Synopses & Reviews
A World Fit for People examines what impact the many dramatic worldwide changespolitical, economic, social, culturalare having on the lives of people all over the world. A collaborative effort of more than fifty thinkers from countries throughout the world, this remarkable book contains a range of specific proposals intended to convert threats to opportunities and fears to hopes, in order to foster an environment of peace, prosperity, and social harmony.
Part One examines political aspects of changing systems and the links between democracy, development, and the market economy, addressing such issues as rising regionalism, "The West and the Rest," northern policies and southern responses, and the global role of transition countries. Part Two focuses on economic aspects of systemic change. Topics include the role of markets and governments in a free market economy, the plight of developing countries, conditions for aid, and the collapsing vision of global development.
The roles of women and family, ethnic conflict, and religion and, more generally, the human, social, cultural, and ecological aspects of change, are considered in Part Three. The contributors advocate a respect for human rights and ethnic and religious diversity as a means of ensuring a pluralistic society. Part Four, which pays special attention to countries trying to overcome the legacy of "the old order," is devoted to such issues as the integration of underdeveloped countries into the global order; the privatization process; trade and payments reforms; and the risks of rapid transformation.
A World Fit for People will serve as a useful guide to international economists, diplomats, political scientists, and students of international affairs.
Review
“Heineman's writing style is lively and engaging. The chief merit of the book is its display of the deep divisions between liberals and conservatives that are at work in both parties.”
“Objective and analytical, written in a lively, nonacademic style, God Is a Conservative will be . . . interesting to anyone with a passion for Contemporary American politics.”
“In this excellent and readable examination of current conservative politics, Heineman traces the political history of the past 30 years, placing special emphasis on the role of religious and social conservatism.”
Synopsis
From Billy Graham and Ronald Regan to Newt Gingrich and William Bennett, God is a Conservative provides an important look at the role of religion in conservative politics in modern America. Kenneth J. Heineman reveals the profoundly religious nature of contemporary conservatism, offering an intriguing look at the social history of moral politics over the last three decades, and the still tremulous aftershocks of the New Deal. With a new Preface that examines the Bush presidency, including a provocative analysis of his re-election, and the rising influence of the Conservative Right, God is a Conservative is essential reading for understanding today's American political landscape.
Synopsis
By tracking the political evolution of such influential leaders as Patrick Buchanan, Michael Novak, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell, and importantly their constituencies, Heineman reveals the profoundly religious nature of contemporary conservatism. His book offers look at the social history of moral politics over the last three decades and the still-tremorous aftershocks of the New Deal.
Synopsis
In the wake of the cultural upheavals of the 1960s, many Americans wrote off religious groups, and the conservative movement, as political forces. By 1980, however, with the nation reeling from inflation, humiliation overseas, and a suspicion that liberalism was promoting a breakdown in morality, evangelicals deserted Jimmy Carter in droves, and Catholics converted to Reagan democrats. Conservatism not only survived but bloomed. By 1994, the Christian Coalition was helping engineer a legislative offensive that was to define American politics for years to come.With God Is a Conservative, Kenneth J. Heineman has given us a learned and expansive perspective on this quantum leap in American political life. By tracking the political evolution of such influential leaders as Patrick Buchanan, Michael Novak, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell, and importantly their constituencies, Heineman reveals the profoundly religious nature of contemporary conservatism. His book offers an intriguing look at the social history of moral politics over the last three decades, and the still tremorous aftershocks of the New Deal. Heineman ultimately questions whether moral politics are a diversion from our most pressing problems or a cure for what ails the nation. Peppered with anecdotes, God Is a Conservative serves up a lively examination of the shifting alliances between social, religious, and economic interests in the United States.
About the Author
Kenneth J. Heineman is Professor of History and Department Chair at Angelo State University. He is the author of Campus Wars: The Peace Movement At American State Universities in the Vietnam Era (NYU Press, 1992), God Is a Conservative: Religion, Politics, and Morality in Contemporary America (NYU Press, 1998), A Catholic New Deal: Religion and Reform in Depression Pittsburgh, and Put Your Bodies Upon The Wheels: Student Revolt in the 1960s.