Terry F. Buss

Policy makers--Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative--call for federal intervention to fund emerging high-growth industries, believing they are starved for capital. Congressional hearings, newspapers, industry newsletters, and government reports all assert that capital gaps exist for these firms. But the widely held belief that emerging high-growth firms like those in high technology--so vital to the growth of the U. S. economy--face severe capital gaps, preventing them from starting up or growing to their full potential, is false. This book systematically brings together, for the first time, disparate sources of information from a wide variety of disciplines and synthesizes them into a compelling case against federal intervention. Scientific studies, conventional wisdom among entrepreneurs and investors, and economic reasoning all fail to support the existence of widespread capital gaps for start-up high-growth firms. Nor does this evidence show capital in short supply in some regions, in industrial sectors including high technology, or for women and minorities. Nor do existing federal programs providing capital to emerging high-growth businesses reveal capital gaps. Rather, they either unnecessarily duplicate private investment or represent poor investment decisions. This study shows that calls for increased federal intervention, using public monies to plug capital gaps, are unjustified.

Using a set of rules as a guide for cost-effective policy analysis, Communicating Social Science Research to Policy Makers helps applied researchers avoid costly mistakes in policy planning and public administration research. Beginning with a practical approach to policy analysis, authors Roger J. Vaughan and Terry F. Buss show the reader how to prepare a nonbiased description of the problem to be studied, how to diagnose the causes of the problem, how to explore the various strategies for dealing with the problem and related issues, how to use formal forecasting projections, how to do cost-benefits analysis, how an analyst can decide what information to communicate, and strategies for the most-effective communication of policy analysis.

This timely and important work addresses the controversy surrounding discouragement among the unemployed. Using an unprecedented set of national and local studies, and drawing on disparate research in nearly every social science discipline, the authors produce an original, highly detailed portrait of discouraged workers. From their analysis they offer recommendations on what can be done to promote employment and reduce long-term dependency on government assistance. Other timely issues discussed are chronic minority unemployment, worker dislocation through plant closings, the impact of low wage jobs on reducing poverty, the feminization of poverty, the plight of the working poor, and the importance of the family.

This useful and clearly written book provides a discussionof the major issues involved in dealing with the homeless, summarizes information available from a number of studies, and draws conclusions about current public policy and future policy alternatives. . . . An important addition to any library dealing with contemporary social concerns. Choice The homeless have become more and more numerous and visible in our society. Responding to America's Homeless presents the most complete, up-to-date scientific evidence concerning the nature, extent, and causes of homelessness. Using an unprecedented survey of 1,000 homeless individuals and families, as well as previous national, local, and scholarly research, the authors draw a vivid portrait of the homeless population and their needs. They challenge the widely held view that most homeless are mentally ill, proposing an original classification of the homeless based on needs for various forms of assistance. On the basis of this empirical research, the authors evaluate current public policies for dealing with the homeless and present alternative plans aimed at returning homeless people to more normal, secure circumstances.