Yet India's poor are not disenfranchised; they actively participate in the democratic project.

Death, taxes, and red tape. The inevitable trio no one can escape. That wry sense of reality colors Herbert Kaufman's classic study of red tape, the bureaucratic phenomenon that all of us have encountered in some form—from the confounding tax form filled out annually to the maddeningly time-consuming wait at the driver's license bureau. The complaints about red tape, Kaufman concedes, are legion. It's messy, it takes too long, it lacks local knowledge, it is out of date, it makes insane demands, it increases costs, it slows progress. It is, in short, a burden and many times there is no measurable positive outcome. Kaufman takes us on an unblinking tour of the dismal landscape of red tape. But he also shows us another side of red tape, one we often forget. Red tape is how government protects us from tainted food, shoddy products, and unfair labor practices. It guarantees a social safety net for the elderly, the disabled, children, veterans, and victims of natural disasters. One person's red tape is another person's protection. This reissue is a Brookings Classic, a series of republished books for readers to revisit or discover, notable works by the Brookings Institution Press.

19 year old Diamond Rae just finished her first year in college. Now the CIA wants to hire her? Being used to doing her own thing, Diamond isn't prepared for her boss Mitchell, who's never defied. And to make matters worse, Damien, who she hasn't seen since he murdered his step-father four years ago, is back-as her fellow agent. All of a sudden keeping secrets isn't fun anymore and choices can be deadly. Diamond soon finds herself in a web of evidence that could cause her to lose much more than just her job. She just might lose herself.

Featuring selections from The Lower case, the best-read page of the Columbia Journalism Review, Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge gives the Fourth Estate the once-over and comes up with non-stop fun.

This work includes a brief history of skyscrapers as well as chapters on elevators and communications, facades and facing, mechanical and electrical systems, forces of nature, and much more.

The Dubai Red-Tape Explorer is a comprehensive instruction manual invaluable to anyone living and working in Dubai. The book includes 100 easy-to-follow, step-by-step procedures covering all aspects of daily life. Whether you have just arrived, are about to have a baby, are preparing to leave or considering setting up a business here, Red-Tape is an essential companion for battling bureaucracy and getting things done in Dubai. This guide also has a Directory listing hundreds of useful phone numbers and addresses, plus a comprehensive Dubai street map.