cover image Starting with the People

Starting with the People

Daniel Yankelovich, Sidney Harman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $18.95 (285pp) ISBN 978-0-395-47695-6

The authors claim that the United States is losing the economic race against the Japanese because of the yawning gap between public opinion and policymakers' solutions. To harness American workers' latent energy and dedication, social researcher Yankelovich (The New Morality, etc.) and Harman, undersecretary of commerce under Carter, recommend a ``visible hand'' approach. Under this plan, government would help formulate a cohesive industrial strategy, aided by a National Interest Board consisting of White House, Congressional and business leaders. A democratized workplace, more profit-sharing and a stronger role for unions in shaping national policy are among the authors' recommendations. On the issue of the arms race, they reject ``nuclear containment,'' unilateral disarmament and a nuclear freeze as all unworkable. The American people, they argue, would support a policy of ``common security,'' which recognizes that neither the U.S. nor the Soviet Union can gain a decisive military advantage. (June)