John Herbers, in Gouern-ing (Oct. 19871, 1414 22nd St. N.W., Washing-ton, D.C. 20037.
One of the goals of the Reagan administration has been establishing "the new federalismH-transferring control of many federal programs to the states. Herbers, a visiting professor of politics at Princeton, argues that although some proposed federal cutbacks have been blocked, the conse- quences of reducing federal spending and regulation have been "more far-reaching than almost anyone envisioned."
Many...
Washington. Wisconsin requires automatic deductions of child- support payments from the wages of fathers who desert their children on welfare, thus becoming a state that goes "far beyond federal requirements in holding parents responsible for their children until age 18."
Herbers does not expect further cutbacks in federal aid to states and cities. He predicts that rather than dictating local policy, Washington will continue to "build its programs around the innovations of the states."
"What...
Susan Strange, in International Organization (Autumn lG7), 55 Hayward St., &rnbridge, Mas. 02142.
One of the persistent myths of our time says Strange, a professor of international relations at the London School of Ekonomics, is that America has passed her prime as a great power. Faced with a shrinking share of world trade, a dwindling industrial base, and increasingly fractious allies, America, many scholars conclude, like Britain before it, must face an impe- rial sunset.
But America, Strange...
Jock A. Finlayson and David G. Haglund, in Sur-
vival (Sept.-Oct. 1987), International Institute
for Strategic Studies, 23 Tavistock St., London
WC2E 7NQ, United Kingdom.
A dominant theme of international politics in the late 1970s and early 1980s was that America would be irrevocably drawn into a "resource war" with the Soviet Union, as both sides sought to assure themselves access to essential raw materials. As a presidential candidate in 1980, Ronald Reagan argued that Western...
Patrick Glynn, in The National Interest (Fall 19871, 1627 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washing-ton, D.C. 20009.
The present Western preoccupation with arms control, argues Glynn, as- sistant to the director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, rests on two faulty assumptions: that arms races cause wars and that wars happen "accidentally."
Glynn believes these false lessons derive from the same source: World War I revisionist historians. "The real dividing line in modem reflection...
accident. The officers
of the German General Staff were fully aware "that they were risking
general war" when they urged Austria to invade Serbia. Because many of
the clauses in the Triple Entente treaty were secret, German leaders
thought that Britain's support for France and Russia was ambivalent, mak-
ing "diplomatic and military victories all the more plausible" in the event
that Britain abandoned her allies at the outbreak of a major war.
The true lesson to be drawn...
Maryann N. Keller, in IEEE Spectrum (Oct. 1987), 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.
Predicting the future of the automobile industry, argues Keller, a vice- president of Furman Selz Mager Dietz & Birney, New York-based stock- brokers, is a risky business. Few auto analysts, for example, foresaw the sweeping changes that resulted from the energy crises of 1973 and 1979. Many current trends (such as increasing pickup truck sales) may suddenly end if gasoline prices rise sharply. Nonetheless,...
Mazda in Japan,
is manufactured in Mexico.
the design and engineering expertise to successfully challenge Japanese, European, or American car builders. Only the South Korean firm of Hyundai will be able to be a "global automaker," challenging existing Japa- nese, European, and American rivals. Other new car builders "cannot sur- vive without affiliating with a Japanese or Western partner."
Suthem Fcflmmy?
"The Economic Revolution in the American S...
1,000,000 be- tween 1950 and 1959; the displaced workers (mostly black) migrated to "high-unemployment ghettoes" in Northern cities rather than face con- tinuing poverty at home. The departure of these workers caused the aver-age Southern wage to rise still higher.
The major reason for the Southern economy's shift, Wright concludes, was that a new breed of Southern politicians refused to continue insularity. State officials now encouraged outside investment, through tax breaks, industrial...
Stephen A. woodbury and Robert G. Spiegel-
man, in The American Economic Review (Sept.
19871, 1313 21st Ave. South, Ste. 809, Nash-
ville, Term. 37212.
Unemployment benefits were originally designed to provide relief to work- ers laid off from jobs. In recent years, many economists have concluded that such insurance programs prolong joblessness reducing the pressure on unemployed workers to search for new jobs.
What can be done to alter these trends? Woodbury, an economist at Michigan State U...