Michael J Donnelly

This volume, the first of two, was written as bedtime stories for young family members, over a period of five years.This is not a collection per se, but a group of fairy tales, to be read by parents / babysitters / minders - to 'dip into' anytime, when a story is just what's needed.There are stories of sad polar bears, little dragons, races, special 'clothes-makers' and other strange tales.The young listener may hear and experience joy, excitement, disbelief, frustration, gasps, 'wows' and other emotions, sometimes in one sitting.A book of hope to be cherished and enjoyed.

What drives support for or opposition to redistributive taxation and spending? Why is ethnic diversity associated with inequality and a lack of redistribution? This book argues that many individuals, recognizing that they live in a world of uncertainty, use the groups of which they are a member as a heuristic to understand how welfare states are likely to impact them. This leads to reduced support for redistribution among the wealthy, whose disproportionate influence over policy in turn leads to less redistribution. Group Interests, Individual Attitudes develops the argument with a series of empirical implications, which are then tested using data from a variety of sources. It examines regional and ethnic politics in the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovakia, Canada, and Italy, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative evidence, existing and new surveys, and observational and experimental methods. The evidence is largely consistent with a heuristic theory, allowing us to see group politics in a new light.