Social Sciences Short Takes: Think-Tank Titles

Early on in What Happened, Scott McClellan points readers to The Permanent Campaign and Its Future (American Enterprise Inst.), coedited by Washington think-tank scholars Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann, one from "the conservative-oriented American Enterprise Institute" and one from "the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution." McClellan states that if "any of Bush's senior advisers [had taken the] time…to read and absorb the lessons offered in the book, they might have taken steps to…prevent some of the problems that plagued Bush at defining moments of his presidency."

Think-tank publications are specialized, aimed primarily at "policy makers." But as these books are capable of wielding significant influence—when read!—they are worth considering by public libraries that serve current events and poli sci buffs, and will naturally be of interest to academic and specialized libraries. Here are some new think-tank titles, all from not-for-profit organizations.

The China Balance Sheet Project is a joint undertaking combining the global economic perspective of the Peterson Institute (formerly, Institute for Interntional Economics) with the Center for Strategic & International Studies' foreign policy focus. Here are the culminating analysis and recommendations designed to clarify contemporary China and advise how U.S. "engagement" with China may best move ahead. There's lots here, but clearly presented, with a great chronology. By experts, for experts—and for those who want to know what the experts think. The World Bank's forthcoming China's and India's Challenge to Latin America: Opportunity or Threat? should be of related interest.

In the latest in the RAND (contracted from "Research and Development") Corporation's series on nation building, lead author Dobbins (director, International Security & Defense Policy Ctr., RAND Corp.), a veteran bipartisan diplomat, assesses Europe's global nation-building role. The book covers Albania, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bosnia, and the Solomon Islands (the last an Australian nation-building operation), providing history, evaluations, and recommendations regarding the ongoing work of over 20 post-World War II nation-building efforts—including NATO, national, and now EU-led missions. Contributors compare the various European efforts against those of the United States and the UN by means of such measurements as economic growth, return of refugees, and security. They sum up with "Lessons Learned" from each country. Dense but clear, with many fascinating graphs.

We are used to hearing about "ground forces" in Iraq. Here former House Armed Services Committee staffer Donnelly and former professor of military history at West Point Kagan (respectively, resident fellow and resident scholar in defense & security policy studies, AEI) look at America's military and note that it is functioning according to policy, funding, and organization from the 1980s even as today's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency require a new kind of land warfare. They succinctly lay out the needs for a larger, differently trained and equipped ground force. Of interest to military history buffs as well as the specialists.

The Cato Institute defines itself as nonpartisan, favoring limited government and individual liberty, but is usually defined by others as libertarian/conservative. Here it addresses "the knowledge gap" on tax policy. Tax rates, both corporate and individual, have dropped in the last 30 years, although tax revenues have not. The authors favor tax competition, country to country (rather than uniform EU- or UN-proposed tax initiatives) and cutting U.S. individual and corporate tax rates, arguing that only then can America meet strong global economic challenges. For large economics and tax policy collections. Also coming from Cato: an up-to-the-minute assessment of the recent Supreme Court decision on gun control in Brian Doherty's Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle over the Second Amendment.

This is not a policy book. Patterson (The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond), veteran of the Eisenhower, Nixon, and Ford White Houses, offers his third chronological volume on the what, who, and how of White House staffing. Here, he provides detailed and accessible insight into the George W. Bush White House. The White House staff is part of the Executive Office of the President and now encompasses 135 offices, from policy wonks to speechwriters to Air Force One personnel and Situation Room employees, all working "to assist and advise the president." Using interviews with scores of recent staffers, Patterson moves from office to office, describing how the Bush White House has functioned and changed. From an expert clearly devoted to the cause of White House service; for large presidential collections in all libraries.

Public policy academic Pfiffner (George Mason Univ.; The Character Factor: How We Judge America's Presidents) addresses the Constitution's meticulously established system of checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judicial bodies—and shows how the current President has stepped over the limits placed there on executive power, specifically in relation to habeas corpus, definitions of torture, employing surveillance without warrant, and disregard of laws that the executive branch is charged with upholding. Pfiffner's first chapters give a deep but very clear introduction to the legal philosophies behind our Constitution, then introduce the Constitution itself as an evolution from thinkers and circumstances in Europe. When he homes in on the particulars of overweening executive power, including examples from previous administrations, readers are well posed to understand and keep turning the pages. Highly recommended for suitable collections.