The secrecy of the ballot, a crucial basic element of representative democracy, is under threat. Attempts to make voting more convenient in the face of declining turnout - and the rise of the "ballot selfie" - are making it harder to guarantee secrecy. Leading scholars James Johnson and Susan Orr go back to basics to analyze the fundamental issues surrounding the secret ballot, showing how secrecy works to protect voters from coercion and bribery. They argue, however, that this protection was always incomplete: faced with effective ballot secrecy, powerful actors turned to manipulating turnout - buying presence or absence at the polls - to obtain their electoral goals. They proceed to show how making both voting, and voting in secret, mandatory would foreclose both undue influence and turnout manipulation, and thereby enhance freedom for voters by liberating them from undue influence in their choice of both whether and how to vote. This thought-provoking and insightful text will be invaluable for students and scholars of democratic theory, elections and voting, and political behavior.

This delightful book gives a glimpse into the rich and diverse play and playful activities of children across developing, recently developed and developed societies.Analysing children's play across many different cultural communities around the globe, each chapter discusses children's play as an activity important for formal and informal education, mental health and childhood well-being, and children's hobbies and past-times. Traditional, modern, and postmodern play forms are discussed and probed for their meaning within a contemporary global community. Richly illustrated throughout with vignettes, the book encourages you to critically evaluate the functions that play serves for indigenous cultures and the problems that arise due to the globalization of educational and social resources.International Perspectives on Play is compelling reading for students studying play within early years, early childhood or childhood studies or playwork courses.Jaipaul L. Roopnarine is Jack Reilly Professor of Child and Family Studies and Director Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. Michael M. Patte is Professor of Education at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, USA. James E. Johnson is Professor of Early Childhood Education at The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA. David Kuschner is Associate Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood Education at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. This welcome volume brings together new scholarship on culturally situated play in 16 diverse global contexts. The child rights-based foundation of the volume and nuanced perspectives are a powerful counter-narrative to the narrowing construction of childhood to one of academic readiness and test scores. The authors' collective narratives and research will contribute to many disciplines concerned about children, childhoods, culture and policy. Dr. Elizabeth Swadener, professor of Justice and Social Inquiry and associate director of the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State UniversityIn this research-based book, four international play scholars organize, author, and edit the work of their academic peers to weave a historical, developmental, cultural account of children's play around the globe. They examine the 'culturally constituted' child and explore first-hand accounts of real children's play in real places, extracting novel perspectives about historical and socio-cultural traditions and contexts for play. Here is the evidence that adults who influence children need for deeper understanding of play and developmental approaches to child rearing and early education. Scholars, teachers, parents, policy makers- this book is for you! Joe L. Frost, Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus University of Texas and Author of A History of Children's Play and Play EnvironmentsThis timely and outstanding volume addresses the influences that shape children's play experiences in diverse cultural contexts. The inclusive chapters thematically explore how parental beliefs, socialization practices, cultural change, technology, and other factors shape children's play at home, school, and in the community. This volume makes a wonderful contribution to our understanding of play as a universal yet culture-specific activity that serves as a learning context and guides children's developmental outcomes. The selection of varied geographic regions and cultural groups that receive scant attention make this text a unique contribution to the field. Readers interested in children's experiences, cultural psychology, early childhood education, and anthropology will find this text stimulating and rewarding. Dr. Robyn Holmes, Professor of Psychology at Monmouth University

The secrecy of the ballot, a crucial basic element of representative democracy, is under threat. Attempts to make voting more convenient in the face of declining turnout - and the rise of the "ballot selfie" - are making it harder to guarantee secrecy. Leading scholars James Johnson and Susan Orr go back to basics to analyze the fundamental issues surrounding the secret ballot, showing how secrecy works to protect voters from coercion and bribery. They argue, however, that this protection was always incomplete: faced with effective ballot secrecy, powerful actors turned to manipulating turnout - buying presence or absence at the polls - to obtain their electoral goals. They proceed to show how making both voting, and voting in secret, mandatory would foreclose both undue influence and turnout manipulation, and thereby enhance freedom for voters by liberating them from undue influence in their choice of both whether and how to vote. This thought-provoking and insightful text will be invaluable for students and scholars of democratic theory, elections and voting, and political behavior.

A production of Walter Braunfels's 'The Birds' recorded live at the Los Angeles Opera in 2009. Desiree Rancatore, Brandon Jovanovich, James Johnson and Martin Gantner take the lead roles, with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by James Conlon.

Los Angeles Opera's productions of two works by composers who died during the Holocaust, Victor Ullmann's 'Der Zerbrochene Krug', and Alexander Zemlinsky's 'Der Zwerg'. Recorded in 2008, the productions feature the Los Angeles Opera and Choir conducted by James Conlon.

Los Angeles Opera's productions of two works by composers who died during the Holocaust, Victor Ullmann's 'Der Zerbrochene Krug', and Alexander Zemlinsky's 'Der Zwerg'. Recorded in 2008, the productions feature the Los Angeles Opera and Choir conducted by James Conlon.

Pragmatism and its consequences are central issues in American politics today, yet scholars rarely examine in detail the relationship between pragmatism and politics. In "The Priority of Democracy," Jack Knight and James Johnson systematically explore the subject and make a strong case for adopting a pragmatist approach to democratic politics--and for giving priority to democracy in the process of selecting and reforming political institutions.

What is the primary value of democracy? When should we make decisions democratically and when should we rely on markets? And when should we accept the decisions of unelected officials, such as judges or bureaucrats? Knight and Johnson explore how a commitment to pragmatism should affect our answers to such important questions. They conclude that democracy is a good way of determining how these kinds of decisions should be made--even if what the democratic process determines is that not all decisions should be made democratically. So, for example, the democratically elected U.S. Congress may legitimately remove monetary policy from democratic decision-making by putting it under the control of the Federal Reserve.

Knight and Johnson argue that pragmatism offers an original and compelling justification of democracy in terms of the unique contributions democratic institutions can make to processes of institutional choice. This focus highlights the important role that democracy plays, not in achieving consensus or commonality, but rather in addressing conflicts. Indeed, Knight and Johnson suggest that democratic politics is perhaps best seen less as a way of reaching consensus or agreement than as a way of structuring the terms of persistent disagreement.

This book offers a timely and compelling explanation for the deterioration of U.S.-China security relations during the Obama Presidency. The U.S.-China relationship has become one of (if not the most) vital features of contemporary world politics, and with arrival the Donald Trump to the White House in 2017, this vital geopolitical relationship sits at a precarious and dangerous crossroads. This book assesses a wide array of sources to systematically unpack the policy rhythms, drivers, and dynamics that defined the course of Sino-American security relations during the Obama-era. It fills several gaps in the literature on international security and conflict and offers a nuanced and innovative comparative approach to examine individual military domains. The case study chapters draw on recent Chinese and English sources - on military doctrine, capabilities, and defense strategy - to build a clear understanding the main sources of U.S.-China misperceptions, and highlight the problems these assessments can create for the conduct of statecraft across strategically competitive geopolitical dyads. The book builds a sobering picture of U.S.-China relations that will appeal to specialists and generalists alike with an interest in future warfare, emerging military-technologies, military studies, arms control, and foreign policy issues in the Asia-Pacific region more broadly.