Book Reviews
Summer Reading: "Manipulatory Politics"
Definitions
Summer Reading: Jonathan Rauch on the Positives of Machines
Last month, Jonathan Rauch published a sincere and well-written defense of political machines, entitled "Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy" (Brooking Institution Press; available free as a PDF or e-book). Although the essay scarcely mentions conflicts of interest, gifts, nepotism, and the like, and it makes no mention at all of conflicts of interest programs, ethics advice, or lobbying, it is essential reading.
Summer Reading: Lee Drutman's "The Business of America Is Lobbying"
Lee Drutman’s The Business of America is Lobbying: How Corporations Became Politicized and Politics Became More Corporate (2015) is an excellent book about corporate lobbying at the federal level.
A Voter's Obligation to the Public Interest
City Ethics Publications
Spring Reading: Corruption in America IV
This is the fourth of four blog posts on Zephyr Teachout's excellent new book, Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United (Harvard Univ. Press).
Extortion and Pay to Play
Spring Reading: Corruption in America III
This is the third of four blog posts on Zephyr Teachout's excellent new book, Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United (Harvard Univ. Press).
Other Anti-Corruption Laws