Death Before Sentencing
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Posted on July 16, 2018 in Review of the Week
Manning, Joseph Gilbert. Princeton, 2018
414p bibl index, 9780691151748 $35.00, 9781400890224
The Open Sea might suggest a treatise on piracy, ocean-going vessels, and containerized freight, or the locus of future political and environmental battles. However, the subtitle ends the suspense. With those cards on the table, Manning (Yale) embarks on an exploration of the history, institutions, economic thought, and political systems of the first millennium BCE. He rejects a belief in only one ancient economy, arguing instead that diversity and cross-cultural social and economic transformations drove pre-modern economic development. His inclusion of Egypt along with Greece and Rome is by itself a valuable addition. The author’s scholarly heft will impress and persuade his audience as to the validity and significance of his insights and contributions; 125 pages of endnotes and bibliography buttress his case. His assertions with regard to environmental factors such as climate change, and his treatment of several strictly economic aspects—money, agriculture, and private property—will give some economists pause. But one cannot dismiss this important new book out of hand.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
Reviewer: A. R. Sanderson, University of Chicago
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Economics
Choice Issue: Aug 2018
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month, this week's review analyzes the community-building and activist practices Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants employed in 20th-century Michigan.
Posted on in Review of the Week
This week's review offers a roadmap for teaching contemporary US history, providing instructors with tips to tackle recent divisive topics and engage students with primary sources.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Researching the experiences of day laborers in Denver, Colorado, this week's review examines wage theft and nefarious labor practices that reflect broader systemic labor issues in the US.
Posted on in Review of the Week