Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
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This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.
Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute
of International Studies. Our guest today is Harold Wilensky, who is Professor
Emeritus of Political Science at the
University of California at Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, and the author or coauthor of thirteen books. Just published
by the University of California Press is Rich Democracies: Political Economy,
Public Policy, and Performance.
In this landmark work, the culmination of thirty years of systematic, comprehensive comparison of nineteen rich democracies, Wilensky answers two basic questions: What is distinctly modern about modern societies? In what ways are they becoming alike, and how do variations in types of political economy shape system performance? The book is being hailed as "a monumental work," "an instant classic," "a truly amazing accomplishment."
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