Richard P. Nathan, 2005.
The theme for the lead essay for this year’s list is public service, both for making government policies and carrying them out.

Richard P. Nathan, 2004.
The theme of the lead essay for this year's list is the history of the world's three major monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Richard P. Nathan, 2003.
The theme is the meaning of nonfiction. Fiction is defined as "something invented by the imagination or feigned, an invented story." Nonfiction is defined simply as literature that is not fiction. Yet the boundary line between them is unclear.

Richard P. Nathan, 2002.
The theme this year is "culture wars" referring to the debates among intellectuals about whether there is, or should be, a canon of great books passed down as a body of literature central to Western Civilization.

Richard P. Nathan, 2001.
The theme for the 2001 list is the Civil War Reconstruction Period.  David Herbert Donald's biography of Lincoln led me to several books on the pre-war years and the Reconstruction period, several of which made the list.

Richard P. Nathan, 2000.
A book is different than a website.  It takes a couple weeks or a month to read a book.  It is an experience; it stays with you and builds intellectual capital.  Hopefully books won't go out of style. 

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, held its 25th anniversary dinner in 2006. The following day, guests at the dinner, many of whom had worked for Governor Rockefeller, gathered at the Institute for a conversation on the public service. This publication includes excerpts from this transcript. It reflects the informality and nostalgia of the conversation, which many felt was a fitting tribute to Nelson Rockefeller as well as a reminder about the importance of public service in the lives of people who worked with him. Before the transcript, there is a brief description of the role and work of the Institute.

Various Authors, 1999.
When Congress enacted welfare reform in 1996, many people were skeptical that cumbersome state bureaucracies could really implement the new strongly work-focused approach. Less than two and a half years later, in his 1999 State of the Union address, President Clinton said that welfare rolls were half what they were when he took office. The underlying question, however, is whether the policies are responsible, or is their claimed success simply a byproduct of a booming economy? Shortly after the law took effect, the Rockefeller Institute began a multi-year, multi-state field research project to see how a variety of state and local governments and nonprofit organizations have been reacting to the new situation. This symposium represents merely the first step in a long project. There is much more to be done, articles and books yet to be written.
About This Issue and Contents
Symposium: A First Look at State Capacity for Welfare Reform
"Implementing Welfare Reform" by Richard P. Nathan and Thomas L. Gais
"Welfare Reform in Michigan: Beyond the Headlines and the Hype" by Carol S. Weissert
"The Shifting Landscape: Contracting for Welfare Services in New Jersey" by Richard W. Roper
"How Would a Recession Affect Welfare Spending?" by Donald J. Boyd and Elizabeth I. Davis
"The Information System Challenge for Welfare Reform" by Thomas L. Gais
"Social Program Information Systems: Working Seminar of the U.S. General Accounting Office and Rockefeller Institute" by Mark Nadel
"Long-Range Planning: If It Looks So Good on Paper, Why Doesn’t Everyone Do It?" by Donald J. Boyd with comments by John Cape, Comer Coppie, Dean Fuleihan, and Abraham M. Lackman
"Reforming Personnel Systems in New York" an interview with George C. Sinnott, President, New York State Civil Service Commission