Books in review

A former editor of theAmerican Historical Review, he has written extensively on the history of modern Great Britain and more recently has published essays on the nature of the contemporary urban university.     

Crossroads of High Asia: A review article—books on Ladakh

Eva K. Dargyay and Ulrich Grüber, Ladakh, Innenansicht eines Landes. Düsseldorf/Cologne: Diederichs, 1980. 300 pp, colour photographs, bibliography, glossary, chronological table, index.

Heinrich Harrer, Ladakh, Götter und Menschen hinterm Himalaya. Innsbruck: Pinguin, 1983. 172 pp, photographs, end paper maps, bibliography.

Andrew Harvey, A Journey in Ladakh. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. 236 pp., end paper maps, $13.95.

E. Joldan, Harvest Festival of Buddhist Dards of Ladakh and Other Essays. Srinagar: Kapoor Brothers, 1985. 104 pp., photographs, Rs. 30.

Detlef Kantowsky and Reinhard Sander, (editors), Recent Research on Ladakh: History, Culture, Sociology, Ecology. Munich, Cologne and London: Weltforum, 1983. 282 pp., photographs, diagrams, bibliography, DM 59.

Anneliese Keilhauer and Peter Keilhauer, Ladakh und Zanskar, Lamaistische Klosterkultur im Land zwischen Indien und Tibet. Cologne: DuMour, 1982. 414 pp., maps, diagrams, chronological chart, photographs, index, DM 36.

Sanyukta Koshal, Ladakhi Grammar. Delhi: Mortilal Banarsidass, 1979. 338 pp., index, Rs. 103.

Michel Peissel, Zanskar, the Hidden Kingdom. London: Collins, 1979. 205 pp., maps, photographs, index.

Janet Rizvi, Ladakh, Crossroads of High Asia. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1983. 224 pp., photographs, glossary, bibliography, end‐paper maps, Rs 140.

Margaret Schettler and Rolf Schettler, Kashmir, Ladakh and Zanskar: A Travel Survival Kit. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia/Berkeley, CA, USA, 1984.203 pp., maps, diagrams, photographs, index, $7.95.     

The privatisation of British Telecom: a case study of the extended process of legislation

Abstract. One of the main ingredients in discourse about British politics concerns the extent to which, and under what conditions, central government can get its own way. Since 1979, the country has been ruled by a prime minister and a government placing at least rhetorical emphasis on the 'politics of conviction'. At the same time we have a well established academic literature giving emphasis to the various hurdles in the policy-making process which face even a government with a working parliamentary majority. The purpose of this paper is to trace the steps in the process towards the government achieving one of its manifesto commitments; the sale of 51 per cent of British Telecom shares to the private sector. In so doing, it is intended to analyse this example of the policy process in terms of the predominant British policy style.     

The 1984 election as Anthony downs and Stanley Kelley might interpret it

This paper is an analysis of two rational choice theories of elections. Anthony Downs and Stanley Kelley's theories yield complementary interpretations of the 1984 U. S. election. Reagan's victory was based on both prospective and retrospective judgments as well as on candidate and policy considerations. Reagan won that element of an incumbent's reelection that is a referendum on his performance as president. However, people also voted on the basis of domestic and foreign policy preferences for the second term. On these issues voters preferred Mondale as much as Reagan. Reagan's victory owed remarkably little to his conservative agenda and to a warm regard for his personal qualities as a leader. His landslide was deceptive. The two Reagan victories were among the weakest of the six landslides of the postwar period by Kelley's test of decisiveness. The Reagan elections have not set the United States on the course of a long-term conservative agenda in either domestic or foreign affairs.