The politics of Utopia
Subtitle: New Zealand and its government / Les Cleveland
Publisher: Methuen
Published: 1979
Place of publication: Wellington, N.Z
Language: eng
Number of pages: 167
Subjects: Politics and government
Description: ""The politics of utopia" is a major work about political power and its use in the New Zealand welfare state. It looks at the political idesas and utopian expectations of New Zealanders and asks questions about the capacity of government to satisfy them. It contains a basic account of the major political institutions and a critical discussion of some of their difficulties in devising policies to deal with the crises of the 1970s. A principal objective of this book is to provide information about the New Zealand political system that is not readily obtainable elsewhere. Consequently it contains chapters on the historical and cultural background to the New Zealand experience, on current political ideologies, on the workings of the political system, on cabinet, Parliament and on elections. An urgent speculation runs through the work about the need for radical reform. It is suggested that proposals for economic reconstruction and economic planning are not likely to succeed unless a great deal more power is placed in the hands of central government." -- Back cover.