Bulletin

Issue: April 2011

The Evolution of Leadership: Transitions in Decision Making from Small-Scale to Middle-Range Societies

by John Kantner ’89, Kevin Vaughn, and Jelmer Eerkens Leaders exist in all societies, ranging from smaller-scale heads of households to larger-scale elected governing bodies to dictators with vast coercive powers at their disposal. This book, the product of an advanced seminar at the School for Advanced Research (SAR), brings together the perspectives of cultural anthropologists and archaeologists to explore why and how leadership emerges and variously becomes institutionalized among disparate small-scale and middle-range human societies. ISBN-13: 978-1934691137. Published by SAR Press; 2010.  

Issue: April 2011

Ike Kligerman Barkley Houses

by John Ike ’77, Thomas Kligerman, and Joel Barkley Ike is a partner in the architectural firm Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects (IKBA), based in New York and San Francisco. The 21 houses and apartments in this lavishly illustrated volume, the first published on the award-winning architectural firm, feature their signature residential works and depict the remarkable breadth of the practice. The spectacular photos capture the essence of the homes, underscoring IKBA’s ability to speak to many different contexts and landscapes without losing sight of their elegant, definitive style. The book’s forward is written by Robert A.M. Stern. ISBN-13: 978-1580932691. Published by The Monicelli Press; 2010.  

Issue: April 2011

“Political Ecologies of Cattle Ranching in Northern Mexico: Private Revolutions”

by Eric Perramond, associate professor of Southwest studies and environmental science Perramond evaluates management techniques, labor expenditures, gender roles, and decision-making on private ranches of varying size in northern Mexico. By examining the economic and ecological dimensions of daily decisions made on and off the ranch, he shows that, contrary to prevailing notions, ranchers rarely collude as a class unless land titles are at issue, and that their decision-making is as varied as the landscapes they oversee. ISBN: 978-0-8165-2721-2. Published by The University of Arizona Press; 2010.  

Issue: April 2011

Aristotle’s Politics: A Reader’s Guide

by Judith A. Swanson ’79 and C. David Corbin This book presents an accessible introduction to Aristotle’s “Politics,” widely considered to be the founding text of Western political science. Similar to his mentor Plato, Aristotle ponders the form that will produce justice and cultivate the highest human potential. Taking a more empirical approach, however, Aristotle examines the constitution of existing states and draws on specific case studies to address common political problems and conflicts. This “Reader’s Guide” is the ideal companion to “Politics,” offering insights on philosophical and historical context and key themes. ISBN-13: 978-0826484987. Published by Continuum; 2009.

Issue: April 2011

Statistical Analysis for Decision Makers in Healthcare: Understanding and Evaluating Critical Information in Changing Times

by Jeffrey C. Bauer ’69 Americans are bombarded with statistical data every day, and healthcare professionals are no exception. This book explains the fundamental concepts of statistics, as well as their common uses and misuses. Without jargon or mathematical formulas, Bauer presents a clear explanation of what statistics do. He provides a practical discussion of scientific methods and data showing why statistics should not be allowed to compensate for bad science or bad data. ISBN-13: 978-1439800768. Published by CRC Press; 2009.  

Issue: April 2011

Sonic Boom

by Gregg Easterbrook ’76 Easterbrook is the author of six books and contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly and the New Republic. In his previous book, “The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse,” he argued that, by all standards, American life has been getting better and better for generations, and compelled us to use our prosperity to improve the lives of the disenfranchised around the world. Here he extends his theory to the now-familiar territory of globalization, showing how since World War II the greatest nations of the world have put more of their resources into economic growth and less into military spending. According to Easterbrook, this has all been fueled by reductions in import…

Issue: April 2011

Good Cop/Bad Cop: Environmental NGOs and Their Strategies Toward Business

Thomas P. Lyon, Matthew C. Banks ’97, and others This book project brings together NGO, business, and academic perspectives to address the need for objective study of NGO strategies to improve the environmental performance of business. Panelists highlighted organizational structure and key objectives at several major NGOs and outlined strategies toward corporate engagement, particularly the decision of whether to play the role of “corporate partner” or “corporate critic” (good cop/bad cop). Banks is a senior program officer in the World Wild Fund’s business and industry program and leads the Climate Savers program. ISBN-13: 978-1933115788. Published by RFF Press; 2010.  

Issue: April 2011

Information Technology Infrastructure Development: A Survey Analysis in the Southern Africa Development Community

by Zibusiso Ncube ’92 At the turn of the century, technological development was occurring at a rate that boggled the mind. These technological developments were bringing better standards of living to all, yet the gap between the rich and the poor was becoming more pronounced. Developing governments, fearful of foreigners, often enacted repressive laws hampering the development of an information technology infrastructure. Today in developing countries, computers are being introduced to many public schools, whereas earlier, computers were accessible only to private schools or those areas supported by governments for security reasons. ISBN-13: 978-3639251913. Published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller; 2010.