Product Description: Many of America's greatest artists, scientists, investors, educators, and entrepreneurs have come from abroad. Rather than suffering from the "brain drain" of talented and educated individuals emigrating, the United States has benefited greatly over the years from the "brain gain" of immigration...read more

Product Description: The digital revolution is in full force but many public and private sector leaders are stymied: How can they maximize the full potential of digital technology? This hesitancy puts a brake on the transformational power of digital technology and means private companies and governmental bodies fall well behind other digital pioneers...read more

Few developments have had broader consequences for the public sector than the introduction of the Internet and digital technology. In this book, Darrell West discusses how new technology is altering governmental performance, the political process, and democracy itself by improving government responsiveness and increasing information available to citizens.Using multiple methods--case studies, content analysis of over 17,000 government Web sites, public and bureaucrat opinion survey data, an e-mail responsiveness test, budget data, and aggregate analysis--the author presents the most comprehensive study of electronic government ever undertaken. Among other topics, he looks at how much change has taken place in the public sector, what determines the speed and breadth of e-government adoption, and what the consequences of digital technology are for the public sector.Written in a clear and analytical manner, this book outlines the variety of factors that have restricted the ability of policy makers to make effective use of new technology. Although digital government offers the potential for revolutionary change, social, political, and economic forces constrain the scope of transformation and prevent government officials from realizing the full benefits of interactive technology.

Product Description: Information technology has dramatically changed our lives in areas ranging from commerce and entertainment to voting. Now, policy advocates and government officials hope to bring the benefits of enhanced information technology to health care...read more

Product Description: In his newly revised and updated fifth edition, West continues his in-depth examination of political advertising in election campaigns. Following its evolution from 1952 to its use in contemporary races, West reveals how candidates plan advertising campaigns, how the media covers those campaigns, and, ultimately, how voters are influenced by these advertising efforts...read more

Product Description: A globalization of innovation has produced the most massive spurt in biotechnology in world history.  Businesses, universities, and non-governmental organizations are collaborating to produce a "science-industrial complex" in biotechnology...read more

Product Description: For a number of years, voters and academic observers have been dissatisfied with American campaigns. Contemporary races are seen as too negative, too superficial, and too unfair or misleading. Based on these complaints, a variety of reform organizations have targeted millions of dollars to improve the situation...read more

Product Description: In the newly revised and updated fourth edition of Air Wars, Darrell West continues his in-depth examination of political advertising in election campaigns. Following the evolution of campaign advertising from its start in 1952 to its use in contemporary races, West reveals how candidates plan advertising campaigns, how the media covers those campaigns, and, ultimately, how voters are influenced by these advertising efforts...read more

Product Description: The level of discourse in campaigns and elections ideally should elevate citizens' knowledge about the candidates and the issues that face the polity. But elections today are often beset by negative campaigns and an emphasis on the "horse race" over issues of substance...read more

Product Description: This book looks at the evolution and impact of celebrity politics in the United States. It discusses how closely intertwined the worlds of politics and Hollywood have become, how celebrityhood pervades the political process—from campaigns and elections to governing, lobbying, and legislating, and the long-term implications of this trend...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Why did Bob Dole get blamed for attack ads in 1996? How did Bill Clinton successfully portray Senator Dole and Speaker Newt Gingrich as the Siamese twins of the 1996 elections?In this new, updated edition, Darrell West helps readers understand how candidates from Eisenhower and Johnson, to Bush and Clinton have used television advertising to influence voters and win elections...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Darrell West argues against prevailing wisdom that the media has increased in influence in the past decade. Covering over 200 years of American history, beginning in colonial America and ending with the present day, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment provides an overview of the media in various key stages of American History, paying particular attention to the rise and fall in influence of the media elite...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Counts are being taken before the political conventions convene: not delegates, but dollars. Public officials court donors more than voters, while the party faithful rally around the war chest rather than the platform. Virtually anything goes in campaign finance today, and, as a result, the electoral process is being hijacked by large contributions, secret influence, and increasingly unaccountable government leaders...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: = This case study of Congressman Patrick Kennedy's rise to political prominence illustrates new issues of celebrity that have emerged in America over the last four decades. It explores a number of contemporary topics, along with how famous people use money, media, and name identification in order to build support and shape the political process...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Why did Bob Dole get blamed for attack ads in 1996? How did Bill Clinton successfully portray Senator Dole and Speaker Newt Gingrich as the Siamese twins of the 1996 elections?In this new, updated edition, Darrell West helps readers understand how candidates from Eisenhower and Johnson, to Bush and Clinton have used television advertising to influence voters and win elections. (view table of contents)

Looks at the impact of political interest groups on health-care reform, the Republican Party's Contract with America, telecommunications reform, and Medicare reform (view table of contents)

Product Description: The most comprehensive portrait of a presidential campaign in more than a decade, Crosstalk focuses on the 1992 U.S. presidential race and looks at how citizens use information in the media to make their voting decisions and how politicians and the media interact to shape that information...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Economic policymaking has perpetually been one of the central dilemmas facing Congress, leading to huge budget deficits and disagreements among legislators about spending priorities and tax policies. This book examines congressional decision making on economic policy during the Reagan administration...read more

Product Description: Darrell M. West explores leadership and and coalition-building in the 1980 presidential campaign. Concentrating upon the candidates' own perceptions of the need to build coalitions that will elect them, he raises questions that go to the heart of presidential politics: how have changes in presidential campaigns influenced candidate strategies? what coalitions did presidential contenders try to put together? how did the candidates use rhetoric, campaign travel, and symbolism in their coalition building? what did candidates learn from their audiences in their months and years on the campaign trail? what do these lessons imply for political leadership and coalition building? To answer these questions, he draws on interviews with ninety advisors to candidates and on data taken from the candidates' travels and speeches, press coverage, and audience reactions...read more