Serious Reading for Serious Futurists

Here are some recent future-related titles from the Center for Strategic International Studies, Yale, Georgetown Press and some other organizations that produce exceptional material for the futurist who insists on the best possible material. Happy reading.

Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (53 items)

OECD Factbook 2010: Economic, Environmental, and Social Statistics. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, May 2010, free pdf at www.oecd.org/publications/factbook. Includes more than 100 major indicators and covers OECD countries and other major world economies (e.g.:India, China, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa). Topics include: population and migration trends, production and income, trade and globalization, purchasing power and interest rates, energy supply, production and prices, employment and unemployment trends, spending on research and development, communication and internet access, environmental indicators and trends, education outcomes and resources, government debt and public spending and taxes, health, and quality of life. Special focus on “The Crisis and Beyond.” (OECD INDICATORS * INDICATORS: OECD FACTBOOK)

* Consumer Policy Toolkit. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, July 2010, 128p, $40 (free pdf). One of the principal functions of governments of market-based economies is to establish economic frameworks that promote innovation, productivity, and growth for the ultimate benefit of consumers. But “more choice and more complexity in many markets have made it increasingly difficult for consumers to compare and assess the value of products and services.” Similar challenges face government authorities responsible for protecting consumers from unfair commercial practices and fraud. Examines how markets have evolved and provides insights for improved consumer policy making (including accreditation, provision, standards, enforcement, and cooling-off periods). Explores how the study of behavioral economics is changing the way policy makers are addressing problems. (BUSINESS * ECONOMY * CONSUMER POLICY)

* Improving Health Sector Efficiency: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, June 2010, 156p, free pdf. Implementing information and communication technologies (ICTs) in clinical care has proven to be a very difficult undertaking: a decade of significant public investments resulted in both successes and highly publicized costly delays and failures. The general public and the medical profession have failed to reach a consensus on the benefits of electronic record keeping and information exchange. Uses lessons from case studies in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the US to identify opportunities offered by ICTs, and to analyze under what conditions these technologies are most likely to result in efficiency and quality-of-care improvements. (HEALTH SECTOR EFFICIENCY * INFOTECH AND HEALTHCARE)

Agricultural Outlook 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, July 2010, 251p, free download at www.agri-outlook.org. The 16th edition of the Outlook and the 6th co-edition prepared by OECD and FAO covers commodity markets during the 2010-2019 period and brings together the commodity, policy, and country expertise of both organizations. Analyses world market trends for the main agricultural products as well as for biofuels, and assesses market prospects for production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices of commodities analyzed. (FOOD/AGRICULTURE * BIOFUELS: WORLD MARKET)

Climate Change and Agriculture: Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, July 2010, 139p. Climate change is likely to have significant impacts on agriculture, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse emissions, but also a source of carbon storage in soils. Examines climate change projections, sensitivities in agriculture, adaptation responses, and mitigation of greenhouse gases from agriculture; outlines research undertaken and underway in diverse international or national agencies; details marginal abatement cost curves, which show the relative costs of achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emission through implementing different actions in the agricultural sector. (FOOD/AGRICULTURE * CLIMATE CHANGE * AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE)

Guidelines for Cost-effective Agri-environment Policy Measures. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, July 2010, 121p, free download. Charts the environmental performance of agriculture in OECD and non OECD countries in the context of a growing world population with scarce land and water resources. Focuses on the design and implementation of environmental standards and regulations, taxes, payments and tradable permit schemes to address agri-environmental issues. Key conclusions: 1) there is no unique instrument promising to achieve all agri-environmental policy goals (but such goals will be of increasing concern); 2) the cost effectiveness of payments systems could be improved by using performance–based measures; 3) policy mixes need to combine instruments that complement and not conflict with each other. (FOOD/AGRICULTURE * AGRI-ENVIRONMENT POLICY * ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE)

* Value for Money in Government: Public Administration after “New Public Management”. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, July 2010, 116p, free pdf. In the 1980s, “less” government was the prevailing idea; in the 1990s and early 21C, the “New Public Management” theme dominated. Reforms are now focusing on quality of services for citizens and businesses, and on efficacy of administration. Examines four themes in nine OECD countries (Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK): development of shared service centers, steering and control of agencies, automatic productivity cuts, and spending review procedures. (GOVERNMENT * PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: NEW THEMES)

Measuring Innovation: A New Perspective. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, June 2010, 130p. New measures and new ways of looking at old indicators describe the broader context beyond R&D in which innovation occurs. Looks at what is driving innovation in firms (by using new measures of innovation, such as investment in trademarks and intangible assets), how well education systems are contributing to the knowledge and research base, how firms transform skills and knowledge, collaboration in innovation, empowering people to innovate, clusters of knowledge, and the different roles of private and public investment in fostering innovation and reaping its rewards. (SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY * INNOVATION INDICATORS * INDICATORS: INNOVATION)

SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, 2010, 228p. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an ever-increasing job in innovation, but most of them don’t capitalize on their advantages. Explores how government policy can boost innovation by improving the environment for entrepreneurship and small firm development, and by increasing innovative capacities of SMEs. Policy proposals are in three areas: embedding firms in knowledge flows; developing entrepreneurship skills; and social entrepreneurship. Presents statistics and policy data on 40 economies, including Brazil, China, and Russia. The report is part of the OECD Innovation Strategy, a comprehensive policy strategy to harness innovation for stronger and more sustainable growth and development, and to address key 21C global challenges . (BUSINESS * ENTREPRENEURSHIP * INNOVATION IN SMALL ENTERPRISES)

Closing the Gap for Immigrant Students: Policies, Practice, and Performancee. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, June 2010, 113p. Net migration to OECD countries has tripled since 1960, and immigrant students now comprise 10-20% of the student population in many OECD countries. Teaching immigrant students is becoming an important part of the reality facing teachers every day. Offers comparative data on access, participation, and performance of immigrant students and their native peers and identifies a set of policy options based on evidence of what works. (MIGRATION * EDUCATION FOR IMMIGRANTS)

African Economic Outlook 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD with the African Development Bank and UN Economic Commission for Africa, July 2010, 286p, free download at www.africaneconomicoutlook.org. Africa has been propelled by seven years of strong growth from 2002 to 2008, which the recession stopped. Since then the continent has been struggling to get back on its feet and identify crisis-resilient practices for moving forward. Reviews recent economic, social, and political developments and the short-term likely evolutions of 50 African countries, with a “forecasting exercise” for 2010-2012 based on a macroeconomic model and analysis of the social and political context. Current edition focuses on progress toward the Millennium Development Goals, public resource mobilization and aid in Africa, and a review of best practices in tax administration, policies, and multilateral agreements, including recommendations for meeting future challenges. (REGIONS/NATIONS * AFRICA)

Trends in the Transport Sector 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, June 2010, 90p, free download. Presents the most up-to-date statistics on transport markets in International Transport Forum countries for the period 1970-2008, including charts to highlight major trends. Data is also available on air and maritime transport, road safety, and investment and maintenance expenditures in the transport sector. (TRANSPORTATION)

* The Future of Interurban Passenger Transport. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, May 2010, 556p. Economic growth, trade, and the concentration of population in large cities will intensify demand for interurban transport services. Leading transport researchers worldwide discuss how transport costs shape the spatial pattern of economic activity, inter-urban travel demand, international air passenger transport, investment in high-speed rail links and networks, high speed inter-city transport in Japan, transport deregulation experience for privatization in the US, long distance passenger rail services in Europe, environmental aspects of inter-city passenger transport, etc. (TRANSPORTATION * INTERURBAN PASSENGER TRANSPORT * CITIES AND INTERURBAN TRANSPORT)

Improving Reliability on Surface Transport Networks. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD, May 2010, 169p. Provides policy makers with a framework to understand transport reliability issues, to incorporate reliability into project assessments, and to design reliability management policies. Explores a range of reliability performance measures and provides examples of tools that can be used to deliver more reliable networks in a cost effective-manner. (TRANSPORTATION * TRANSPORT RELIABILITY)

IEA Scoreboard 2009: 35 Key Energy Trends over 35 Years. International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD, Oct 2009, 146p. Compares achievements of member countries in diversifying their energy mix, promoting non-fossil fuels and energy efficiency, encouraging R&D, and, more generally, in creating a policy framework consistent with their goals. Provides a quick overview of energy developments in IEA member countries over the last 35 years, with selected statistics for >140 countries. (ENERGY * INDICATORS: KEY ENERGY TRENDS)

* World Energy Outlook 2010. International Energy Agency. Paris: IEA/OECD, Nov 2010, 700p. Updates projections to 2035 of energy demand, production, trade, and investment, fuel by fuel and region by region. Shows what must be done and spent to achieve the goal of the Copenhagen Accord (where many countries pledged to reduce GHG emissions), how China and India will increasingly shape the global energy landscape, the role of renewables, what removing fossil-fuel subsidies would mean for energy markets and climate change, trends in Caspian energy markets, prospects for unconventional oil, and how to give the global population access to modern energy services. Includes a new scenario that anticipates future actions by governments to meet the commitments they have made to tackle climate change. (ENERGY * CLIMATE CHANGE * COPENHAGEN ACCORD * GLOBAL ENERGY)

* Energy Technology Perspectives 2010: Scenarios and Strategies to 2050. International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 710p. Examines emerging energy technologies, their costs and benefits, and policies needed to foster their use and accelerate the switch to a more secure, low-carbon energy future. Presents updated scenarios from the present to 2050, highlights the importance of finance to achieve change, considers implications of the scenarios for energy security, and offers roadmaps and transition pathways for spurring development of the most important clean technologies and for overcoming existing barriers. (ENERGY * SCENARIOS: ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TO 2050 * LOW-CARBON ENERGY FUTURE)

Technology Roadmap: Wind Energy (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 52p, free pdf. Wind energy is perhaps the most advanced of the “new” renewable energy technologies, but there is still much work to be done. Identifies key tasks that must be undertaken in order to achieve a vision of 2,000 GW of wind energy capacity by 2050. Governments, industry, and research institutions will need to work together to achieve this goal. (ENERGY * WIND ENERGY: IEA ROADMAP)

Technology Roadmap: Solar Photovoltaic Energy (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 48p, free pdf. Envisions that by 2050 photovoltaic could provide 11% of global energy production (4,500 TWh per year), corresponding to 3,000 gigawatts of cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity, and will deliver substantial benefits in terms of the security of energy supply and socio-economic development. Identifies technology goals and milestones that enable the most cost-efficient expansion of photovoltaic. (ENERGY * SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY ROADMAP)

Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 49p, free pdf. Charts the road to broad development and deployment of concentrating solar power. CSP holds much promise for countries with plenty of sunshine and clear skies. For CSP to become effective, concerted action is required over the next ten years by scientists, governments, financing institutions, and the public. (ENERGY * SOLAR CONCENTRATING POWER ROADMAP)

Technology Roadmap: Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 52p, free pdf. Presents a detailed scenario for the evolution of EV/PHEV from annual production of a few thousands to over 100 million vehicles by 2050. The next decade is a key “make or break” period: governments, the automobile industry, electric utilities and other stakeholders must work together to roll out vehicles and infrastructure in a coordinated fashion, and ensure that the consumer market is ready to purchase them. Concludes with a set of near-term actions to achieve the roadmap’s vision. (ENERGY * TRANSPORTATION * ELECTRIC VEHICLES: IEA ROADMAP)

Technology Roadmap: Nuclear Energy (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 52p, free pdf. Almost one quarter of global electricity could be generated from nuclear power by 2050, making a major contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Such an expansion will require nuclear generating capacity to more than triple over the next 40 years, a target the roadmap describes as ambitious but achievable. (ENERGY * NUCLEAR ENERGY: IEA ROADMAP)

Technology Roadmap: Carbon Capture and Storage (IEA Technology Roadmaps Series). International Energy Agency. Paris: OECD/IEA, July 2010, 52p, free pdf. Identifies a detailed scenario for the growth of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology from a handful of large-scale projects today to over 3,000 projects by 2050. The next decade is a key “make or break” period: governments, industry, and public stakeholders must act rapidly to demonstrate CCS at scale around the world in a variety of settings. Concludes with a set of near-term actions that stakeholders will need to take to achieve the roadmap’s vision.(ENERGY * CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE: IEA ROADMAP)

Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries 2010: At a Glance. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, July 2010, 128p, $39pb (free pdf). Overviews agricultural support in the OECD areas and complements Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: Monitoring and Evaluation, a longer report published every other year. This 4th edition finds that in 2009 support to farmers in OECD countries accounted for 22% of the farmers’ gross receipts. This is the first increase in support levels in five years, after a steady decline that began in 2004. The most distorting forms of support still dominate in the majority of OECD countries. In some countries, support is increasingly conditioned on farmers’ following specified production practices. (FOOD/AGRICULTURE * AGRICULTURAL POLICIES: OECD)

*Advancing the Aquaculture Agenda: Workshop Proceedings. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 428p, free pdf. Aquaculture now provides more than 50% of the global supply of fisheries products for global consumption and plays an increasingly important role. Addresses policy challenges for a sustainable aquacultural sector embracing the vision of the 2009 OECD Declaration on Green Growth that identifies best practices. Includes case studies on zoning policy in Norway, governance in France, best practices in Greece and Turkey, future plans for Korea, national plans for Spain, controlling sea lice in Chile, and Canada’s National Aquaculture Strategic Action Plan Initiative. Discusses barriers to agriculture development as a pathway to poverty alleviation and food security, connection between farmed and wild fish, and conditions for establishing aquaculture production sites in OECD countries. (FOOD/AGRICULTURE * FISHERIES * AQUACULTURE: OECD AGENDA)

** Interim Report of the Green Growth Strategy — Implementing Our Commitment for a Sustainable Future. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Aug 2010, 94p, free pdf (see www.oecd.org/Greengrowth). Green growth is gaining support as a way to pursue economic growth and development, while preventing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable natural resource use. A strategic vision is necessary to ensure that governments implement the most appropriate and coherent policies in terms of economic efficiency, environmental integrity, and social equality. Highlights preliminary findings on a number of key issues policymakers face in creating greener economies. A 4-page update, “The Green Growth Strategy: How Can We Get to a Greener Economy?” (Nov 2010) defines green growth as mutually supportive economic and environmental policies that spur transformational change. A Synthesis Report will be released in April-May 2011, making the case for a green growth model, new measurements of well-being, the kinds of policy packages needed to remove barriers and correct distortions, and the political economy of expected structural adjustment for both developed and developing countries. The Strategy was mandated at a June 2009 meeting of Ministers from 34 countries. {NOTE: A very important development.] (SUSTAINABILITY * GREEN GROWTH STRATEGY: OECD * ECONOMIC POLICY: GREEN GROWTH)

Guidance on Sustainability Impact Assessment. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, July 2010, 35p, free pdf. Offers a general introduction to sustainability impact assessment: an approach for exploring the combined economic, environmental, and social impacts of a range of proposed policies, programmes, strategies, and action-plans. Such assessments can assist decision-making and strategic planning throughout the entire policy cycles. Outlines basic principles and process steps of sustainability impact assessments, drawing on examples from Switzerland, Belgium, and the European Commission, among others. (METHODS * SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT ASSESSMENTS)

* Paying for Biodiversity: Enhancing the Cost-Effectiveness of Payments for Ecosystem Services. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 196p, $40 (free pdf). Biodiversity and ecosystem services provide tangible benefits for society: food provisioning, water purification, genetic resources and, climate regulation. Yet biodiversity is declining worldwide and, in some areas, the loss is accelerating. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a flexible incentive-based mechanism under which the user or beneficiary of an ecosystem makes a direct payment to an individual or community whose land decisions have an impact on the ecosystem service provision. Over the past decade PES have been proliferating worldwide: there are already more than 300 programs in place today at national, regional, and local levels. Draws on more than 30 case studies to identify good practices in the design and implementation of PES programmes, and to examine their environmental effectiveness, cost effectiveness, and financing. (BIODIVERSITY * ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT * PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES)

Growth and Sustainability in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa. Edited by Luiz de Mello. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 192p, free pdf. Draws on the proceeding of a Sept 2009 OECD conference on the growth performance of emerging-market economies. Explores growth accounting and reduction of external vulnerability in Brazil, the contribution of human and physical capital accumulation in China and Indonesia, China’s growth to 2020, initiatives to promote infrastructure and social development in India, and sustainable growth and financial deepening in South Africa. (REGIONS/NATIONS * BRAZIL * CHINA * INDIA * INDONESIA * SOUTH AFRICA)

* Trends in Urbanisation and Urban Policies in OECD Countries: What Lessons for China? Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 222p, free pdf. Surveys trends in urban policies of OECD countries to identify successes and failures that could inform national Chinese policy-makers in their preparation of an Urbanisation Strategy. China has become the world’s largest urban nation with over 600 million urban citizens today, projected to reach 900 million by 2050. Although the scale of China’s urbanization is unprecedented, issues in managing this growth are not. Among the key challenges: 1) maximizing national benefits of urbanization while mitigating its negative impacts; 2) the economic, social, and environmental costs of meeting these challenges; 3) defining the most effective and efficient allocation of functional responsibilities among various levels of government; 4) effectively planning urban development in a market context. (CITIES * URBANISATION STRATEGY * CHINA)

Regional Development Policies in OECD Countries. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 384p, $112 (free pdf). The first systematic comparative analysis of OECD country national policies addresses the fundamental regional policy concerns: problem recognition, objectives of regional policy, legal-institutional framework, urban-rural framework, budget structures, and governance mechanisms linking national and sub-national government and sectors. Offers 31 country profiles that share a common framework, which allows countries to see how their experiences measure up. Annexes cover the key topics of cross-border cooperation and trends in urban-rural linkages, especially efforts to control urban sprawl. (CITIES * URBAN-RURAL LINKAGES * REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: OECD)

Innovation and the Development Agenda. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 155p, free pdf. Examines the role of innovation in developing countries, with a focus on Africa. Investigates innovation systems and their application, the key role of knowledge and innovation in development, and the importance of comparable country studies and official statistics on innovation. Offers recommendations to transform agriculture into a knowledge-based industry capable of stimulating economic growth. The volume is a component of the overall OECD Innovation Strategy, which seeks to create stronger and more sustainable growth, while addressing key global challenges of the 21st century. (DEVELOPMENT * INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT * AFRICA)

Monitoring the Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations: Haiti. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 42p, free pdf. Reviews the implementation in Haiti of the Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations, two years after they were endorsed by ministers of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, and identifies areas to improve the collective impact of international engagement. The 10 Fragile States Principles include doing no harm, taking context as the starting point, state building as the central objective, prevention as a priority, acting fast but staying long enough to give success a chance, and recognizing links between political, security, and development objectives. More information at www.oecd.fsprinciples. Also see Resource Flows to Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (OECD, Nov 2010, 190p, PDF), on improving the quality of official development assistance. (DEVELOPMENT * HAITI * FRAGILE STATES AND SITUATIONS: PRINCIPLES)

* The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 342p, free pdf. To inform practice and educational reform, the volume brings together the lessons on both learning and different educational applications. Topics include: ten cornerstone findings, learning environments for the 21C, cognitive perspectives, the role of motivation and emotion in classroom learning, developmental and biological perspectives, formative assessments in learning environments, cooperative group learning, learning with technology, inquiry-based approaches to learning, the community as a resource for learning, the effects of family on children’s learning and socialization, implementing innovation, and directions for learning environments in the 21C. (EDUCATION * LEARNING: LESSONS OF RESEARCH)

Education Today 2010: The OECD Perspecive. OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Paris:
OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 86p, free pdf. Updates the first edition (March 2009), which brings together recent OECD educational analyses. Chapters on 1) early childhood education and care (a growing priority in OECD, but with wide differences between systems); 2) schooling (on the need to professionalize and innovate for effective learning); 3) transitions beyond initial education (on the need to improve diversity and transparency of different pathways); 4) higher education (on the need to develop strategic visions); 5) lifelong learning and adults (most learning is job-related, with wide differences between countries); 6) outcomes, benefits, and positive returns; 7) equity and equality of opportunity (emphasis on “No More Failures”); and 8) innovation and knowledge management (emphasis on 21C skills). (EDUCATION: OECD OVERVIEW)

Trends Shaping Education 2010. OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 90p, free pdf. Gives policy makers, researchers, administrators, and teachers a robust, non-specialist source to inform strategic thinking and stimulate reflection on the challenges facing education. Brings international evidence to address such questions as: What does it mean for education that our societies are increasingly diverse?, How is global economic power shifting to new countries?, In what ways are work patterns changing? Presents each trend on a double page, containing an introduction, two charts with brief descriptive text, and a set of pertinent questions for education. Focuses on five broad themes: the dynamics of globalization, evolving social challenges, the world of work, transformation of childhood, and ICT: the next generation. (EDUCATION * INDICATORS: OECD EDUCATION TRENDS)

Highlights from Education at a Glance 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 94p, free pdf. This companion to the OECD’s flagship compendium of education statistics, Education at a Glance, provides easily accessible data on education levels and student numbers, economic and social benefits of education, education spending, class size, hours of instruction, school choice, and parent voice. Each indicator is presented on a two-page spread. (EDUCATION * INDICATORS: OECD EDUCATION TRENDS)

Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 474p, free download at www.oecd.org/edu/eag2010. Enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance. Provides a rich, comparable and up-to date array of indicators on systems and represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. The indicators show who participates in education, how much is spent on it, and how education systems operate. Data freely available at www.oecd.org/edu/eag2010. (EDUCATION * INDICATORS: OECD EDUCATION TRENDS)

Learning for Jobs. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 220p, free pdf. Helps countries make their Vocational Education and Training systems prepare young people for work, develop skills of adults, and respond to labor market needs. Topics include: career guidance, effective teachers and trainers, workplace learning, tools to support the system, and assessment and policy recommendations for 16 reviewed countries. VET has been oddly neglected and marginalized in policy discussions, often overshadowed by emphasis on general academic education, and seen as low status by students and the public. As a result, comparative policy analysis is undeveloped, and available data are very limited. Also see Learning for Jobs: Summary and Policy Messages (Sept 2010, 15p). (EDUCATION * VOCATIONAL EDUCATION/TRAINING * WORK * JOBS AND LEARNING)

Improving Health and Social Cohesion through Education. OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 218p, free pdf. Assesses social outcomes of learning by providing a synthesis of the existing evidence, original data analyses, and policy discussions. Education has the potential to promote health as well as civic and social engagement; moreover, it can reduce inequalities by fostering cognitive, social, and emotional skills and promoting healthy lifestyles and participatory practices and norms. These efforts are most likely to be successful when family and community environments are aligned with the efforts made in educational institutions. Calls for ensuring policy coherence across sectors and stages of education. (EDUCATION * HEALTH AND EDUCATION)

* Health Care Systems: Efficiency and Policy Settings. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Paris: OECD Publishing, Nov 2010, 207p, PDF and print. An in-depth look at health care in OECD countries: the status of people’s health, how to measure health outcomes and the efficacy of health care systems, how health policies are linked with performance of health care systems, trends in health care outcomes and spending (public health care spending in the OECD areas is projected to increase by 3.5% to 6% of GDP by 2050), and how to systematically improve the health status of populations in a cost-effective manner. International comparisons allow spotting of strengths and weaknesses for each country, and policy reforms which could yield efficiency gains. (HEALTH * HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: OECD)

* Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 268p, free pdf. Before 1980, rates were generally well below 10%, but now 50% or more of the population in OECD countries is overweight, due to an imbalance of calories taken in and calories burned. A key factor for numerous chronic diseases, “obesity is a major public health concern.” This analysis by OECD, partly in cooperation with the World Health Organization, explores multiple dimensions of the obesity problem: the scale and characteristics of the epidemic, the respective roles and influences of market forces and governments, and the impact of interventions (“little has been effective in slowing the upward trend”). Topics include the economics of prevention, impact on the economy, future trends, social dimensions, child obesity, community interventions, regulation of food advertising to children, etc. “A comprehensive strategy is needed to prevent and control obesity,” involving a multi-stakeholder approach. Co-operation between governments and the food industry is the single most critical link. ( (HEALTH * PUBLIC HEALTH * OBESITY EPIDEMIC: OECD)

Energy Technology Initiatives: Implementation through Multilateral Co-operation. International Energy Organization. Paris: IEA/OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 114p, free download. Through its broad range of multilateral technology initiatives (Implementing Agreements), the IEA enables member and non-member countries, businesses, industries, international organizations and NGOs to share research on breakthrough technologies, fill existing gaps, build pilot plans, and carry our deployment or demonstration programs. Highlights the most significant recent achievements of the 42 IEA Implementing Agreements. (ENERGY * TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES FOR ENERGY)

Nuclear Energy Data 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 141p, free download. This new edition of the Nuclear Energy Data “Brown Book” compiles official statistics and country reports on nuclear energy, and provides key information on plans for new nuclear plant construction, nuclear fuel cycle developments, and estimates of current and projected nuclear capacity to 2035 in OECD member countries. (ENERGY * NUCLEAR ENERGY: OECD)

Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, July 2010, 452p, free download. The uranium industry is boosting production and developing plans for further increase in the future. This 23rd edition of the “Red Book” is based on information compiled from 40 countries. It provides a review of world uranium supply and demand, as well as data on global uranium exploration, resources, production, and reactor-related requirements. Projections of nuclear generating capacity and reactor-related uranium requirements through 2035 are featured, along with analysis of long-term uranium supply and demand issues. (ENERGY * NUCLEAR ENERGY * URANIUM SUPPLY/DEMAND TO 2035)

Radioactive Waste in Perspective. OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 204p, free pdf. Puts the management of radioactive waste into perspective, by contrasting features of radioactive and hazardous wastes, together with their management policies and strategies, and by examining specific cases of the wastes resulting from carbon capture and storage of fossil fuels. This gives policy makers a broad overview of the similarities and differences between radioactive and hazardous wastes and their management strategies. (NUCLEAR ENERGY * NUCLEAR WASTE * HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT)

Implementing the Tax Transparency Standards: A Handbook for Assessors and Jurisdictions. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, July 2010, 223p, PDF and print. Intended to assist the assessment teams and the reviewed jurisdictions that are participating in the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, this review provides contextual background information on the Global Forum and contains key documents and authoritative sources. It is also a unique resource for governments, academics, and others interested in transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes. Also see Tax Co-operation 2010: Towards a Level Playing Field (OECD, Oct 2010, 300p), the annual assessment now covering >90 jurisdictions. (TAX TRANSPARENCY STANDARDS * GOVERNMENT)

Tax Policy Reform and Economic Growth. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Nov 2010, 139p, PDF and print. In the wake of the Great Recession, many OECD countries face the challenge of restoring public finances while supporting GDP per capita growth. This report suggests a ranking order: corporate taxes are the most harmful for economic growth, followed by personal income taxes and then consumption taxes, with recurrent taxes on immovable property being the least harmful tax. The level and mix of taxation varies markedly across OECD countries, but there have been a number of common trends: increased use of value-added taxes and a general trend to higher VAT rates. Over the past decades, many OECD countries have undertaken structural reforms in their tax systems, almost all of them involving rate cuts and base broadening to improve efficiency while maintaining revenues. (TAX POLICY REFORM IN OECD * GOVERNMENT)

Choosing a Broad Base – Low Rate Approach to Taxation. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 157p, PDF and print. Many countries have broadened their tax bases over the past 30 years, yet targeted tax provisions, notably tax expenditures, continue to be significant. Like public expenditure, targeting tax relief means that other tax rates need to be higher. In the next few years, many countries will likely face the need to increase tax revenues. But how is this best done? What are the considerations when choosing between raising tax rates and broadening the tax base by scaling back or abolishing targeted tax provisions such as allowances, exemptions, and preferential rates? Also identifies political factors, such as lobbying of influential interest groups, as the main obstacles to base-broadening reforms, and how reforms can overcome such obstacles. (TAX BASE BROADENING * GOVERNMENT)

Taxation, Innovation and the Environment. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 252p, PDF and print. OECD governments are increasingly using environmentally related taxes because they are one of the most effective policy tools available to stimulate economic growth while preventing environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Exploring the relationship between such taxation and innovation is critical to understanding an important facet of the Green Growth Strategy being developed by OECD. By putting a price on pollution, do these taxes spur innovation, and, if so, what types? Does design of the tax play a critical role? Draws on case studies from Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Israel, and others. (TAXATION FOR GREEN GROWTH * GREEN GROWTH AND TAXATION * ENVIRONMENT AND TAXATION)

News in the Internet Age: New Trends in News Publishing. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 158p, PDF and print. “The economics of news production and distribution is in a state of radical change.” Publishers in most OECD countries face declining advertising revenues and significant reductions in titles and circulation. About 20 of 30 OECD countries face declining newspaper readership, especially low among younger people. At the same time, many promising forms of news creation and distribution are being tested, although no models have been found to finance in-depth independent news production, which plays a central role in democratic societies. This raises the question about the supply of high-quality journalism in the longer term and roles that government support might take in supporting a diverse and local press in the public interest. The impact of the changing media landscape pull in two opposite directions: one is that online and other new forms of decentralized news will liberate readers from partisan news monopolies which have tended to be more concentrated; the other is that the demise of the traditional news media puts democratic societies at risk. (COMMUNICATION * NEWS PUBLISHING TRENDS IN OECD)

Breaking Out of Policy Silos: Doing More with Less. Francesca Froy and Sylvain Giguere. Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Series. Paris: OECD Publishing, Oct 2010, 136p, PDF and print. In the context of the economic recovery and public budget cuts, policy silos and fragmented short-term policy interventions have become luxuries that our economies can no longer afford. Government intervenes in many ways at the local level, but effective coordination is rare. Concrete advice is offered to policy makers at both national and local levels on how to better align policies, and reduce duplication and waste, based on comparative analysis of 11 countries: Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and the US. Finds “common factors at play for all 11 and the opportunity for learning through sharing experiences is great.” The complex issues facing local communities regarding economic development and job training require a holistic approach.(GOVERNMENT * CITIES * POLICY SILOS * LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT)

Why Is Administrative Simplification So Complicated? Looking Beyond 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Paris: OECD Publishing, Sept 2010, 138p, PDF and print. “Too much red tape” is a common complaint in OECD countries. Administrative simplification, the quality tool to review and reduce administrative and regulatory procedures, has remained high on the agenda of most OECD countries over the last decade. “Efforts to strengthen competitiveness, productivity, and entrepreneurship during the current recession have made simplification efforts even more urgent.” Presents policy options for simplification and related trends, provides policy makers with tools, and explains common mistakes to be avoided when designing, undertaking, and evaluating simplification programs. (GOVERNMENT * ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION * “RED TAPE” REDUCTION IN GOVERNMENT)

Paradigm Publishers (4 items)

* Globalization: The Greatest Hits. A Global Studies Reader. Edited by Manfred B. Steger (Prof of Global Studies, Melbourne Inst of Tech; Fellow, Globalization Research Center, U of Hawaii). Boulder CO: Paradigm Publishers, June 2010, 320p, $24.95pb. Global studies emerged in the 1980s; Steger selects and edits 20 of the most influential pieces on globalization out of a vast repertoire of writing, and explains their interdependence. Chapters cover globalization of markets (Theodore Levitt), global cultural economy (Arjun Appadurai), globalization of modernity (Anthony Giddens), the global city model (Saskia Sassen), globalization as an ascendant paradigm (James Mittelman), the promise of global institutions (Joseph Stieglitz), five meanings of global civil society (Mary Kaldor), the new terrorists (Olivier Roy), American power after 9/11 (Manfred B. Steger), the world as a polder (Jared Diamond), emergence of world social forums (William McNeill), etc. (WORLD FUTURES)

Global Sport: From Local and National to International. George H. Sage (Prof Emeritus of Sociology, U of Northern Colorado). Boulder CO: Paradigm Publishers, June 2010, 272p, $89. Sport has become a worldwide industry of major proportions and consequences. Interconnections among countries, sports organizations, teams, agents, schools, and media have brought changes that could hardly been imagined two generations ago. Looks beyond sport competitions at the business of money, media coverage, athletic apparel, and more. Considers how migration, labor, commerce, and politics affect the business and experience of sports. (GLOBAL SPORT * SPORT)

The Future of Higher Education: Perspective from America’s Academic Leaders. Edited by Gary A. Olson (Provost and Vice President, Idaho State U) and John W. Presley (Prof of Education, Illinois State U). Boulder CO: Paradigm Publishers, Oct 2010, 256p, 33.95pb. Education experts, university presidents, and provosts address the multiple challenges facing higher education today, offering ideas and solutions. Presents research, predictions, concerns, and advice on such topics as university finances, student access, changing technologies, and the philosophical underpinning of college education. (EDUCATION * HIGHER EDUCATION)

Greed to Green: Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy. Charles Derber (Prof of Sociology, Boston College). Boulder CO: Paradigm Publishers, Feb 2010, 272p, $18.95pb. Explains resistance to climate change as profound denial and hopelessness. Global warming, capitalism’s time bomb, can and must be solved through individual and institutional change; technology is already available. Needed change requires individuals to transform themselves towards green lifestyles, and to pursue the pathways currently available to work with national and local governments, schools, churches, corporations, and other institutions. (CLIMATE CHANGE)

Center for Strategic and International Studies (3 items)

Geopolitics and Energy in Iraq: Where Politics Rules. Robert E. Ebel (Senior Adviser, CSIS Energy and National Security Program). Washington: Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 2010, 64p, $19.95pb. Iraq continues to be the great unknown in terms of future world oil supply. Explores the Iraqi oil and gas sector and prospects for its achieving a place in the world of energy market commensurate with its scale on the ground. (OIL AND IRAQ * IRAQ OIL/GAS SECTOR)

Geopolitics of the Iranian Nuclear Energy Program: But Oil and Gas Still Matter. Robert E. Ebel (Senior Adviser, CSIS Energy and National Security Program). Washington: Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 2010, 56p (8x11”), $18.95. Relations between the US and Iran have strained as Iran continues to insist its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, while the US and allied countries maintain that the real purpose is to produce a nuclear weapon. Sanctions against Iran have not managed to deter its nuclear development. Despite its tremendous reserves of both crude oil and gas, and grandiose plans for new gas pipelines, Iran lacks investment to develop these fuel resources. (ENERGY IN IRAN * IRAN ENERGY PROGRAMS)

A Healthier, Safer, and More Prosperous World: Report of the CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy. William J. Fallon (co-Chair, CSIS Commission; retired USN admiral) and Helene D. Gayle (co-Chair, CSIS Commission; president, CARE). Washington: Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 2010, 52p (8x11”), $16.95 pb. Promoting global health advances US basic humanitarian values, while saving and enhancing lives. It also bolsters national security. Calls on Washington policymakers to embrace a five point agenda for global health: 1) maintain the commitment to fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB, 2) prioritize women and children in US global efforts, 3) strengthen prevention and capabilities to manage emergencies, 4) ensure the US has the capacity to match our ambitions with resources; 5) make smart investments in multilateral institutions. (HEALTH * GLOBAL HEALTH: U.S. POLICY)

Georgetown Univ Press

(4 items)

* The Future of Public Administration around the World: The Minnowbrook Perspective. Edited by Rosemary O’Leary (Distinguished Prof of Public Adm, Syracuse U), David M. Van Slyke (Assoc Prof of Public Adm, Syracuse U), and Soonhee Kim (Assoc Prof of Public Adm, Syracuse U). Washington: Georgetown U Press, Dec 2010, 288p, $29.95pb. A one-in-a-generation event held every twenty years, SU’s Minnowbrook III conference in 2008 assembled top scholars in public administration and public management to reflect on the state of the field and its future. Focuses on public administration challenges in the future: globalism, 21st century collaborative governance, the role of information technology in governance, deliberative democracy and public participation, the organization of the future, and teaching the next generation of leaders. Minnowbrook I was held in 1968 and Minnowbrook II in 1988.(GOVERNMENT * PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION)

City-County Consolidation: Promises Made, Promises Kept? Edited by Suzanne M. Leland (U of North Carolina- Charlotte), Kurt Thurmaier (Northern Illinois U). Washington: Georgetown U Press, July 2010, 336p, $34.95pb. Campaigns to merge a major municipality and county to form a unified government have failed to win voter approval 80% of the time. Little systematic analysis of consolidated governments has been done. Leland and Thurmaier compare nine city-county consolidations to similar cities and counties that did not consolidate, and offer insight into whether consolidation meets the promises to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these governments. The evidence is mixed. (CITIES * CITY-COUNTY CONSOLIDATION)

Scandalous Politics: Child Welfare Policy in the States. Juliet F. Gainsborough (Assoc Prof of Pol Sci, Bentley U). Washington: Georgetown U Press, Nov 2010, 160p, $26.95pb. Child welfare policymaking is frequently reactive. Analyzes how high-profile incidents of child neglect and abuse shape child welfare policymaking in the US, with quantitative analysis of all 50 states and qualitative case studies of three states (Florida, Colorado, and New Jersey). Shows how well-publicized child welfare scandals result in adoption of new legislation and new administrative procedures. (CHILD WELFARE POLICY IN U.S. STATES)

Implementing Innovation: Fostering Enduring Change in Environmental and Natural Resource Governance. Toddi A. Steelman (Assoc Prof of Forestry and Env Resources, North Carolina State U). Washington: Georgetown U Press, April 2010, 232p, $29.95pb. Highlights the institutional obstacles that impede innovation and its longer term implementation. Over the past three decades, governments at the local, state, and federal levels have undertaken a wide range of innovations, often in partnership with NGOs and communities, to address environmental and natural resource management tasks. Examines three case studies —land management in Colorado, watershed management in West Virginia, and timber management in New Mexico— and discusses patterns of implementation success and failure. (ENVIRONMENT/RESOURCES * GOVERNMENT AND ENVIRONMENT)

Yale U Press

(14 items)

The Trouble with City Planning. Kristina Ford (urban planner; East Boothby ME). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, August 2010, 256p, $30 (available as e-book). Author of Planning Small Town America asserts that no part of our usual understanding of the phrase “city planning” is accurate: not our conception of the plan itself, nor our sense of what city planners do, or who plans are made for or how planners determine what citizens want. It does not tell us how a plan affects what gets built in any city in America. Advances several planning innovations that, if adopted, could be crucial for restoring New Orleans but also transformative wherever citizens are troubled by the results of their city’s plan. (CITIES * CITY PLANNING QUESTIONED * PLANNING FOR CITIES)

Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science. Sissela Bok (Senior Visiting Fellow, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, August 2010, 208p, $24 (available as e-book). On how should we pursue, weigh, value, or limit our own happiness, or that of others, now and in the future. Explores notions of happiness—from Greek philosophers to Desmond Tutu, Charles Darwin, Iris Murdoch, and the Dalai Lama—as well as the latest theories advanced by psychologists, economists, geneticists, and neuroscientists. Considers the role of happiness in wider questions of how we should lead our lives and treat one another—concerns that don’t often figure in today’s happiness equation. Also see husband Derek Bok’s The Politics of Happiness: What Government can Learn from the New Research on Well-Being (Princeton U Press, 2010). (SOCIETY * HAPPINESS)

Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right. Mary C. Gentile (Babson College; former Harvard Business School). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, August 2010, 320p, $26 (available as e-book). Draws on business experiences as well as social science research to challenge the assumptions about business ethics at companies and business schools and ensure that the right things happen. Past attempts at preparing business leaders to act ethically too often failed; the issue isn’t distinguishing what is right or wrong, but rather knowing how to act on your values despite opposing pressure. Also see www.GivingVoiceToValues.org. (ETHICS * VALUES AND BUSINESS *BUSINESS ETHICS)

The Best Technology Writing 2010. Edited by Julian Dibbell (contributing editor, Wired). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Sept 2010, 288p, $17.95pb (e-book available). Discusses digital and non-digital technologies. Includes Sam Anderson’s troubled defense of online distractions, Burkhard Bilger on a better stove for the developing world, David Carr’s elegy to the dying world of pre-digital publishing, Steven Johnson on Twitter’s bite-size contributions to collective human intelligence, Jill Lepore on the politics of breast feeding gadgetry, Steve Silberman on the placebo effect in pharmaceutical testing, Tad Friend on electric-car developer Elon Musk, etc. (COMMUNICATION * SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY)

*Globalization at Risk: Challenges to Finance and Trade. Gary Clyde Hufbauer (Senior Fellow, Institute for International Economics; former Prof, Georgetown U) and Kati Suominen (Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the U. S.). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Oct 2010, 288p, $27.50 pb (e-book available). The financial crisis of 2008–9 has now placed at risk the liberal economic policies behind globalization by giving new fuel to skeptics of the benefits of economic integration. Policy responses seem to favor anti-globalizers. New regulations could balkanize the global financial system, while widespread protectionist impulses might undo the Doha Round. Issues from climate change to national security may be used as convenient excuses to keep imports out, keep jobs at home, and to clamp down on global capital. Globalization has been a force of great good, but one that needs to be actively advanced and honed. Reveals the drivers and effects of global finance and trade, lays out key risks to globalization, and offers a practical policy roadmap for managing the challenges while increasing the gains. (GLOBALIZATION AT RISK * WORLD ECONOMY)

Virtual Justice: The New Laws of Online Worlds. Greg Lastowka (Prof of Law, Rutgers U). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Oct 2010, 240p, $27.50 (e-book available). Tens of millions of people today live part of their life in a virtual world, in places like World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Free Realms. Business is booming on the virtual frontier, but sometimes things go wrong, as virtual criminals defraud people. Lastowka discusses recent lawsuits and controversies, and illustrates the real legal dilemmas posed by virtual worlds. Explains how governments are responding to the chaos on the cyberspace frontier, and how laws of property, jurisdiction, crime, and copyright are being adapted to pave the path of virtual law. (VIRTUAL WORLDS AND LAW * LAW AND ONLINE WORLDS)

Knowledge in the Making: Academic Freedom and Free Speech in America’s Schools and Universities. Joan DelFattore (Prof of English and Legal Studies, U of Delaware). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Oct 2010, 352 p, $35 (e-book available). On the limited freedom of expression of students and teachers in public schools and universities. Investigates battles over a wide range of topics that have fractured school and university communities— homosexuality-themed children’s books, research on race-based intelligence, the teaching of evolution, the regulation of hate speech, and more—and offers insights supported by theory and by practical expertise. Some key questions: 1) What ideas should schools and universities teach? 2) What rights do teachers and students have to disagree with those ideas? 3) What are the free-speech rights of students? (EDUCATION * FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION * ACADEMIC FREEDOM)

The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital World. David Rogers (executive director, Center on Global Brand Leadership, Columbia Business School). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Jan 2011, 256p, $24 (e-book available). Advocates a strategic take on how business leaders can utilize the most powerful asset of the digital age: customer networks. By identifying the five core behaviors of networked customers—accessing, engaging, customizing, connecting, and collaborating—Rogers uncovers five core strategies that any organization can use to create new value. (BUSINESS * DIGITAL AGE BUSINESS)

Unwarranted Influence: Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Military Industrial Complex. James Ledbetter (editor, Big Money website, the Slate Group). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Jan 2011, 250p, $26 (e-book available). President Eisenhower’s farewell address in Jan 1961 warned America about the “military-industrial complex,” a mutual dependency between the nation’s industrial base and its military structure that had developed during World War II. Fifty years later, Ledbetter shows how the government, military contractors, and the nation’s overall economy have become inseparable. Some of the effects are beneficial, such as cell phones, GPS systems, the Internet, and the Hubble Space Telescope, all of which emerged from technologies first developed for the military. But the military-industrial complex makes us question the extent to which our massive military establishment— bigger than those of the next ten largest combined—really makes us safer, or the extent to which our perception of security threats is driven by the profit-making motives of military contractors. (SECURITY * MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX)

Nature Crime: How We’re Getting Conservation Wrong. Rosaleen Duffy (Prof of International Politics, Manchester U, UK). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Aug 2010, 288p, $42 (e-book available). Investigates the world of nature conservation, arguing that the West’s attitude to endangered wildlife is shallow, self-contradictory, and ultimately very damaging. Illegal trading is often the direct result of Western consumer desires, from coltan for cellular phones to exotic meats sold in London street markets. Ecotourism also contributes—often unwittingly—to destruction of natural environments. The imperatives of Western-style conservation often result in serious injustice to local people, who are branded as “problems” and subject to severe restrictions on their way of life and even extrajudicial killings. (ENVIRONMENT * NATURE CRIME AND CONSERVATION)

Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age. Ann M. Blair (Prof of History, Harvard U). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Nov 2010, 416p, $45 (e-book available). The flood of information brought to us by advancing technology is often accompanied by a distressing sense of “information overload,” yet this experience is not unique to modern times. Invention of the printing press and the ensuing abundance of books provoked 16th- and 17th-century European scholars to register complaints very similar to our own. Blair examines methods of information management in ancient and medieval Europe, as well as the Islamic world and China, and explores techniques that scholars and readers developed in an era of new technology and exploding information. (COMMUNICATION * INFOGLUT: EARLY COMPLAINTS)

First Strike: America, Terrorism, and Moral Tradition. Mark Totten (Asst Prof of Law, Michigan State U). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Sept 2010, 240p, $30 (e-book available). Offers the first in-depth, historical examination of the use of preemptive and preventive force through the lens of the just war tradition. Although critical of the American incursion into Iraq as a so-called “preemptive war,” Totten argues that the new terrorist threat nonetheless demands careful consideration of when the first use of force is legitimate. The moral tradition provides a principled way forward that reconciles American values and the demands of security. (SECURITY * TERRORISM * JUST WAR)

Outsourcing War and Peace: How Privatizing Foreign Affairs Threatens Core Public Values and What We Can Do About It. Laura A. Dickinson (Prof of Law, Arizona State U). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Jan 2011, 256p, $40 (e-book available). Over the past decade, states and international organizations have shifted a surprising range of foreign policy functions to private contractors, which are not accountable when their employees do violence or create harm. Describes the services that are now delivered by private contractors and the threat this trend poses to core public values of human rights, democratic accountability, and transparency. Offers a series of concrete reforms that are necessary to expand traditional legal accountability, construct better mechanisms of public participation, and alter the organizational structure and institutional culture of contractor firms. Also see One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy by Allison Stanger of Middlebury College (Yale, Feb 2009/256p/$18pb). (SECURITY * OUTSOURCING WAR)

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s. Edited by Robert W. Rydell (Prof of History, Montana State U) and Laura Burd Schiavo (Asst Prof of Museum Studies, George Washington U). New Haven, CT: Yale U Press, Jan 2011, 224p (8x10”), $45 (e-book available). In the midst of the Great Depression, American World Fairs gave hope to millions with visions of future progress. These grand expositions in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Dallas, Cleveland, and San Francisco showcased an optimistic, consumerist future society, and symbolized the Modernist message of progress through design. Discusses the impact of these international expositions, models and plans for “the houses and cities of tomorrow,” streamlined trains, modern furnishings and the first televisions. (MISCELLANEOUS * WORLD FAIRS OF 1930S

About the author: Michael Marien is the former editor of Future Survey and the creator of the Global Foresight Books Project (www.globalforesightbooks.org)

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