Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
With one foot in the rustbelt and the other in the depressed farm economy, Wisconsin, like other states, has plenty of problems. Balancing state expenditures and revenues, expanding economic development, containing medical costs, distributing resources to the needy, reducing financial stress on farmers, and responsibly exploiting natural resources, all are issues discussed in this volume by a variety of experts in a broad range of disciplines.
Reductions in federal expenditures have forced important decisions on state and local governments. With its progressive heritage, Wisconsin has often served as a model of wise policymaking.
This book is divided into three major sections: Budgets, Finances, and Conditions for Economic Development; Human Need and Human Services; and Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy. An introduction by the editors delineates the unifying themes. Although the issues are all set in the Wisconsin context, many of the problems, proposed solutions, and the innovative programs described in the volume will be of interest to those involved in or studying state and local policymaking in other states.
Synopsis
In the land of beer, cheese, and muskies where the polka is danced and winter is unending and where Lutherans and Catholics predominate everybody is ethnic, the politics are clean, and the humor is plentiful. This collection includes jokes, humorous anecdotes, and tall tales from ethnic groups (Woodland Indians, French, Cornish, Germans, Irish, Scandinavians, Finns, and Poles) and working folk (loggers, miners, farmers, townsfolk, hunters, and fishers). Dig into the rich cultural context supplied by the notes and photographs, or just laugh at the hundreds of jokes gathered at small-town cafes, farm tables, job sites, and church suppers. This second edition includes an afterword and indexes of motifs and tale types.
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About the Author
Sheldon Danziger is Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. He is the author and editor of many books and articles, including
Understanding Poverty and
The Price of Independence: The Economics of Early Adulthood. John F. Witte is professor of political science and was Director of the Robert La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is the author of many books, including C
harter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration, and Competition.