The Portland edge

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William C. Johnson

The subtleties of planning and how it affects - and is affected by - the intricate web of government and industry can often prove difficult to grasp even for the experts. Urban Planning and Politics offers insight into the delicate balance between inclusive politics and the public interest. It shows how planning plays a part in the fair distribution of the benefits and costs of urban society. Ranging from basic concepts to specific policies, it covers the common tools and procedures planners use, notes the various participants in the planning process, and focuses on areas of special interest such as housing, economic development, transportation, the urban environment - and the challenges the new century holds.

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G.S. Aurora

Contributed articles presented earlier at a seminar on rural poor in South Indian states and the influence of structural adjustment policies of Indian government post 1991.

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Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr

Discusses the presidential election of 1828 and the subsequent administration of Andrew Jackson, based on source documents.

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Lewis W. Snider

Why have so many attempts by developing countries to correct their financial insolvency by economic adjustment failed even when those nations have adhered closely to the "orthodox" economic prescriptions dispensed by the International Monetary Fund? Does the fault lie in policies that are poorly conceived or implemented haphazardly or in too much government intervention in the economy? In this fascinating book, Lewis Snider convincingly argues the opposite - that problems arise not because the government is involved but because the way it intervenes is often counter-productive. In addition, he contends that political weakness, rather than misconceived policies or the inability of policymakers to foresee the consequences of their decisions, most often prevents leaders from successfully implementing economic reforms. Snider's analysis focuses on three problems common to poor countries: an inability to extract sufficient resources from society; a lack of credible political and economic institutions; and as a natural outcome of these two, covert income and profit transfers that in turn serve to reinforce the institutional credibility problem. How can this vicious circle be broken? Drawing on examples and evidence from around the world, Snider demonstrates that the state must first improve its institutional credibility in the form of secure property rights and reliable contract enforcement. Only then will it be able to increase its extraction while holding down transaction costs at the level necessary for economic adjustment to succeed.