Following a talk at a popular Austin bookstore, Professor James Galbraith signs copies of his book, Created Unequal. During the fall Galbraith discussed his ideas in numerous venues that included the New York Times and the "Lehrer News Hour."
Photo by UT Photography Services/Beth Magee
Several books written and edited by LBJ School faculty members have been released, stirring national, state, and local interest. The books are described below.
Created Unequal
In early fall, soon after the release of his book Created
Unequal: The Crisis in American Pay, Professor
James
Galbraith received widespread
attention in the national media. This included rave reviews
in the Washington Monthly, which labeled it
"brilliant and iconoclastic," and the Los Angeles
Times, which described it as "elegant."
In December, Texas Monthly featured Galbraith in a two-page spread applauding his commitment to his economic ideas. The article was headlined "He Told Us So" and focused on Galbraith's views on unemployment and inflation.
Galbraith also appeared as team leader in a two-hour nationally televised "Firing Line" debate that aired in December and January on the abolition of the welfare state.
For more information about the book, published by Free Press, visit the Simon & Schuster Web page.
Colonias and Public Policy
in Texas and Mexico
Professor Peter
Ward was honored by the
Mexican-American Legislative Caucus and AT&T at a March
reception to promote his new book, Colonias and Public
Policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by
Stealth.
Ward is the first recipient of a new award established by AT&T to honor books published by the University of Texas Press. At the reception, more than 100 members of the Texas Legislature received signed copies of the book and had a chance to speak with Ward about proposals to improve conditions in colonias, which are unincorporated communities along the Mexican border.
The book presents findings of a major study of colonias in three border metropolitan areas. By comparing Texas colonias with their Mexican counterparts and describing how Mexican governments have worked with colonia residents to make physical improvements and upgrade services, Ward presents Texas policymakers with a model they can emulate.
To order copies, visit the UT Press Web site.
City Government That Works
City Government That Works: The History of Council-Manager Government in Texas is the first comprehensive history of city government in the state.
Written by Professor Emeritus Terrell Blodgett and published by the Texas Municipal League, the book begins in 1913 and traces the campaigns for the adoption of the council-manager plan of government in 14 major Texas cities.
Many new facts are introduced by Blodgett to describe the development of this form of local government, which is used in 94 percent of the state's home rule cities. Sources include local government records, historical newspaper files, and personal interviews.
Twenty-nine former elected officials and city managers noted for their outstanding community leadership are profiled. The book also includes 41 appendixes, including a chronological listing of city managers serving the 284 home rule council-manager cities since adoption of the plan.
Book order information is available on the Texas Municipal League Web home page.
Women's Participation in
Mexican Political Life
Edited by Associate Professor Victoria
Rodríguez, Women's
Participation in Mexican Political Life is the first
book on this topic to be published in the United
States.
The book analyzes the increasingly important political presence of women in Mexico and examines their roles in the country's process of political change and democratization. Composed of 15 original essays by well-known Mexicanist, Latin Americanist, and gender scholars from Mexico, the United States, and Europe, the book analyzes the different forms of women's political participation and activism in Mexico.
The book was released last fall by Westview Press. To obtain more information, call 1-800-386-5656.
Public Policy and Community
Public Policy and Community: Activism and
Governance in Texas is a collection of essays that
explore how low-income citizens in Texas have successfully
affected public policy.
Edited by Professor Robert H. Wilson, the book is built around six case studies that cover such issues as education finance and reform, local infrastructure provision, environmental protection, and indigent health care. The research shows how communities gain recognition for themselves and their issues, how policy agendas are defined, how communities mobilize technical and institutional resources, and how coalitions are formed to accomplish goals.
The book is published by the University of Texas Press.