A History of Public Sector Pensions in the United States (Pension Research Council Publications)

Book Description

Understanding the historical development of pensions is critical to the future of retirement systems around the world. A History of Public Sector Pensions in the United States offers a comprehensive assessment of the political and financial dimensions of public sector pensions from the colonial period until the emergence of modern retirement plans in the twentieth century. The authors emphasize how retirement plans can help achieve human resource objectives, how public sector pension policy has sometimes been influenced by other government objectives, and how early pension plans were funded.

After discussing the economics of retirement plans, A History of Public Sector Pensions in the United States reviews the history of European retirement plans, beginning with their use in the Roman Empire, and then moves on to early American pension systems. The authors explore the development and management of U.S. army and navy pension plans during the nineteenth century, drawing on original records of participants, retirees, and plan finances. They document the struggle to establish a federal civil service retirement system and trace the growth of state and local retirement plans. This history is inextricably linked to broader developments in U.S. financial markets, offering rich insights into political debates, including current debates surrounding plan design and plan funding.

A History of Public Sector Pensions in the United States will be of significant interest to financial market and pension experts, labor and corporate pension sponsors, policymakers, public sector plan participants, and others who want to know how and why pensions emerged.

Customer Reviews:

Journal of Economic Literature , Vol. XLII (June 2004).......2005-05-07

Clark, Craig, and Wilson have produced a comprehensive book that serves a wide audience. While providing a detailed history of the development of public sector pensions from colinial times to 1920, tghe authors have taught their readers about the economic theory of pensions, informed them about the origins of the modern welfare state, and guided them to better understand the policy implications of recent proposals to reform Social Security. In the end, this book accomplishes much.

Shawn Kantor
University of California, Merced, and National Bureau of Economic Research

Blurb.......2003-08-10

Understanding the historical development of pensions is critical to the future of retirement systems around the world. This volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the political and financial dimensions of public sector pensions from the colonial period until the emergence of modern retirement plans in the twentieth century. The authors emphasize how retirement plans can help achieve human resource objectives, how public sector pension policy has sometimes been influenced by other government objectives, and how early pension plans were funded.

After discussing the economics of retirement plans, the authors review the history of European retirement plans, beginning with their use in the Roman Empire, and then moves on to early American pension systems. They explore the development and management of U.S. army and navy pension plans during the nineteenth century, drawing on original records of participants, retirees, and plan finances. They document the struggle to establish a federal civil service retirement system and trace the growth of state and local retirement plans. This history is inextricably linked to broader developments in U.S. financial markets, offering rich insights into political debates, including current debates surrounding plan design and plan funding.

Blurb.......2003-08-10

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, published by Western Michigan University, School of Social Work on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 522 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Robert L. Clark, Lee A. Craig and Jack W. Wilson, A History of Public Sector Pensions in the United States.(Book Review)
Publication: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Western Michigan University, School of Social Work
Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Page: 155(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Presented here are excerpts from diaries and letters written by Southern women from different walks of life, and areas of the country. Mary White, a fifteen-year-old girl, attempted to get through the blockade in Wilmington, North Carolina; Nancy Jones lived in fear amid the violence that rocked Missouri and saw her close friends and family murdered and her young son taken prisoner by the Yankees; Sarah Dandridge Duval and her family were refugees living near Richmond, Virginia.

The book includes personal reminiscences from Union and Confederate women living in Winchester, Virginia, a town that reportedly changed hands 76 times during the war, and the reactions of Southern women to the surrender at Appomattox.

Average customer rating:

A soldier's story.

Young Soldier in the pre-WW II Army

This is the best book that I have ever read.

Something About a Soldier
Charles Willeford
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Machine in Ward Eleven

The Woman Chaser

ASIN: 0394550226
Release Date: 1986-03-12

Customer Reviews:

A soldier's story........2005-07-09

Charles Willeford was a decorated hero in WWII. But when it came to compiling his memoirs of military life, he chose to recount his experiences in the pre-war peacetime army, both stateside and overseas in the Philippines.
This book is the author's autobiography covering the years 1935 to 1939 or ages 16 to 20, when he served as an enlisted man first in the Army Air Corps and later in the cavalry.
Since Charles Willeford was a natural born storyteller, it's no surprise Something about a Soldier is an easy and interesting read. Through dozens of anecdotes related by Willeford in his patented deadpan style, a funny but not particularly pretty picture emerges. Senseless bureacracy, out of touch officers, mindless work and counterproductive regulations all conspired to make the author's experience during those years a less than satisfying one.
But there were a couple positive aspects to this time in Willeford's life as well. He had plenty of time to devote to improving his mind through reading. And he enjoyed a very active sex life thanks to the always available prostitutes, camp followers and other willing women that were part of Willeford's military experience. Though to be honest, many of the sexual exploits described sound less than appetizing.
Something about a Soldier is an entertaining and well written memoir. The anecdotes recounted reveal a lot about army life and many of them are pricelessly funny. Worthwhile reading for all Charles Willeford fans.

Young Soldier in the pre-WW II Army.......1999-03-17

This a great book for anyone who wants to know what life in the pre-WW II US Army was like. This would be a shorter and more realistic companion piece to James Jones "From Here to Eternity". The stories of the Disappointed Bride and Life in the Fading Days of the Cavalry are priceless.

This is the best book that I have ever read........1997-03-05

Funny, interesting, informative. The stuff nobody else writes about. The best of the best.

Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults : A Selection of Sketches from Something about the Author (Complete 6 Volume Set)

Average customer rating:

Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults : A Selection of Sketches from Something about the Author (Complete 6 Volume Set)
Laurie (editor); Nakamura, Joyce (editor) Collier
Manufacturer: Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBRTTC

Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults: A Selection of Sketches from Something About the Author (Major Authors & Illustrators for Children & Young Adults (8 Vols))

Average customer rating:

Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults: A Selection of Sketches from Something About the Author (Major Authors & Illustrators for Children & Young Adults (8 Vols))
Gale Group
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0787612340

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author
Gale Group
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0787611492

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author
Gale Group , and Hile
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810399458

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author

Manufacturer: Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0787688053

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author
Hile
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810393719

Average customer rating:

Something About the Author

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0787640344

Average customer rating:
Bryson Strategic Planning Set
John M. Bryson
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Nonprofit Organizations & Charities | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make

The Future of Higher Education : Rhetoric, Reality, and the Risks of the Market

How College Affects Students: Findings and Insights from Twenty Years of Research (The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series)

When Sacred and Secular Mix

The Nature of Leadership

ASIN: 0787977748

Book Description

Brysons Strategic Planning Set is made up of Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, and Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan. It offers step by step guide to Strategic Planning and has useful tools, including illustrative examples, detailed questionnaires, and easy-to-understand worksheets. It takes users through every step of creating a tailored strategic plan, from concrete guidelines for brainstorming sessions, to developing show cards, to outlining a workshop equipment checklist.

Customer Reviews:

How to Buy a Home while you can still afford to.......2000-03-28

This is an excellent book for first time home buyers. It covers everything you need to know, from selecting a home, financing and tax advantages to owning. It has sample contracts, goes over the closing process and amortization tables. I also reccomend, "106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make" which also covers similar topics. This book really focuses on financing options and has a detailed explanation of costs associated with closing. It also provides tips and techniques of how to negotiate. I liked the sample forms provided in the book. The forms are very accurate. This book helped familarize me with the process of buying a home. It also prepared me to know what to expect when seeking financing and typical costs at closing. The book is a very good value and the information provided was a great help.

Average customer rating:

How to Buy a Home While You Can Still Afford to
Michael C. Murphy
Manufacturer: Sterling Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L5DGSW

Book Description

Electrifying, highly acclaimed, and intensely personal, this new and updated version of Myra Friedman's classic biography of Janis Joplin teems with dramatic insights into Joplin's genius and into the chaotic times that catapulted her to fame as the legendary queen of rock. It is a stunning panorama of the turbulent decade when Joplin's was the rallying voice of a generation that lost itself in her music and found itself in her words.

From her small hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, from the intimate coffeehouses to the supercharged concert halls, from the glitter of worldwide fame to her tragic end in a Hollywood hotel, here is all the fire and anguish of an immortal, immensely talented, and troubled performer who devoured everything the rock scene had to offer in a fatal attempt to make peace with herself and her era. Yet, in an eloquent introduction recently written by the author, Joplin emerges from her "ugly duckling" childhood as a woman truly ahead of her time, an outrageous rebel, a defiant outcast and artist of incomparable authenticity who, almost in spite of herself, became to so many a symbol of triumph over adversity.

This edition also contains an afterword detailing the whereabouts of a large and colorful cast of characters who were part of Joplin's life, as well as "We Remember Janis," a new chapter of poignant and affectionate anecdotes told by friends.

Customer Reviews:

Too weird to live and too rare to die.......2007-09-10

Well I'm a BIG fan of Janis Joplin and have been for many years. I personally think that she was an amazing women and an important character in rock history. Now I bought Love,Janis and thought that it was pretty good(except for the boring first chapter).Well then I was going to buy Going Down with Janis but a friend told me about this book. Of course I was excited. So I started reading and about half way through I got board. I mean it was not what I expected. It barley talks about Janis and her time at Woodstock, Monterey Pop Festival, or Festival Express. I mean those were HUGE parts of her life. Also I didn't like how the author just lightly got into her life as far as relationships and her childhood.I was angry that the only thing the author found interesting enough to focus the book on mainly was the Drug Use. Now I know that Janis used drugs, but I think that alittle more should have been said about her amazing talent and her wonderful songs and how proud she was of herself that she was doing what she loved instead of "She started the needle again..." I started to get the feeling that the author disliked Janis and when she claimed that she "Loved" her it sounded like a flat out lie. So I'm not saying that the whole book sucked but I think that I'd rather read Going Down with Janis and Scars of Sweet Paradise then reread this. Besides there are not that many pictures in the book and I felt that they so called "Beautiful" text was rushed...But having said that I did appreciate the "Where are they Now?" and the "How we Remember Janis" portions...

Buried Alive.......2007-01-19

This gives detailed information of the decline of Janis throughout her career. I find it to be more immediate than some of the other biographies I have read of Janis Joplin which are also good but seem to describe Janis Joplin's life in more of a historical context. As this one was written soon after her death by someone who was very close to her, it seems more accurate and full of painful details; details by someone who must have felt like they wished they could have done more to save her.

Still the best biography of Janis Joplin.......2006-07-01

This book is the most honest and insightful of all the many books that have been written about Janis Joplin. Some reviewers here are incensed and angered by this book, seemingly because the book dares to reveal Joplin as the unbelieveably tortured, damaged person that she was. I suppose it offends them to hear the truth; Ms. Friedman KNEW Joplin and frequently bore witness to her insane, uncontrolled behavior and persona. Her grasp of what drove Joplin to self-destruct is startling, and she does not mince words when describing Joplin's immaturity, insecurity, despair, loneliness, addictions and outrageousness. She also speaks eloquently of Joplin's intelligence, her sensitivity, her energy and talent, her ambition, her traditional desires for a home and a family. As it turns out the "real" Janis Joplin was NOT what the world tended to see, the boozy, blowsy, whorish good-time mama. She was a real woman(with a surprisingly conservative side) who wanted love and acceptance very, very badly, so much so that she was willing to put on the "Pearl" act to get the attention she craved. This biography gives the reader as well-rounded a portrait of the singer as you are ever going to get. Make no mistake about it, this is the best of the Joplin biographies.

Disappointing.......2005-02-22

If you like your dead celebrities sliced, diced, and raked over the coals with their heads served up on a silver platter, then this is the book for you. Seems like the author, who only knew Janis Joplin for the better part of two years, (and didn't know her at all during the first part of her career in San Francisco), casts far too many one-sided judgments based on a personal ax to grind. Also, she displays no insight or appreciation of the San Francisco scene or rock music. An opinionated hatchet job, in my opinion.

Very real, very personal story of Janis' life.......2004-09-17

I believe very few people ever saw the "real" Janis Joplin, however Myra Friedman did, and she wrote an excellent biography. Janis may have come across as a real tough chick, but inside she was a frightened child, and Myra saw that. (I personally believe that Janis had Borderline Personality Disorder.) I read this book back in high school around 1975 and just re-read it. I had to get it from the library, since it is out of print. It may be hard to find, but it is worth the effort.

BURIED ALIVE: The Biography of Janis Joplin

Average customer rating:

BURIED ALIVE: The Biography of Janis Joplin
Janis; Friedman, Myra Joplin
Manufacturer: NY: Bantam, 1974
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IU0M8M

Buried Alive: The Intimate Biography of Janis Joplin

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive: The Intimate Biography of Janis Joplin
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: Bantam Trade Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Love, Janis

ASIN: 0553014684

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive

Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 068805160X

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive - The Biography of Janis Joplin
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: W. H. Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QRU444

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive The Biography of Janis Joplin
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0553141678

BURIED ALIVE: A BIOGRAPHY OF JANIS JOPLIN.

Average customer rating:

BURIED ALIVE: A BIOGRAPHY OF JANIS JOPLIN.

Manufacturer: Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HFRZ10

Average customer rating:

BURIED ALIVE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF JANIS JOPLIN
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QAWYOY

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive: The Biography of Janis Joplin
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I1BSIE

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive: The Biography of Janis Joplin
Myra Friedman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PJI418

Book Description

This is the true story of Manny Twofeathers's spiritual journey. Of Mixblood ancestry, he was reared a Catholic. In late adulthood, he found the ritual.

Customer Reviews:

PAST REVIEWS FOR EXCELLENT BOOK.......2005-01-21

"Writing in a relaxed conversational prose, Twofeathers describes how, at urgings from the spirit world, he began to immerse himself in the yearly Sundance rituals held throughout the West. A modest and likeable narrator, Twofeathers avoids the self-righteous polemics sometimes found in this genre, and while the gorier sections are initially jolting, his aplomb in withstanding pain and coming back for more lends a certain normalcy to this ritual." KIRKUS REVIEWS

"This potentially sensational material is beautifully conveyed, as Twofeathers describes carrying his infant daughter through the agony of one such dance. Unsparingly self-revealing, the book is somehow never confessional but instead the testament of a deeply spiritual man who has found salvation through suffering prayerfully for others." P. Monaghan, BOOKLIST

"This book begins the understanding of what my people have always been about."
Russell Means, actor, activist, author of Where White Men Fear to Tread

"Manny Twofeathers illuminates an aspect of Native spirituality that has resurged over the past decade. In this moving and personal account, Twofeathers makes this spirituality understandable to people of all races and religious persuasions."
Wabun Wind, author of The Medicine Wheel and Woman of the Dawn

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books