| The Scandal of Reform: The Grand Failures of New York's Political Crusaders and the Death of Nonpartisanship None Edition Contributor(s): Barry, Francis S. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0813544785 ISBN-13: 9780813544786 Publisher: Rutgers University Press OUR PRICE: $27.86 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2009 Annotation: The Scandal of Reform reveals the bonds New York reformers have always shared with the bosses they disdain, the policy failures they still refuse to recognize, and the transition they have made from nonpartisan outsiders to ideological insiders. Francis S. Barry examines the evolution of political reform from the frontlines of New York City's recent reform wars. He offers an insider's account and analysis and he challenges reformers-and members of both parties-to reconsider their faith in reforms that are no longer serving the public interest. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | American Government - Local - Political Science | Political Process - General - Political Science | Public Policy - General |
| Dewey: 320.974 |
| LCCN: 2008026170 |
| Physical Information: 1.01" H x 6.3" W x 9.28" (1.39 lbs) 299 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: No city in the world has seen more intense political battles between bosses and reformers than New York, which is home to America's original party machine, Tammany Hall, and its most spectacular urban corruption scandals. In these battles, reformers have always presented themselves as white knights, gallantly crusading for good government against the petty and corrupt hacks who are driven by self-interest. So it remains today. But, as The Scandal of Reform makes clear, this good versus evil storyline is mostly myth an urban legend perpetuated by a reform community that has always been more selfrighteous than right and more interested in power than in democracy. The Scandal of Reform pulls the curtain back on New York's reformers past and present, revealing the bonds they have always shared with the bosses they disdain, the policy failures they still refuse to recognize, and the transition they have made from nonpartisan outsiders to ideological insiders. Francis S. Barry examines the evolution of political reform from the frontlines of New York City's recent reform wars. He offers an insider's account and analysis of the controversial 2003 referendum debate on nonpartisan elections, and he challenges reformers and members of both parties to reconsider their faith in reforms that are no longer serving the public interest. |