From the Republican Party's "Southern Strategy" in the U.S. to the rise of Le Pen's National Front in France; conservative politicians in the last thirty years have capitalized on voters' resentment of ethnic minorities to win votes and undermine government aid to the poor. In this book; the authors construct a theoretical model to calculate the effect of voters' attitudes about race and immigration on political parties' stances on income distribution.Drawing on empirical data from the U.S.; Britain; Denmark; and France; they use their model to show how parties choose their platforms and compete for votes. They find that the Right is able to push fiscal policies that hurt working and middle class citizens by attracting voters who may be liberal on economic issues but who hold conservative views on race or immigration. The authors estimate that if all voters held non-racist views; liberal and conservative parties alike would have proposed levels of redistribution 10 to 20 percent higher than they did. Combining historical analysis and empirical rigor with major theoretical advances; the book yields fascinating insights into how politicians exploit social issues to advance their economic agenda.
#685103 in Books 2004-04-09Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.48 x 1.67 x 6.26l; 1.87 #File Name: 0674013905464 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An engrossing questBy Caleb HansonA study of the Holy Grail; its history and significance in literature and faith; from its first appearance in the last; unfinished romance of Chrétien de Troyes to its contemporary; completely secular usage as "sought-after unattainable ideal." Barber (famous authority on medieval history and the culture of chivalry) says that when he started the project he expected to be exploring Celtic myth and legend; somewhat to his surprise; he instead found himself digging deeper into medieval Christian theology and spirituality than he ever thought possible.The book falls into three parts: a review in some depth of the first "generation" of Grail romances (approx. 1180-1250); an analysis of what the Grail "meant" in those early; formative years; and a higher-level overview of modern (that is; post-medieval) Grail literature. I found the first part useful; the second part very interesting; and the third part draggy -- but that might vary depending on whether the reader starts out more familiar with the medieval or the modern literature. There's mention of Monty Python; a couple pages on the Holy Blood; Holy Grail / Da Vinci Code conspiracy theory; and one allusion to "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. exhaustive sober engrossingBy Konrad BaumeisterBarber's book on the Holy Grail comes at a good time; a time when a little sober research about the history of the Grail; the myths and legends around it; are sorely needed. There has been a staggering amount of twaddle written in the last 20 years on this subject; Barber does an excellent job of gently (sometimes not so gently) debunking it; and setting the actual facts before one.The book covers in detail the texts of the various Grail romances; who wrote them; for whom; how they were altered or amended or changed or added to; and discusses each romance in thorough detail. One is surprised upon examining these texts to learn how different in focus and message some of them were. Barber then moves on to works covering the Grail after the (very compressed) time of the original romances; and shows the spreading of the story into popular works; including art; literature; legend and fairy tale. Multiple excellent illustrations and plates accompany the text. And finally we read of the Grail in modern culture; from Indiana Jones to Monty Python to the fantasies of the Holy Blood Holy Grail variety.Barber approaches the subject as a historian; warm to the subject but objective; wanting only to understand and explain. He is understanding of the religious implications of the Grail mythos; explicating it fairly; though he himself is not religious. His writing is clear and fluid throughout; and exhibits something of a very dry and sly humor as well. The book is long; but each subject is truly exhaustively explored; the more modern material is all addressed; and there is a lot of it; some of it pretty out there. The most excessive stuff is discussed and made short work of.Throughout; the work concentrates on the historical development of the Grail legends; the question of what the Grail actually itself might be; and the spread and popularization of the Grail in culture. This is a very welcome book on a fascinating subject.42 of 43 people found the following review helpful. The Holy Grail as a key to self-identityBy Kerry WaltersRichard Barber begins this magisterial study of the Holy Grail archetype with these words: "The Grail is a mysterious and haunting image; which crosses the borders of fiction and literature and which; for eight centuries; has been a recurrent ideal in Western literature"--and; as he makes clear in the book; in Western art; religion; spirituality; and psychology as well. Almost all of us have heard about the Grail (especially recently in all the hype over Dan Brown's thriller "The Da Vinci Code"); but almost none of us really know much about it. This is too bad; because the Grail legend is replete with meaning that gestures at the very core of who we are as humans.The merits of Barber's book are many; but two in particular stand out. In the first place; he provides an exhaustive and entertaining discussion of the origins of the Grail legend; the various authors (such as Chretien de Troyes; Robert de Boron; and Wolfram von Eschenbach) who popularized the legend in the Middle Ages; and the symbolism behind the legends--how it ties in; for example; with the Eucharist. Secondly; he reflects in insightful and sometimes profound ways on just what the Grail legend means to us today; tracing the modern Grail expressions that abound in art; cinema (yes; "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is discussed!); and literature. Barber is especially good at discussing the human longing for perfection and wholeness that the Grail quest symbolizes; and in speculating on why the Grail archetype holds such strong attraction. Part of the key to understanding its appeal lies in the fact that it is a product of the interplay between two essential human characteristics: belief and imagination (hence the book's subtitle). The proper hiding place of the Grail; in other words; is in the liminal space between imagination and belief. In focusing on archetypes such as the Grail; humans explore depths of themselves that otherwise might go unnoticedThe book is wonderfully illustrated--as well it should be; since the Grail has been such a common motif in art--with intertextual black and white reproductions and a center section of color photographs which are really quite breathtaking in their beauty. If you're a long-devoted Grail enthusiast; or if you're just beginning the pilgrimage and want a resource that can help you understand; for example; just who the heck the Fisher King is; this is the book for you.
