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Developing a Dream Destination: Tourism and Tourism Policy Planning in Hawaii, by James Mak, professor of economics at the University of Hawaii (UH), covers the development of tourism policy in Hawaii from the 1960s to the present. Chapters discuss the genesis of tourism policy; taxing tourism; promoting tourism; the Hawaii Convention Center (HCC) and the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA); improving Waikiki; the Neighbor Islands; and lessons from Hawaii's experience. 255 pp. (G155 H3 M34 2008) (ISBN 0824832439).

See press release.


In Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (and What We Can Do About It), author William Poundstone posits the "spoiler effect"--in five U.S. presidential elections, the second most popular candidate won because of a spoiler, a minor candidate who tipped the election from the most popular to someone else (think Ralph Nader). Poundstone also proffers remedies to the problem, favoring range voting, in which voters rank the candidates. Range voting, he says, "has become the favored voting method of the Internet." 338 pp. (JK1976 P68 2008) (ISBN 0809048939).

See NY Times review, 3.20.08