Dr. Christopher L Atkinson

This essay reviews four recent books on topics related to trust and relative truths in the public space: Green Finance in the European Union, by Marta Postula and Mariusz Lipski; Fighting Falsehoods: Suspicion, Analysis, and Response, by Irene Rubin; The Myth that Made Us: How False Beliefs About Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It), by Jeff Fuhrer; and Mapping Behavioral Public Policy: Citizens’ Preferences and Trust, by Paolo Belardinelli.

This theme-based book review considers four recent titles related to governments? role in development and public finance: Sustainable Urban Futures in Africa, edited by Patrick Brandful Cobbinah and Michael Addaney; Research Handbook on Public Financial Management, edited by Komla D. Dzigbede and W. Bartley Hildreth; Decisions, Preferences, and Heuristics: An Introduction to Economic Psychology and Behavioral Economics, by Pere Mir-Artigues; and China?s Economic Development: Implications for the World, by Cai Fang.

This theme-based book review considers three recent titles focusing on public administration in China: Handbook of Public Policy and Public Administration in China, edited by Xiaowei Zang and Hon S. Chan; Governance and Public Administration in China, edited by Toby S. James, Wei Liu, and Caixia Man; and Public Administration and Governance in China: Chinese Insights with Global Perspectives, by Leizhen Zang and Yanyan Gao.

This study offers a comprehensive examination of environmental governance within the European Union (EU), focusing on the comparative experiences of Bosnia and Herzegovina (a non-EU member) and Croatia (an EU member). The research uses policy transfer theory to investigate the practicality and effectiveness of EU-led environmental initiatives when implemented at state and local levels. The study reveals a disconnect between these initiatives and their execution, with corruption and fragile political arrangements identified as significant barriers to environmental protection. The research further underscores the complex nature of EU-driven environmental governance policies and the impact of post-war political agreements and transitional struggles on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s and Croatia’s governance structures. The methodology involves a detailed analysis of the legal frameworks, policies, and plans employed by the EU and the countries under study. The results highlight the importance of context and capacity in evaluating the effectiveness of environmental governance. The study contributes to understanding environmental governance in the EU context and provides insights into the challenges and opportunities for policy transfer to state-level governments.

This theme-based book review considers three recent titles related to the challenges faced by nonprofit organizations: the new fourth edition of
Understanding Nonprofit Organizations: Governance, Leadership, and Management
, edited by Lisa A. Dicke and J. Steven Ott;
Resilience and the Management of Nonprofit Organizations: A New Paradigm
, by Dennis R. Young and Elizabeth A. M. Searing; and
Organizing Logics, Nonprofit Management and Change: Rethinking Power, Persuasion and Authority
, by Tracey M. Coule and Carole Bain.

This theme-based book review considers four recent titles related to reform: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Everyday Survival in Urban Nigeria, by Daniel E. Agbiboa; Assessing Public Management Reforms, by Patrick Gibert and Jean-Claude Thoenig; Combating Money Laundering in Africa: Dealing with the Problem of PEPs, by John Hatchard; and The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation: A Cross-National Analysis, by Pragati Rawat and John C. Morris.

According to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), emergency management is “charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to threats/hazards and cope with disasters” (FEMA, n.d.). Local government emergency management involves the efforts of municipalities, cities, counties, and special government entities in responding to threats/hazards and coping with emergencies.

This theme-based book review considers four recent titles related to the intersection of business and government: Outsourcing in the UK: Politics, Practices and Outcomes, by Janice Morphet; Public Financial Management in the European Union: Public Finance and Global Crises, by Marta Postula; Handbook of Business and Public Policy, edited by Aynsley Kellow, Tony Porter, and Karsten Ronit; and European Public Procurement: Commentary on Directive 2014/24/EU, edited by Roberto Caranta and Albert Sanchez-Graells.

This theme-based book review considers three recent titles related to public policy problems, processes, and solutions, from scholarly and practitioner perspectives: The Political Formulation of Policy Solutions, edited by Philippe Zittoun, Frank Fischer, and Nikalaos Zahariadis; A Guidebook for City and County Managers: Meeting Today's Challenges, by James M. Bourey; and Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World, by Beth Simone Noveck.