Argues that the problems of democracy concern how to permit intelligence and effectiveness to be brought to bear in the reestablishment of self-governance, self-determination, self-adjustment, and self-definition. This problem is the basic one, and begins to be resolved the moment that we start acting and thinking as self-governing,…

Reports on a study which focussed attention on advisers' attitudes toward political reporting in school news media and on the nature and scope of such reporting. (MB)

Reviews and critiques Strober's paper (see SO516707) on the scope of microeconomics instruction in United States schools. States that much of what is recommended by Strober would benefit economics instruction in both elementary and secondary schools; specifically endorsing increased emphasis on the role of values, efficiency, and equity within the…

Evaluation must take into account both executive and legislative politics and their interactions. A five-part continuum evaluation process is suggested for the development of a policy question and its translation into knowledge that is credible, timely, responsive, and usable. Evaluators have a major responsibility in this process. (Author/JAZ)

Discusses the norms within which Italian historical literature is produced, stating that they are important generally to the work of Italian historians and particularly in understanding the recent historical literature on Italian radicalism. Surveys the post-World War II progress of the historiography of Italian radicalism, recommending areas of…

Discusses a 1947 study by Hyman and Sheatsley which investigated the political ignorance of the U.S. public. Examines the 1984 National Election Study, stating that a substantial segment of the U.S. public remains ignorant of political issues. Considers the dangers and implications of political ignorance (know-nothingism) in a democratic society.…

Appraises the legality, under international law, of the U.S. intervention in Nicaragua. Describes the concepts of intervention, international resolutions, and declarations on the subject. Points out that international law is violated by many nations. Concludes that U.S. intervention in Nicaragua is impermissible under international law and unwise…

Examines the general concept of intervention and analyzes specific types of U.S. intervention from a geopolitical perspective. Considers the variables relating to the geography of intervention such as land mass, terrain, population, level of development, political stability, cultural heritage, sphere of influence, expansion, and acquisition of…

A two-hat debate technique is described in which one author wore a straw hat and spoke in favor of the American system, then donned a beret and argued for the French party system. The technique has been used to examine political issues, government policies, institutions of different nations, etc. (MLW)

Evaluation is a part of political process, but public policy decisions are not always based on evaluations. The following steps should be used to enhance this process: (1) develop policy questions; (2) translate them into evaluation questions; (3) conduct the evaluation; (4) answer the policy questions; and (5) use the results to generate new…

Discusses the quality of current political argument, the relation between this and public attention to politics, the competency of the public to evaluate political argument, and whether political argument and public competence can be improved. (SRT)

The author describes and illustrates television's presentation of bias in programming and production. He advocates educating adults to be critical in consuming television images of reality and presents six techniques that have been successful in teaching adults to read between the lines of television's portrayal of political issues, news events,…

This assessment of National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) highlights NCLIS and Reagan Administration, criticism of NCLIS, views of women members Toni Carbo Bearman and Elinor Hashim, public and private sector interaction, issues, NCLIS and UNESCO, fee-based services, and reaction to Cultural Minorities Task Force report.…

Piaget's model of intellectual maturity was used to examine young people's perspectives on foreign policy. Results indicate that cognitive maturity is positively associated with the ability to make deliberative policy judgments. Young Americans exhibit relatively low levels of political impulsiveness and have a realistic view of foreign policy…

Argues that current economic problems may be an indication of deep, long term economic crisis. Points out implications of economic crises for families and human services, and suggests four options for responding as a society to economic hard times. (RH)