Gradual

Practical and satisfying. * Tyler Cowen, Times Literary Supplement * A welcome and necessary corrective to what ails much of our current thinking about transformative social change. Berman and Fox offer an illuminating roadmap for action that finds persuasive precedent in the cumulative capacity of modest steps to address profound challenges. * Daniel F. Wilhelm, President, The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation * Berman and Fox have written a deeply wise and richly insightful book about the possibilities for social policy change. Illustrated by a wealth of examples from different policy areas—including their own experiences as criminal justice reformers—they argue that incremental reforms sustained over a long period have the capacity to make bigger, more impactful, and lasting change than can usually be attained from any single sweeping reform. This engaging book is both highly accessible to general readers and grounded in the scholarly literature. It will be a terrific addition to courses on public policymaking. * Frances Lee, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs, Princeton University * Radical incrementalism—the pursuit of revolutionary change over the geological time scale—is the world's most underrated force for social improvement. In this innovative, enjoyable, and sometimes inspiring book, Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox show how stepwise reform brought Social Security to America and safe streets to New York, and why incrementalism, not 'bold action,' is the solution to our most intractable problems. So here's what to do: read Gradual, identify a problem, then find three constructive steps you can take. As a veteran of the fight for same-sex marriage, I can say that the results will surprise you. * Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution * In this simply written and powerfully argued book, Berman and Fox make the telling point that incremental measures often produce major changes. Their insightful analysis moves beyond the inflated contemporary rhetoric and helps us understand what drives policy and how we might do better. * Edward D. Berkowitz, Professor Emeritus of History and Public Policy, George Washington University * A major contribution to the study of incrementalism. Berman and Fox make a compelling case for the superiority of incrementalism as a way to make policies. While incrementalism can be a purposeful strategy, it may also result from many independent and uncoordinated changes (a phenomenon they call 'accidental incrementalism') or from what they call 'practitioner vetoes' in the implementation process. * Michael Hayes, Professor Emeritus, Colgate University *