System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (Public Affairs and Policy Administration)
"One of the book's many strengths is the way it brings an analytic focus to recent events. It does so in an engaging way, with the book overall written extremely well. And the emphasis on the role of political institutions is right on target." -- Charles Shipan 20121228 "System under Stress offers useful and engaging cases, bringing alive bureaucratic politics. The mixture of detailed case-study facts with probing and thought-provoking questions make System under Stress a brief text that conveys a great deal. I appreciate the analogies to 'health' and how the bureaucracy must act in a way to keep things in check, even though it does not control many of the factors that influence 'the patient.' It's a great way to conceptualize the system. I appreciate the addition of the financial crisis. Katrina, terrorism, and financial malfeasance are all very different, but have many of the same impacts on the system. It is instructive for students to see how such different phenomena can result in similar stresses." -- Bryan Brophy-Baermann 20121228 "I think the greatest strength of the text is as a case study that applies policy and administrative studies to a pivotal time in American history. These events were so news-worthy that every individual easily has a firm background on the cases and integrating these cases with theories of the policy process is quite beneficial for those new to the subject. Including the recent financial crisis is quite beneficial and not only provides an updated example of crisis, but also helps readers understand that crisis may come in many forms." -- Matthew Jones 20121228