The textbook is primarily aimed at students and younger researchers and offers a concise but systematic practical guide to planning and conducting qualitative expert interviews in political science. It provides a methodologically sound and application- or problem-oriented approach to this form of independent qualitative data collection.The English translation of this book, originally in German, was facilitated by artificial intelligence. The content was later revised by the author ...

A deeply informed look at the intensifying struggle over the future of the Catholic Church.Robert Blair Kaiser examines the most important and divisive issues confronting the Church: the sex abuse scandal, a shortage of priests due to the insistence upon celibacy, the ban on contraception, the roles of women in the Church, the increased participation of laypeople in Church affairs. He gives us an in-depth and behind-the-scenes view of six of the cardinals who gathered in Rome in Ap...

The definitive text on the mystery of R.F.K.'s assassination by a reporter who "got inside this story . . . with his impressive grasp of all the loose ends" ( Kirkus Reviews).On the night of June 4, 1968, Sirhan Sirhan shot and killed Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in a steamy pantry of the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel. Kennedy and his entourage had been celebrating his victory in the California primary for the Democratic nomination for president.Everybody ...

A story of romance and devotion based on a woman’s love of life and enduring commitment which overcomes the challenges of a perceived scandalous affair and the struggles of providing for her family. Beginning in the early 1960’s through the present day, it is the tale of the adventures of a woman who joins her lover in the strange new land of jazz music, artichokes, and sandy beaches of northern California. Their experiences together hopefully provide meaningful insights into the truly valuab...

Freedom of the press is a primary American value. Good journalism builds communities, arms citizens with important information, and serves as a public watchdog for civic, national, and global issues. But what happens when the news turns its back on its public role?Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Washington Post, and Robert G. Kaiser, associate editor and senior correspondent, report on a growing crisis in American journalism. From the corporatization that leads...

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, has captured our attention by stepping away from the papal throne, unafraid to give impromptu interviews, decentralize church governance, or explore new horizons for the greater good of the people of God. His actions and words suggest that he is here not to dominate but to serve, less inclined to preach than to listen, and to bring us back to Jesus “that we may have life and have it more abundantly.” Award-winning journalist Robert Blair Kaiser argues t...

The digital revolution has forever changed American journalism, and not for the better. Robert Kaiser, former managing editor of The Washington Post, writes in his new Brookings Essay that the changing media landscape is not only a threat to traditional news, but to the future of democracy. A news industry without a viable business model, distracted by the need to attract eyeballs and discover new revenue streams, could lose the ability to provide the balanced, comprehensive, and investiga...

Once you’ve discovered your strengths, you need to discover something else: your strengths can work against you.Many leaders know this on some intuitive level, and they see it in others. But they don’t see it as clearly in themselves. Mainly, they think of leadership development as working on their weaknesses. No wonder. The tools used to assess managers are not equipped to pick up on overplayed strengths—when more is not better.Nationally recognized leadership experts Bob ...

Competition is fiercer today than ever before, and effective leadership represents a rare source of competitive advantage. With strong leadership and a richly stocked pool of future leaders, organizations prosper and endure. There is an easy case to make for the imperative of investing in tomorrow's leaders today. It's the law of supply and demand: more organizations in greater competition under increased pressure to perform put a premium on scarce talent. The labor economy has become a se...

Reporter Don Bolles rode into town and took dead aim at the Mafia. But the Phoenix establishment, giddy in its new prosperity, didn't want to listen to him, and, in the end, applauded and rewarded the men who covered up for his killers. A dark tale out of sun-drenched Arizona.

Un lugar sagrado, a sacred place where two or more are gathered in the name of community, can be found almost anywhere and yet it is elusive: a charro arena behind a rock quarry, on the pilgrimage trail to Chimayó, a curandero’s shrine in South Texas, or at a binational Mass along the border. Sagrado is neither a search for identity nor a quest for a homeland but an affirmation of an ever-evolving cultural landscape. Embedded at the heart of this remarkable book,...

Once you’ve discovered your strengths, you need to discover something else: your strengths can work against you. Many leaders know this on some intuitive level, and they see it in others. But they don’t see it as clearly in themselves. Mainly, they think of leadership development as working on their weaknesses. No wonder. The tools used to assess managers are not equipped to pick up on overplayed strengths—when more is not better. Nationally recognized leadership experts Bob Kaplan and Rob...