Book Reviews and Notices : Aspects of American Government. Edited by SYDNEY D. BAILEY. (Lon don: The Hansard Society. 1950. Pp. ix, 192. 6s.)

• Author: Albert H. Culverwell
• Date: 01 March 1951
• DOI: 10.1177/106591295100400144
• Published date: 01 March 1951
• Subject Matter: Articles

167
mony conducted off the record. One can only conclude with the author
that the present organization of Congress for passing upon appropriations
of tremendous size needs overhauling. There is, fortunately, an increasing
trend to get away from the detailed type of review, highly itemized appro-
priations, and pork barrel pressures.
It is regretted that space here will not permit review of the many
other significant findings and sage observations contained in this scholarly
work. More studies of this kind are needed to make political science
worthy of its claim to be a social science.
JOSEPH P. HARRIS.
University of California.
Aspects of American Government. Edited by SYDNEY D. BAILEY. (Lon-
don: The Hansard Society. 1950. Pp. ix, 192. 6s.)
No one would dispute the importance of an understanding of the
American governmental system which is engrossed not only with the needs
of its people, but is also challenged to constructive leadership among the
nations of the world. In this publication, the Hansard Society, founded
in 1944 to spread information about parliamentary government, has made
a worthy contribution to the vast literature on the subject. The purpose
of the eighteen contributors to the symposium, most of whom are pro,
fessors of political science, is to describe some of the features of American
government and to analyze some of the problems. Since the publication
is of British origin, certain practices in the American system of govern,
ment are compared with those of similar features in the parliamentary
system.
One thesis of some of the eminent writers is that the needs of the
United States today require more effective executive-legislative co,oper,
ation. The late Harold J. Laski observed that great leadership must come
from the President. Congress cannot take the initiative. To Wilfred E.
Binkley, Laski’s point of view presents real difficulty, inasmuch as the
Congress of the United States is constituted and so functions as &dquo;to
collide head...