda setting stage of the policy process. According to the Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory, both stability and radical change which accompany the agenda setting process are the result of the interaction between subsystem politics (i.e. issue networks, iron triangles) and the macropolitical arena - for example, the United States Congress.
Most issues which may potentially appear on the agenda are handled quietly by experts through iron triangles or issue networks. In these areas, issue change is often subtle and incremental. However, issues may enter the macropolitical arena and then the issue may "catch fire, dominate the agenda, and result in changes in one or more subsystems." As such, it can be argued that the subsystems in politics are representative of the generally stable aspects of the agenda setting process, while the macropolitical arena represents the more dramatic changes in agenda setting.
The subsystems of politics illustrate the stable side of agenda setting because most subsystems are composed of policy monopolies. A policy monopoly occurs when the subsystem is dominated by a single interest supported by a powerful policy image. Baumgartner et al. write, "Because a successful policy monopoly systematically dampens pressure for change, we say that it contains a negative feedback process. Still, policy monopolies can change." They way in which these policy monopoly's change is by succumbing to outside pressures. If pressures increase to a sufficient point, previously detached political actors may become drawn in and force changes, or as Baumgartner and Jones may say, punctuate the equilibrium.
In order to illustrate their hypothesis that the agenda setting process is composed of both periods of stability and upheaval, Baumgartner and Jones examine the issue life of a number of pressing policy arenas: civilian nuclear energy, urban planning, smoking regulation, and others. Through a combination of both quantitative and qualitative analysis they studied these policy arenas for an extended period of time which allowed them to truly understand the characteristics and changes of the agenda setting process. It goes with out saying that the results of their work substantiate their hypothesis which in turn has opened a new door into the policy sciences.
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Agendas and Instability in American Politics.: An article from: Policy Studies Journal
L. Christopher Plein
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This digital document is an article from Policy Studies Journal, published by Policy Studies Organization on December 22, 1994. The length of the article is 1905 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Agendas and Instability in American Politics.
Author: L. Christopher Plein
Publication:
Policy Studies Journal (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1994
Publisher: Policy Studies Organization
Volume: v22
Issue: n4
Page: p701(4)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Landscape Approaches in Mammalian Ecology and Conservation
Australia) International Theriological Congress 1993 (Sydney
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