Starting with the People - Hardcover

The authors claim that the United States is losing the economic race against the Japanese because of the yawning gap between public opinion and policymakers' solutions. To harness American workers' latent energy and dedication, social researcher Yankelovich (The New Morality, etc.) and Harman, undersecretary of commerce under Carter, recommend a "visible hand" approach. Under this plan, government would help formulate a cohesive industrial strategy, aided by a National Interest Board consisting of White House, Congressional and business leaders. A democratized workplace, more profit-sharing and a stronger role for unions in shaping national policy are among the authors' recommendations. On the issue of the arms race, they reject "nuclear containment," unilateral disarmament and a nuclear freeze as all unworkable. The American people, they argue, would support a policy of "common security," which recognizes that neither the U.S. nor the Soviet Union can gain a decisive military advantage.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Public opinion pollster Yankelovich and former Undersecretary of Commerce Harman offer a provocative book to shake up the political environment this election year. Drawing on years of public-opinion data, they articulate the crucial role of the "politics of values" in public policy. Their message can be stated as"the experts are wrong, the American people are right"though their analysis is well-reasoned and far from simplistic. They point to a general policy direction for the country and focus on ways to develop consensus on major foreign policy and economic issues. Such suggestions will stimulate discussion in the next administration. John Kenneth White's scholarly New Politics of Old Values ( LJ 4/15/88) had a similar theme. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.