The notion of the common good underlies much policy making in geography. There are two reasons for evaluating geography's impact on the common good for the university curriculum. First, by working within the various theoretical paradigms that have influenced policy, students will learn to argue from different perspectives such as social democracy…

In 1932, with the help of the League of Nations, the Chinese government sent an educational mission consisting of five scholars to Europe, in order to investigate education in different countries as reference points for ongoing Chinese educational reform. This article argues that educators in the mission used foreign examples to support their…

Rational choice theory and its three branches (game theory, collective choice theory, and organizational economics) has altered the face of political science, sociology, and organizational theory. This chapter reviews rational choice theory, examines a small body of work that relies on the rational choice paradigm to study educational politics,…

Local governments play a central role in improving the lives of children and families and in piecing together solutions to other major social, economic, environmental, and political challenges. Some ways to nurture and support systems reform activities in local governments, including those of educational systems, are explored. Systems reform can…

The politics of federal support for education is discussed, with attention to education policy formation and current themes and future directions for education policy that may flow from legislative history. The analysis is based on personal experiences as a U.S. Representative for over two decades and as president of America's largest private…

After a brief overview of responsiveness in government, this book discusses citizen participation in State and local politics and how well-intentioned reformers actually increased the insulation of State and local governments from their constituents. Sustained activity on behalf of interest groups and lobbying as the dominant mode of communication…

The Library of Congress hosted a 1-day conference, "Delivering Electronic Information in a Knowledge-Based Democracy" to explore the public policy framework essential to creating electronic information resources and making them broadly available. Participants from a variety of sectors contributed to wide-ranging discussions on issues…

Future consequences of current policies related to education are discussed. The paper considers the major political effects of cybernetic and associated communications technology. These include: (1) the centralization of power in public and private spheres, (2) the shift in governmental authority from the local and state level to the federal…