Restoring the Public T

Professor of public policy and director of environmental programs at the University of Maryland, Brown draws on an environmentalist's perspective to argue for a new theory behind a progressive agenda. He first tracks the rise of the right wing, attacking the conceptual flaws behind the free market and taking liberals to task for concentrating on techniques, rather than on basic values. His second section, drawing in part on John Locke, proposes a trust model, in which the government/trustee must ``preserve and enhance the assets of the trust, keeping always in mind the good of the beneficiaries--in this case, the citizens.'' Brown is weak on realpolitik, suggesting naively that trustees will be motivated by professional obligation. He supports not only predictable positions like public financing of political campaigns, but also more radical proposals like a ban on handguns and ``federally mandated universal reproductive education.'' Brown's call for ending the international arms trade and moving toward outlawing war seems less plausible than his argument for stronger environmental stewardship and energy conservation. Still, his book should challenge both left and right. (Jan.)