Special Interest

An exploration of the role that special interest groups play in modern democratic politics.

Why are America's public schools falling so short of the mark in educating the nation's children? Why are they organized in ineffective ways that fly in the face of common sense, to the point that it is virtually impossible to get even the worst teachers out of the classroom? And why, after more than a quarter century of costly education reform, have the schools proven so resistant to change and so difficult to improve? In this path-breaking book, Terry M. Moe demonstrates that the answers to these questions have a great deal to do with teachers unions—which are by far the most powerful forces in American education and use their power to promote their own special interests at the expense of what is best for kids. Despite their importance, the teachers unions have barely been studied. Special Interest fills that gap with an extraordinary analysis that is at once brilliant and kaleidoscopic—shedding new light on their historical rise to power, the organizational foundations of that power, the ways it is exercised in collective bargaining and politics, and its vast consequences for American education. The bottom line is simple but devastating: as long as the teachers unions remain powerful, the nation's schools will never be organized to provide kids with the most effective education possible. Moe sees light at the end of the tunnel, however, due to two major transformations. One is political, the other technological, and the combination is destined to weaken the unions considerably in the coming years—loosening their special-interest grip and opening up a new era in which America's schools can finally be organized in the best interests of children.

Special interest tourism is growing rapidly due to a discerning and heterogeneous travel market and the demand for more focused activity or interest-based tourism experiences. This book approaches the topic from the perspective of both supply and demand, and addresses the complexities now inherent in this area of tourism. It presents a contextualised overview of contemporary academic research, concepts, principles and industry-based practice insights, and also considers the future of special interest tourism in light of the emergence of ethical consumerism. Sometimes referred to as niche or contemporary tourism, this book provides a complete introduction to the study of special interest tourism for students.

BPP Learning Media is proud to be the official publisher for CTH. Our CTH Study Guides provide the perfect tailor-made learning resource for the CTH examinations and are also a useful source of reference and information for those planning a career in the hospitality and tourism industries.

"Examines the history of teachers unions--their rise to power and the organizational foundations of that strength, use of collective bargaining and involvement in the political process, and unions' response to expanded use of technology in the classroom to teach children, and consequences for America's public schools"--Provided by publisher.

Membership-based organizations play a central role in our society yet those studying voluntary associations fail to recognize their distinctive characteristics as their impact is profound and our understanding of them severely limited. By analyzing over 400 published histories, this book breaks new ground revealing why they emerge, what they do to shape nearly every profession, trade and personal avocation, and how they influence their members’ personal and professional lives and that of the larger society.

Leading scholars from across the social sciences present empirical evidence that the obstacle of regulatory capture is more surmountable than previously thought.

This research-based textbook covers 15 chapters on food, film, shopping, medical, ghost, and suicide tourism, based on research conducted over 15 years on tourists from East Asia and Southeast Asia, the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand. It introduces students, researchers, educators, tourist bureaus, and tour operators to the demands of affluent tourists from the newly industrialized countries of East Asia and Southeast Asia.