In an age where more British people believe in aliens than trust our politicians, Dorothy Byrne asks the question: what went wrong and how can our trust in democracy and public life be regained? In this scintillating essay, nothing and no one escapes Byrne's razor-sharp wit as she takes on the politicians avoiding rigorous journalistic scrutiny, explores the pitfalls of impartiality, imagines what Plato might say to Trump – and calls out plenty of sexist bastards along the way. This is a ferocious, frank, and often wildly funny attempt to separate the truth from the lies at a time of national crisis.
Presents an analysis of the lying behavior of political leaders, discussing the reasons why it occurs, the different types of lies, and the costs and benefits to the public and other countries that result from it, with examples from the recent past.
This book argues that the mainstream definitions of corruption, and the key expectations they embed concerning the relationship between corruption, democracy, and the process of democratization, require reexamination. Even critics who did not consider stable institutions and legal clarity of veteran democracies as a cure-all, assumed that the process of widening the influence on government decision making and implementation allows non-elites to defend their interests, define the acceptable sources and uses of wealth, and demand government accountability. This had proved correct, especially insofar as ‘petty corruption’ is involved. But the assumption that corruption necessarily involves the evasion of democratic principles and a ‘market approach’ in which the corrupt seek to maximize profit does not exhaust the possible incentives for corruption, the types of behaviors involved (for obvious reasons, the tendency in the literature is to focus on bribery), or the range of situations that ‘permit’ corruption in democracies. In the effort to identify some of the problems that require recognition, and to offer a more exhaustive alternative, the chapters in this book focus on corruption in democratic settings (including NGOs and the United Nations which were largely so far ignored), while focusing mainly on behaviors other than bribery.
Behaviour change programs fail more often than they succeed. Failure is avoidable, but not if we keep attempting change the same way. Negotiating Change is the culmination of decades of work with global corporations in ethics, communications, behaviour change and regulatory and social compliance. The book provides a text for corporate leaders, their advisors and academics and students from several disciplines to explain why the current approach to behaviour change and compliance fails, and documents why the author’s approach has been successful in more than 60 countries. The book synthesises research insights from evolutionary psychology, behavioural sciences, neuroscience and neurochemistry into a practical guide. It explains why systems for behavioural guidance and control based on beliefs, religions, ethics, cultures and the law are ineffective in our globalised, hyper-connected, multi-cultural world. The author proposes that harm, first introduced by Hippocrates to guide the practice of medicine, provides a more useful linguistic model to engage. Harm and the Harm Principles provide an objective, independent and universal measure for assessing behaviour, applying equally regardless of race, religion, gender, age or status. Harm is culturally neutral and operates independently of laws, philosophies or codes of conduct. Harm transcends geography and time. Corporations are particularly vulnerable as they operate not just across jurisdictions and cultures, but their behaviour is influenced by the very nature of incorporation, corporate structure and stock-market pressure. Negotiating Change contains tools for boards and senior executives who want to build a more trustworthy organisation. It will not stop bad people doing bad things, but at least the self-righteous mask of legality will be removed.
“An important contribution to the literature on contemporary American politics. Both methodologically and substantively, it breaks new ground.” —Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare When Scott Walker was elected Governor of Wisconsin, the state became the focus of debate about the appropriate role of government. In a time of rising inequality, Walker not only survived a bitterly contested recall, he was subsequently reelected. But why were the very people who would benefit from strong government services so vehemently against the idea of big government? With The Politics of Resentment, Katherine J. Cramer uncovers an oft-overlooked piece of the puzzle: rural political consciousness and the resentment of the “liberal elite.” Rural voters are distrustful that politicians will respect the distinct values of their communities and allocate a fair share of resources. What can look like disagreements about basic political principles are therefore actually rooted in something even more fundamental: who we are as people and how closely a candidate’s social identity matches our own. Taking a deep dive into Wisconsin’s political climate, Cramer illuminates the contours of rural consciousness, showing how place-based identities profoundly influence how people understand politics. The Politics of Resentment shows that rural resentment—no less than partisanship, race, or class—plays a major role in dividing America against itself.
Includes the award-winning story "Razing Arizona!" Excerpts from Blush "At the Inauguration, a better tone was set when the incoming First Couple met the outgoing First Couple on the steps of the White House. There were hugs all round, and the incoming First Female Significant Other presented a gift to the outgoing First Female Significant Other. This kindness spurred the hovering photo-hounds into a frenzy of photo-hounding, until the Clintons leapt out of the First Shrubbery, stole the gift, and spirited it off to their First Legacy Museum. Bill Clinton then pardoned the shrubbery." "I'm building a politician, in case you're looking to buy one. For a while there, I was thinking of running for office myself. But I'm not going to lie to you. And there it is. If I can't lie to you, I'm not politically viable." "During a bone-chilling outbreak of global warming, Barack Obama was inaugurated President of the United States, and got three votes for the Papacy, and won the Rose Bowl. He immediately set the tone for his administration by having world-class musicians fake a music performance, while not paying their taxes. The new President then introduced us to his "twin-teleprompter" speaking style, making him look like he's constantly talking to 2 very tall voters on opposite sides of the room. Later in the month, Congress presented a Health Care Bill that everybody agreed was probably well-written." Online humorist Barry Parham is back with another acute collection of satire, targeting politics and other, less evil things. And when Barry's in the beltway, no party or platform is safe.
The Political Marketing Game identifies what works in political marketing, drawing on 100 interviews with practitioners. It also shows that authenticity, values and vision are as much a part of a winning strategy as market-savvy pragmatism.
Faith for the Filthy, Foul and Flawed By: Greg Detter Everywhere you look, you find the cookie-cutter Christians whose nails are clean, lawns are manicured, and closets are free from skeletons. God speaks to them ever so clearly and they're never unarmed with a finely articulated prayer and a perfectly baked casserole, ready to deliver with a caring smile and a twinkle in the eye. But what about the rest of us? What about those of us who battle a foul mouth or a short temper, too flawed to really be loved… whose minds wander during the sermon and who can't kick those negative thoughts out of our minds? What about those of us who don't understand all of Christianity's complicated issues and struggle to make sense of life's delicate problems? We're out here and we're not alone. And God loves us all just the same. Faith for the Filthy, Foul and Flawed is for the unwashed masses, who can't quite identify with the typical TV Christian. This is a funny, inspirational journey for the Christian with questions and those who simply can't imagine a God willing to love and forgive them for their many missteps.
Politics is a calling speaks about Politicians who serve in the office for their own benefits, leading to them becoming opportunists. They fail to remember that once they are in power, if they fail the nation, the nation then falls with poverty, unemployment, as well as many more terrible issues that result in striking the communities under them. This book gives the current, as well as future leaders a character to adapt to, which will then help them in becoming leaders, that will make a positive change in the world.
