Rising income inequality is highlighted as one of the largest challenges facing the United States, affecting civic participation and political representation. Although the wealthy often can and do exert more political influence, this is not always the case. To fix political inequality, it is important to understand exactly how class divisions manifest themselves in political outcomes, and what factors serve to enhance, or depress, inequalities in political voice. Christopher Ellis argues citizens’—and legislators’—views of class politics are driven by lived experience in particular communities. While some experience is formally political, on an informal basis citizens learn a great deal about their position in the broader socioeconomic spectrum and the social norms governing how class intersects with day-to-day life. These factors are important for policymakers, since most legislators do not represent “the public” at large, but specific constituencies. Focusing on U.S. congressional districts as the contextual unit of interest, Ellis argues individuals’ political behavior cannot be separated from their environment, and shows how income’s role in political processes is affected by the contexts in which citizens and legislators interact. Political inequality exists in the aggregate, but it does not exist everywhere. It is, rather, a function of specific arrangements that depress the political influence of the poor. Identifying and understanding these factors is a crucial step in thinking about what reforms might be especially helpful in enhancing equality of political voice.

Putting Inequality in Context: Class, Public Opinion, and Representation in the United States

Politics & Social Sciences

Ellis, Christopher

Sociology

University of Michigan Press

The first people who came to southern Ontario, almost 11,000 years ago, encountered a landscape much different from that of today. The great ice sheets were melting, feeding lakes that flooded many areas now dry. Conifers dominated the open woodland, and animals including the mastodon, caribou, and Arctic fox inhabited the area. Known to archaeologists as Paleo-Indians, these early residents were among the most expert stone tool makers known anywhere. They returned seasonally to the Parkhill site, on the shore of a glacial lake next to a long narrow estuary, to intercept migrating caribou. Parkhill eventually became a very large site with several distinct activity areas. This volume provides a detailed description and analysis of all aspects of this important archaeological locality.

An Early Paleo-Indian Site Near Parkhill, Ontario (Mercury Series)

Canadian Museum of Civilization

Deller, D. Brian

Archaeology

Canadian Mus of Civilization

Despite high levels of inequality and wage stagnation over several decades, the United States has done relatively little to address these problems--at least in part due to public opinion, which remains highly influential in determining the size and scope of social welfare programs that provide direct benefits to retirees, unemployed workers or poor families. On the other hand, social tax expenditures--or tax subsidies that help citizens pay for expenses such as health insurance or the cost of college and invest in retirement plans--have been widely and successfully implemented, and they now comprise nearly 40 percent of the spending of the American social welfare state.&nbsp;&nbsp;In&nbsp;The Other Side of the Coin, political scientists Christopher Ellis and Christopher Faricy examine public opinion towards social tax expenditures--the other side of the American social welfare state--and their potential to expand support for such social investment. &nbsp; Tax expenditures seek to accomplish many of the goals of direct government expenditures, but they distribute money indirectly, through tax refunds or reductions in taxable income, rather than direct payments on goods and services or benefits. They tend to privilege market-based solutions to social problems such as employer-based tax subsidies for purchasing health insurance versus government-provided health insurance. Drawing on nationally representative surveys and survey experiments, Ellis and Faricy show that social welfare policies designed as tax expenditures, as opposed to direct spending on social welfare programs, are widely popular with the general public. Contrary to previous research suggesting that recipients of these subsidies are often unaware of indirect government aid--sometimes called "the hidden welfare state"--Ellis and Faricy find that citizens are well aware of them and act in their economic self-interest in supporting tax breaks for social welfare purposes. The authors find that many people view the beneficiaries of social tax expenditures to be more deserving of government aid than recipients of direct public social programs, indicating that how government benefits are delivered affects people's views of recipients' worthiness. Importantly, tax expenditures are more likely to appeal to citizens with anti-government attitudes, low levels of trust in government, or racial prejudices. As a result, social spending conducted through the tax code is likely to be far more popular than direct government spending on public programs that have the same goals.&nbsp; &nbsp; The first empirical examination of the broad popularity of tax expenditures,&nbsp;The Other Side of the Coin&nbsp;provides compelling insights into constructing a politically feasible--and potentially bipartisan--way to expand the scope of the American welfare state. &nbsp;

The Other Side of the Coin: Public Opinion toward Social Tax Expenditures

Business & Money

Faricy, Christopher G.

Economics

Russell Sage Foundation

A detailed and profusely illustrated analysis of material recovered from this Early Paleo-Indian, Parkhill phase site. The Thedford II fluted bifaces most closely conform to the Barnes type. In the rest of the uniface-dominated assemblage the authors identify several distinctive, never-reported tool types. A final chapter compares Thedford II material to other fluted point sites in North America.

Thedford II: A Paleo-Indian Site in the Ausable River Watershed of Southwestern Ontario (Memoirs) (Volume 24)

History

Americas

U OF M MUSEUM ANTHRO ARCHAEOLOGY

Public opinion in the United States contains a paradox. The American public is symbolically conservative: it cherishes the symbols of conservatism and is more likely to identify as conservative than as liberal. Yet at the same time, it is operationally liberal, wanting government to do and spend more to solve a variety of social problems. This book focuses on understanding this contradiction. It argues that both facets of public opinion are real and lasting, not artifacts of the survey context or isolated to particular points in time. By exploring the ideological attitudes of the American public as a whole, and the seemingly conflicted choices of individual citizens, it explains the foundations of this paradox. The keys to understanding this large-scale contradiction, and to thinking about its consequences, are found in Americans' attitudes with respect to religion and culture and in the frames in which elite actors describe policy issues.

Ideology in America

Stimson, James A.

Politics & Government

Cambridge University Press

Worship in the evangelical tradition is a blend of prepared and extempore contributions. It generally follows a set pattern, but openness to spontaneity is an essential ingredient. As in other traditions, ministers and worship leaders receive very little training in how to lead worship and this book meets a pressing need. It considers many aspects of worship including: Why do we worship? Who is worship for? Patterns and shapes in worship, types of prayer, singing, preaching, The Lord's Supper, details of leading, the spirituality of leading worship, connections to the whole of life, Worship as encounter, Worship as pastoral care, Worship as evangelism, and Worship as celebration. A directory of resources and online worship is also provided.

Approaching God: A Guide for Worship Leaders and Worshippers

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Canterbury Press Norwich

Espresso Patronum Halloween Magic Funny Costume Coffee: Journal/Ruled Notebook with Premium Paper, 6" x 9", Inner Pocket, 120 Pages

Children's Books

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Independently published

I M Not a Widower I M a Husband to a Beautiful Wife Wings: Journal/Ruled Notebook with Premium Paper, 6" x 9", Inner Pocket, 120 Pages

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